Addicted To The Hustle

Thank you, goodbye, and good luck

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:01:00 +0000

For when you come to think of it, the only way to love a person is not, as the stereotyped Christian notion is, to coddle them and bring them soup when they are sick, but by listening to them, and seeing and believeing in the god, in the poet, in them. For by doing this, you keep the god and the poet alive and make it flourish

Brenda Ueland

Well this it. It's clear to me that it is time to put Addicted To The Hustle to bed. It had to happen at some point, and being that I haven't posted anything for over two months, I think I should be honest with myself and recognise that I am all out of juice as far as Addicted To The Hustle is concerned.

It has been an incredible experience writing this blog. Particularly because I have learnt so much about myself and the world. I have used this blog to figure out what I think and believe, to connect with some amazing writers and thinkers, to make friends, and to contribute to the rich and various conversations that are always going on around us.

I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone who dropped by to read, and especially those who took the time to comment, argue, criticise and generally be productive to the conversation. I am a better writer, thinker and general hardcase because of you all.

Of course, an extra special thank you is due to my co-conspirators Kishawi and Daniel. I appreciate greatly the time you took to help me along on this journey. And so, like tag team, "whoomph there it is"

You'll see me soon elsewhere, talking about other things. But for now, I'm off to somewhere warm where there are no mosquitos.

Please be fearless, and say what's on your mind. Write a book, write a blog, write a song, paint a picture, or make a film. Just say what's on your mind.

UPDATE: I 'm already up and running, here. Good times.

Race and Sex don't matter....kind of, in a way,

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 12:22:00 +0000

I have been involved in advocacy issues on diversity for many years. During that time, I had a niggling thought that was constantly playing in the back of mind. While we were worried about promotion prospects for ethnic minorities and women, perhaps this was the wrong thing to be worried about. Perhaps the world had moved on.

I raised this thought with a senior leader at Shell one morning and in response he said, "The world has changed dramatically. You guys are not going to have the same experiences that your parents did" (as far progress for ethnic minorities is concerned). And I think he is right of course. Things don't stay the same. They change and they develop. Mostly for the better.

So where does this leave the "diversity movement". Well if it is to remain relevant, I think that at its most fundamental it needs to come to terms with the fact that the world has moved on. It then has to adapt itself to this new world. I think diversity needs to be less about blacks and women getting on, and more about allowing individuals to model their careers according to their fundamental needs and interests, rather than according to the demands of the traditional hierarchy.

That is, some people would like to be on the fast track to CEO, others would like to see more of their families and children, and others still would like to entertain interests beyond work(chess, kung-fu) while still being a key part of the work organisation. Diversity therefore should (will?) be about recognising all these diverse objectives as valid to a working life.

Penelope Trunk has captured these thoughts in her writing here and I think she is absolutely spot on. And it's nice to see an organisation that is experimenting with what this brave new world will look like.

Curious?

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:49:00 +0000

The amazing Seth Godin discusses Curiosity. Watch it. Now! Ask your boss to let you miss that meeting if you have to. This is much more important. Indeed, your boss must watch this too. The video was created by Nic Askew.

viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://services.brightcove.com/
services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swliveconnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/
index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" height="412" width="450">

The new saviours

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:19:00 +0000

One of the consequences of the subprime crisis/credit crunch has been increasing activity from sovereign wealth funds. Banks like Merrill Lynch, Citigroup and UBS have resorted to raising capital from investment agencies representing the likes of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and China. The interesting irony is that for decades, American institutions are the ones that have been riding to the rescue of foreign institutions in trouble. And now, it is the American institutions that are seeking help from - read this list again - Abu Dhabi, Dubai, China.

It is a refrain I repeat again and again. This is not your father's world.

And for Christmas I want a.....functioning market

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 17:46:00 +0000

I am reading a delightful book titled Reinventing the Bazaar. It is by economist John McMillan and seeks to explain the mysteries, the wonder and the workings of markets. In one passage, McMillan quotes the Czech playwright and dissident (who went on to become president) Vlaclav Havel.

"Though my heart may be left of center I have always known that the only economic system that works is a market economy. This is the only natural economy, the only kind that makes sense, the only one that leads to prosperity, because it is the only one that reflects the nature of life itself. The essence of life is infinitely and mysteriously multiform, and therefore it cannot be contained or planned for, in its fullness and variability , by any central intelligence."

Think on this...

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:21:00 +0000

It is a great mind that lives in moderation in the midst of great prosperity.
- Seneca

A Building for Peace

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 14:57:00 +0000

Imagine if instead of the billions of dollars we spend on weapons of war, the west were to build a mosque on the site of Ground Zero. It would be a remarkable symbol of our openness to understanding the Islamic point of view, and would go a long way to world peace.

- Paul Arden

There are many believers...of course

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:52:00 +0000

In response to this post, an anonymous poster sent me a link to a magazine called Kitu Kizuri. Loosely translated, it is swahili for "something nice". Check it out here.

Thank you anonymous. Let we who believe never be silent.

[Update] Always remember what Hugh McLeod says. The market for something to believe in is infinite.

It's not worth it

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 07:04:00 +0000

Dearly beloved, today's reading comes from the gospel of Seth. And it was written, "when a propsect tells you that they can't afford what you're selling, they really mean it's not worth it to them."

Read the rest of this truth here, for it shall set you free.

Invest in Africa, get rich, repeat...

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:53:00 +0000

This post is going to be full of numbers. I'm excited by them because they tell a tale of incredible opportunity for investment in Africa.

Stock exchange returns

Egypt - in 2005, the Egyptian stock exchange enjoyed returns of 145%
Kenya - in 2006. the Nairobi stock exchange enjoyed returns of 60%
Nigeria- in 2006, the Nigerian stock exchange returned 40%

Inflation between 2004 and 2006

Zambian inflation has fallen from 18% to 9%
Egyptian inflation has fallen from 16% to 8.4%
Nigerian inflation has fallen from 16% to 8%

And for the non-geeks among us, otherwise known as those who are not particularly excited by percentages, I invite you to consider the following:

Goldman Sachs predicts that by 2020, Nigeria will be among the top ten world economies.
Sixteen countries have been granted sovereign ratings by the likes of Standard and Poors and Moody's. Why? Because the ratings agencies expect an investment boom in Africa.
CNBC has launched CNBC Africa. Why? See immediately above.
Only ten percent of Nigeria's population have a bank account. Some will call this a problem, I call it an opportunity. Remember, Nigeria is on its way to becoming a top ten world economy.

I sincerely apologise to my english teacher for ignoring all rules of aesthetic and narrative form in writing this post. I also confess that I have no idea what aesthetic and narrative form means.

[Update] The Financial Times today reports that the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China is to acquire a 20% stake in South Africa's Standard Bank. Invest in Africa, get rich...

Daniel Harrison on CNN

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:43:00 +0000

My co-conspirator, fellow contributor, and friend, Daniel Harrison, was on CNN International on Monday night discussing the mood on Wall Street following recent volatility . See it here. Daniel has also been writing for The Street.Com

When I first introduced Daniel as a writer on this blog, I said that he has a special talent that would soon be visible to the world. Well, I was right, and that is the most important thing to remember. I know everything!

Daniel, You keep getting better and better, and it makes me glad to see your light continue to shine. I'm very proud of you mate. Onward!

I believe

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:16:00 +0000

One of my big frustrations concerns the media and how they report the news. I am yet to find a media outlet that exists to celebrate the best of us as people. Indeed, even the publications that purport to seek to change the world for the better, do so by exploiting the negative. We only see stories about murder, corruption, robbery and so on. In short, they seem to be "opposed to" stuff rather than "in support" of other stuff.

I don't buy the doom and gloom. I am surrounded by amazing people who are smart, funny, brave, generous and the list can go on forever. And through blogging, I have met and am connected to such people all over the world.

Anyway, see what Mark Cuban has to say on the matter.

And another great coach

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:39:00 +0000

In still thinking about leadership, I came across the following from Joe Ehrmann. He coaches american football at Gilman School in Baltimore and his team has been unbeaten in three of the last six seasons. The following are some of his rules for the team.

To Be A Better Man

1. Recognize the three lies of false masculinity: Athletic ability, sexual conquest and economic success are not the best measurements of manhood.
2. Allow yourself to love and be loved
3. Build and value relationships
4. Accept responsibility, lead courageously and enact justice on behalf of others
5. Practice the concepts of empathy, inclusion and integrity

No arguments from me...

Hat tip: Tom Peters

Ibukun Adebayo: Force of Nature

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:07:00 +0000

As part of the Black History Month celebrations at Shell, we invited Ibukun Adebayo to speak to us about her experiences. She is the IT Director for Turning Point but more importantly is a mother to five kids. Four of whom (count 'em people, 4!!) are boys. Ibukun is simply a force of nature. An extremely attractive woman, she was in turns charming, challenging, funny, humble and proud.

In a twist of cosmic synchronicity concerning my post from yesterday, much of her presentation related to leadership. Especially this.

"When I lead a team, I am not there to be "the boss". I am there to mentor everyone on the team so that they manifest their destiny".

Who would not want to work for a person who thought like that?

On Leadership

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:45:00 +0000

Throughout my university career, and especially during my time at business school, I was obsessed with the idea of leadership. I read thousands of articles and certainly about 100 books on the subject. Leadership of course is one of the key issues in business.
Now, the reason I was so obsessed are varied, but the fundamental motivation for me was and is, that I want to be a good leader. Two questions come to mind on that point. What does leadership mean, and second, why do I want to be a leader.

To answer the first question, I read all the articles and books I could as I have described above. There was one problem however. I was just about to embark on my career, but everything I read assumed that one was the CEO or a senior manager at their work place. Did that mean that the only people who lead are CEOs and senior managers? That notion did not sit well with me. So I asked myself, what do leaders do? And quite simply, leaders get things done, and they help people to collectively get things done. You don't have to be a CEO to do that. You only have to be smart, driven, and good with people (this last point is important, I'll come to it later).

And yet, there was a fundamental question. Why do I want to be a leader? Is it for the status and the glory, is it for the money, or is it because I buy into the notion that if you're not a leader, you're a loser. Answering this question has tasked me immensely because it has required that I approach it with brutal honesty and maturity. The following is what I think right now, but I am also aware that my priorities will change as my journey progresses.

I want to be a leader because it is then that I can do some seriously cool stuff that makes a difference to my clients' and customers' lives. Leadership does not mean being CEO, but it certainly means taking accountability for making things happen. Someone once said that decisions are made by those who turn up, and I would add that people who take accountability for making a difference are leaders by definition. But why do I want to do seriously cool stuff? I think that fundamentally, it's an issue of self esteem. It turns me on and it makes me proud to achieve, and when that achievement is in the service of other people, it is ultimately more rewarding.

However, my experience has shown me, and any one who has achieved anything will say that you can't achieve much on your own. You need other people to help you build whatever you're building or deliver whatever you're delivering. Which is why I stressed above that an important part of leadership is being good with people. I was ridiculously lucky to have as a basketball coach, one of the wisest men I know. I was particularly lucky because he was the first coach I had in my basketball career and so set the stage for everything that came after.
When he first appointed me as captain of his team, I showed up to practice with a list of the names on the team. My idea was to show my teammates how tough I was by taking an attendants register and punishing those who didn't make it to practice. My coach took one look at my list and with a smile, he crumpled it up and tossed it aside. He then said something I have never forgotten.

"You're role as a leader, is to inspire. It is not to rule. You inspire by your conduct. If you are excellent, and expect excellence from your team, your team will be excellent".

It made sense to me, as only the most fundamental truths can, and so that's the other reason I want to lead. I want to inspire people to be the best they can be.

Having said that, I have to be brutally honest as I have already suggested. Yes, I want to be appreciated and even admired by my peers and all those who I appreciate and admire.So of course, status is part of the attraction. And yes, I want the monetary rewards that come with great leadership. How else will I build my ridiculously beautiful house in the mountains? And how else can I guarantee, absolutely guarantee, that my loved ones have the best health care they can have or the best education they aspire to? It's important.

So that's me. What about you?

Design is everything

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:04:00 +0000

A friend and I were watching Bloomberg News the other day and it struck me that the screen was full of junk. Scrolling updates, breaking headlines, newsflashes, the lot. Now of course, this particular problem is not restricted to Bloomberg. Rival CNBC is in the very same position and so are all the other main news networks. CNN, FOX and even the venerable BBC.

I invite you to ponder my thoughts above, but I would suggest you take a look at the video below. It makes the same case in hilarious terms.

No more aid.....please

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:00:00 +0000

Ugandan journalist Andrew Mwenda makes a good case for the cessation of aid as a solution to African poverty. Check it out, tell a friend to tell a friend.

Courage my friends!

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:12:00 +0000

The ancient Greeks judged their heroes not by their results, but by their actions during moments of peril. This is instructive for us because many times, our failures and successes are due to factors beyond our control. It is a human conceit that we can control everything. And as science and technology continue to advance, this conceit becomes ever larger.

Again, there are things we cannot control, and these things will have a bearing on our success or failure as individuals. The terrorist event that cripples an industry, the war that destroys a country, the rain that destroys a runner's chances of winning a championship.

The wise individual knows that he has no control over these events. But what he can control is his behaviour in the face of them. In the end, the truly heroic is a life lived with dignity in the face of challenge. For in the end, perhaps the ancient Greeks were right in this belief. That we are the playthings of the gods.

More on Education

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:19:00 +0000

You positively, absolutely, must, drop everything you're doing right now and watch this clip. It's an excellent use of 17 minutes of your time. Trust me, have I ever led you astray?

Education: It's broken

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:08:00 +0000

It has long been my contention that our schooling is ill suited to equip students for the realities of modern business. Our schooling says there is one right answer. Business shows you that your answers become irrelevant very quickly. Our schooling says your teacher will show you the way, business demands that you find your own way. Our schooling pits student against student, every man for himself. Share your homework and you're a cheat. Business demands collaboration, teamwork, symphony.

Of course, I am not saying that everyone should quit school. Or even that it is a waste of time. I do hold two degrees after all.

But...there must be a better way. Naturally.

So why do we tolerate it? Is it just because it's the way it's always been done? Is that a good reason to do anything? Do tell.....

Slow your roll

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 13:48:00 +0000

I received a flurry of emails from friends, foes, and the confused wondering if I had gone crazy based on the post below. Friends, you'll be glad to know that I'm not crazy. Foes, sorry to disappoint, I'm not crazy. The confused, I cannot help you.

I just wrote that post because I wanted to see what it feels like to write like an idiot. That's all. Isn't it fun?

We need a mission statement

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 16:00:00 +0000

I need a mission statement for "Team Focus". I shall inform branding management of our positioning strategy to go forward. We need to get the blue sky thinkers and the nuts and bolts guys in a room so we can brainstorm to come up with some high level, fly-over implementation ideas.

We also need to ensure our skill sets have sufficient bandwidth to carry this off so we can deliver on time and on budget with 110% efficiency.It is absolutely imperative that we account for the difficulties of achieving cut through in a digital market which nonetheless is converging rapidly at the same time that it fragments.

It goes without saying that all this needs to be underlined by a 199% committment to ethics and accountability in light of the Sarbanes-Oxley environment that we now find ourselves in. It is also the right thing to do. God bless you all and God bless freedom.

The OS!M

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:47:00 +0000

I believe that progress and personal development are a result of taking leaps into uncomfortable situations or experiences. It may surprise you to know this, but I was not always comfortable speaking in front of large audiences. It always made me a little nervous.
One day, my mother asked me to make a speech at my brother's confirmation. I was scared to death but I did it anyway. And it was pretty good I am reliably informed. Because of that one experience, I started public speaking and acting. These have opened up some really cool opportunities for me both at work and in my personal life. The moral of the story is this. Take leaps into uncomfortable situations and experiences. Or as Steve Farber says, pursue the OS!M

Everything is music...again

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 13:40:00 +0000

Everything is music

f.kambo@gmail.com (frederick kambo) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 08:45:00 +0000

"Whether in music or in fiction, the most basic thing is rhythm. Your style needs to have good, natural, steady rhythm, or people won’t keep reading your work. I learned the importance of rhythm from music — and mainly from jazz. Next comes melody — which, in literature, means the appropriate arrangement of the words to match the rhythm. If the way the words fit the rhythm is smooth and beautiful, you can’t ask for anything more. Next is harmony — the internal mental sounds that support the words. Then comes the part I like best: free improvisation. Through some special channel, the story comes welling out freely from inside. All I have to do is get into the flow. Finally comes what may be the most important thing: that high you experience upon completing a work — upon ending your “performance” and feeling you have succeeded in reaching a place that is new and meaningful. And if all goes well, you get to share that sense of elevation with your readers (your audience). That is a marvelous culmination that can be achieved in no other way.

Practically everything I know about writing, then, I learned from music. It may sound paradoxical to say so, but if I had not been so obsessed with music, I might not have become a novelist. Even now, almost 30 years later, I continue to learn a great deal about writing from good music. My style is as deeply influenced by Charlie Parker’s repeated freewheeling riffs, say, as by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s elegantly flowing prose....One of my all-time favorite jazz pianists is Thelonious Monk. Once, when someone asked him how he managed to get a certain special sound out of the piano, Monk pointed to the keyboard and said: “It can’t be any new note. When you look at the keyboard, all the notes are there already. But if you mean a note enough, it will sound different. You got to pick the notes you really mean!”

I often recall these words when I am writing, and I think to myself, “It’s true. There aren’t any new words. Our job is to give new meanings and special overtones to absolutely ordinary words.”

Haruki Murakami