MASOMO SIO KILA KITU! 11 Lessons Every Kenyan Should Learn From Bob Collymore

Piece by: Caren Nyota
Lifestyle

Bob Collymore is living proof that hard work pays. Being the CEO of the leading Mobile telecommunications company in Kenya, Collymore, who earns Sh10 million per month, lives a private, simple and classic life.

Remember his wedding back in April 3, 2016, that was attended by the who's who in Kenya? Bob Collymore and his wife Wambui Kamiru held a romantic all white wedding, with the couple dressed in white garments, compared to many weddings where the bride dresses in a white gown while the groom wears a suit in the color of their choice.

Collymore was born in Guyana, South America and raised by his grandparents in Guyana. At the age of 16, he moved to stay with his mother in the United Kingdom, attending Selhurst High School. Upon leaving school, he was offered a place at Warwick University (located in England) but had to turn this offer down as he was not eligible for a scholarship.

Unable to pursue a degree, Bob Collymore spent his time filling forms as a junior underwriter and working as a train announcer while pursuing his passion for “surrealist stuff”. He started working with a cellnet company in 1993 in the UK and just like any other ambitious and determined worker, he did his best and on November 1, 2010, he succeeded Michael Joseph as the CEO of Safaricom.

Ever since, Bob Collymore has been a darling to many including cancer survivor Rose Nasimiyu, not forgetting Kenyan artistes and even the matatu industry.

Well, below is a list of lessons we should all learn from Bob Collymore

1. University education isn't everything

"I wanted to go to university and I disliked not having gone and for some years after I wished I’d gone. Now it doesn’t matter, but I would always advise a young person to go to the best university you can find."

2. There is no shortcut

Nothing comes on a silver platter. You have to work hard for you to achieve that goal, live in that expensive house you desire and drive that V8. In short, there's no shortcut in life, you need to work hard for the life you want.

3. Study what the market needs

4. Be adaptable

Some of the youth around cannot work in a new environment away from home. They are used to the same old ways and find it difficult when transferred to work somewhere else.

"I have done many different types of jobs but I never anticipated that I would become the CEO of a mobile phone company in Africa," Collymore said during a recent interview with Sde.

5. Be hungry

If you are hungry for success, the chances of you succeeding in life are very high. Grab any opportunities presented to you and make the best out of it.

6. Move with the times

"We are in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution, where we are looking at the internet for everything. The fourth industrial revolution plays to older people because it makes things easier for us."

7. You aren't perfect

No one is 100 percent perfect but you can still make it. Do not be confined in that one place. Try out something!

8. Lose the sense of entitlement

9. Learn the art of gratitude

10. Fix the problem

Be a problem solver!

11. Read and read some more

To some, especially the youth, reading a newspaper is a problem. But did you know that reading helps you improve in many ways not only your grammar?

"I probably get through two or three books in a month, to try and keep myself ahead of the curve. If I am not traveling a lot, then I read more," he said.

Collymore encouraged the youth to read more and recommended they try these books; Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari and Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle.

Safaricom, is one of the most influential brands in Kenya, raking in billions with more than 20 million users and over 3,000 employees.

The story originally appeared on Sde.