Idea Communication
CROSSFIRE
Four Skills You Must
Master For Success In
The Maze Of Career And
Unemployment Web
By Herman Githinji
I
am seated at Java in Westlands Square
waiting to meet a young man who just
cleared University. The father, an old
man I met in a friends’ party, insisted that
I have to meet the son and discuss how
I can help him get a job. I am a little bit
early for the meeting. So, I ordered coffee
as I perused through my emails.
The young man arrived a few minutes
before 10.00am. We have never met
before. So, we introduced ourselves to each
other and settled for the agenda of the
meeting. The young man is called Steve,
went to fairly decent schools, and have
just completed a degree in interior design
and fashion, or something like that. Now
he is looking for a job. My first question is
always like; why did you choose this line
of study, and where did you think you will
work?
A lot is going on in our schools’ systems and
in social environment that are not helping
our kids. Universities and other colleges
admit students to fill slots allocated, and
not what the students chose, or are willing
to learn. Some motivational speakers also
copy the West by telling our kids to follow
their passion. Taking courses according to
your passion is ideal in the West, but not
where parents are selling cows to educate
their kids and expect the kid to quickly
make money and look after them and
their other siblings.
Steve told me he has been looking for a
job for the last 8 months. The discussions
went back to how he chose this career and
what he really wanted out of it. I work in
companies where there are only about five
known departments and interior design
is not one of them. He told me he is just
desperate and would like to do any work.
That breaks my heart. You have spent
about 4 years of schooling, and money, in
a career that you now want to abandon for
anything?
Generating new ideas is ok, communicating
them, superb, implementing them, refresh-
ing, but elegance is in review. Most people
implement ideas but fail to review results
against the initial objectives. What was
the idea about? What was it expected to
achieve? Has the implementation achieved
that objective? If not, why? Is it that the
ideas were wrong or implementation was
not done correctly?
04 MAL29/19 ISSUE
While in Australia, I was discussing with
this young girl about a test they carried
out in school to identity their strengths
and guide their career choices.
They use the Morriby Career Guidance
Profile and a career analyst to help kids
in year 10 (like form 4 in Kenya), to
identify possible careers that match their
personality and ability profiles. Developed
countries are looking for ways to help the
young ones choose appropriate careers
early enough so that they don’t waste
time, and money, pursuing careers that
they don’t need.
Besides poor career choices the other
major contributor to unemployment is
lack of key skills that make one succeed in
whatever area of specialization. Whatever
course we choose in school, there are four
skills that will make you succeed in any
area you may want to excel in. These 4
skills cut across the career divide and are
the basis of good leadership.
Idea Generation Or
Creativity
Research has shown that this will be the
number one skill to have in the future
work environment. Do you figure out new
ways of doing stuff? Do you think how
to make your work more efficient, more
cost effective, and easier? Creative and
innovative ideas must not be complex.
They are just simple but not obvious.
Most people have brilliant ideas but are
shy to communicate them. How well are
you able to communicate your ideas both
in writing and verbal? Can you clearly
present your ideas? Can you influence
and persuade others to buy your idea and
support it? Most of us may have brilliant
ideas but are limited by how well to
organize those thoughts and communicate
them. Language can be a barrier too.
Idea Implementation
Some people will have very good ideas and
profoundly communicate them. But that
ends there. Good performers at any work
environment are those who know how to
go ahead and implement whatever they
have conceptualized at idea generation.
They are able to organize resources
and implement their ideas. This is the
hardest part because it puts to test your
other managerial abilities like planning,
organizing, and leadership. This is where
the rubber meets the road.
Idea Review
Generating new ideas is ok, communicating
them, superb, implementing them,
refreshing, but elegance is in review. Most
people implement ideas but fail to review
Research has shown
that idea generation
and creativity will be
the number one skill
to have in the future
work environment.
Do you figure out
new ways of doing
stuff? Do you think
how to make your
work more efficient,
more cost effective,
and easier? Creative
and innovative ideas
must not be complex.
They are just simple
but not obvious.
results against the initial objectives. What
was the idea about? What was it expected
to achieve? Has the implementation
achieved that objective? If not, why?
Is it that the ideas were wrong or
implementation was not done correctly?
When I met Steve, we went through
these skills set together. We tried to
identify where he is strong and where he
needs development. While Steve is able
to conceptualize ideas, he is unable to
communicate them. His verbal abilities
are low. He is however very confident
when it comes to implementing ideas. He
has done that several times in minor tasks.
Steve has however never thought about
reviewing any project or ideas that he ever
implemented.
With Steve, while he appreciated
that whatever he took in college was
not a perfect match to his abilities
and personality, he could still salvage
something in that career by developing
these other abilities and skills that would
make him thrive in interior design. Even
if he decided to set up a small business,
he will have to follow his idea conception,
through to communication with friends
and funders, through to implementation,
and finally through to a review.
At normal work places, I have met guys
who are good in one or two of these
four skills and not the others. Marcus
Buckingham, in his book, “First Break
All the Rules”, affirms that not many
people will have all these relevant skill
sets and instead of developing everyone
to acquire all relevant skills, hire other
people to complement skills lacking. But
great leaders develop all the four skills to
a decently high level.
Meanwhile, as this part of the world
organizes its education and career
guidance programs, it only helps if we all
learn these skills that cut across the work
divide. Steve and the rest of us who are
still working, or hustling, must generate
fresh ideas and see them through that
process. And that will be your legacy at
the work place; at our hustle. That you
initiated something, and carried it through
to fruition. That is success!
Herman Githinji is a seasoned
marketing practitioner and law
graduate from the University Of
Nairobi. Currently the CEO Bidco
Land O’Lakes Company that makes
quality Animal Feeds using American
Technology. You can commune with
him on this and related issues via email
on: [email protected].