Book Review: Till We All Win

Personal success is not enough. You have to go further.

Till We All Win is a memoir and a manifesto. A manifesto that flows from the life of a brilliant mind. Although I know Kenny would have none of this, it is deeply appropriate that he is the one saying this. We are used to living in a society where those who achieve success have come to believe it is “destiny,” it is “their right,” and it is “what they deserve,” but not Dr. Kenny.

Dr. Kenny is a person who has worked hard to be where he is, yet, he believes in the power of community and network. For Dr. Kenny, success is not a solo journey. It is a community effort.

During his primary school days, his cousin told him to settle for the 4th position. We would be reading this book if he had listened to that advice. He refused to settle; he kept his position. By his final year in primary school, he had reached the top of his class. That’s where he will remain for the rest of his life, the top. His determination, hard work, and zeal for learning would take him from an ordinary primary to a world-class education in Europe. Between his Masters's and Ph.D., he received a scholarship worth the equivalent of 200 million Naira.

In itself, the journey of Dr. Kenny is impressive, but what is more impressive is what he has decided to do – ensure others are as successful as he is and even better. Kenny began to mull over this after an experience in class. One day, his geography teacher announced the results of exams; he scored 76%, the lone person who reached such a mark in the whole class. It was the same thing in economics and biology. This made Kenny reaccess what it means to “Win.”

Of course, everyone wants to win. But we live in a culture where everyone wants to win and does not care about others. In fact, we win and try to rub it on the face of those perceived to have failed. It is this mindset of survival that Kenny rejects. There is a deep historical process that made the Africans particularly susceptible to this survival mindset. The history of slavery is part of it. Leaders deceived their followers and sold them into slavery. Friends betray each other to get little benefit. When you look around the whole continent, you see the overflow of distrust that has developed. And the survival mindset that we carry all along.

Unfortunately, great civilizations are not built with such a mindset. This thinking of survival cannot help us build ourselves and our countries. Dr. Kenny has stated a clear manifesto #TillWeAllWin. It simply means personal success is not alone. We must succeed as a community. The new mindset says, “That I am thriving is not enough, I must make others succeed like me.” We should succeed as a community. We should succeed as a people.

In Dr. Kenny’s story, we will find many insights, but it is on this hill that the man has built his tent. His mentorship scheme carries on this objective religiously. This book continues to share the ideology.

I once read a book by the legendary Sidney Poiter; it was titled “The Measure of A Man.” I know how to measure a man now; it is by his ability to spread the success he has achieved, not by giving palliatives, but by making others as successful as he is.

We should not rest at the hill of personal success; we should push further and ensure others are successful.

You can connect with Dr. Kenny on LinkedIn by clicking Here.