Are you doing your best?

Everyone needs someone who truly believes in their potential and who has the ability to bring it out.

Regardless of whatever role you play, you must realise that you are part of a greater purpose in life and must excel in your field.

Everyone is called to become the CEOs of their current roles. This is what Robin Sharma says in his book, The Leader Who Had No Title.

This is what made Dereva the best driver in Matokeo. He loved his job and always did his best. Everyone in Matokeo preferred being driven by him, which is why he was often overworked.

Dereva always tried to improve himself. It was not surprising that he rose to become the head of a mentorship programme for newly recruited drivers in the organisation.

Do you have someone who mentors you and brings out the hidden potential in you? Organisations that excel are those that go out of their way to make their employees aware of what they can do.

It is a sad truth is that if people don’t have someone who believes in them and mentors then, they may never get to know just what they were capable of becoming.

Sharma gives a beautiful story of a young man by the name Blake who seemed demotivated by life until Tommy Flinn, an older man who becomes his mentor, appeared.

Flinn helped Blake discover the greatness that is in him. He learnt that he had the potential to become a leader and make a difference in his organisation even if he did not have a title.

There is no insignificant position in any organisation. This is because each position is like part of a huge clock. If one part is not working, the whole clock will malfunction.

All organisations need to continuously build the potential of all their employees to do their best and discover their hidden potential for excellence.

Once everyone is performing at their best, the organisation will rise to the top effortlessly.

Everyone must shine in whatever they do because it counts towards the success of the entire organisation.

Shining begins when we make up our minds to beat our previous performance and improve ourselves daily.

It is easy to become complacent, especially if everyone around you keeps praising you for a job well done.

Ask yourself, “Is this the best I can do? How can I become better?” Only you can tell if you are better than you were yesterday.

The Japanese use the word Kaizen to capture the same concept-we must keep working on ourselves to become better than we were yesterday.

Everyone can live a meaningful life if they discover the greatness in them. In the story by Robin Sharma, the young man Blake learns of ten regrets that one would have if they did not live a life of significance.

You will regret that you did not achieve the great things you were created to achieve and that you never inspired anyone by the example you set.

You will regret not having taken any risks and therefore achieved any significant rewards in life and that you never learnt how to create success out of adversity.

In addition, you will regret not having helped anyone but yourself.

Sharma also says that you will regret not having awakened the genius in you because you never gave your best effort.

You will regret that you did not become the person you were meant to be and wasted your life because you failed to become that person.

Live a life of significance so that when you go back to your Maker, you can say, “I have used all the talents you gave me”.

Dr Kithinji is a trainer and consultant at the Kenya School of Government, Nairobi