Though our meetings started later in the day, we had a busy afternoon. We met Chairman Mengi of IPP. He is a self-made millionaire in Tanzania. We had lunch with him at the Holiday Inn (a quite swanky one might I add) that he is part owner of. After lunch he welcomed us in his office. We were met with news cameras. I was on the news in Tanzania. There goes 4 minutes of fame!
Anyway, the discussion we had with Chairman Mengi was inspirational. He did not waste a word when he spoke. He grew up in a mud hut and has made so much money yet at the same time has given back tremendously to the people of Tanzania. Chairman Mengi is a passionate fighter against greed. He does not place value on money and dislikes that Africa is viewed as a poor continent because he believes that it is quite rich in other standards. At lunch he was telling us about how pure the Tanzanian people are and about the collectivist society.
I wrote every word down that he said, but I can't write it all. I'd have to credit and cite it if I did. Some of his mantra's that stuck with me are:
"Don't use the word problems, say you have challenges. A problem weighs you down but a challenge stays in front of you and pushes you to overcome it. Winners in this life see things as challenges and win."
"Believe in G-D. Believing in a higher power makes you feel like there is something pushing you ahead."
"Believe in yourself. I can, I must, I will"
"There is no shortcut to success"
"Know where you are going. It allows you to have direction and plans."
"The moment you aspire for anything other than number one, you are a failure. Don't take the second position. The position you give yourself, cannot be improved by anyone else but you. Put the highest value on yourself and your ability."
"Business has its ups and downs called challenges"
"Believe you are a survivor"
"Delegate and believe in who you delegate to. Trust in someone 100%. It's the only way to expand your business. If you do not have confidence in those you delegate to, they won't succeed."
"When you employ someone look for commitment and competence in that order."
"Build a sense of belonging with your employees. Everyone owns it! Once you make money realize its G-D's blessings. Find a way of saying thank you to G-D and the people who have made you rich. Find a way to give back to those who purchase your products."
"The number one contribution to the environment is to not pollute."
"Support environmental programs to leave the environment better than you found it."
"Environmental costs should be seen as part of your business, not a burden."
"There is no such thing as individual happiness. It's collective. You must do whatever necessary to make mroe people happy."
"People are not remembered by the amount of money they had but about what they did with the money that they made."
"Many people fails before they start."
"You must be honest, do not assume people are less intelligent than you."
"There is not job for the educated and the less educated. The only difference in work is the way it is done."
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