10 Street Smart Disciplines that will help you survive in Kenya.
Being street smart simply
means that one has learnt how to take what has happened to them, good or bad,
thought about it and learnt to improve from it.
It is the shrewd resourcefulness needed
to survive in an urban environment (be it people management, project management
or business management) and comes from experience. On the flip side, being book
smart comes from being well-versed with books.
This is not to say that a good education is a bad thing. Being
book smart is essential in certain situations. But there are other times
where being book smart is useless other than to impress one’s friends with how
worldly and intelligent one is.
The prime distinction between street smarts and book smarts is who is at the center of the
knowledge. On the street,
it's you. There is no doubt that street
smarts beats book smarts hands down.
To be street smart means one has situational awareness,
can assess the environment they are in, who is in it and what the available angles
are.
Being on the street, in the trenches or whatever low to the
ground metaphor you prefer, requires one learn to trust their own judgment
about people and what matters. This skill, regardless of where one develops it,
is of great value everywhere in life regardless of how far from the streets one
is.
Hawkers and Makangas.
In an urban setup, being street smart means instinctively
knowing how to keep oneself safe from scams and bad guys. It means one knows
their way around, how to handle themselves in tough situations and how to “read” people’s intent.
For instance, in the urban centres, there are no better “survivors” than the street vendors (hawkers),
matatu crew, the mama mbogas and the jua kali artisans. These group of people
will virtually get out of any situation unscathed and can survive in any
situation unlike their counterparts in the white-collar jobs and in formal
business setups.
These are the type who will build a business empire from
merely a thousand shillings. Theirs
involves having a basic understanding of the street ‘level’, being on the
ground and being in the battle rather than looking down atop of it. Their solutions to problems and
tasks are usually more likely to be practical and pragmatic, developed purely from
experience and ‘real life’.
Fundamental advantage.
Their “smartness”
comes from actually doing the
task that others read about. From getting their hands dirty, getting ‘stuck
in’, either through successes or failures, these first hand experiences develop
their knowledge and understanding of the world and their work.
This is the fundamental advantage. They have learnt things one
can’t just read about in books. They know the ins and outs that can only be
gained by doing. Whereas book smarts knowledge is gained second hand from their
readings and learning.
In reality, the startup world contains those same very risky
streets, but in the business context.
Initially, it will be tough knowing what has to be done. So
many people to talk to, so many things to do, and so many decisions to be made.
Social intelligence.
With each person, there will be behavioral nuances
to take note of. It is not something school could have prepared anyone for.
The constant exposure to varying intense situations makes
one accustomed to them. They develop a stronger social intelligence, where
they get to know what to do, what to say, how to say/do things and when exactly
to speak/act to get the best outcome.
It is something that comes from both raw experience and
actively synthesizing lessons from their own experiences.
Here’s a simple guide and key disciplines to train your gut:
1. Work smart.
This means using discipline to get smart before you start
working. Find out everything you can about the business domain you are
targeting.
In addition, maintain a change-oriented and future-focused
mentality, with an actionable execution plan. When someone tells you they are
working hard, it’s usually an excuse for not working smart.
2. Don’t back down from stressful or uncomfortable
situations.
If anything, immerse yourself in as many of these situations
as possible. These are the catalysts of your growth. The more you face them,
the better you are going to become.
3. Present everything.
If you are trying to gain commitment or persuade someone,
practice the discipline of thinking beyond conversational chatter. The four
steps of a successful presentation always include preparation, practice,
delivery, and asking for the order. Make these part of every interaction with
partners, customers, and team members.
4. Deal with people.
People do business with your people, not your startup.
Finely tuned people skills make you more likeable, warm, friendly, open, and
effective. Put yourself in their heads to see things from their perspective.
Have patience, and listen actively before speaking.
When you know how people think and feel, you will naturally
know what to do and how to best work with them. Regular interactions and
spending more time with said people will help.
Street smart entrepreneurs practice this discipline until it
is not work.
5. Watch your money.
It is not unusual for creative entrepreneurs to find
finances difficult to understand, intimidating or just a numbing bore.
If you feel that way, find a partner who loves that critical
side of the business. In reality, the discipline to manage cash does not
require a financial genius. It just requires a discipline of relentless focus.
6. Focus on doing, doing and more doing.
Every field experience will make you socially more
intelligent. Make “doing” your modus operandi.
It’s okay to acquire social
knowledge through books, but remember that it’s from being in the situation
that you will develop your intuition and social smarts.
7. Distill lessons for application.
With each situation you face, distill lessons for application. Ask yourself: Why did this
happen? (If it was an unfavorable experience.) What can I do to prevent
this/make it better? What can I learn from this? How can I do things better the
next time?
Then, apply these lessons in the next situation.
8. Get more business.
This discipline is the art of making a constant of new
business opportunities, new customers, and new revenue flowing into your
startup. Develop an aggressive prospecting mentality, stay close to current and
past customers, get referrals, and optimise Internet marketing. If you startup
isn’t evolving and growing, you are failing.
9. Manage yourself.
Entrepreneurs will always be wearing many hats in their
business and personal life. Even the more important activities can sometimes be
excuses to avoid the underlying challenge of working towards your life-changing
goals.
Learn and practice time management disciplines. Banish
procrastination. Be decisive. Have fun.
10. Everybody sells.
It may not be in their job descriptions, but everyone in a
startup should be selling. The very first moment that you have contact with an
investor or a customer has contact with your team, an impression and a
perception is created. That perception is your reality and you only get one
chance to make it a good one.
CONCLUSION:
Basically, street smarts requires that one puts all these
things together for problem solving and to dodge and weave effectively through
the risky business streets. It means balancing your idealistic vision of how
things could be, against the realities of the business world. Confidence and a
positive attitude are also required to be a street smart and successful
entrepreneur.
But attitude and problem solving are not sufficient, without
the basic disciplines outlined above. No one is born with all these
disciplines. These represent the knowledge and experience of many successful
business people. Study them carefully and practice them religiously. The
alternative is a long and painful learning curve, which neither you nor your
investors can afford.
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