The Cross Drums

The book for this year's YLMP is Ghanaian author Meshack Asare's The Cross Drums. It tells the simple story of how two young boys united their villages after years of conflict and hatred. During our leadership conference last weekend, we briefly went over some of the leadership lessons we can take from the book. Now I want to go into them in a bit more detail. These were compiled by Christiana Okyere (for the most part) and myself. If you have any more to add, just let me know!

A leader is determined to achieve success: Meliga and Billa, as young shepherds learnt to protect their flock from danger. Despite threats from his wicked uncle, Billa refused to pour the poison into the source of water Meliga’s village drank from. Meliga and Billa were determined to keep the friendship they had found regardless of the punishment they knew awaited them if caught. This helped them achieve success in the long run; their friendship finally led to the peace between their villages. As young leaders, our determination and hard work will enable us achieve whatever we have purposed in our hearts to achieve.

A leader influences positively: In the last chapter, Meliga and Billa led all the children in their respective villages in merrymaking accompanied by the playing of drums. As young leaders, they influenced their fathers who did not exhibit good leadership qualities in solving their conflict and therefore influenced their society positively. Here, we learn that we do not need to be adults to influence our communities in a positive way. Young as we are, we can contribute our quota in influencing our societies positively just like Meliga and Billa (our young leaders) in the story did.

A leader is selfless, caring and compassionate: In the story, Billa lost two of his goats to snake bites and cried because of the possibility of being punished by his parents. Meliga; however, out of care and selflessness replaced Billa’s flock out of his own. As a selfless leader and friend, he was careful to make other people around him happy. He can be likened to a good leader as a result of this excellent trait exhibited by him. A leader should show some level of selflessness and care in solving problems around them and this will always amount to effective results.

A leader takes complete charge and responsibility for items placed in their care: Meliga was put in charge of his flock and so he did everything in his power to protect them from danger. In his bid to rescue his flock from the enemy village and from danger; he fell into a pit which happened to be in the territory of the enemy village. He needed to protect his flock because he was accountable for their upkeep. As young mentees and leaders, we need to work hard and protect whatever is left in our care, so as to be able to give account for them.

Leadership & Communication Pt. 2

Last week, I shared an eBook called The Difficult Conversation by Aled Davies. As I mentioned earlier, effective communication is important for everyone. There are several different aspects to communicating effectively. Interestingly, up to 90% of communication can be non-verbal, and this is what Aled Davies tackles in his next eBook: Why First Impressions Matter. This book has some useful tips on how to make a good first impression using an interview setting as a reference point. They can be applied to any number of situations however. To view or download the eBook, click here. Some comments from Mr Davies:

"I've tried to include some of my own personal experiences in the eBook and some of the tools, tips, strategies and techniques inside are ones that have helped my clients achieve way more than their outcomes, as you'll read inside.

I haven't written about this stuff before so you'll be one of the first to read it and I'd really appreciate your feedback. So please just send me an email (aled.davies@resolvegb.com) with your feedback, comments and requests."

Leadership & Communication

As a leader, one of the single most important skills you can have is the ability to communicate effectively. As you all know, communication goes beyond simply passing on information or getting a message/idea across. Effective communication involves being able to do that and much more. It combines internal and external factors such as body language, when and how you say what you say, and your general demeanor. It is important for all of us, whether we are leaders or not, to be able to communicate well. Not only will it help develop relationships with friends and acquaintances, but it also serves as a platform for you to sell yourself (in a good way, of course!) When it comes to moving jobs, getting promoted or even general credibility, individuals who can communicate well are usually the ones who tend to get ahead.

Aled Davies is an executive coach who works with senior managers, directors and partners in a variety of companies in order to maximise their individual effect. This, of course, includes developing their communication skills. He has written an eBook called 'The Difficult Conversation' which may be an interesting read. It should certainly be helpful in helping you deal with the kind of conversations that can be tricky to maneuver (for example, dealing with conflict, breaking bad news, asking for a pay raise etc). To view/download the eBook, click here. It is possible he has another one in the works, so check back if you're interested.

--Update-->
Click here for information on Aled Davies' latest eBook, Why First Impressions Count.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

I'm sure you are all familiar with Stephen Covey's bestselling book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. First published in 1989, it has sold over 15 million copies and has been translated into over 38 languages. We were toying with the possibility of adding this book to the reading list for this year, but we decided against it. It might feature in programmes to come though, so you might want to keep an eye out if you're a fan.

I've decided to a feature on it today because it's been a while since I've done anything on books. Which reminds me - if you've read anything that you think might be relevant to the Programme and what we're about (leadership, mentoring, development, etc) and would like to share, please let me know. You can have a look at all the books that have featured on the blog under the Books tag.

So, onto The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The title makes the message of the book pretty clear. On Stephen Covey's website, there is a brief breakdown of each habit. I'll share an excerpt of each (clicking on each habit will take you to the corresponding page on Covey's website):

Habit 1: Be proactive
Be Proactive is about taking responsibility for your life. You can't keep blaming everything on your parents or grandparents. Proactive people recognize that they are "response-able." They don't blame genetics, circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. They know they choose their behavior. Reactive people, on the other hand, are often affected by their physical environment. They find external sources to blame for their behavior. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn't, it affects their attitude and performance, and they blame the weather. All of these external forces act as stimuli that we respond to. Between the stimulus and the response is your greatest power - you have the freedom to choose your response. One of the most important things you choose is what you say. Your language is a good indicator of how you see yourself. A proactive person uses proactive language - I can, I will, I prefer, etc. A reactive person uses reactive language - I can't, I have to, if only. Reactive people believe they are not responsible for what they say and do - they have no choice.

Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind
Habit 2 is based on imagination - the ability to envision in your mind what you cannot at present see with your eyes. It is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There is a mental (first) creation, and a physical (second) creation. The physical creation follows the mental, just as a building follows a blueprint. If you don't make a conscious effort to visualize who you are and what you want in life, then you empower other people and circumstances to shape you and your life by default. It's about connecting again with your own uniqueness and then defining the personal, moral, and ethical guidelines within which you can most happily express and fulfill. Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen.

Habit 3: Put first things first
Habit 3 is the second creation, the physical creation. This habit is where Habits 1 and 2 come together. It happens day in and day out, moment-by-moment. It deals with many of the questions addressed in the field of time management. But that's not all it's about. Habit 3 is about life management as well - your purpose, values, roles, and priorities. What are "first things?" First things are those things you, personally, find of most worth. If you put first things first, you are organizing and managing time and events according to the personal priorities you established in Habit 2.

Shhh... It's 'The Secret'

As you may or may not be aware, we have a mini seminar coming up on 'The Power of Positive Thinking'. It will be hosted by K. B. Nyantekyi Owusu, and will draw on ideas from Rhonda Byrne's book, The Secret. As always, I will update you on how it goes, but before then I thought I'd give you a (very) brief run down on the book.

It was written at a time when Rhonda Byrne was going through a difficult personal struggle. She was reading The Science of Getting Rich when she first caught a glimpse of 'the secret'. Two years and plenty of research later, The Secret was published in November 2006. Of course, I can't tell you what 'the secret' is (it's a secret, duh!) but according to Rhonda Byrne, it has been used (and even abused) for centuries. Allegedly, knowing the secret and applying it properly can change your life.


If you have followed this blog for a while, you might have noticed that this review is a little more subdued than the rest. This is because I am not sure that this book sits well with me as a Christian. I have not read it myself but judging from what I've read to write this review, I feel that it should be approached with caution.

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Information for mentors: This mini seminar is for mentees, but you're more than welcome to come along. Aside from providing you with useful information, it will give you an opportunity to meet up with your mentees and discuss the Leadership & Change cheat sheet with them. The deadline for the appraisal form is on the 17th of May, so it might be a good idea to use this day to start working on that also. Remember, there must be at least two mentors present at any given time when meeting mentees, so please work this out among yourselves.

A Library Success Story: 'The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind'

After a discussion between Elinam Adadevoh (YLMP Programme Manager) and Adobea Akuffo (Senior Mentor), I've decided to post an amazing story of a boy who was inspired to do great things by a book in his local library. Here is a short review:

"William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi... a country plagued by AIDS and poverty. Like most people in his village, his family subsisted on the meager crops they could grow, living without the luxuries — consider necessities in the West — of electricity or running water. Already living on the edge, the situation became dire when, in 2002, Malawi experienced the worst famine in 50 years. Struggling to survive, 14-year-old William was forced to drop out of school because his family could not afford the $80-a-year tuition.

Though he was not in a classroom, William continued to think, learn — and dream. Armed with curiosity, determination, and a book he discovered in a nearby library, he embarked on a daring plan — to build a windmill that could bring his family the electricity only two percent of Malawians could afford. Using scrap metal, tractor parts, and blue-gum trees, William forged a crude yet working windmill, an unlikely hand-built contraption that would successfully power four light bulbs and two radios in his family’s compound. Soon, news of his invention spread, attracting interest and offers of help from around the world. Not only did William return to school but he was offered the opportunity to visit wind farms in the United States, much like the ones he hopes to build across Africa.

A moving tale of one boy’s struggle to create a better life, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is William's amazing story — a journey that offers hope for the lives of other Africans — and the whole world, irrefutably demonstrating that one individual can make a difference." (SOURCE)

Kudos to William Kamkwamba for his courage, innovative spirit and determination to see this project through from start to finish. It is encouraging to see that young people are interested in learning, and can (and do) get information from books. It makes the work we're doing at Kinbu seem all the more relevant... who knows how many budding 'Williams' we have amongst us?

You can read an article on this story (including details of how William created water pumps and introduced solar power to his community) here. Aside from the book, a documentary and a Foundation have been created in William's honour.

Who Moved My Cheese?

As you might be aware, one of the books this year’s mentees will be studying is the hugely influential Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson. First published in 1998, Who Moved My Cheese? addresses the concept of dealing with change through a witty parable that compares the behaviour of mice and ‘Littlepeople’ - beings that look and think like people, but are the size of mice.

When the cheese the mice (Sniff and Scurry) and Littlepeople (Hem and Haw) depend on suddenly disappears form Cheese Station C, the two sets of characters react very differently. Having previously noticed the supply of cheese dwindling, Sniff and Scurry simply pack up their things and leave to find new cheese. Hem and Haw however, are determined to get to the bottom of the issue and try many different things to try and get ‘their’ cheese back. The story follows Haw, who eventually leaves Cheese Station C after realising that complaining about having not having cheese isn’t going to make the cheese come back, or get him any answers. See here for a more detailed synopsis of the book (as well as some criticism).

Who Moved My Cheese? is a truly enlightening story that explains very simply how to change your perspective on change in a way that makes it seem less threatening. It is a must read for anyone – change is inevitable no matter who you are, so why not learn to make it a platform for innovation and success?

There are editions for teens and for children, and even an award winning movie, so everyone can relate to the story and learn from the simple lessons that it puts forward.

If you have not read the book and would like to, you can find copies at all major bookstores. For more information about the books and the movie, you can also see the Who Moved My Cheese? website.

Say Cheese!!