 The journey of a hero is about the courage to seek the depth, the image of creative rebirth and the eternal cycle of change within them. The uncanny discovery that the seeker is the mystery which the seeker seeks to know. I'm Dismas Makhanda. Makhanda is my surname. My middle name is Otieka. Crisis of the ministry is is a registered charge under the society's act which operates in Kenya about 25 to 26 assemblies across the country. Of course with a number about three outside the country we are in the U.S., you and the Romania we are in Eastmore. So now the charge runs a media house called Hope Media where now I'm working and as a team leader of the institution and basically I will tell you three things about Hope Media. 20 years back we established the registration called Hope FM and then later on some few years back about five years back six years TV came on board because I've told you the slogan is that you look and live listen and live so basically we just want to minister to the world tell people who Christ is but also realize even a Christian there are things that are go beyond beyond can I call it a Christianity that have an impact on your Christian life and therefore we focus on holistic content. We will talk about relationships, we will talk about your business, we will talk about talent like the show we had just recently I mentioned the show called the RAF when you look at our demographic on Jopol of course we address from the young people to the old guys we address the low level class to the high class but the focus specifically to come down is that number one we seek to connect and engage it's a vision that God gave me when I joined here last year we must intentionally connect and engage with our audience. The CEO of Hope Media himself being born and raised in an ordinary world a humble setting knows better what the word luck is all about. I went to the school is called Koyonzo Primary School is one of schools in that area that is in Kakamega County where I went to primary school partly changed to another primary school called Nganiro then later again went to do my class 6, 7 and 8 as around when my father passed on in 1993 had a bit of struggle in primary I think primary is significant for me because that's the time I lost my dad who was the breadwinner but unfortunately again my mum was not educated and therefore raising some of the very basic things that are required for a child to go to school in terms of just uniform some 20 30 change for activity was quite difficult that I saw my mum struggle with us in primary school getting some mboga go to the market sale some popo go sale I did my class 8 didn't perform quite well I had to repeat it later I was calling a high school in western calling them single boys again for me it was a formation a formation in a way that I began to experience the real responsibilities single mothers go through because now when I entered into high school that was in early 90s of course now it was my mum it was one of the big schools there definitely you meet a number of people from different backgrounds people were able middle class high class from big families so when I went there for me it was an exposure to begin to realize oh over there people who who are different different in language the way they behave treat each other different in resources I can particularly recall twins in high school one is when we had a visiting day for parents and therefore the meeting was in about nine so parents began coming in people driving others coming with uh in families and it went on up to 11 her not seen anybody he did I know that uh my mum was on the way coming but she didn't have enough money so she had to walk part of the journey uh to ensure that she she arrives that's about uh from my home area to the school that would be about 70 kilometers about 70 kilometers and therefore part of the journey she had to show that she is able to walk so that she is able to save some money to allow her to go and come back so she appeared of course the rest of the parents will carry uh shopping that time we had a big spotlight like Nakumat we had Uchumi so you will see a quera number of them but my mum appeared with a paperback then we had a black paperback so inside there I was so excited of course she was carrying something so for her she went for natural things she would get off a guard at home make some duma and viazi and because she was using Matatu you find that because of the pressure in Matatu some of those things are really placed together but that's the gift that mum was bringing so that's one particular thing that steered me up that I needed to do something uh just to allow my mum feel that her effort were not uh fruitless after losing his dad who was the only bread winner this must narrate to me his experiences and hardships that he had to go through while telling us how this shaped his personality to this date I believe today when I look back that every season you go through is a training ground there is no wasted years in somebody's life in my years when I took care of animals then probably God was helping me to take care of people in my late years ensuring that that these animals are taken care of the feed well that they are cared for for me it was a preparation then but my life in high school again God was teaching me uh dependability that uh one you need people around you you need a system if I didn't have a system around me probably I would not have made it in high school so that today again tells me that even today for me to succeed as a leader or as a person you need a support system you need some people around you to be able to you can succeed alone but more importantly is that sometimes where people are not able then God can surprise you I've mentioned to you where God surprised me uh when I was about to do my exam God can surprise you anytime so some of those lessons that I've picked from there uh having finished uh from four when to do a watchman job riding a motorbike for about nine kilometers from my place I used to to do guarding at mumiasuga at night that's night guarding and you out there young person uh in early twenties you are taking care of a yard where they do treatment for for seed ken a lot of mosquitos and you get into that place at six uh up to morning and doing that for three months for me it was a training ground but what's important again is that sometimes some of those things that you did in the past they don't sometimes necessarily define who you will become in the future a hero's journey entails a lot that ordinary people and other heroes can learn from and there's always a beginning point there was an advert in one of the media houses in the country uh that's before graduation they said they wanted a salesman but you must have a driving license myself have never sat close to a driver leave alone driving because matatu you sit behind now they wondered the wonder driver and this guy has never sat close to driver seat but I applied anyway so then like another was called please note had not graduated so they called us in this December we went one of the tall buildings in town is and them for the interview now I was intimidated when I was there because we had had to find out is then a Buddha doesn't have a driving license the guys had all driving licenses used and reused and renewed I had none have not driving license I know this one is gone so then we went went in uh the guy went in guys who have experience I've graduated last year I'm working here I want to change a job me I'm just from uh from from campus I was called of course I was attending um a conference organized by Fokaz in Kabarak so cold came to Nairobi uh struggle to get where the interview was of course some borrowed clothes from my brother not fitting when here I was to do the interview I don't know what happened they never asked for driving license and that's how I landed my first job as a salesperson uh before graduation without a driving license and then I was told please go uh I think they I was so confident assumed I know how to drive so I was told please report to South Nyanza the town was kissy you'll be coming to pick your car in a in a in a short while so I went to the market uh Gora house I was single them I was not married so Gora house uh began working it was a tedious job you have to wake up early dealing with uh people who are a bit rowdy that was in the newspaper business so just making care that vendors get their their papers they're able to send the targets are made I'm supporting the distributor no after two weeks they called me now come for your car I have just enrolled at AA in Kisi I have no idea how to drive do you just sit in a class for introduction then your call please come now it's either you say don't know how to drive and lose your job or come by faith so I came to Nairobi uh so the transport manager took me the basement of I&M Bank it's on Nakiniata Avenue 3rd 2nd 3rd basement I was told that is your car the car was KAT 316 the mileage was 59 it was a local assembly uh Nissan we used have Nissan's that assembled locally so he told me please get in the vehicle so I I got into the vehicle getting out of I&M is a steep so you have to find this out was a manual car though you have you have to balance as you move out it's a manual car of course the car is packed on a on a handbrake you do not know where the handbrake is and you have to balance you have read just a few notes during the first class at AA in Kisi so I got into the car and I told myself this is between you and God you have gone through interview you have under salary I think the first man but now you are here I got to lose the job engine on I did not change the gear to a solar thing on number one I did not remove the handbrake and I drove off the car off off the basement when I got to the street I didn't know where to go because Nairobi looked quite different the only respect I had is that it was a new car quite late car number plate and it was branded and therefore people otherwise would have been arrested so went through the roundabout of University Way University Nairobi got a petition around Westland got inside there the car is mailing because of a handbrake now I told them men my life has been saved help me now how to I he said handbrake is please pull it down you're driving on gear number one you have to move it so the attendant gave me fuel I was giving a card to fuel fuel there he told me a few things so then I called my in-law it's called Christmas I said I can't make it alone please come he didn't want to drive but I needed a company because the distance was long from Nairobi to Kisabot for a kilometer so I reached Kisi from Nairobi without and again I can tell you that is God that is God that I think must have allowed me to go through that process it was it was a learning the hard way God on a Kisi I didn't I didn't use that car for two days because I it was it was a nightmare so then I began my job in charge of that market God used to the car that's how I learned my expertise and began just to work I became a professional driver but also a very efficient salesperson because of how I did that then I worked there for a number of years then led a job went out of the institution I did another interview in a sugar factory there where I worked there as a salesperson grew up to a level head of sales again one profound thing I remember in in my career at this sugar factory this is Sony sugar is the grow that God brought because came in as a salesperson later told to go open a branch in Kisumu then promoted back to head of head of head of sales I encountered a person whom I think shaped my life and that's what I tell you get in life God brings people in your ways who train you and make you who you become people shopping people my boss was a lady she's called Jen Pamela so Jen Pamela was a no nonsense woman who was then head of sales and marketing so I worked under her and the lady sharpened my skills had now it began to seat sometimes asked to come and give some others at the board level sometimes the MD could reach you directly so I began to now go into management when I was at Sony sugar then I was called back to where I used to work at a higher level in Nairobi then I worked for some time again I got another job again another sugar factory again I left as a head of sales and marketing that was in Anzoia sugar so while I was there again I was called back to work in the same institution that is a standard media group kind of late you know so that was the third second time I was going back to standard work there for some time now that time I was in management in terms of while I was at Sony sugar I also enrolled to do my masters quite difficult to balance between work and doing my masters at steam the university of Kenyatta University so after I finished my masters then I was transferred so I ended up in Mombasa road standard group center where I was almost in charge of almost the whole country except Nairobi handling their circulation commercial we used to call them regional manager up country therefore we were two one will handle Nairobi but me I will handle the rest of the country in terms of just managing their revenue a position I am truly grateful to first of all to the media house but also to God because I got a lot of learning you begin to take care of number of needs of the institution but also being in charge of people at standard media group a short while I left I was I was called to work at now that was my last employer before I came here I was at nation media group I get in charge of country markets first of all Nairobi market acted a bit in a role of a general manager worked for Nairobi then did up country it was a slip few of some of us now last year in in April is when I joined where I am today the middle of a rik journey is filled with trials allies and enemies in disperse a father of three girls tells us challenges he has gone through leading people is difficult leadership and service is not an easy role is not for the faint hearted again when you go out to the Bible Christ himself was rejected at home so when you're leading and serving expect resistance and it's not new just know that you're not the first one to be in this aspect so you you find where people do not understand your call and your vision you meet average people who do not want to take an extra mileage so you have to feel that you find a balance between the weaker and the stronger and make them feel part of the process inclusivity is a challenge when you are serving how do you measure performance again when you are serving is a part of the challenge that you are objective in terms of assessment decision making performance evaluation when you're serving resources can be limited because you need resources to be able to make an impact and therefore you have to have a creative mind but also trust in God our hero Dismas reveals to me the secrets behind his successful life and why every institution gets enough of him it's good to be consistent you must at some time be predictable so that if they tell you get come and do the assignment they know that Kate will carry this laptop to this place within an hour Kate will be available to do this job my family for about two decades that have been in that family you imagine the number of years is my first born is in Fomtu so family has ensured that one if things are not working I am able to have a place to go to people who understand me do not judge me the energy to wake up in the morning I have some girls that must go to school must feed and therefore every morning a wife who welcomes you back home even when you when the world thinks you don't fit it the family believes you are the person the very last and critical one is knowing that you are accountable to God and not men because you can hide from men but you cannot hide from God being able to reflect back and seeing you mean I'm the one who did this that keeps me going having a few people celebrate you people who recognize that you have a talent you have ability in life you need a few of those people who believe that you can do the job hard work discipline having a purpose in life is what motivates him knowing that his assignment was created way before he was created I see myself leading one of the most successful media house not in Kenya but in the globe I still believe that media has an influence and we tell a direction because I want to be part of that direction therefore if not leading I want to be part of that team that we can say we have a media house with a difference I think that's a desire I have and hope it may be 10 years if I will be alive and God allows to if we not be here probably running an enterprise that has an influence for me I think it's about just influencing people in his final remarks this is what he had to say I'm really grateful to God for the privilege to serve in all those positions I think you have known you have realized I was not among the best but God qualifies you to be the best so for me first of all is to allow God to allow me to operate from a point of humility that this is an assignment that has been given to me it has to do with him and not me I think thanking my wife was significant of course through my wife Benina who has been there for this man and I show you my pictures when I was getting married I was a very slim young man but he isn't sure that he's provided the peace and environment for a family to thrive I think for me is to thank my wife Benina my daughter Faith we have Zawadi and we have the uncle of the house called Anapis she's in the middle but she everything rotates around her if she's sick everybody's sick if she's alive everybody's alive we always have something like that in our family yeah so Anapis of course my daughter my extended nuclear family brothers I've acquired a number of them who truly love me and I'm sure when I made a call today they will be able to be here friends, high school campers who have also been there this institution I'm working for being able to give my privilege to work for hope media had a discussion when I was coming in with the bishop of crisis other ministry Rev. Kalisto Dede who is my boss and he's a truly man of faith I've known him for about 20 years about when I was camper from 2000 how many others he haven't for 22 years he's a man who has been consistent finding a man consistent for 22 years kit is not an easy job yes I think him has been consistent and it's an honor just to serve under him given as room to work carrying the vision of the ministry it's a privilege truly we can always those kind of leaders we have in our middist it's God who can give them the grace to carry the way they carry my colleagues of course here at hope media who have allowed me to live them and who make an impact every day who make hope media be on air every single day for me I truly want to thank each member of this is Tishon Hope Media