5 Career Lessons Hassan Joho Has Taught Me

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” Sir Winston Churchill once said.

I have recently been disturbed by the current events and so many people taunting Governor Ali Hassan Joho for scoring a D- in KCSE. Kenyans are a funny lot and will never fail to amuse me, which has warranted me to ask so many questions.

How many scored As and Bs but have not gotten ahead in life? Still, how many of those criticizing Joho, scored As simply because their parents were wealthy enough to buy them papers? And still, how many of those politicians and ‘professionals’ have papers that raise a lot of questions but choose to call themselves professionals?

I have always believed that success is what you make it and it shouldn’t be measured by the grade you got in school. The governor admitted to scoring a D- and says he is proud of it. But in a society where success is measured by A and B grades, it is understandable why many Kenyans are yet to reconcile his ‘failure’ grade to his current success.

But despite what people think, I believe that the governor has inspired a whole generation – that you can succeed without an A. He has ignited a new flame in all those people who scored what is referred to as failure grades in Kenya.

You create your own path and that’s what I believe Joho has done. So in as much as we chose to criticize the Mombasa kingpin, here are life lessons that he has taught me and I believe that each one of us can associate with.

Related: POOR KCSE Grades & Job Search In Kenya?

Lessons Governor Ali Hassan Joho Has Taught Many Of Us

Let’s put politics aside and forget about Jubilee and NASA for a moment. I am sure that if you choose to look at Joho’s predicament with an open mind, there is a lot you can pick from him, right? Let’s explore.

The questions of whether he forged his papers or not is not the business of this article but he is a true example of moving from zero to hero in a society where success is measured by the number of papers you have.

1. You are what you think you are

Yes, the Mombasa governor scored a D-, the lowest grade in Kenya after E but did life stop at that? No. Knowing that his grade was not what society considered ‘good’, Joho went on to become a businessman. After finishing high school, knowing that he was not an academic giant, Joho took up fellowship programmes mainly focusing on IT and logistics. Here he was able to learn a lot about the ever growing IT and logistics industry.

He later founded the M-tech Kenya Limited and East African Terminals. He commands respect everywhere he goes as a businessman and compassionate fellow through his Hassan Joho Foundation, where he helps needy people in the society.

2. The negative voices are just that, voices!

You didn’t do very well in KCSE and have been told that you are headed nowhere. Don’t listen to those negative people. Remember Winston Churchill?

Just focus on his wise words and I believe that you can be what you want as long as you set your mind to it. Imagine, if Joho had listened to those people who told him that he was a failure, where would he be today?

3. Reframe and Focus On The Future

I can’t tell you how many emails and calls I have gotten from people who never did that well in KCSE and have lost hope. If there is one thing that Joho has taught us, it is to reframe. Look at the situation in another way.

I have always been angry that our society treats A and B students like kingpins and D students like the biggest failure in life. It is no wonder young kids continue to commit suicide because “they have been made to believe that they are not worthy unless they make a good grade.” This is not only barbaric but it should be a crime (maybe we need a new constitution).

Look at our society and see how many people have made it in life yet they are drop outs or got poor grades in school. So just reframe and think differently. You owe it to yourself and your future grandkids.

4. A plan is all you need to succeed

While you have changed your perspective be now open to ideas to move forward. Joho knew that he could not compete with the A materials and so he chose a new path. He decided that he would become the greatest business man they would ever know and that’s exactly what he did. He acquired knowledge and look at where he is now.

Seek out advice from people who have already made it. Find mentors and move forward. And am not just telling people who got ‘poor’ grades, I am also speaking to you who is out there wondering how to get ahead in life.

5. Take failure as a chance to shine

End that pity party you have been playing and refocusing on moving forward. Overcome that feeling that you are a failure and move forward. I will quote Joho who said that he is proud of where he has come from because it has made him who he is today. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself and wondering why things didn’t work out the other way round, focus on rebuilding your life.

We may want to criticize Joho for his D- because let’s face it, that’s what politicians wants us to do. But if you look at his situation objectively there is so much we can learn from him.

Related: From Scrambling For Food With Monkeys To a Hotel General Manager

What’s your opinion on Joho’s predicament and is there anything we can learn from it? Share your comments below.

Lilian Wamaitha is a Communications and Digital Marketing Officer at Career Point Kenya. Contact her via lilian@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke. Click here to like us on Facebook.