Focus on finding solutions

Zachary Aldwin Milkshake in the Boardroom
Recently I wrote an article on the hindrances to success and growth, do you remember it? You do? Great (if you have forgotten then I suggest you trawl The Herald website)! Let us pause for a minute and be real honest for a bit. Zimbabwe has its fair share of challenges in terms of business. The problem is when you let those challenges become insurmountable mountains. Consider this story.

Two years ago Emerging Ideas, a group that develops and builds bright entrepreneurs and their ideas, and CMedia, a local production house, decided to work together.

At the start they had no resources and a crippled production industry. That decision bore fruit recently.
They, however, managed to overcome these hurdles and are now in product. Emerging Ideas recently said: “We are ecstatic about this! Not because our team conquered the challenge of shipping large containers full of valuable equipment from Las Vegas to landlocked Zimbabwe. It’s also not because we worked all of our import duties meticulously according to budget.

“No, it’s not because we managed to dodge all bribes (and some attempts did come our way). And no, it’s not because we found low-cost financing to do an entire broadcast equipment upgrade. It’s not necessarily because we got a major discount on premium HD cards and cables because of our amazing relationships.

“All of the above is magnificent and is a cause for applause. However, the real excitement comes from this little fact. Because of this upgrade CMedia productions is now able to inject a large dose of higher quality TV and video productions into the region. Local content will start to rise to compete with global content.”

This past week one Makosi Masambasi launched her book called “Self Love”. This book will be followed by a national television show called “Makosi Today” that will done in collaboration with CMedia productions.

Makosi said at her launch: “CMedia, is one of the reasons I chose to do my production business here in Harare.”
The show is punchy, creative and Makosi really asks hard questions.

Do you see how it all networks together? Was it hard work? Yes, it was. Anyone in imports and logistics will happily educate you on the process of landing and clearing in the country.

Now because someone slogged it out over details, financing, procurement, training, a local production house is able to produce to the benefit of the entire nation.

Most people watching the shows from the comfort of their homes will probably never appreciate the process and pain that went into improving the standard of their television enjoyment. It is the vision to improve things on a national level that pushed them to go further. I attended a training seminar this week for a local bank.

One of the issues that we were asked to do was to identify hindrances to fulfilling our potential. It was an interesting exercise that I challenge you to do. Go on write them down. What is getting in your way?

Chances are most of the issues on your list will relate to the current macro-economic situation, low salaries, poor work conditions, my boss or my employees, etc.

When these become excuses rather than simple considerations you will never move forward.
If all you ever do is stop at the problem and stare at it without looking past it for possible solutions then you become stuck.

It is like the case of a man is walking down the street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can’t get out.
A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, “Hey you. Can you help me out?” The doctor writes a prescription for painkillers in case the man hurt himself, throws it down in the hole and moves on.

Then a businessman passes by, hears his cries. He throws some money down and tells him to buy a ladder.
An engineer walks past he measures the hole, determines its volume and concludes that the man can’t get out.
A psychiatrist walks by he stops and has an hour-long session with the man about the anxiety of being in a hole.

A physicist walks by and wonders if the hole is perhaps linked to alternate realities where there is no man in it.
Then a friend walks by he reaches down and pulls the man out the hole (my apologies to any people in the aforementioned professions).
CMedia and Emerging Ideas could have given up, after all this has been a long-term project for them. Instead they remained solution oriented and worked their way around obstacles.

Daily we have a choice to find solutions and ways around problems that seem unconquerable. Daily we have the choice to let our vision be smothered by circumstance.

Make your vision big enough that it can withstand the blankets of criticism, apathy, and a negative environment. Focus on finding a way rather than being obsessed with the “there is no way” mentality.

E-mail: [email protected]