The master plan….

In university, we learn that planning is the core of all the management functions. But with my experience so far, I bet I've done a couple of plans and I know how the other side of planning looks like.

We all plan on how we are going to do this and that in the future. When we are planning, we forecast about how things will turn out. We do what is commonly referred to in economics as assuming all things are held constant. It's very rarely that all things end up being held constant. We spend a lot of time laying down 'master plans' only for them to be undermined by the immediate turn of events.

Plans in themselves play a key role in preparing you on what you are about to undertake. But be careful because what you are going to come across out there in the implementation stage tends to be unique in each case.

One of my friends used to tell me that 'we should plan for the best but expect the worst'. When you expect the worst, anything but the worst will be exciting to you. That's why you should not hesitate too much to get into the action stage. Too much analysis leads to analysis paralysis.

With regard to a plan getting faced by unexpected turn of events; a good example is the Kenyan government. Just a few years down the vision 2030 implementation, the 2007-2008 post election violence broke out and the gains made were reversed. What do you do when the unexpected happens? I guess that's when a plan B comes to the rescue. That's where risk management steps in.

You look at the plan from a pessimistic point of view and make provisions on how you'll approach these turn of events. Like it's said, that which has a likelihood of occurring will surely occur…..guess to be on the safe side, you need to prepare for the worst. This will prepare your mind on how to handle the unexpected turn of events and you won't be surprised when the worst happens.

This translates in a leader stepping up as the motivator in such situations. Since a leader is supposed to have a higher emotional  intelligence in times of trouble; being prepared subconsciously incase of any adverse turn of ev ent goes a long way in determining how you will react when the expected turn of events is not the one expected.

- LC VP Comm & IM
  By S K W

GUESS WHAT AIESECERS, AIESEC IS LIKE A TATTOO!!!

Come to think of tattoos, whoever wants a tattoo either wants it temporary or permanent. Whatever choice you make, this drawing will be with you everywhere you go and in everything you do, just like what the biblical Ruth told her mother-in-law Naomi. There’s this wise man that said ‘whatever you attach consistently to the words “I am “, you become.’ The more you brag about being an AIESECer, the more permanent it attaches itself on you. Hey, do you think you are worth the ‘tattoo’?

            The other day I sat and thought about leadership. AIESEC gives young leaders the platform to bring out their best. I also found out that AIESEC is everywhere even in places where people know nothing about it. Be it in churches, clubs, nations all traditions and cultures observed, there always has to be a leader who tries to take an initiative and accountability. In other words, all these people should join us since all of us are in the same ‘bandwagon’. What do you think?

TAKE A CHANCE

            “If you want to be successful, you must either have a chance or take one. Procrastination is a tool of the devil to hold us back and to make us miss God’s timing in our lives.”-John L. Mason.

Everyone has a chance to be successful but not everyone succeeds. Why should we sit and see our victory in projects and life slip away because of not taking chances? AIESEC Egerton rocks because we are not afraid of taking chances. WE ARE HOT TO GO! AMA VIPI?

- By L R. Atieno

The end of the beginning….

It has been one full semester of hard work in rejuvenating the aiesec experience in egerton university…so far so good although more efforts need to be made in the main campus… seems the aiesec fire has been spread to town campus but the source has been getting colder and colder. That not withstanding, with the new breed/crop of EB members are showing signs of nothing less that a breathtaking year for aiesec egerton. Given that four out of the total EB seven are currently acting in the capacity of the portfolios they have been elected to assume office to…by this I mean, their predecessors were either themselves or were nowhere to be seen. Come to think of this, it is when it's completely dark that the light is about to set in…

I always like to tell my fellow aiesecers when the going gets tough and they start to utter not so fair comments about the future; I usually tell  them, aiesec is a brand that is destined/designed to excel and it's just a question of who will be in the drivers seat when the excel process takes place. Another thing many people fail to understand/comprehend is that real "progress is a slow process…" (funny enough I head that phrase in one of 50cents songs). Unfortunately most of us youths' expect to join today and see results tomorrow. It just doesn't work like that. Even those who win the lotteries will tell you it's not so easy as it may seem.

I think the thing with aiesec that makes it to be destined to succeed is the fact that it is based on uniform organizational structure. The organization itself being institutions of higher learning; universities to be precise. It is in universities that you expect to find the crème de la crème of the society. Any organization based on a standard structure will succeed all day any time. Aiesecers has gone ahead and come up with it's own culture overtime. Another stronghold of aiesec is it's online platform-myaiesec.net. This platform ensures that the knowledge management takes place all day anytime as long as you have internet access and a machine. I say machine because nowadays we have phones which do what a computer does if not better. This online platform ensures/will ensure that each new generation of aiesecers have a faster learning curve and don't spend time re-inventing the same wheel that was invented by past aiesecers who went ahead to be alumni's.

Anyway, the objective of this write up is to syke up my fellow aiesecers and the potential members of aiesec out there. There are alot of awesome opportunities in aiesec and the faster you connect your strengths to the opportunities the faster your journey to success will be. Aluta continua or so it's said…lets continue the good works, lets impact the society like never before. The laws of the kingdom are simple, 'give and you shall receive….infact above, exceedingly and abundantly, shaken together and running over'- like my pastor likes to say……

- By SK Wanjiru