Starting Strong and Making it Successfully in 2022

It’s always a happy new year as per the culture in Kenya up to and including the last day of January. 2022 is no different except for the need for all of us to start the year on a strong footing in order to make it to the end successfully.

Think of it like a relay race where the start determines whether or not a team will finish. The team members must then be deliberate to start strong in terms of having a positive mindset and the push to be able to go beyond the call of duty to get extraordinary results.

For the many that I have mentored, I have found that the year provides a great opportunity to do things differently. It calls for discipline and a deliberate move to be able to do this. For some, it will require a change of attitude, friends, location, and in some extreme cases, therapy.

But the core remains that in order to create a difference, you must be willing to go the extra mile and as my associates normally make fun of me, to ‘tweek’ what you do for the difference to be felt. The most adaptable way to find differences is in the interview room.

One of the key aspects that define Optiven is the impetus to provide employment opportunities within the real estate sector and even in the strategic business units that we have under the Optiven Group. As a Team Leader, I find myself asking the candidates the all-important question being, “what makes you different?”.

There are three ways for you to be different in 2022 in order to get your stake in the success that awaits. Start by accepting that you are different instead of comparing yourself to others. You can do this by selecting relevant qualities most important for the roles and responsibilities that you play.

Next, take a critical look at what you must do in order to get the results that you are looking for. This you can do by asking yourself a number of questions that will lead you to know what to do and what to avoid towards your journey to success. Finally, improve yourself by adding a mix of hard and soft skills you are most frequently rewarded or complimented for. By doing this, you are sure to be closer to achieving your success.

My call is to those mentoring others to see to it that those that look up to them have a positive attitude towards their own expectations and the expectations of those they serve. The month of January also marks the International Mentoring Day whose main agenda is to foster global understanding and support the mentoring movement worldwide.

The day has been observed since 2017 and observed in January during National Mentoring Month to celebrate the birthday of boxing legend and global humanitarian Muhammad Ali. Under the Optiven Group Foundation, we continue to mentor both the young and the old to nurture them to be their best in whatever they choose to do.

We welcome you to join us for the next cohort of the George Wachiuri School of Mentorship which will kick off on 4th February 2022. To register please log on to https://www.georgewachiuri.com/school-of-mentorship/