Why is it only cats that get "to live 9 lives"?
As billionaire and legendary investor Warren Buffett once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it.”
That’s a hard pill to swallow because it basically means you can do a lot of good or even great things but the human psyche is programmed to absorb the worst of you or your work above all else. In Kenya we call this concept “Kuchoma” i.e. you’ve burnt your house down. This is a topic very few people openly talk about but you know when they are talking…You see the looks, hear the whispers, experience some distancing but it’s all part of life!
Vulnerably speaking, I too have burnt my house down what feels like numerous times personally and professionally. I recall a huge one where I dropped a very important proposal in the wrong tender submission box and many years later it still creeps up on me. What I can tell you from my experience(s) is what matters is just getting up again and start by getting through a minute, then an hour, then a day. Before you know it 2-3 years will have passed and your story still stands but you will have built the most crucial skill in recovering ashes from your burnt house…resilience and ownership. Two things to keep in mind:
The greatest gift I have received from “chomaing” big or small is self-awareness, accepting my faults and understanding what other approach I could have taken to the hand I was dealt or dealt myself i.e. self-sabotage.?
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Moral of the week: As a direct manager, please coach your subordinates especially in their early – mid careers about this concept because 2nd or even 3rd chances are very difficult to come by, and according to someone somewhere only cats get to restart their lives over and over again on a clean slate. The day time machines are invented and turn back the clock will be a great one but I doubt any of us here will live to see that day so dust yourself off, know that you are better than your worst moments and keep it pushing!
I'd be happy to share my recruitment advisory services as well as professional coaching. Feel free to reach out on [email protected] and better yet my LI inbix!
Government Sales Executive at SYNERJE Global Solutions LLC
1 年This was a hot one , wow!! Gathoni M.
CEO @ Zembo | Sustainable Transportation Solutions
1 年"In War, you can only be killed once. In politics, you can be killed many times" - from Winston Churchill, but the same can be said of corporate politics! Ownership and resilience are great takeaways, and I would suggest another - growing self awareness, so when the match is in your hands, you can ask yourself - is what I want to do right now what I will wish I had done in a year, or ten? Often even what seems like the right move in a given situation will look differently from a long-view standpoint, and being able to consider that long-view perspective in real time can (sometimes) help make a different decision in the moment.
Project Management | Operations | Communications |
1 年Great piece Gathoni. Reflecting on this makes me wonder how it is that when we are on the other side of someone's worst moment, we often don't remember to be more gracious and forgiving.
Microinsurance Master| Changing Lives| Sustainable Insurance| Microinsurance| Inclusive Finance| Climate Resilience | Poverty Eradication | Resilient Communities | Food Systems| Financial Inclusion and Innovation
1 年Great piece, Gathoni. The bottom line is "Ownership". Pick up the ashes and turn into something. It could make some alkaline solution. Better than nothing, eh, ??
Manager/ Business Development/ Partnerships / Resource Mobilisation / Grants Management/ Strategy/Operations
1 年Incredible article, Gathoni! Just as your article indicates and from our numerous conversations, Self-awareness is key. Keep writing and inspiring!