Milk the Cow the Best Way You Know How-
This is a very old adage and it’s analogy to the business
world is nothing short of impressive. For a clearer understanding, I will
discuss it in both the surface and deeper perspectives with the surface
viewpoint being the first. A well-known fact is, for effectiveness and
efficiency; certain guiding principles are mandatory. The same also applies
with milking of the cow. In the Buddhism religion, the cow is a very sacred
animal and considered as the mother because of the milk it gives. So sacred are
heifers in this religion that in some parts of Asia, motorists usually stop
their cars for them to cross the road! Almost all of us enjoy drinking tea,
coffee or just pure milk and/or its other by-products. Each cow is different
but for most, the procedure of milking is almost the same with the extremes
canceling each other. For excellent results, milk her two times daily (morning
and evening) at the exact same times. Always sit on the same side of the cow
(to make her relaxed and comfortable) and wipe her udder with warm water before
and after milking (gently and with massaging strokes). The outcome in terms of liters
or gallons will be overwhelming by following these simple guidelines.
Generally, the same formula applies for success in most areas of life, business
inclusive. Taking this anecdote into analysis, it will emerge that running a
business can be a simple affair only if done appropriately. The three
fundamental keys here being time, consistency, and good interpersonal skills
(rapport).
Like sands through the hourglass,
so are the days of our lives. Time is the most valuable asset an individual can
ever acquire. On that note, this means that even loosing a second of your time
means loosing part of your lifetime, forever. Even though frequently against us,
this asset can and should be used to our own benefit. Just like milking the cow
at exactly the same times each day, we should also be time conscious while
handling our responsibilities. For example, an appointment scheduled at 9
o’clock should be at that particular time and you shouldn’t translate it as a
9:15 or an 8:45 appointment. Lateness is intolerable, and if it occurs due to
unavoidable circumstances, call ahead and give reasonable explanations. On the
other hand, it would be erroneous to state that it’s wrong to arrive in time.
Some people may actually appreciate this, and you may have some extra minutes
to organize yourself be it a case of an interview, a presentation or a seminar.
Just as the saying goes, “you can never be too ready”. The best, however, would
be to arrive on time with everything needed at hand and after several
rehearsals as well as detailed planning. Several ways can be useful in
achieving this, especially in the workplace. To the employer, ensure that
projects and workloads are all delegated in due time to avoid any unjust
pressure to the staff. In addition, adequate time gives fruitful results
because of thorough research. On the employee’s side, research, assignments,
projects, and duties are all best if submitted before deadlines.
Procrastination and laxity are recipes for disaster that every individual
should avoid at all cost. Managing one’s time well (by setting priorities
first) and sticking to one’s schedule (to-do list) are a sure way of success in
this area. Top of all, always handle matters with regard to importance and not
urgency.
With consistency, it is a bit
trickier. A well-known fact is that it is not at all hard being number one, but
very hard lasting there. For peak performance, ensure that you deliver what is
required from you, when it’s required from you, and where it’s required from
you. Keeping in mind the sale figures and the positive feedback that a company
gets from satisfied clients, its ultimate goal should be to keep them coming
back. This way, not only will you have regular customers, but also have an
expansion of the market since most of them will definitely refer others if they
are truly satisfied with your products and/or services. Soon enough, you will
be in the network and as busy as a bee. Competency in dealing with
responsibilities of such great magnitude emerges from perfecting the art of
consistency. In the corporate world, for instance, consistency manifests itself
in peak performance over a given period of years. It seldom goes unappreciated
and its reward is extremely worthwhile. These rewards are usually in the form
of awards and honors such as the Company Of the Year Awards (COYA) here in
Kenya. Once you start milking the cow, you will have to do so daily for the
period of her entire lifetime, or ‘till you take her to the market for sale.
The situation is also similar in the work environment, once things get in
motion; it is forward ever and backward never.
They say that man is a social animal. With regards, it is
very essential to note the vitality of good interpersonal skills in an
organization. For any business to boom, it should treat the customer care
section with great importance as any other section present there. Except for
monopoly markets, almost every other market is flooded and competition is high.
Many individuals and companies are all offering the same goods and services.
Without a good rapport with one’s customers, it’s a very challenging task to
realize good profits (if any at all). Besides making high profits, winning the
loyalty of your customers is an achievement that deserves applause. This is so
since should there be a case of inflation in the goods or services you are
offering, a good rapport ensures that very little, if any, resistance meets
this. The case would be worse if the consumers do not relate to you on a
personal level. In a Company, the human resource manager should be on toes to
ensure the smooth running of his department. Jesus Christ once said, “A good
leader is a servant of his people”. With this in mind, keep boosting the
staff’s morale every now and then, for instance, by showing them how to do a
certain task practically. Other ways are getting to know them individually,
rewarding the most outstanding characters, and by avoiding favors. After all, the
way they might react to the clientele might probably be a reflection on how
their employers react to them. Going back to the proverb again, we see that in
milking a cow you have to sit on the same side and wipe her udder with warm
water. All these are for creating a good rapport between the two of you.
There is this very common misquote which states that rules
are meant to be broken. Rules and regulations are just about all that keeps our
societies from insanity. From the religions, to the courts, and finally to the
traditions, order is maintained through rules and regulations. The same is to
be applicable in business and to life in general. Amazingly, in negation to
this, every person is different and we all have different strengths and
weaknesses. Even in the companies, the SWOT (Strength Weaknesses Opportunities
Threats) analysis comes in handy in the monitoring of progress. Each individual
is different to the next from just their fingerprints, thinking capacity,
hobbies, interests...the list is endless. From that perspective, it would be
best to put in your all and your best. Nevertheless, in my own opinion, I see
no harm in trying to blend the two concepts together. This means that you are
to follow the rules of God, the state, Mother Nature, tradition, and success.
In addition, if you should include your own unique abilities rest assured that
the outcome would be very rewarding. Whether a businessperson, an employee or
an employer, you will yield great results if you milk the cow the best way you know
how.
Matatus; the Moving Discos
“I can’t believe
this, it’s like we are in a scene of X-zibit’s Pimp my ride show!” exclaimed
John in disbelief, his eyes constantly rolling to have a good glimpse of every
inch in the Matatu. John is a 28 year old American citizen who was recently
posted to Nairobi as a market researcher and upon observing the Matatus; he was
so mesmerized by the culture that he just had to travel on one to experience
the thrill first hand. “Yes”, the young lady next to her replied, “The pimping
begun as a fad but now it’s more of a culture, superb isn’t it?” He nodded his
head in a very slow motion, his eyes twinkling in amazement and a smile
blossomed on his lips. Despite the driver’s little regard to the traffic rules
and regulations, and the conductor’s
unpredictability in fare charges and poor skills in customer service, younger
commuters nonetheless prefer the ‘Manyagas’ (Pimped Matatus with loud music) to
the ‘Wangoras’ (The older Matatus without multicolored graffiti and no music)
which the older generation commonly use. Although John was without doubt
captivated by this culture, he didn’t fully understand the cogs that put this
wheel into motion.
Out of the need of
the common mwananchi, who doesn’t own a private vehicle, to travel from point A to point B, public
service vehicles [PSV’s] came into the picture here in Kenya during the
colonial era. When Matatus made their first appearance in the late 1960’s, the
standard fare for a trip was three coins worth thirty Kenyan cents. Swahili for
three is ‘tatu’ and this is how the word ‘Matatu’ was later coined. With the
introduction of the Kenya’s creolised Swahili language Sheng’ in the 1980’s,
the word was then later changed to ‘Mat’ or ‘Mathree’ which are more popular
with the urban contemporary youth. Necessity is surely the mother of invention,
fast forward a few decades into its commencement; the Matatu industry has
broken most traffic laws creating a new culture which has now become a hub of
creativity. This has in turn generated other related industries which are vital
for ‘Pimping’ the Mats for an overall thrill and appeal for travelers and in
turn bring in more profits for the owners. Local musicians too use them in
their music videos and advertising agencies use these pimped Mats in their
adverts.
Before the Government
and consequently the famous Michuki rules came into play in February 2004, this
industry was run in a very helter-skelter manner with only the ‘Kamjesh’ and
the outlawed ’Mungiki’ maintaining order and collecting royalties from
operators in various routes. In addition to that, this culture has continued
spreading its roots even deeper in both big and small towns in Eastern and
Central Africa. They say ignorance is bliss, so on that note it would be sheer
ignorance for the public, who use the Mats as their main mode of transportation
not to acknowledge the vital role they play in the industry. Firstly, they
create employment to a substantial large percentage of the citizens who work on
these moving discos, as they are popularly known. From the drivers to the
touts, from the graffiti artists to the interior and exterior designers, from
deejays to vee-jays and musicians, and of course the DVD and speaker sellers,
one Matatu alone can generate income to 20 or more people. Since there are
about 25,000 Matatus in operation in every major city in Kenya, the mathematics
is simple and it is for these figures that the economy should be gracious.
Every talent is God
given and not exploiting one’s talent by letting it desecrate is erroneous. The
Matatu culture nurtures talents. Graffiti artists get a chance to showcase
their art on these Mats and eventually inspire and pave way for other upcoming
artists who boast the same talent. Local musicians, deejays and vee-jays also get
an audience for their work. Thirdly, the transport industry, as any other
industry which isn’t monopolistic, requires competition for it to flourish.
There are the buses, taxis, boda bodas and the train which are in this business
and need to be kept on check, something the Mats deserve a standing ovation for
executing extremely well. Lastly, the revenue collected is remarkable because
apart from the Government (which collects its revenue from vehicle, drivers,
and touts licenses), the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) also gets
royalties from Mats that play music then they pay the artists concerned and are
registered with them. That being said, it’s time for me to catch a Mat too
before rush hour.
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