This week, I had the opportunity to interview
Rabison Shumba, whom I am proud to have been associated with in his latest
offering, Fountain of Inspiration Volume 2. He is founder of the Greatness
Factory Trust who is also an author, motivator, coach and business consultant.
He has authored four books to date namely:
1. The
Greatness Manual
2. Fountain
of Inspiration Volume 1
3. Fountain
of Inspiration Volume 2
4. 101
Great ways to Enhance your career (co-author)
He has also contributed to:
5. Turnaround
Management Journal – contributor
6. Performance
360 Magazine (USA) – contributor
7. Several
local and international magazines – columnist/contributor
Rabison carries remarkable humility and is
keen to uplift those around him in as far as he can. I have benefitted
personally from his remarkable kindness and would like to share our short
interview:
When
was your company/organisation formed?
In 2010
What
was the vision and mission of the organisation?
Our Vision
is To see an equitable society that offers an
enabling environment for youth to attain their socio-economic potential.
Our Mission
is To empower young men and women through
mentorship and capacity building initiatives.
Approximately
how many young people have been to your workshops?
I have mentored over 150 young people
directly and several hundreds informally.
Do
you know of any that have benefited directly from these workshops?
Certainly, I know several that I still keep
contact with.
What
challenges if any have you faced as an organisation in your quest to achieve
the objectives set?
Funding is usually a hindrance to one’s
desire to make giant strides. We have relied mostly on personal savings and
thankfully we also have received support from the donor community with small
grants.
Is
there anything you wish Zimbabweans (or even the rest of the world) knew that
could make your work a lot easier?
I wish everyone knew that the future of this
world is in the investment we make in young people.
How
did you get into writing?
I started off by motivating young people that
I ministered with at my church. When they would come back with feedback on the
messages I sent them daily, I realized I had a gift I was sitting on.
Thereafter I began to take motivation seriously. I got into blogging and social
media as tool to further my mission
As
an author, what is your greatest desire?
My desire is to see people being transformed
in the way they see themselves through my writings. I cherish the testimonies I
get of people whose lives have been touched. I write with a purpose; to
transform generations.
What
are some of your frustrations if any?
I am amazed at the way people do not see
their own need for empowerment. Some have a wrong idea why books exist. They
are not there just to pass exams but to shape people’s destinies. If people
only knew that the quality of our future is fashioned by what we know then the
attitude towards information acquisition and broadening of exposure would
change.
How
have your books been received so far?
My books have been received phenomenally both
in Zimbabwe, the surround SADC nations, East Africa as well as overseas. I have
received numerous speaking invitations as a result of the way people value my
literary work.
Which
one are you most proud of and why?
I love the first born the most. The book has
little stories about my life where I have used the principles therein. I love
all the books though as I believe my writing is getting better with every book
I am releasing. However, I have great respect for the one that spread the red
carpet for me in this domain.
When
is Fountain of Inspiration Volume 3 coming?
Fountain of Inspiration 3 is 80% ready.
However, it may be overtaken by other books whose gestation period has since
passed. I have many books that are ready; I just cannot release all at once.
The best is in the pipeline.
Is
there a short version of your main message?
I write in line with my purpose which is “to
create greatness in others through inspiration”. Whatever I do in life is
closely tied to this purpose statement. That is the central theme of my
message. When I build leader, individuals, corporate staff etc, it is all done
with inspiration in mind. I want people to do even better than I have done.
(speak of students doing better than their coach).
You can discover more on Rabison on his
personal web, company web
Follow Rabison on Twitter: @rshumba
