King Chronicles: Know Your People

The Yoruba king is a patron of every segment of his kingdom; he must support Muslims, Christians and traditionalists alike. Strategically, this requires the effective king to recruit operatives from every segment of the community. Tactically, this means that he must look beyond things like religious affiliation in order to understand and identify the people who are most likely to represent his vision for the community, based on their interests, activities and lifestyle choices. The objective is to assemble people from different walks of life who share certain key values.

So, although you're familiar with your people's affiliation with various Orisa, it's also extremely important to recognize the extent to which members of your tribe group themselves into smaller and smaller interest groups, such as 'The Bey Hive', the Manosphere, or warriors for intergenerational wealth. These self-selected affiliations can reveal powerful concerns that influence the way your people make important decisions.  
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Here are five variables you can use to better understand the people you serve:

1. Personality. There’s a strong correlation between personality and  habits. Some of the personality filters that can be applied here include: introvert, extrovert, emotional, creative, sociable, optimistic and organized.
2. Lifestyle. An event or an online communication designed for parents of small children is going to be quite different from one that's designed for college age people. By analyzing your people's lifestyles, the right elements can be pinpointed for the right audience, and by listening to feedback, you can improve the experiences for your people.
3. Social status. Each social class has its own preferred brands of clothes, grocery stores, vehicles and holidays. You need to know how much money your people earn, if they rent or own homes, if they are married or single, their level of education, etcetera. These attributes will definitely shape their values. 
4. Activities, Interests, and Opinions (AIO): This variable reveals the enthusiasts and hobbyists within your ranks. It also reveals interests like sports and politics. The variable could be as simple as watching mainly Nollywood movies or as complex as the politics of an environmental advocate. 
5. Attitudes: Our cultural background and upbringing shapes our attitudes. These attitudes reveal our nature, and because they are intangible, require some imagination on the part of the leadership team when deciding at whom to target a project or assignment. 

When you have gathered all this pertinent information about your people, make the insights operational. That is, create ongoing opportunities for your people to show up fully, without compromising important aspects of their personalities. Do this, and you will notice how much more willing they are to do more than the bare minimum to comply. Instead, you will find that your people are increasingly willing to invest themselves entirely into your vision of the community. 

I am in search of leaders who are devoted to improving the world through positive influence. If that is you, find out how Obafemi Origunwa and the Orisa Lifestyle Academy can help you take your life and your practice to the next level. Learn more: CLICK HERE