adminmasterpieces. The red pyramids in Dashur Necropolis and the great pyramid of Khufu (both in Egypt) are part of the Seven Wonders of the World.
They both manifest the power of intellect even where resources and enablers were limited. They also demonstrate accomplishment of visions, which transcend generations.
They communicate the past lifestyle, ideals and value system of our founding fathers, the present in terms of how the current generation relates to them and the future by illustrating how the past inspire future generations. Likewise, our lives should demonstrate such traits through our ability to help transform the lives of people in our communities even with little resources.
To a certain extent the power of marketing has enabled the current generation to enjoy the fruits of capitalism and enjoy the freedom to choose among competing alternative products and services.
In other cultures and religion, it has swayed people from their original calling. This has culminated in flamboyancy taking precedent over transforming lives for the benefit of mankind. It is has resulted in greed replacing sharing.What sets nations apart is the abilities of their human resources to identify challenges and come up with collective solutions to address physical problems encountering the nations.
At the same time what destroys nations are individuals who compete to deplete natural resources in an effort to out do each other in flamboyancy arenas.
Do you want to be remembered for the suits or cars you used to drive (when you die) or for the lives you helped to transform?
Most graveside eulogies that I have listened to are a serious waste of time, never mind the number of eulogists who compete to spew falsehoods and inappropriate vote of thanks.
Most eulogists force us to learn from the life experiences of the dead person and they try to glean out the positive attributes and gloss over the overwhelming negatives that everyone present would be aware of.
Do we have to die to earn false hero status? Rather our lives have to permeate leadership inspiration and even when we are living?
The ability to transform societies is not dependent on urban or rural settings or competencies. It depends on personalities who have both competencies and character underpinned by a servanthood mentality.
We have examples of people that have done a lot for their communities. However, my reference will be that of retired Reverend Canon Lazarus Tashaya Muyambi, a clergyman who has helped transform the lives of people in Gokwe communal lands.
Since 1972, Reverend Muyambi has worked tirelessly to transform what used to be a thick forest with huge trees and animals such as warthogs and elephants into a pulsating educational, skills empowerment and spiritual healing centre.
He inherited a small primary school, St Agnes Mission Centre, that he has expanded to include (Chita che Zvipo zveMoto, the community of the gifts of holy fire), the Zimbabwe Spiritual Healing and Manger Centre.Other sections include the convent and monastery (friars), orphanage, logos girls, empowerment high school (up to Form Three now and still under construction), pre-school, clinic for Gokwe community, school for the blind and school for dressmaking.
Chita che Zvipo zve Moto is operating in two other centres, namely St Patrick’s Chiundura, and St James Nyamandlovu.
Among the luminaries who were empowered through the CZM are Friar Joshua (principal, Goal College Harare) and many others who attained degrees and diplomas in various disciplines scattered throughout the world. Most of these graduates came to St Agnes with no educational background.
At the age of 80 he is talking of building a university to cater for the needs of the highly marginalised and educationally excluded girl child.
He is currently computerising the centre. Despite his advancing age he still works from 6am to 8pm everyday and only takes a month’s leave in October every year.
Though he is a gifted spiritual healer, he realised people that have received healing sometimes die of hunger if their healing results in them being weaned off from begging without an alternative source of income and livelihood. With the increasing number of HIV and Aids associated family dislocations, an increasing number of infected and affected parents from Gokwe communal lands have dumped their children at the centre.
Reverend Muyambi was left with no choice but to come with a capacity building strategy to cater for the less privileged children at the centre.
Thus he evolutionarised the centre into a self-sustaining centre. He astutely blended the natural environment with the exotic fruit trees, cereals and horticulture to cater for the community’s needs for fruits and food throughout the whole year. St Agnes boasts fruits all year round.
When the community realised Reverend Muyambi’s industry (beyond just healing the sick), they allocated him a bigger plot known as kuPlot 37 kwaTakaendesa, where livestock, fruits and cereals are kept and grown.
He is currently co-ordinating and fund-raising for the construction of the Chita che Zvipo Zve Moto Takaendesa Primary School for the Takaendesa community in Gokwe. The school will open its doors to the public in 2014.
Lessons from Reverend Muyambi’s success
His teaching profession (before he quit to join the church) enabled him to acquire highly notable administration skills.
At the centre, any ailment, which has been successfully reversed, will be meticulously recorded such that they are able to refer to all cases dating backing to 1975.
There is no business that can succeed without keeping proper records of transactions.
After his pastoral education, he kept on improving himself by attending Leadership and Management Ascension College in Birmingham and the Haggai Leadership Centre in Singapore.
He strives to complement his healing competencies with acquired skills through continual learning. Every individual who wants to make a difference in this planet must have a huge appetite to acquire new knowledge.
Below are some of the instructions that Reverend Muyambi received from God Archangel’s mouthpiece, which can also be relevant to business people today.
- Be very patient
- Always be happy or cheerful
- You shall see a lot of women’s bodies but do not lust after any of them
- You shall be like wind, for wind is obedient.
The principles of servanthood and obedience define his life and ministry. Though these instructions were send to the Reverend they are also applicable to our own conduct in business.
The writer is a managing consultant at CLC Training International. E-mail [email protected].
leeroy