The Strive Masiyiwa Story: Every game has its rules, and also a language!
By Strive Masiyiwa
Many years ago I decided that it could help my business if I took up the game of golf. So, I asked a friend to take me to his club. When I joined the club I quickly learnt that there were many, many rules covering not only how you play the sport, but also how you dress and how you “talk” to other golfers.
When you were at the club, it was like you were in a whole world apart. They could easily tell that you were a beginner, not just by the way you played, but also by the way you talked and the words that you used.
If you think about it, this is the way it is for every game, whether it is football or tennis…
There are rules, that you must master, and a language that you must learn if you are to be accepted by the other players of that game! So it is with the “money” game…. Now I have shared with you a secret!
If you want to join this club, also remember that the easiest way to join a club is if you are invited by one of the established members. Before you shout that that is unfair and demand that the rules should be changed, don’t forget, only the club members and the players are allowed to change the rules. This has nothing to do with joining some silly secret societies, it is simply about knowing how you secure support for what you want to do…
The nation of China realised this simple fact and joined the club, and now they are changing the rules and also the language…
In the Money Game, there is a way of talking that will have bankers and investors interested in what you want to do, and there is a way to talk which makes them shun and run away from you, and it has nothing to do with where you come from.
I am an established member of this club, and it took me over 25 years to acquire my membership. What I have done by writing these posts is throw open an invitation to the young entrepreneurs of Africa. Each post that I make contains the rules and the language of this game…. Its up to you to learn them and to go out and play!
The Greatest Investment You Can Make…
Many years ago when I worked, as a young engineer, for a large telecoms company, I was deeply disappointed when I was left out of a training mission to Japan. I knew that those who participated in such training had a better chance of promotion, and hence a better chance to earn more money. My solution to this disappointment changed my life:
I decided that I would set aside 15-20%, of my salary to “invest” in my own training. I was never going to leave my destiny in the hands of someone else.
It does not matter how progressive your employer is, you have to invest constantly and continually in yourself and your family. So I used my little budget to buy books and magazines and to attend courses. I subscribed to international newspapers long before there was the Internet. It was through this process, that many years later, I developed an interest in a new industry, that was emerging at the time….Cell phones!
When we got married, I explained this to my wife, and we continued together, and she even took an MBA. If you are working, or you are running a business you have to set aside TIME and MONEY to invest in your continued formal education and skills acquisition. You must do this whether you are struggling or you are doing very well. You must do this whether you are starting out or you believe you have reached the top.
In those days, whenever I would say, I am going on holiday; it had nothing to do with physical rest. It was to get UNDERSTANDING of something!
Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
This is something you can put into practice. If you are married, agree with your spouse and create a separate account, into which you put a small percentage of your income, just for your own training and development. Use the Internet to find courses that you can do in the evenings. If you are planning to set up a business, start by getting training in business management. Go on short courses on how to write a business plan, and how to write professional proposals, and how to read financial statements.
If you are a Christian, you should already know that there is a “more excellent way”: it all starts with your tithes… But you know that already; and if you don’t, go to your Pastor; lets not discuss it here. I shall return again, to the subject of investing, in future.
