Knowing how to read and not reading is almost the same as not knowing how to read. The difference lies in the application. 

Similarly, as much as prayer is one of the most misunderstood parts of human experience, success also comes with complacency that can be detrimental to one’s life. 

Those who have acquired knowledge and experience, backed with qualification, doomed to believe the qualification is a free ticket or passport to what you have desired to become – not knowing it is no more the true measure of intelligence but the application of one’s thought differentiates an average person from an intellectual. 

Trigonometry

There is a huge improper fraction of someone who has arrived and the one who is trying to finish the race of what the majority define as success, yet there is one who arrived but forgot how hard he had gotten to the top. 

Those who feel they have partially failed tend to be selective to philosophy, metaphysics, cult or prophets, trying to find answers to life questions and problems. 

Others rejected the spiritual realm completely, and are now focusing on pure materialism.  

Let me expand on these first four sentences that precipitated this writing while blinking into the outlook of the Namibian labour force, whose mind may be inundated with wrong perceptions or perplexed with outdated ideas. 

The usage of the term ‘labour force’ is crystal clear, applied not to be selective nor personal, earmarking not only the working class but trying to incorporate also those who are unemployed, actively seeking work and demoralised.

Off the mark

It is not new to encounter one at an institution or workplace who may express: ‘I remember the time when I used to pass, be the best performer, study, disciplined enough, or set my goals or budget. The list is epic to fathom everything at once.  But I believe you have captured the concept of what it means. Yes, it is true, you were one of those, but the critical question remains as to what happened and how old are you now to mask yourself with that dark cloud of accepting that the condition you are not familiar to is the destination of your potential. The answer to that question is not only owed to yourself but you owe it to the entire population, as you are born to make a difference and not fragment God’s given talent in vain. Nelson Mandela should continue to guide you that “what counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others”.

Benchmarking

There is a crucial mechanism that the Office of the Prime Minister rolled out, called the ‘Performance management system’ in public service to be followed.

 Interestingly, most companies and institutions followed suit. 

This form of guiding framework could play a very mammoth task in changing and improving the working class to perform at the best of their ability if there are checks and balances in place to ensure compliance. 

Successful stories can be referenced in countries like Japan that contributed to its economic success. 

Japan respected Taiichi Ohno, the father revolutionary Toyota production system, which was later called Lean Manufacturing in the United States of America. 

He established a system to be followed to avoid waste production, increase productivity, improve quality, enhance flexibility and improve customer value. 

His mentality was a no to wasteful expenditure. 

If you are to account, all the wasteful expenditure at personal and national levels due to a high level of compliancy, leading to poor performance in terms of public resources, wastage could be unsurmountable. 

I recall more emphasis the late president Hage Geingob used to say “Systems, institutions and processes should always be followed”.
I fully agree with him, but we, as a nation, will fail him if we do not take full responsibility for managing the performance, as well as evaluating and motivating our team even if we feel we have arrived. 

For those experiencing powerlessness, lack of direction, little victory, poverty and other similar problems, prayer is not just an activity, ritual or obligation but a communion and communication that touches God’s heart.  

Prayer is meant to be answered with commitment or else God would not ask us to pray.

*Tio Nakasole is a final Master of Business Administration student at the Namibia University of Science and Technology. He holds a degree in Economics (Honours). 

He serves as the sales and service manager at HiFi Corporation, Namibia. 

The views expressed do not represent those of his employer. -theoerastus@gmail.com