“You don’t build a business, you build people, then people build the business.” –Zig Ziglar
Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) is characterized by heavy traffic on the last Friday of the month – this particular last Friday of June was no different. As I tried to link up with the Uber driver I had just hailed, I realized he was moving at snail speed on the queue across the road from where I was waiting. I guided him to take a turn towards me so that we try a different route with lighter traffic. In a short time, we maneuvered our way to the highway, but there we stood in slow moving traffic towards my destination. John was my driver, a trained Civil Engineer who had ditched the trade to try his hand in Uber. He quickly confessed that he was not very familiar with the Westlands area and in particular my specified destination. I reassured him that I would guide him and went ahead to ask how long he had been with Uber.
As an active driver, he had been with Uber for 3 weeks. However, he registered his first car with Uber 9 months ago and his brother James has been driving it. Previously James was working as a casual worker in a soda bottling company. He was so industrious and committed in the nine months he had been driving his brother’s Uber cab to a point where he earned enough to put a down payment for John’s second car. James convinced John that he can make more money as an entrepreneur in Uber than in trying to get construction contracts. James obliged and joined him. John and James have been setting targets and competing on who makes more money.
John admits that in the 3 weeks he has continuously made less than half of what James is making. He went ahead to explain to me that the cab business is cyclical over the week. The busiest times are weekends starting from Friday at 10 am. They get bookings from most teachers and school-going children pickups during the day. Friday evening and late into Saturday night they mostly get clients heading to or leaving entertainment joints. On Sundays, after midday, they ferry families going for lunch or to entertainment grounds.
Monday morning is also very busy with trips to offices. Tuesday to Thursday the client traffic reduces significantly. As such, as they approach the weekend they position their cabs strategically and are mentally prepared to work long hours. John mentioned that based on the earnings received in the Uber business compared to the rare construction contracts were higher and more consistent. He wasn’t looking to return to his construction trade. “My brother has worked really hard with our first car and afforded us to make a down payment for this second one. I want to empower him to own his taxi. We have an agreement that when we make enough to buy a third cab, I will give him the one he is driving.” This was John’s parting shot. You could feel the excitement in his voice at the prospect of empowering his brother.
To empower is to give (someone) the authority or power to do something. Any leader who is worth their leadership will continually endeavor to empower the people around them. One leader who understood this task is Larry Page who said, “My job as a leader is to make sure that everybody in the company has great opportunities and they feel they are having a meaningful impact to the good of society.” — Larry Page, Google. Who are you empowering?
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