Ascend Training & Development Limited

When I changed careers, from accounting to Training, coaching and mentoring, I promised myself that I will be a student. I embraced a student mindset. Ready and willing to learn, to relearn, to unlearn and to be corrected.

This is a mindset that has served me well in the last 3 or so years of self-employment. It’s a mindset that has seen me sit in rooms with amazing, gifted, successful men and women in different roles, positions and industries in the country. Through this mindset, I have enlarged my network in a way I never thought possible.

This week, I was a student once again, for the umpteenth time. I took part in a GET Ahead Training of Trainers conducted by Stephen Kyalibulha, a GET Ahead lead trainer, and hosted by Dr. S Njagi of Destiny Path Foundation.

Gender and Entrepreneurship Together (GET Ahead) is a gender-sensitive entrepreneurship training programme designed for women and men with basic numeracy or literacy skills.

GET Ahead aims to address some of the barriers women face in starting and running a business, including lack of entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, low confidence, and gendered norms and roles that increase the burden of household and care responsabilities.

GET Ahead bridges the gender gap in entrepreneurship support by offering women and men both the business management and key soft skills they need to start a business.

The programme was initially developed to address the shortcomings of standard business skills training programmes in order to service the gendered needs of women.

A total of 13 participants were in attendance for the 5 days. In those 5 days, under guidance, help and tutoring of Stephen Kyalibulha we delved deep into the GET Ahead entrepreneurship curriculum to understand the concepts of entrepreneurship as adopted in the GET Ahead through group discussion, lectures, activities, role playing, presentations and even song. Oh, yes we sang!! The song is still in my head.

🎶Save save save
🎶Borrow borrow borrow
🎶Buy buy buy
🎶Spend spend spend
🎶Sell sell sell

To entrepreneurs, this is not just a song. But a rule of business.

What I really loved about the GET Ahead program is it’s simplicity. I am now knee deep in preparing for a training of potential entrepreneurs for the next five days, beginning Monday, in partial fulfillment of the GET Ahead certification process. I just took a break to post this!

If your organization runs employability programs for youth or empowerment programs for women and men, do not hesitate to reach out. I am fully equipped to help you achieve your mission of empowering youth, men and women through entrepreneurship and life skills training. I look forward to our working together.

Ok. Back to my preparation.

Here is to more learning. To getting better. And to moving from Theory, to Practice, to Mastery in our various vocations.

P.S. I am the one on the far end, no, that’s not a picture on the banner. 😊

I am currently reading this book, ‘The Tools’ by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels. Following a recommendation by my coach , It’s a wonderful book, one that I can’t seem to put down.

Attached is a highlight from the book. I particularly liked what they said about tools, to paraphrase, tools make you do the work. Tools are the surest way to guarantee behavior change.

I love this because it resonates fully with the framework and design we will use in ‘The Leadership Mastery Program’. Did you know that ‘The leadership mastery program’ is packed with tools?

A favorite tool of mine is ‘The CORE Process’ tool. See comments for the tool and explanation.

About PechaKucha night Nairobi.

It was breathtakingly amazing. Beautiful, inspiring and moving stories centered on the theme of ‘new beginnings’ were told.

I was the MC of the night. Finally, all my experience as a Toastmaster of the day (TMOD) at my club’s meetings came in handy.

I did a stupendous job, if I do say so myself!

Of course I was super excited about the gift bags from the sponsors. The L’Oréal one had an item that I actually use, and the Zoe had close to a year’s supply of lotion. You know what, a win is a win!

Do you keep a journal?

How do you feel about keeping a journal?

Are you aware of the benefits of keeping a journal?

Day 22 of 30 Days of Self-Awareness.

This series would be incomplete without a quote from the 'Queen of Media' Oprah Winfrey.

In this quote, Oprah Winfrey reminds us of the importance of self-awareness in decision making.
The more we understand ourselves and our true nature, the better equipped we are to make decisions that align with our values, goals, and aspirations.

Often, we make decisions based on external factors such as societal norms, peer pressure, or the expectations of others. However, when we have a clear understanding of who we are and what we want, we are less likely to make decisions that compromise our values or hinder our progress towards our goals.

Furthermore, the quote suggests that self-awareness can help us avoid making the same mistakes repeatedly.

By becoming more clear about who we are and what we want, we can make decisions that are aligned with our true nature, and that lead us towards the fulfillment of our goals and aspirations.

Day 21 of 30 Days of Self-Awareness.

We have the power to understand ourselves better and to recognize the barriers that prevent us from realizing our full potential.

The "master keys" referred to in the quote represent the tools of self-awareness that we can use to open the "inner locks" that prevent us from achieving our goals. By developing self-awareness, we can identify our own limiting beliefs, fears, and insecurities, and take steps to overcome them.

This quote reminds us that we are the masters of our own lives and have the ability to create the future we desire.

Day 14 of 30 Days of Self-Awareness.

I am convinced that a conversation around personal development is not complete until Stephen Covey is mentioned.

Through this quote, Stephen Covey reminds us of the importance of self awareness and personal responsibility in our lives, failure to which, we leave ourselves vulnerable to the influence of others and external circumstances.

When we are self-aware, we can identify the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors that shape our lives. We can recognize patterns of behavior that may not be serving us well and make conscious choices to change them.

Moreover, self-awareness allows us to take responsibility for our own experiences and outcomes. We can acknowledge our own role in creating the reality we live in and take proactive steps to shape it in the direction we desire.

By being self-aware and taking responsibility for our first creations, we empower ourselves to be the architects of our own lives rather than passive recipients of circumstance.

Day 13 of 30 Days of Self-Awareness.

When we are self-aware, we have a clear understanding of our values, strengths, weaknesses, and limitations, which allows us to make better decisions and choices that align with our goals and aspirations.

Knowing how to belong to oneself means having a strong sense of self-identity, which is based on self-awareness. It means being true to oneself and not being swayed by external influences or societal pressures.