Generation Y have what it takes to thrive in business

Clearly there is a generation in our country that is defying the rule book. They believe they can make more money per acre than their dads did. Fotosearch.  

By CANUTE WASWA 36

In Summary

• I have watched my generation, the so called Generation Y, starting to demonstrate significant impact on the economy.
• The generation before us typically enjoyed one career until retirement. We are comfortable doing many things at once and not content with a single lifelong work path. Could this be the generation that finally turns Kenya’s fortunes around?

Some travellers come to a village, carrying nothing more than an empty pot. Upon their arrival, the villagers were unwilling to share any of their food stores with the hungry travellers.

The travellers filled the pot with water, dropped a large stone in it, and placed it over a fire in the village square. One of the villagers became curious and asked what they were doing.

The travellers answered that they were making “stone soup”, which tasted wonderful, although it still needed a little bit of garnish to improve the flavour, which they were missing.

The villager did not mind parting with just a little bit of carrot to help them out, so it got added to the soup. Another villager walked by, inquired about the pot, and the travellers again mentioned their stone soup which had not reached its full potential yet.

The villager handed them a little bit of seasoning to help them out. More and more villagers walked by, each adding another ingredient. Finally, a delicious and nourishing pot of soup was enjoyed by all.

The above story came to mind as I have watched my generation, the so called Generation Y, starting to demonstrate significant impact on the economy. We are already the dominant generation in Kenya.

My contemporaries are taking to farming with zest. And they are thinking and acting differently.

I get excited as I see local newspapers carry features on young farmers rearing pigs in Kiambu. The growing demand of quail in the country is amazing.

There was even a story of a group of farmers from Homa Bay who supply 10 tonnes of sweet potatoes a week to a distributor in London. From this, the farmers’ group earns Sh350,000 a week.

Clearly there is a generation in our country that is defying the rule book. They believe they can grow a better crop. They believe they can make more money per acre than their dads. They expect more from their lenders and prefer to work with a team of advisors.

The gist of this article is that young people who are struggling to get jobs actually have ample opportunities to better their lives.

Now, it seems to me that this story of stone soup may illuminate our Kenyan situation in more than one way. Most obviously, of course, it describes a situation of limited resources and reduced opportunities.

This may feel familiar to a lot of young people looking for white collar jobs. How many people are feeling rather restrained in their circumstances and are wondering how to make do with the status quo?

The generation before us typically enjoyed one career until retirement. We are comfortable doing many things at once and not content with a single lifelong work path. Could this be the generation that finally turns Kenya’s fortunes around?

The story of stone soup seems to illustrate three lessons we can usefully keep in mind.