Written by: Steven N. Adjei, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The majesty of these galloping black and white horses symbolises the duality of nature, with their contrasting colours representing opposite forces in perfect balance, similar to life – and suggests how we should embrace our differences with grace.
Anju Agarwal - celebrated Indian artist, poet, and philanthropist.
Are you a hunter or a gatherer?
I always find it strange when inspiration for an article hits you from the most unlikely places. One day as I peered into Dela’s assortment of healthy foods in our kitchen, I saw a bottle of oil called C8 & C10 MCT oil from a company called Hunter and Gather. And in the weird way in which our brains form associations, I had a light bulb moment. It linked me to a question I had always asked myself, but never found the words to articulate.
Hunter and Gather
One of the strengths I have is being able to spot how to make new streams of revenue. As a community pharmacist and healthcare entrepreneur, I have repeatedly done this in different settings across different countries. In my current business, in just under 3 years, we have doubled sales by 100% and thrived during the COVID crisis by finding new streams of business, and I like to think that the teams I work with have always been happy, fulfilled and enjoy their jobs. I find it easy to spot new opportunities in business and find novel streams of revenue, and I am continually called upon to consult and advise on rescuing sinking ships.
For my best-selling book Pay The Price, I have sold copies in churches, restaurants, conferences, online and even over the lunch table. I have found ways to expand into new revenue streams, such as numerous podcasts, speaking engagements, and consultancy projects.
But despite all this, I have a major weakness.
A weakness that reminds me of a story I expound on in Pay The Price:
‘’In a refugee camp on the border of a war-torn country, a queue of thousands of adult refugees stands in line to receive their daily ration of a slice of warm bread and two ladles of nutritious, hot soup for their breakfast.
The weather is cold, the floors are flooded and muddy. Anxious soldiers patrol the camp to quell disorder and keep out warring factions. Charity workers ensure that there is an orderly line of people standing in line to receive their daily rations from the giant makeshift kitchen in the middle of the camp.
For the soup, the children receive a ladle, teenagers two ladles and adults three ladles. The charity does not supply containers for the soup – the refugees must bring their own.
The camera zooms on the first few refugees.
For the very first refugee, a young handsome male in his early thirties, the three ladies fill his bowl to the brim. He walks off, trying not to spill the soup whilst gingerly balancing the bread in his other hand.
The next was a middle-aged woman with a child on her back and another just behind her. The camera zooms in on her. The three ladles barely fill half of her container.
But what really struck me was the third refugee. He was relatively elderly, probably in his seventies. His container was large and looked like it could easily fit his ration.
But something strange happened.
The soup stayed at the same level even as the worker continued to pour. It took a few moments to realise the problem.
There was a leak in this container. There was nothing the charity workers could do. He went away hungry, the soup dripping all over the muddy floor’’.
That man reminded me of my blind spot.
I am great at finding new revenue streams and making money.
I am a good hunter.
But once I gather in the revenues, once I turn around the sinking ship, and once things begin to look better, I am not so good at maintaining success and preventing the leaks.
I am not a good gatherer.
I love shiny toys. The smell of the new book. The feel of the new pair of jeans. The heavenly scent of the brand-new car. But the leaks in my container sometimes prevent me from being a good steward of these blessings, and I sometimes lose them as quickly as I get them.
In the early days of our existence, our ancestors – the men went out and hunted for food, and the women stayed home and gathered what was hunted and turned it into an edible meal.
Though things have changed now, the principle remains the same.
For a good family, a good business, and a good organisation, you need good hunters and good gatherers.
I have been extremely lucky over the years. I am married to a great gatherer. In all the businesses I have worked in, I have been fortunate to have good gatherers who are able to maintain the initial successes I have brought in. I think of my colleagues such as Kimberley Russell, Fran Hallett, June Lawrence, Richa Agarwal, Heather Barr, and my brother Michael.
This of course does not mean we are stuck in one mindset. The whole ethos of working on our lives and improving ourselves means that we need to work on making ourselves better.
For me as a ‘hunter,’ it means working hard on being a better steward and looking after the hard-earned wins I have gained over the years. It means having the humility to delegate and partner with colleagues who are natural gatherers.
And for natural gatherers, it means taking steps to veer outside their comfort zones, take on new challenges, and expand to new horizons.
However, books, music, movies, and documentaries all tend to hail the hunters as the heroes.
I disagree.
I think the gatherers, who maintain stewardship quietly in the background, who keep things ticking over, who prevent or mend the leaks in the organisation, business and family deserve at least the same credit.
I know my failures would be amplified greatly if not for the gatherers in my life.
It’s okay to be a gatherer. In fact, it’s more than okay.
Both hunters and gatherers are vital to the success of any endeavour – they complement each other.
Just like the horses in the picture above by Anju Agarwal.
So, take pride in your inclination whilst working to self-improve.
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Steven N. Adjei, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Steven N. Adjei is an award-winning British-Ghanaian best-selling author, poet, speaker, healthcare consultant, entrepreneur, and pharmacist. He is the founding partner of BlueCloud Health (part of the Emerald Group), an advisory and consulting firm with offices in London, Dubai, and Delhi with clients all over the world. He has an MBA from Warwick Business School.
His first book, (Pay The Price: Creating Ethical Entrepreneurial Success Through Passion, Pain and Purpose) released on 17 October 2022 was an instant international bestseller in 18 categories on Amazon, has garnered 2 prestigious awards, and has received critical acclaim throughout the world. He is currently working on his second book, “Chasing Permanence: thriving you and your business in a constantly changing world” , set to be released in early 2024.
