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1-Page Summary of Shut Up and Listen
In the 1970s, foreign aid expert Ernesto Sirolli worked for an Italian nongovernmental organization that founded a farming project in Zambia. It planted crops along the Zambezi River. The yield was plentiful, but organizers were discouraged when they realized that the Zambians didn’t care about their efforts. One night, 200 hippos entered the valley and ate all of the fruits from their labor. When they asked why no one had told them about it, people said “You never asked.”
Western aid organizations provide assistance to Africa in the hopes of helping people. However, they are often condescending and don’t respect local customs. They assume that their efforts will have positive results simply because they’re Westerners trying to help others. An alternative approach is needed: Ernesto Sirolli suggests an Enterprise Facilitation system that listens to locals who want help and gives them resources if they need it. The facilitators would meet one-on-one with ambitious individuals who know how to turn opportunity into success.
Sirolli helped launch the Enterprise Facilitation system in Esperance, Australia. He helped a Maori fisherman sell his produce to a restaurant in Perth. Soon, several fishermen approached him and Sirolli helped them sell their sushi-grade tuna to Japan. After one year, he had 27 projects going on at once and by 2012 it was operating in 300 communities with 40,000 businesses started.
Entrepreneurs are the solution to many of today’s problems. To work with them, provide confidentiality and “dedicated service.” Explain why entrepreneurship is a great way to make money. Everyone has their own strengths, so no one does well in all three areas: product development, marketing and financial management. Look at 100 successful companies; none were started by one person. Entrepreneurship involves bringing together people who complement each other’s skills and resources for a common goal.
