Year: <span>2019</span>

Letting go of what does not work and old mindsets

Unlearning raises our regarding what to unlearn. Letting go is a very powerful competence to develop. When combined with clarity of intention, deep listening, awareness and appreciation, letting go is a natural next step.

Even though I came with a strong intention, I should be willing to move on to what works gracefully and let go of my old mindset. Otherwise I would be left with resentment and anger or frustration instead of accomplishment. A good creative person knows what to hold on and what to let go and when to do what.

Letting go is also about flexibility and good judgment. When I what to let go, I can take responsibility for what I can hold onto. When I do not have the freedom to let go, I cannot take accountability for anything.

Birungi K. Desiderius
077 2 426 607
Executive Director
Better World Uganda
P. O. Box 406, Hoima-Uganda

Appreciation for each other and what you receive

It is always easy for us to find fault with each other and see what is missing or wrong. Unfortunately, focusing on what does not work leads to unleashing failure around us. We have to “unlearn” our patterns of identifying what does not work and intentionally concentrate on appreciating what works however minute that may be. Appreciating a person boosts his/her morale and makes him/her feel good.

I can only appreciate others to the extent that I appreciate myself. So appreciation is also about self acceptance. We rarely appreciate who we are and what we receive because of our conditioned expectations.

By the way, appreciation does not mean that one should accept everything and everybody and be inauthentic about it. Authentic appreciation, on the other hand, allows people to go beyond their own limits.

Curiosity, empathy, and appreciation provide the impetus for people to engage in an activity that is personally challenging and, hopefully, discover their own untapped potential.

Birungi K. Desiderius
077 2 426 607
Executive Director
Better World Uganda
P. O. Box 406, Hoima-Uganda

Empathy for one another

Awareness and sensitivity are the foundation for empathy and mutual respect. When I begin to be sensitive to body language, the unsaid and motivation behind, that might allow me to inquire further. Once I’m sensitive to where you are and what you want, I begin to see new possibilities that I had never seen before.

Openness, mutual respect and trust are ingredients for a lasting relationship and, of course, for a meaningful conversation. Deep listening, not just to the words but the meaning behind the words, is the foundation for empathetic relationship. Empathy begets more empathy and is the source of creative partnership.

Empathy comes from the heart and engages with the spirit of the relationship. Empathy is the seat of passion, and when mastered, leads to compassion. It is important to let you know that I noticed what you did and such acknowledgement brings each other to higher state of functionality and vice versa. When you acknowledge me I become more sensitive to noticing what I can acknowledge in you.

Birungi K. Desiderius
077 2 426 607
Executive Director
Better World Uganda
P. O. Box 406, Hoima-Uganda

Awareness of what surrounds you

We don’t leave in a vacuum either personally or organizationally. I’m conditioned by my family, my culture and I’m continually being shaped by the environment that I live in. I use the word “environment” to include everything that is outside of me, and that could influence me. The more I become conscious of what is influencing me, the more I can exercise my judgment and choice. If I’m not even aware of my surroundings and their influence, my intention alone cannot carry me through to accomplishment.

Likewise, an organization to be successful needs to continually be aware of what is going on with its clients, competitors and employees. We have to remember that awareness is about now, not yesterday or tomorrow.

In the personal context, awareness without empathy could lead to arrogance and could be a reason for break down in relationships. We feel valued when we receive the gift of deep listening when somebody else is aware of of our situation.

Birungi K. Desiderius
077 2 426 607
Executive Director
Better World Uganda
P. O. Box 406, Hoima-Uganda

Clarity of Intention

Most of us know, at some level, what we are going for. Though many a time, we don’t have clarity of our goal. Or our deeper intention behind the actions and goals is not clearly understood or prioritized. In such circumstances, many times, we end up compromising our efforts and that is never a satisfactory solution.

It may be important for us to ask ourselves the following questions to gain clarity: What is it that I am going after? How important is it for me and what am I willing to give up to achieve it? What motivates me? These questions bring to surface some of our assumptions and help us prioritize our actions before we initiate them. If all things are equal, we should go after what gives us energy, and what we are really curious about to explore and learn.

Without a a crystal clear intention, we rarely experience a sense of accomplishment even if our intentions are fulfilled. Once we know what we are going after, we can build a team or work with the team members to focus on what they bring to help us accomplish our goals.

Of course, to work together effectively, clear intention alone is not enough we need to be aware of what is currently going on and build an emphatic partnership with one another. Strategic intent is the key and once we have the key, we can examine our core competences that allow us to fulfill the organizational intent.

Birungi K. Desiderius
077 2 426 607
Executive Director
Better World Uganda
P. O. Box 406, Hoima-Uganda

On Jun 27, 2019 12:43, "Birungi K. Desiderius" <betterwrld@yahoo.com> wrote:

Clarity of Intention

Most of us know, at some level, what we are going for. Though many a time, we don’t have clarity of our goal. Or our deeper intention behind the actions and goals is not clearly understood or prioritized. In such circumstances, many times, we end up compromising our efforts and that is never a satisfactory solution.

It may be important for us to ask ourselves the following questions to gain clarity: What is it that I am going after? How important is it for me and what am I willing to give up to achieve it? What motivates me? These questions bring to surface some of our assumptions and help us prioritize our actions before we initiate them. If all things are equal, we should go after what gives us energy, and what we are really curious about to explore and learn.

Without a a crystal clear intention, we rarely experience a sense of accomplishment even if our intentions are fulfilled. Once we know what we are going after, we can build a team or work with the team members to focus on what they bring to help us accomplish our goals.

Of course, to work together effectively, clear intention alone is not enough we need to be aware of what is currently going on and build an emphatic partnership with one another. Strategic intent is the key and once we have the key, we can examine our core competences that allow us to fulfill the organizational intent.

Birungi K. Desiderius
077 2 426 607
Executive Director
Better World Uganda
P. O. Box 406, Hoima-Uganda

Core Competences for Success

While skills are good to acquire, integrating them into a systemic practice makes one develop new competencies for success. Competences allow one to integrate his/her skills and knowledge in new contexts of work. Six competencies are useful in all stages of your organization and in fact, could be very useful in your personal life as well. When you start something new, keep the six competencies in mind and consciously apply them in your work and life, as soft skills will integrate with your professional skills over time.

Birungi K. Desiderius
077 2 426 607
Executive Director
Better World Uganda
P. O. Box 406, Hoima-Uganda

Expect failures and learn constantly

Learning and Communication are two sides of the same coin. Learning creates the distinctions, and communication enhances them. When you speak mind the impact. Continually adjust what, how much, and to whom you communicate so that you can produce the results you require. We don’t become experts because we talk like them. The smarter we are, the quicker we may be able to pick concepts and ideas from others.
All of us have edges, these are the points where our knowledge is shaky and sometimes we know it. Be aware of your edges and seek assistance. In every role that you play, learn something and gain some new skills or knowledge. Pay attention to what you are learning rather than what does not work. When you demonstrate that kind of “can do” attitude, it get noticed.
Partnering and teaming are the most effective ways to learn. Listen to others carefully and completely when they are trying to help. If your mind is planning on what to say next while others are talking, then you are not listening. Being silent doesn’t mean you are listening. Asking questions and actively integrating what they said with your responses and plans make you a popular team-mate. Each opportunity that you missed listening to others, you lost an opportunity to learn. Curiosity, anticipation, childlike inquisitiveness and willingness to appear ignorant and make mistakes are the qualities that characterize high achievers.

Birungi K. Desiderius
077 2 426 607
Executive Director
Better World Uganda
P. O. Box 406, Hoima-Uganda

Expect failures and learn constantly

Inability to act in time decisively and inability to take appropriate risks are two important factors that contribute to our failure as leaders. Denying failures only delays your learning.
Remember to fail consciously and not in the same game more than twice. If you do, it means that you did not learn any lessons from the previous failure.
Learning has two components: continuous and discontinuous. Continuous learning is incremental, step-by-step type with no shift in context or point of view. Discontinuous learning, on the other hand, occurs when the context or point of view shifts. It is this type of learning that leads to breakthrough innovation rather than merely continuous improvement. The shift of perspective has been known to produce significant insights (“aha’s”) and inventions, which change the direction of people’s lives.
Prior success does not guarantee future success. If the new role is different, or the organization that brought the engagement has a different culture, or if you have new team members, you have to find ways to learn some new lessons and apply your old lessons to new situations.

Birungi K. Desiderius
077 2 426 607
Executive Director
Better World Uganda
P. O. Box 406, Hoima-Uganda

Focus on outcomes and process

Leaders are motivators, energizers, and liberators. They have passion for results. The essence of leadership is value creation and it happens through both process and outcomes. Outcomes give you the short term value and understanding the process allows you to create value over and over again. Focusing on establishing and communicating appropriate metrics for quality, process, completion, and delivery will go a long way toward success.

Hardwork is not equivalent to smart work. While long hours is taken for granted, the value created is the most critical of factors. By focusing on appropriate process and getting the results, you establish a culture of quality, attention to detail, delivery and accountability. You become less dependent on personalities and more on roles and what needs to get done.

Information is not knowledge. Giving information to others does not mean that they understand what to do with it and how to do it. Focus on what others are taking away. Check for understanding and follow up actions. Everyone must understand the context and environment in which he or she works.

Birungi K. Desiderius
077 2 426 607
Executive Director
Better World Uganda
P. O. Box 406, Hoima-Uganda

Teamwork is the key

It is okay not to have the answers to everything. Being an expert in one thing at one time does not mean that you are an expert in everything or all of the time. Find other experts to complement you and expect to take on a narrower role as the organization evolves.
Once you bring them on, it is about sharing the wealth, sharing the authority and sharing the vision: these are what make the organization move at an accelerated pace to success.
Believing that you and your organization are invincible can have dire consequences. Expect the best from people and many times you will get it from them, invest in good people!
Team does not begin and end at work, as you started out, your family, friends and relatives supported you with money, time, advice, encouragement and referrals. As you grow the organization, you have to figure out a way to make those people part of the extended team. Your empathy, appreciation and acknowledgments should extend to your family members and other supporters if you want their continued support.

Birungi K. Desiderius
077 2 426 607
Executive Director
Better World Uganda
P. O. Box 406, Hoima-Uganda