Month of listening

Morris Mpala, MoB Capital Ltd

LISTENING is defined as “the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process. Listening is key to all effective communication. Without ability to listen effectively, messages are easily misunderstood”. MoB Capital is declaring month of September 2018 as the month of LISTENING. Please learn to listen. Just pure listening skills is required for all Zimbabweans whether politician, Christian, technocrat, business etc.

Let us listen to the inner voice of reason and there is not any need to be instruction proof. As it is written ‘be fast in LISTENING but slow in speaking’. Only when we listen can we correct our mistakes and grow as a person as business as a nation. Pure listening is the beginning of solving challenges. No more already listening if we are to get out of this economic meltdown.

Let us just learn to listen to each other, be it business, labour and Government. Let us listen at all times and then we can ask the consumers of products and services to listen as well.
Government

All ministers are in place now and it’s time to listen to stakeholders in offering a conducive environment that will bring prosperity. Listen to that voice of common cause. Let the vulnerable be heard, as well as women and youth. Business is crying for the ease of doing their daily business. Why should we be deaf to those cries?

Everyone just wants a good life with no hassles; we mustn’t be deaf to that. They want a better tomorrow for their children and children’s children. So, let’s give them that because that isn’t too much to ask.
Industry and commerce

It’s about what the gut is telling you about your funding, your pricing matrix be it local or otherwise.

Explore the inner self for effective efficiency in your products and services. Listen to what the population is saying on corruption; it’s not like you are immune to economic vices compared to your Government counterparts.

Zimbabwean population
Local citizens and the Zimbabwe diaspora listen to cries of funding, skills gap and infrastructure development. Listen with your soul with attentive to detail and time is of the essence for you tap into these opportunities. It could be a once in lifetime opportunity given most of these opportunities are snapped up by foreigners or foreign capital.

Financial services sector
Industry is yearning to capitalise, industrialise, re-tool and debt engineering. Are you willing to listen to their challenges? They are saying capital is short and usurious thus can you play ball for them to create value for their companies?

There are start-ups with great ideas is there any venture capitalist or angel funders or any crowd funding initiatives that can be arranged for them to kick start their entrepreneurial enthusiasm? So many businesses need unprecedented nurturing and advisory services.

International financiers
They should also listen to the Zimbabwean plea as at now as they map our financial recovery road map given Zimbabwe’s needs for funding. Our situation is unique, thus, we have to listen to ourselves because there is experience that we can derive from the rest of the world.

Everyone is talking, complaining and whining. This is the time to keep quiet and listen for a change. If we could care to stop talking and listen for a start we will be halfway to a solution. Talking is noisy and blocks wisdom from reaching the talking party. The reason we have two ears and one mouth is that we should listen twice as much as we speak.

For it is said that those that are good listeners are assured of being listened to when they start to speak.

And who does not want to be listened to when they speak? But do we need to speak well for people to listen and be able to carry our aspirations and your mandates? Maybe not if everyone dare to just listen without preconceived mindsets.

It’s about the voice of reason that has to be listened to by the man mirror for us to have a better community and a better tomorrow.

Let those with ears listen and listen really good! The biggest question is when you yourself speak do you listen to yourself?

IF YOU LIVE IN BULAWAYO PLEASE CONSERVE WATER, IF YOU LIVE IN ZIMBABWE PLEASE USE ELECTRICITY SPARINGLY SWITCH OFF SWITCHES (SOS), IF YOU LIVE ON PLANET EARTH PLEASE PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT.

Morris Mpala is the managing director of MoB Capital Limited, a Bulawayo-based micro-finance institution with footprint across the country.