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You know what? UKOSOWA! YOU ARE INCREDIBLE!

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

All is well in Kenya. Last week I wrapped up a series of business meetings with Omondi Otieno and the business and Nairobi cultural experience has been quite interesting. I have reflected on my last post about Kenya business, Uhbuntu and challenges that come in business with various cultures. Each has its strengths and opportunities and what I recognize is that it is important to honor tradition, yet also consider the point at which a strength becomes a weakness. More on that later.

You Can Support A Little Girl In Africa
Ultimately I am here representing Grand Dynamics and our effort to support ACV Kenya in their mission to support the education of children in the North East of Kenya. About $250 will fully fund a child for one year of education. If anyone reading this would like to contribute to this cause you can simply email me or contact ACV Kenya on our behalf and they will provide instructions for sending funds. The funding will be tracked directly and you will know what specific girl you provide the education for with her specific name and photographs and connection with her. What an amazing Christmas gift that would make!

Josh Morris arrived on Saturday morning from Thailand and we rolled into an amazing team-building day with ACV Kenya. As always Josh and I have been diving into the philosophy of adventure travel and I am looking forward to hanging out over the next week.
We made our way to Naro Muru, the launching town for climbing mount kenya and stayed at a very local hotel.
The climb
Approach will involve more than 18 miles and 12,000 feet of elevation gain before we begin the approximate 2000 foot technical climb to just over 17,000 feet. Our route will go from Silimon to Old Moses to Shiptons to Mackiners to the final base camp, which is the Austrian Hut.
We will climb to the summit of the Nelion and cross the Gates of the Mist to the summit of the Batian. If all goes well we will be waking up at 17,000 feet on Christmas morning!
There has been an extraordinary amount of rain this year, which means more snow than usual. We are early in the season and no summits have been reported this year on this route as of yet. The Report from the Kenya Mountain Club was brief, “Expect ice.”
Based on everything we have heard it seems like we are in for quite the adventure!
Peace and love to you all!!
Tim

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Tags: Adventure, Chang Mai Climbing Club, Climbing Mount Kenya, Corporate Volunteer Retreat, Grand Dynamics, Grand Dynamics staff adventures, Josh Morris, Mount Kenya, Team building, Tim Walther Adventures
Posted in Experiential Training, GDI Staff Adventures, Grand Dynamics News, Inspirational, Interesting Stuff, Team building | No Comments »

CSR Program

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

In 2007 Corporate Motivation was created with the vision to create a platform for businesses to give back to the communities in which we live, work and play, while at the same time improving performance. At that time there is no way I could have predicted the trend that has taken place since then.

There is also no way I could have ended up on the path we are on today without the guidance, direction and current partnership provided by Grand Dynamics. It is becoming clearer everyday that in the realm of corporate performance, the connection between “giving back” to the community and being fully engaged in your work life and commitment to your job is synonymous; especially with the millennium workforce just now coming out of school.( http://www.fastcompany.com/articles/2007/06/retaining-younger-workers.html ) Surveys, and common sense, dictate and show that, with all things being equal related to quality of product and service, the consumer is more likely to select the product and services of a company that participates in socially responsible activities. (Reference McKinsey Quarterly article https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/What_really_drives_value_in_corporate_responsibility_2895)

The experiences and interactions over the past several years have taught me that pretty simply, people enjoy helping our fellow community members in need! Not only do they enjoy helping, they also feel an emotional kinship to their place of employment that is providing them with the opportunity to help.

When you combine this feeling of doing something good, with actual training and development that makes the employee better at what they do, improves the relationships and communication of their fellow employees, engages the employee with a belief that who they work for is truly committed to providing quality goods and services as well as doing good in the community, the end result is a high performing staff on board for the long haul!

As CSR comes more and more to the forefront, we are thrilled to be in a position to offer a program that not only is a socially responsible program which has the potential to raise substantial funds, but a program that can also provide personal and professional transformations. We are all capable of such incredible achievements! Really achievements that most of us do not believe are possible. However, when given the guidance and support of an organization that is committed to quality, both in product and employee, and partners available such as Grand Dynamics and Corporate Motivation to highlight the needs of both the organization and the charity involved, we are certainly on our way to realizing those achievements!

CSR and performance improvement needs to be more than the current trend. It needs to be our culture. Blending philanthropy with performance improvement is our way of creating the leadership required to change and maintain a culture. The challenge remains to teach our business leaders that both CSR and profits can be obtained.

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Tags: ACV Kenya, Adventure, corporate retreat, Corporate social responsibility, Corporate Volunteer Retreat, experiential leadership training, experiential learning, Grand Dynamics, Leadership Training, Team building
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An outsiders perspective on the inside of Business, Culture and Leadership in Kenya

Friday, December 16th, 2011

Over the last two weeks I have had the privilege to meet a variety of business professionals in Nairobi, including human resource professionals, business editors from the two main newspapers The Standard and The Nation, PR experts, Hotel Marketing Directors and leaders of local non-profits. In general my entry point has been to discuss the opportunity for a business to participate in team building and as a corporate social responsibility programs whereby supporting ACV Kenya in their efforts to educate young girls of Kenya.

As I was able to get a better understanding of some of the challenges of business in Kenya, it became clear that while team building is something that many companies do believe in, there are also critical needs in areas of culture change and leadership development. Here’s my insight.

My experience in the business context of Nairobi has ranged from highly inspirational to highly disappointing. I have heard the stories of business leaders who came from remote villages with disabilities who have become educated and made a powerful positive difference, as well as those that simply exude total apathy. And in both instances the surrounding employees throughout the business were a reflection of the culture. And as in any company, that culture is reflected at various points in the business.

I arrived at one meeting and the guardian at the gate began to give harsh directions about moving and parking the car. Once past the gate the first reception guard immediately began talking about how no visitors can have an appointment that is not confirmed. Imagine a dark frown, closed body language and in general bad attitude. I like to refer to those people you first meet at a place of business as “directors of first impressions.” They are a direct reflection of the culture of that organization. You can imagine how the meeting with that HR professional went.

On the other hand I have had meetings with very sharp professionals diligently analyzing the workforce culture and how to facilitate positive change. Many meetings even included smiling happy receptionists and even happy security guards! I have to tell you that a smiling happy Kenyan is quite a contagious thing! Magical actually.

CULTURE is essentially “the way things are around here.” Yes, smiles included! Workplace culture is based on an ingrained sense of norms, values and beliefs that take form in how people behave, interact and go about doing their business. And culture has a dramatic impact on team performance. A culture creates expectations of performance and also the critical element of how people hold each other accountable.

TEAM: “A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.” – From The Wisdom Of Teams, Katzenbach and Douglas, Harvard Business School Press, 1993.

A key part of this definition of team is the mutual accountability. This is where the overall culture in Kenya may be challenging.

The “Yes” Culture: This appears to be a very common situation where you will be told yes to whatever the request is, even if they don’t really mean yes. And if not yes, then “later,” which really means “never.” Reminded me of the Jack Johnson song, “seems to me that maybe, pretty much means no…”

Where does this cultural norm come from? The roots seem to be in the culture of the village. The village culture is one where everyone helped each other out and shared everything. Even if there is nearly nothing to share, they shared anyway. And there was always the intention to help out another person in the community village. The idea of uhbuntu, or brotherhood, reigns supreme.

Fast forward to modern day business. And at an initial perception, this may seem like to be highly beneficial as the team-support concept is one that can be a powerful driving force. However, if there is an employee that does something wrong or isn’t performing well, the common tactic is to watch that person’s back. And what the culture significantly lacks is straight talk and telling it like it is.

This can lead to a culture where performance drops and people in the company take precedent over the business results. Overall work place engagement can suffer as the commitment may not be to the company.

And in essence this is really just a culture that is fostered just like any other. Keep in mind that this Yes cultural norm is just one example of a type of culture that may be ingrained in a company that may not promote healthy interaction and positive business results. And I am also not saying to strip away the history and culture of the people of Kenya. They key point here may be to focus on the bright spots. Those area that do produce positive results and also respect the history of the culture or Kenya.

So how does one shift a culture? This is the million dollar question. And the million dollar answer begins with one word: LEADERSHIP. Leadership is the art and science of mobilizing others to want to achieve shared aspirations. Business leaders in Kenya have the responsibility to foster a positive culture with norms and behaviors that produce a healthy and productive work environment. It starts with a clear vision of the culture to be created and continues with fostering empowering team members who hold each other accountable for the vision.

This needs to be done on both cognitive/intellectual capacities as well as the emotional. The vision of positive change must be inspiring as well as celebrated as progress is made. These are but a few critical ingredients to the process lf leadership.

It is the ability of the leader to FOSTER POSITIVE CHANGE that will be the positive driving force in a sustainable organization. Leadership, change management, team performance and culture change. These concepts are all skills and strategies that can be learned and implemented with a committed workforce. And in my opinion, experiential training is one of the most powerful and effective ways to support those efforts. Engaging, inspiring and facilitated experiences which focus on promoting the critical skills necessary to propel a sustainable organization into future success.

But only if a company is willing to take the proactive steps to train and develop their employees to shift the culture and empower a new way of doing business.

Tim Walther
- from Nairobi, Kenya

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Tags: Change Management, Culture Development, Grand Dynamics, Kenya, Leadership, Team building, Team Building in Kenya
Posted in Business Leaders, Experiential Training, GDI Staff Adventures, Inspirational, Interesting Stuff, International, Kenya Adventure 2011, Leadership Development | No Comments »

ACV KENYA ANNOUNCES “100 Girls in 100 Days” Campaign to educate girls in North Eastern Province

Friday, December 16th, 2011

The following article overviews the campaign that Grand Dynamics International is supporting by offering training and development services in Kenya in 2012.

INTRODUCTION
“67 million children in the world are denied the chance to go to school. These children should be our next generation of leaders, doctors, scientists and teachers – but without access to free, quality education, they won’t be. Instead, they face a lifelong struggle against disease, violence and poverty.”
Omondi Otieno, Executive Director, ACV Kenya

Most communities living in the North Eastern region are nomadic and semi-nomadic, and depend on livestock for their livelihood. That girls’ education here is sacrificed for the sake of livestock is a matter that has come to be of great concern lately. According to statistics from the Garissa District Education Office, the enrolment rate of girls is just half that for boys. In 2003 when FPE was introduced, the total number of boys enrolled in primary schools was 11,397, compared to 5,539 girls. Sighted Source.

Successive years have seen enrollment of boys continue to tower over that of girls. In 2006, the enrollment of boys stood at 13,214, while that of girls was 7,120. A similar scenario was evidenced last year when 14,867 boys enrolled in schools, compared to just 8,071 girls. A similar enrollment ratio is noticed as they transit to Secondary schools where boys enrollment is twice that of the girls.
Education opportunities to both sexes have many benefits to the individual, family, community and the entire nation. Although the Kenyan Government’s introduction of free primary education in 2003 was a big boost for parents who couldn’t afford school fees for their children, the initiative also led to increased school enrollment for both boys and girls. This also meant that more pupils qualify to join secondary schools hence the need to put up more schools which can accommodate them.

Girl child education is a sure way of eradicating poverty as it empowers women and helps them play an active role in development matters apart from enhancing civilization from discriminative cultures such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) which is still rampant in the North Eastern region.

The campaign seeks to increase access to girl secondary education within the entire North Eastern province.The campaign will also play a major role in increasing the number of girls who complete their secondary education, which over the past has been compromised by poverty forcing the girls to drop out of school.

67 million children in the world are denied the chance to go to school. These children should be our next generation of leaders, doctors, scientists and teachers – but without access to free, quality education, they won’t be. Instead, they face a lifelong struggle against disease, violence and poverty. Sited Source US Aid

It doesn’t have to be this way. In the past 10 years, the international community has made a big difference to the lives of 40 million children. But the financial crisis has led to budget cuts in developing countries, meaning millions of children are working instead of learning.
The cost to get the remaining children around the world into school and learning is small and achievable – and the potential benefits are vast:
1. every dollar invested in education would generate 10-15 dollars in returns through higher growth
2. 7 million cases of HIV/AIDS could be prevented in the next decade if every child receives an education
3. a child born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5 years.
In regards to this we are asking you to make a commitment to the Education For Girls in the North Eastern Province for the next few months.
Point of Intervention
We are asking you to:
1. Make a commitment to pay a fair share to basic education – and deliver on your promise.
2. Untie aid and ensure it is spent in promoting the education of the children in North Eastern Kenya.
3. Deliver predictable aid to basic education and focus on teachers.
Target:
Our most immediate target is to raise a total KES 20 million over the next 100 days beginning December 17th, 2011. The average cost of educating one child for one year is KES 50,000 per year, ($587 USD) which means it costs an average of about KES 200,000 ($2,345 USD) to support them throughout the 4 year high school education. This average cost includes the cost of uniforms and other scholastic support.

*******

As an effort to contribute to the fund raising of this campaign, Grand Dynamics is donating their time to offer training programs to corporations in 2012.

“Education of children offers a long-term solution to a variety of systemic challenges in Kenya, and the business community certainly can benefit from Grand Dynamics training programs. We are happy to offer our services to ACV as our corporate social responsibility effort.”
Tim Walther, President, Grand Dynamics International

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Posted in Business, Business Leaders, Experiential Training, Inspirational, Interesting Stuff, International | 1 Comment »

Born To RUN with the Maasai Warriors in Kenya

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

The blazing African sun poured over me as we passed through the archaic wooden gate and out into the open plains of the Massai Marra. Mavo, a modern day young Massai Warrior, moved effortlessly along side of me. His dark, slender physique was reminiscent of the powerful forefathers that roamed this wild country. Our feet turned in synchronicity and the dust kicked up behind us on the desert of Kenya…

My quest to run with the Kenyans had become a reality. And it was more then what I had thought to be “the Kenyans,” it was the ancient Massai Warrior tribe. Little did I realize that nearly every step would integrate a new lesson I had learned this year about running. Now, it was time to embrace the moment…

*****

The one book I brought on this trip to Kenya was Born to Run, written by Chris McDougal. The story is of a reporter covering the mystical Tarahumara ultra-distance runners and the best American ultra-runners pitted in the “race of the century” in the fabled of the Copper Canyons of Mexico. It’s not only a great read, but inserts a variety of style oriented “secrets” to ultra-distance running. It was a perfect complement to the year I have had. While I have not broken through into the ultra realm I have begun to run a lot more this year, to the point where stepping out for a fifteen miler is actually a highly enjoyable pursuit.

So there I was, lying in bed in my Safari Camp in the Massai Mara region. The sound of the river was overshadowed only by a pack of laughing hyenas. I paused to ponder with dichotomy as they laughed and killed.

I clicked on my headlamp to once again enter the world of ultra-distance running. I hung on every word as the exciting race came to a finish. With one chapter remaining and not wanting it to end, I decided to treat myself to one last read the following day. I closed the book, drifted off and began dreaming of ultra-running, but the run was not for a race. The run was for a hunt. A hunt with the Massai Warriors across the open African plains…

****

The Massai have always had everything they need for surviving: two feet and a very sharp spear. That’s it. And not even shoes. Only the kings had that privledge apparently. Well okay maybe a make-shift shield to protect themselves when they hunted lion, but no horse and nothing to ride and enable them to hunt down their prey except themselves. Turns out the Zebras are much more like a wild donkey and not very helpful when it comes to riding.

Somehow still the Massai were able to hunt down their pretty and survive on the African plains. It turns out that humans really were born to run. And in fact, there isn’t another species with even close to the capacity to run ultra distances. Sure, the cheetah is the fastest animal on land and will take down their prey on a sprint of a couple hundred yards or less.

A pride of lions will stalk prey waiting in the grass and separate the weak from the pack for the kill. Lions are actually otherwise quite lazy. Maybe this was perhaps the real reason why the Massai chose to hunt them.

A pack of Hyenas will wait until the kill has already been made and sneak in for the steal.

And as for the hunted, mostly they stick together, signal each other in various ways and run like hell for those short distances as well. Take the gazelle for instance, these animals have a relatively short ability to escape the kill. Why? For starters they don’t have sweat glands and no way to stop from overheating. These animals need to rest to get ready for a another burst of escapism.

Survival on the African plains is primarily a series of short term events. Remember, it’s Africa, and it’s often hot. So what then was the primary Massai strategy for the hunt? RUN. And keep running until the animals can’t run anymore. They wouldn’t have to catch them on the first burst, or even the second, third, fourth or fifth. And would only need to keep the prey within eye sight, which is some distance on the open plains of Africa. Eventually, tired to the point of exhaustion, the Warriors would come in with their sharp spears and finish the job.

*****

So there I was running toe to toe with Mavo the Ilkeliani. I fell into stride as I felt the pure joy of being able to even consider making something like this happen. I began to remember the techniques I had learned from my mentors. I thought about Stu Mittleman who had coached me in my Endurance Mountain Race this year – and immediately began to monitor my breathing, vision and perceived rate of exertion to keep me from my entering my sugar burning zone too early in the game. I remembered the motivation of Rick Ivone and his dream to run his 100 miles in 24 hours next year. I flashed to running in the snow with Smitty in Jackson Hole just a few weeks ago as he taught me Chi Running techniques and how to “run like the Kenyans.”

I snapped out of it as I heard Mavo laugh. I looked over and he had a big smile on his face. “Okay Mavo, what’s the secret to being able to run like you?” I asked, with a big smile on my face. “Just enjoy. That is secret. Smile. Be happy. We will enjoy.” Isn’t that the truth. Let’s get back to basics. Enjoy it! Count me in. A wave of goose bumps flowed over me as my smile got even bigger. We continued past our first herd of livestock and bobbed and weaved through the cattle as if it was a game.

Massai Plains Run

I focused on my breathing to optimize my lung capacity. I remembered my long time mentor, Gurucharan Singh Khalsa and the dynamic meditation and breathwalk techniques he had taught me. Smooth big belly breaths flowed through me filling me up with great flowing energy.

We cruised along side the local town center and off into the country side. The look on the local village people as we ran past was priceless. Head cocked to the side with eyebrows squinting together. What was this Mazumbo (white person) doing? I shouted out the local Massai greeting to each passing villager. “Supa!! Habari Aku (Swahilee How are you)?” “Supa!” They would reply with a hand up. The wheels kept turning and I paid closer attention to Musa’s form. He was kicking up his feet in a fast rotation flowing behind him and his arms were moving back and forth like a smooth piston machine.

We kicked it into overdrive as we cruised along past a herds of goats, farm houses and the local school. The sun screen was starting to drip into my eyes and I pulled off my shirt to wipe off the sweat. If I wasn’t white enough before, I sure was now! But it felt amazing.

A breeze kicked up and the movement and flow of air cooled my hot Mazumbo body. We kept running and I shared what little water I had by tossing the bottle in the air and having a game of sharing the water.

Soon we were somewhere close to the middle of no where when Mavo slowed the pace. “We walk now.” “Asawa, Asawa,” I replied.

We continued up a sizable hill while the conversation flowed between us. We talked about his dream of being a business man and the challenges of the people of Kenya, and of the United States.

When we had made the crest one lonesome tree was off in the distance. “Look how far we go.” We turned back to see the town way off in the distance and it was clear that our return run was going to be a long but highly enjoyable downhill descent. We made it to the tree and paused under the only shade we would find amidst the desperate African heat.

I used the opportunity to expand my Swahili vocabulary.
“How do you say in Swahili, ‘We are running?’”
“Tu-na Kim Bee-aa.”
I quickly went to a pneumonic device by picturing Charlie the Tuna Fish hanging out by a grade school friend Kim while being chased by a bee. Done!
“Now how about, ‘We are having fun?’ “
“Pata Raha!” he said while laughing and jumping up and down.
Awesome. A vision of a duck holding his stomach laughing out loud came to mind… “Ra.. ha ha ha ha ha.” Perfect.

Soon enough we were off again and running a different way back toward the local village. I fell back into form and I began to vividly experience the memory of the Massai hunt. Off in the distance antelope scattered and it was as if I had seen this hunt before. I imagined the motivation to feed the village as we moved across the plains toward the animals. I felt an almost ironic sense of peace fall over me.

Up ahead three young children were playing on the make shift deck of their shanty cabin. “Tu-Na Kim Bea!” I waved and shouted out with hands waving and a big smile. “Pata Raha!” The children mimicked my behavior and jumped up and down calling back to the crazy Mazumbo. I kept the connection going with many of the locals with my shout-outs and each time felt a sense of gratitude that I could bring a smile to someone’s face.

As we ran through the winding roads back into the village we slowed to let a car pass, when I noticed another subtle running technique that Smitty had told me would be the most difficult to take on. Mavo kept running in place as we let the dust pass. And while he did his style became more pronounced. He was twisting his hips back an forth, kind of like a salsa dance move. Twisting the hips was all part of naturally running with ease. I smiled again and began twisting my hips ever so slightly into the next cycle of running.

“Nataka magi biridi!” was the last phrase I learned from Mavo as we entered the home stretch in preparation to share the story with the local friends. I visualized the tribe greeting us on the return from the hunt in celebration.

My soul smiled with an acknowledgment as we ran into the camp with an overwhelming feeling that I was indeed, born to run.

Interesting links with more information:
More about the Maasai People:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maasai_people

Short Maasai Video

A great video about the Tarahumara runners of copper canyon

Watch Born To Run Ted Talk by Chris McDougal

This is where I stayed and highly recommend the place in Kenya on Massai Mara:
http://ilkeliani.com/ilkeliani

Stu Mittleman: Slow Burn A link to one of his videos on how to choose a running shoe:

Gurucharan Singh Khalsa and Breathwalk concepts: http://www.gurucharan.com

Swahili Language: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swahili_language

Seeking True North: My book written with the incredible Erick Erickson, which includes various models, methods and tools similar to the pneumonic device I used to remember the new language phrases. Also, the reason that I actually do cool things like the story in this blog. www.seekingtruenorth.com

Bendetta at Magical Africa for logistics support and finding the ilkeliani for me! www.magicalafrica.net

Thanks to Holly Baade for your inspiration and giving me born to run for my trip. You rock!

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Posted in Adventure, GDI Staff Adventures, Inspirational, Interesting Stuff, International, Kenya Adventure 2011, Seeking True North | 2 Comments »

CONFLICT IN KENYA: Tribes, Politics, War and getting chopped with machetes

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Jambo, (Hello)
I have been in Kenya for just over a week and have become acutely aware of the diverse beauty and conflict of this complex country. My perceptions have been formed through conversations with local business people, cab drivers, US Ambassadors, tribal leaders, locals, visitors and media writers. I certainly do not pretend to be an expert, but I have been in Nairobi, the city capital of Kenya and have learned a lot already. I welcome any commentary and insight from anyone reading this.

I have also been reading through the local papers most days to get a pulse on things. Yesterday was Jamhuri, “freedom” day – the Kenya Independence day and lots of “exciting” things happened. Among the articles this morning were bombings by Al Shabaab against Kenya security forces near the Northern border and a story of four people being hacked to death with pangas (machetes) at a political meeting in Migori. It just so happens that I am headed to Migori tonight (5 hour back-country style drive) for a business meeting tomorrow.

I have become aware of a few key things worth noting:

Unemployment: Unemployment in Kenya is somewhere near 45%. So half of the people in this country are not working and in fact barely surviving. As you can imagine, this leads to very desperate measures and to many people who will do anything to survive. People never walk the streets after dark here and for good reason.

Tribes: There are about 44 tribes throughout Kenya. Each has its own culture, language and commitment to supporting that particular tribe. Some tribes get along others don’t. Sometimes a business owner will open or run a business in one area, but not provide work for those tribes who live in that area, but to their own tribe, which may lead to resentment and conflict. That is just one example of how the tribal culture may have an interesting complication on things.

Politics: During the last election in 2008, there was massive violence. The current president pretty much voted himself in and the country rioted, fighting back old-school style with machete hacking everywhere seeking some sort of political justice. This video clip from 2008 will give you an idea of what was happening back then: Kenya – hacked to death in front of film crew.

The country is now gearing up for another election next year in 2012. Ask anyone about their perspective on what’s going to happen and you will be in a heated conversation for a long time. Add on top of that the amount of apparent corruption that is going on with the current political arena. Many people don’t like the politicians because they make all the money and live the high life, while the common people suffer.

War with Somalia – Al Shabaab: Essentially an Islamic group of militants of about 15,000 young Somalians who are attempting to overthrow the Somalia government. So the war is between Kenya and the group trying to overthrow Somalia. Al Shabaab emerged out of Al Quaida from what most people remember in Somalia – the battle of Mogodishu characterized in the popular US movie, Black Hawk Down.

First they were getting their cash from Pirating (Somalian Pirates) and when the kabash was put on that they started kidnapping people, including the kidnapping on the Northern Coast of Mobassa. Well that hurt the tourism as nobody likes being kidnapped and mega warnings against travel in Kenya were issued.

Click here to view the article

All this in turn hurts the economy of Kenya. Which makes the economic situation even worse than it already is. So, Kenya then decided to take out Al Shabaab. Thus the war in Somalia.

In return, Al Shabaab doesn’t like that and vows to “take down Nairobi.” So security is at an all time high here in malls and every major public area to avoid some massive attack. And of course, the Al Shabaab is looking for a nice American they can kidnap. And who does the kidnapping? All the young militants, many of who are being recruited in Kenya by Al Shabaab because they have no work and are fed up with the Kenya government. Sweet.

The good news is that it seems as if Kenya is actually making headway. One of the articles had Al Shabaab considering a name change to try and win the support of the Somalian People and the Kenya military is characterizing Al Shabaab as confused and broken. So far only 10 casualities have been reported on the Kenya side and “hundreds” of Baabs have been taken down.

While there are many alarming areas as far as Kenya is concerned I feel excited to be here and in the mix of so much.

That’s all for the moment. I am heading to business meetings in Nairobi! As we say in the climbing community, “It’s kind of like fun, but different.”

Tim Walther

PS: In case you don’t remember, I am over here offering training and development programs to businesses in Kenya and will take half the profits and give it toward a local nonprofit to fund education for you girls in central Kenya. This is a CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility program by Grand Dynamics and Corporate Motivation, and our attempts to contribute positive impact in the world.

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Tags: ACV Kenya, Adventure, Africa, Corporate Motivation, corporate retreat, Corporate social responsibility, Corporate Volunteer Retreat, experiential learning, Grand Dynamics, Kenya, Team building
Posted in Business, GDI Staff Adventures, Grand Dynamics News, Interesting Stuff, Leadership Development, Team building | 1 Comment »

Life is an Adventure

Monday, December 12th, 2011

Hey Everyone,

Take a look at this youtube clip I just watched. People are Awesome

It sure is amazing to watch how adventurous people are living their lives these days. It brings me back to one of my favorite quotes…”If you’re not living on the edge, you are taking up to much space” (unknown) I had to watch this clip twice because I was in awe the first time I saw it. Hope you enjoy!

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Tags: Adventure, Cliff Jumping, experiential learning, experiential training and development, flips, Grand Dynamics, Skiing, sky diving, Snowboarding, Snowmobiling, Team building, x games
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Stories from an Inspiring Business Leader in Kenya Leave a Lasting Impression

Monday, December 12th, 2011

On Thursday of last week I had the unique opportunity to meet Mr. Philip Munguti of Jubilee Insurance. The meeting took place in downtown Nairobi.

Mr. Philip Munguti is the Group Training Manager in the Human Resources Department of Jubilee Insurance and responsible for ensuring that the employees at Jubilee are up to speed on the technical side of the insurance business. Moreover, he is also responsible for identifying current additional organizational development and training needs, as well as coordinating the delivery of those training needs for the company. A la Grand Dynamics.

On Thursday of last week I had the unique opportunity to meet Mr. Munguti. This would be a meeting I would not soon forget.

The meeting took place in Nairobi and this was the third time last week I had been downtown, so Joyce and had the entry into the city dialed! Joyce is my ACV Kenya support crew and we had a great time creating new opportunities, going to PR meetings and doing business together.

Mr. Mugunti welcomed us with a warm smile and his presence commanded professionalism and clarity of intent. We explained our Corporate Social Responsibility program, which blends philanthropy and performance improvement and is in collaboration with Corporate Motivation. In this CSR program upwards of 50% of program funding is allocated toward ACV Kenya, and on project of educating 100 girls in the Central Province. The meeting was filled with lots of interactive discussions, stories and examples of Grand Dynamics training in areas such as leadership development, change management and team building.

But the gem came when he told me HIS story.

In brief, Mr. Mugunti has a Polio. The disease has left him using two hand crutches to walk, and has also provided him with an amazing story of inspiration. When he was a child he was so disabled that other children had to pick him up on his back and carry him to school. And they did. This was at a time when children in the village had rarely seen a car, to the point of which when they did see one, they would run up a tree for fear of it attacking them! He had vowed to some day return the favor to the children that carried him miles on their backs so that he could be educated. And clearly Philip Mugunti made the most of that education in Kenya.

He has worked his way to a very prominent position in the business community and clearly excels at his work. And not only that he has a passion for helping his employees and people in general. Mr. Mugunti and Jubilee is a perfect fit for this CSR program Grand Dynamics.

Under the umbrella of Corporate Motivation and in collaboration with ACV Kenya, this program not only offers valuable training, but provides the platform for much needed education for children of Kenya.

I am looking forward to working with Mr. Mugunti and delivering valuable experiential training and development for him and Jubilee in 2012!

I am excited about what this week of business meetings in Nairobi and Migori will bring about!

Tim Walther

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Tags: Corporate Motivation, Corporate social responsibility, Jubilee Insurance, Kenya Business Leaders, Matt Campana, Philip Mugunti, Tim Walther
Posted in Business, Business Leaders, Experiential Training, Grand Dynamics News, Inspirational, Interesting Stuff, International, Kenya Adventure 2011, Leadership Development | 1 Comment »

African Safari – Take One – Exploring “the moment” in search of the elusive Rhino

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

On Wednesday I went to the Nairobi National Park on my own personal photo safari it turns out is was all about the Rhino. Here’s a quick story about a moment I am sure you can relate to.

There I was peering out across the African plains, when I saw what looked like a mini-bus moving across the bush in the distance.

So, what’s the obvious thing to do? Get closer of course. Well no one was around and I was with Jerimiah, my personal driver… so… I got out of the car and began sneaking out across the Africa plains.

As I moved out toward it, a different local Safari driver drove by and shouted out “be careful” and I nodded in agreement. Just like the Teton Tourist wanting the picture of the close-up bison. Umm, riiiiight…. SO… I crept through the grass and kept getting closer, and closer…

I don’t really know too much about the speed of a Rhino, but it looked so massive I thought I could out run it or at least dodge it around some bushes… until the point when I realized something very bad… I was wearing flip-flops! Toss that one in the “bad idea” category.

And then the moment came. It’s that classic moment when you realize that perhaps you have pushed the boundary too far. You know the one. And it’s actually the moment of being thrilled with the sense of adventure and uncertainty. When you are not sure what the outcome will be. Consider perhaps that last “moment” you had, and what you might have learned from it.

Did I go too far? Get too close? If so what would be the result. A massive Rhinoceros, and me in flip-flops. Hmmmm….

The Rhino sensed me crouched in the grass, and turned toward me with its ears flapping. It suddenly swung its massive body and took a few remarkably quick steps in my direction. Here it comes, being charged by a Rhino in Kenya, by myself, with only Jerimiah my local guide 200 yards away to watch it all go down. “Oh Shit” I said to myself. I quickly stepped back and turned for my run and tripped on the first step. Damn those flip-flops! I looked back and hoped I wouldn’t see the beast about to stomp on me.

And that was it. The moment of fear and excitement, and then it was over. The Rhino continued on forward, making no mention of me again, and plodded along through the plains.

I walked back to the car to continued on my own personal photo safari. Ten minutes later it crossed the road directly in front of us. “Hmmm.” My efforts stalking through the African Jungle suddenly seemed a bit anti-climactic. And then I paused and appreciated the scene, and then laughed as I recounted the scene from Ace Ventura Pet Detective to Jerimiah.

The scene where Jim Carrey comes out the ass of the Rhino in front of the tourist family. Funny what sticks with you. And then we were off down the road… in search of the King of the Jungle: The Lion!

And as I considered the prospect, I pulled out my running shoes and began to lace them up tightly….

- Tim Walther

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Tags: Kenya, Safari, Tim Walther
Posted in Adventure, GDI Staff Adventures, Interesting Stuff, International, Kenya Adventure 2011 | No Comments »

ACV KENYA and Omondi Otieno: Driving positive social change in Kenya, Africa

Monday, December 5th, 2011

I have arrived in Nairobi and am excited about the partnership with ACV Kenya. Omondi Otieno is the leader of ACV Kenya and is a sharp and driven business entrepreneur dedicated to positive social change.On that link above you will also see the link to the press release for the Corporate Volunteer Retreat and our corporate social responsibility programs.

You can check out the ACV Kenya Website to find out about this non-profit and our support and connection with Grand Dynamics. Please contact us to find out how you or your organization can support the efforts of this meaningful organization.

More details to come on our work here in Kenya so stay tuned!

Tim Walther

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Tags: ACV Kenya, Corporate Volunteer Retreat, CVR, Grand Dynamis, Social Responsibility
Posted in Business, Business Leaders, Grand Dynamics News, Inspirational, Interesting Stuff, International, Kenya Adventure 2011 | No Comments »

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Archive for 2011

You know what? UKOSOWA! YOU ARE INCREDIBLE!

An outsiders perspective on the inside of Business, Culture and Leadership in Kenya

ACV KENYA ANNOUNCES “100 Girls in 100 Days” Campaign to educate girls in North Eastern Province

Born To RUN with the Maasai Warriors in Kenya

Life is an Adventure

African Safari – Take One – Exploring “the moment” in search of the elusive Rhino