Are you willing to learn new things?

Just try new things. Don’t be afraid. Step out of your comfort zones and soar, all right?

 Michelle Obama

When the Uber driver called to confirm my exact location, I was pleasantly surprised that the driver was a lady. It was a first of a kind since I have never ridden with a  lady Uber driver in Nairobi before.

Winnie* is an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs exercise initiative by identifying opportunities for a need they can meet at a profit. Before joining Uber, Winnie managed her clothes selling  stall. She still maintains the stall but has employed someone to run the business. I applauded her for helping to create jobs. When I asked her what would happen if 500,000 people took the same initiative she noted that half a million jobs would be created directly and many more indirectly. She was excited to realise that she has helped the government create the jobs needed to spur Kenya’s economy..

Winnie had a sharp learning curve when she joined Uber five months ago. She was not familiar with the City roads since she had not been driving much around owing to the very nature of her business that required her at the stall all the time. She significantly relied on the GPS service to get her to her destination if she had a client who did not know the way. If she realized the client was familiar with the route to her destination, she was not afraid to ask for their recommendation of the best route to use. In essence, she was quick to admit what she did not know. Winnie also mentioned that she tries to discover new routes, but will only do this without clients so as not to waste their time.

My ride with Winnie was not long. As we parted, my thoughts switched to many leaders who are stuck with their old ways of doing things. They are not willing to learn new things or change how they do their thing. I discovered a while ago that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Winnie proved she doesn’t subscribe that category. Leaders ought to have an entrepreneurial mentality. Always scouting for a different way of doing things. They must retain an open heart to learning.  Louis E. Boone said, “Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.” Are you willing to explore and discover new paths?