Before I wish you a merry Xmas as is customary at this time of the year; I am asking myself if there is much to be merry about and yes there is. We have to thank God for the gift of life, living and good health. Even if the events of the past few months are not too good to be happy about, we have hope that we will still eat of the good fruit of the land. It is not time to despair or be pulled down, NO it is time to look forward and think ahead.

One of the things that will stand us apart for glory next year is the ability to plan forward. To think of the future in a proactive way; ensuring that our usual fire brigade approaches are not employed for the year 2010. As you might have noticed; pundits have already told us not to expect any miracle in 2010, some have even predicted a harder one than 2009. I pray and hope they are not right as I don’t think our dear country needs such times again.

2009 has broken all the records. Just last week, a record 5000 bank workers lost their jobs. What is distressing is that this huge number is shared only amongst 3 banks, a source of worry since there is a possibility that some other banks would join in this exercise. The banking sector established itself as the top recruiter of new graduates and many can testify that this industry ensured a steady source of employment to the lucky ones. If the same industry is now purging itself of workers and fails to inject new ones; the outlook is very bad.

The man at the helm of affairs at the CBN, Sanusi Lamido has been accused of being behind all things gone wrong in the banking sector including the sack of employees. There have been a lot of speculations and rumours about this being an ethnic war. But the questions remains if the banks were truly in trouble or not or how can a bank that declared Billions of Naira in profit last year suddenly declare a loss this year. This shows the rot has been eating deep and it only took one man to expose all the nonsense going on unabated in our financial institutions. You might ask why he should stir the hornet’s nest, but my friend that is what we really need.

What I don’t like about all these are that only one sector of the economy is being cleaned. That is a wrong way to fix Nigeria. The rot is in every sector of our dear nation. From education, infrastructures, health, sports to others. We have failed in all things and so it is unfair that an industry is taking all the hit. We need a leader who will clean all places; we don’t need just one sub-leader to clean his own side. That is the problem we are facing now. What is going to happen is very obvious. Jobs have been lost, share prices are rock bottom, and the economy is still comatose. We will have more people thinking of other ways to make money to continue their opulence lifestyle. Some will get it clean and some will resort to clandestine ways. The impact of job losses is very big because for every employed soul in Nigeria, there are about 20 dependants or more. So, when a man losses his job, it is not only him that takes the hit but many others around him.

My point is simple; it is unfair to precipitate change in one industry leading to a big Tsunami when a lot of things are still wrong with our polity. Imagine a country where there is no social security, where quality health care is almost non-existent. When major job cuts happen in serious countries; the governments have a way of cushioning the effects to help her citizens adjust to it. There are no such measures in Nigeria. Also, our labour laws are moribund and non-effective. It would be hard for companies to carry out mass sacking like these if we have good labour laws. But well, anything can happen in Nigeria and they get away with it. I wonder what Sanusi’s bosses think of all these now but the main boss is sick and can’t even care about the plight of ordinary Nigerians. If there are more Sanusis, with a bigger Sanusi on top of our affairs as President; I can positively tell you that we won’t be facing such major problems in our country at the moment.

It is worthy of note that job cuts were not the exclusive prerogative of the banking sector in 2009. Other industries had their major share of the pie. An obvious one was in the Telecommunication sector where a particular operator sacked about 600 and outsourced another 700. The smaller industries who act as allies providing services to the banking, Telecoms and Oil sectors have been hit too because everyone is cutting costs. So, in conclusion, it has not been a very rosy year for the employee.

But wait, in the midst of all these some people got promoted, got new jobs and some were sent abroad for lucrative assignments and trainings. That is the irony of life and you wonder why someone is crying and the neighbour is rejoicing at the same time. A lot of people have benefited from the meltdown in one way or the other. Entrepreneurial abilities of otherwise laid back persons have been woken up just because reality is now facing everyone. My next post; which will be up in a few hours will talk of ways to be a part of those who will laugh in 2010. I believe the word of God which says that when others are cast down, we will be lifted up. So, when we talk of outlooks and all that, we must talk about ways of beating the forecasts. Watch Out!

Going from the title of this post; I am sure you would think it is another bashing for Big Brother and other reality TV shows. But I am about to shock you because contrary to what you might think; there is really a good lesson that Africa can learn from these shows if we are ready to look inwards.
When I was growing up in Ibadan, there were various game shows on the first Television station in Africa- NTA Ibadan. The most popular of them was anchored by Yemi Ogunyemi, a very nice show called Embalaya (Eni ba laya) which literarily means Who Has The Guts? People came from far and wide to participate in this game show and won various gifts. What made the show stand out were the ingenuity and the wit of the presenter who also sometimes acted in various plays including the masterpiece from NTA Ibadan that made network service – KOKO CLOSE.
The kiddies were not left out of game shows even back then. I have forgotten the name of one presented by Toyin Adegbola (now known as ashewo to re Mecca). It was showing on BCOS Ibadan and I remember she was still married to the late sports presenter also with BCOS – Tony Adegbola. Other shows evolved later including one for the inner-city Ibadan people (Some call them razz, I don’t) called O’n rosy ni galaxy. Gboyega Lawal still presents this show on Galaxy TV in Ibadan (Touted as the first private TV in Nigeria). Yemi Ogunyemi went on to anchor Royco Ladun many years after Embalaya was rested.

Recently, the popular game shows in Nigeria are mostly those imported from other climes but that does not take the fun away from them. Today is not a bash on the dearth of local content even though I am tempted to go that route but that will be the theme for another day. Hence we have shows like Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, Don’t forget the lyrics, etc. The success of these games shows and the rise of the telecommunication industry in Africa prompted the owners of the brands of reality TV shows and some shrewd business people to focus on Africa. And thus, the Big Brother phenomenon, Idols, Dancing with the Stars, etc were all brought to Africa thanks mostly to MNET Africa.

You still don’t know where I am headed with this, but please relax and enjoy the ride. We all know that we are not a very inspired continent with the ways our political and economic climate remains far from being perfect. Reality TV shows have helped to douse tensions. One finishes and another starts. We are even clamouring for Season 2 of West African Idols. Many of us watch American Idols, South African and all other Idols from all over the world. Now I am about to get to the point.

The organisers of the shows make money from various means including adverts, endorsements and SMS revenues. I am interested in the last part and the reason for this post. Take Big Brother as a good example. The housemates nominate their fellow mates for eviction every week. The nominees are then left in the hands of the voting public to determine if they get evicted or remain in the house. I have been in the Telecoms industry for some time and it is mind boggling the amount of votes weekly from these shows. That is in one network alone meaning that the cumulative votes cast weekly in Nigeria only is massive. We are talking about several Millions of votes. Someone in just one network in Nigeria just reported making 20 Million dollars (not naira) in just 100 days from these premium SMS.

The revenue generated is not my main reason for this post but the massive amounts of votes cast. I am wondering if no one has linked this to our election system in Nigeria and other African countries. How would you feel if I tell you that more votes are cast weekly for big brother housemates in Nigeria than for our national elections? That is the bitter truth and the reality on ground. People find it easier to pick their phones and burn between 50-75 naira several times to save their favourite housemates. In fact, MNET was so pleased with the level of participation from Nigeria that it gave 3 slots to Nigeria for the current season. And it is a fact that the three of them are still in the house while other countries with 2 housemates have lost one or both housemates. Shows we are really keen on saving our compatriots, hmmmm. And we also even save people from other countries when our people are not up for eviction.

Two questions arise here. Is it that Nigerians think it is better to save our Big Brother housemates than in saving Nigeria? Or is this an indication that our electoral system has to wake up and embrace technology in voting? I guess it is for all of us to ponder and think about it. We can no longer sit down and think a miracle can save us. It is time to think and move forward by answering those two questions. The right to vote and be voted for are a fundamental right of human beings. Many died for that right in America and today, a black man is on top of the affairs in the White House. We have that right in Nigeria already but we don’t use it citing violence during elections, rigging etc as our excuses. But we all know that even when we don’t go out to vote, the nonentities are elected, they loot our treasuries and indirectly murder us via our bad roads, health facilities etc.
Out technology elite must also collaborate with the political minded ones to bring innovation to the voting process and push for legislations backing such. But meanwhile, the voters registration would soon commence and I hope you will not be found wanting.
God bless Nigeria, God bless Africa.

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Who Am I

It is a 3 worded question, but mostly answered inaccurately. Who are you? This innocently looking question is one of the hardest to get through not because of its complexity but as a result of our stereotype of not understanding the right way to present ourselves. Many due to years of brainwashing and bad history tend to use the wrong words and attributes to define who they are.

Most notable is the fallacy of thinking that who we are is measured by our financial state. Some refer to it as being pompous and I have seen a lot of it. You see a man asked to obey a queue in a bank and he looks at you defiantly either announcing to you vocally or by action – do you know who I am? And then he goes ahead to tell you how rich he is and how he can buy your whole family. Shame.

Some people also define themselves by the positions they hold. Hence, you see a lot of politicians misbehaving and causing chaos around because of who they think they are. The words that come out of their mouths in those forsaken periods are ignominious and reek of irresponsibility as far as I am concerned.

Another group cannot but let us know where they work as that is the definition of their lives. I used to know a lady who hung her id card on her neck even whilst driving to church on Sunday. I have also worked with colleagues in the past who cannot get over the fact that they work with a big company and use that as an assault material on young girls.

There are some who can’t wait to meet you before the horror stories begin. They describe themselves as poor, unemployed and other derogatory adjectives all in a bid to attract sympathy. Is that who you really are? I guess it is a time to start thinking and ensure a new mindset.

The above descriptions of different sets of people have one similar trait – their transient nature.
A rich man today does not neccessarily translate to riches in the future. One black swan event; he could go bankrupt. I guess a lot of examples abound of this grace to grass situations and should be a warning sign for all who gloat due to the wealth they have gathered. Those who just can’t wait to look down on the rest of God’s creations.

The highly placed politician forgets that his term or that of his boss carries a set number of years. Their misbehavior is the reason they prefer to sit tight when the time comes to take a bow; because of their misdemeanors. But they have to leave one day and then get a dose of the treatment they meted out during their stay in office.

The proud worker of a multinational also forgets the fact that he is not a shareholder in the company and he sits tight, enjoying the largess and ensuring that girls in the neighborhood are in trouble because of his hallowed position. He even thinks the jobs is for life and so there is no plan of doing his own things. But he is shocked to the bones when the call came for downsizing or lets put it in a milder way – right sizing. Companies will always do this, but when it happens to those who don’t define themselves by the company, they handle it better as their lives were never tied to the organization in the first place.

This is good time to reflect on who we really are. What our purpose in life is. Our main reason for being in this world at this time must be assessed. Using ephemeral things to define our lives only end up in sorrow and gnashing of teeth. We are too wired and precious to think that our whole life is tied to the inconsequential things of this world.

Selfishness has to evaporate and a new wave of responsibility must set in. A lot of people start their life in a good stead but end it up very bad. The essence of a man’s life should lie in service to humanity, making the world a better place. A man must also have priorities. Relationships with our family and friends surprisingly come first before all the jobs we can think of. When the die is cast, we want to run back to the people who care for us but were abandoned when we thought we were the in-thing.

As we are gradually getting halfway into the year 2009; this is a great time to do soul searching and meditate on this words. There is an urgent need to define who we really her. That might be the needed antidote for a lot of things going wrong in our lives. It is not a very simple process, but it is not complicated either. It just requires stillness, a piece of paper and a pen. You will be surprised that the things you will learn about yourself can transform you into the true achiever you are.

Thank you and I know you are on the path to self discovery and a fulfilled life.

I have been away from this medium for about two weeks now. Those who are close to me should know the reason; our beautiful princess arrived on April 16 2009 to the glory of God. That is a post for another day, we thank God that my Queen n Princess are both doing very fine.
What I am writing about today is a topic that always surfaces every time something is triggered in me. I remember it when I think about the past and the many experiences I had to go through. It also comes to me when I see some things happening in the present.
This topic is not only going to help us in our business dealings but in our love life and other decisions we will have to take in life. It is the power of recognizing potentials and also the ability to resist writing people/ideas off. One thing I have noticed about a lot of people is their tendency to be very inflexible with a stiff stand on opinions. I am going to tell some stories to illustrate my points.
Growing up as I have said through this blog was a mixed feeling. It brings back fun memories but at a stage, it smelled of acute want which bordered on the line of poverty at a point. I remember some girls back in our neighborhood liked me because they thought I was brilliant while some detest me since my dad did not have much. There was even a day some of them including guys made me the subject of discussion saying it should take just 2 seconds to count the number of clothes in my wardrobe. That could be very disheartening for a 17 year old, University 200 level student. I kept my calm and kept on reassuring myself that it would be well. Today, I need to ask myself where they are today with the nothings they had that they thought was something.
Within the University was another experience. One thing I had going for me back then was my ability to understand vividly that I should not JUMP. I knew at that point that most babes on campus will probably not see the real me but the cover that was not glamorous. I must add at this point that some saw through me and I appreciate them for that. I also behaved myself very well in fellowship and not until my final year did I have the gut to ask a babe out (Not ready for that story o lol). I am not trying to be vain but I am sure that with present circumstances; some school colleagues (both male and female) are asking why they did not know the real Ayo Oladejo in OAU. I went to visit someone in a room in Awo Hall in my 100 level. I greeted everyone in the room and just this one guy came to me asking why a Sesewa should enter their room. The room mates told him he was being sarcastic and should know I am not one. I never forgot his face and I know how much of no impact he made on that campus.
A lot of people know ‘Gbenga Sesan today and they think he always had it good from childhood. But this same young man who speaks in front of Kings and Queens had to contend with a lot of putting down whilst growing up. Someone even told him computers were not meant for his kind. It takes men of vision to see into potentials. I am using personal stories not as a means of gratification but to drive home the point in a very practical way.
Now let us talk about business. How possible is it to know that a new business idea will fly? It is very hard but knowing how to discern and act is a virtue. I remember the Coca Cola story. The original owner of the recipe sold it at a very ridiculous price because he thought there was nothing much to it. Lets also look at the Google guys, Larry and Sergey. If Sergey did not have the spirit of discernment and the ability to read into potentials, he would not agree to the crazy plan of starting Google and same goes for Larry. A lot of people have missed out on the early stage of possessing stakes in later to be big corporations because they were blind to the inner strength exhibited by the ideas. These same people might come in later to buy stakes at a very high rate or maybe never would be able to do so again. The first Venture Capitalist firm that invested in Google are very happy people today.
Our society is even more guilty of this as it encourages get rich quick lifestyles where people are only interested in buying high yield shares instead of bringing companies up. We have seen the consequence of this as the stock exchange crash and some people are already contemplating suicide. My advice today is for us all to understand the virtue called patience and know how to practice it. Never be too hasty to write off a brother or sister. 5 years down the line you might regret ever talking down on her or him. Never be too hasty to condemn a business plan – that might be your gateway to joining the Millionaire league. Even if you are not willing to put down your money as a risk averse person; there are subtle ways of handling the situation which does not necessarily have to end up in acrimony.
And to those who have been on the receiving ends of the people we have been talking about. My philosophy is simple – whatever does not kill you can only make you stronger. Sometimes we need nasty people to talk us down to actually get out of our shell and do exploits. I have been turned down by a woman before but I bless God for that because I wouldn’t have married the best woman for me if that did not happen. So before you start killing yourself for being resented; think very well and look at all the opportunities for improvement. I know a guy who was turned down and 4 years later, he married the same lady.
If your business idea was shot down by an overzealous talker – remember, he might not even have money to bankroll the project and just looking for a way to destroy your drive. Forget him/her and move on, there are many fishes in the ocean lol. The greatness of a man is not in his ability to stand always but that when he falls; he knows how to get up. I will close this by saying that we are in funny days and we need every of our imaginations and will power to survive. There is more to you and the World is waiting to discover the gold in you. One day we will examine the factors to look out for in identifying potentials.

From the beginning of the World, every wonderful thing that has happened is based on one important principle that we don’t like to practice – sacrifice. The biblical account of creation lends credence to this fact when the Omnipotent God himself worked for six straight days to create our world and only rested on the seventh day. If God himself who owns the heaven and the earth paid attention to his project and ensured everything was perfect before he rested; human beings have to start understanding the power invested in doing same. (Genesis 1-2)

That was not the end of God’s sacrifice to humankind. He demonstrated his will to sacrifice once again Millions of years after when he allowed his only begotten son to die for our sins. The first scripture that fascinated me with Christianity is John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
That is the power of sacrifice at work again. I am going to share some lessons I have learned about sacrifice and I hope it spurs someone on to make exploit.

1. Sacrifice is hard because it is sacrifice
It will not be a sacrifice if it is very easy to accomplish. Good things don’t usually come very easy but mostly have to be grounded out. Most are averse to taking the hard way and instead look for the easy way out. Those are people who make excuses and never go on to impact their generation.

2. Sacrifice can be very painful
Imagine a father who accepted to give the life of his son up to save his wayward creation? Now imagine a son who did not bail out on humanity at the last minute but went on to die like a common criminal.
Also imagine another father whom God asked to give up his son as a sweet smelling offering to him. These all happened and we know the stories of Jesus’ cruxification as well as Abraham/Isaac. Those are very painful sacrifices to make but they all braved it even though God was gracious to spare Isaac’s life as he was just testing Abraham’s faith. Many of us have been faced with the smallest of sacrifices to preserve our inheritance and future, but we mess it up because we are avoiding pain. The pains we avoid come in various forms but most times, they are just meant to teach us a lesson about life.

3. In God’s dictionary, sacrifice can be 2-ways
When Jesus died for our sins, it was not automatic for everyone to enjoy that sacrifice. The onus lies on each individual to also make a simple yet important sacrifice to enjoy the benefits. A partaker of the blessings of eternal life must believe in his son. Simple, yet very hard decision to make because we think our lives are caged when we seek to be like him. We tend to equate understanding God’s ways as not living life and so we continue with our ways whilst blocking our minds to his teachings.

4. Same applies to our worldly pursuit
There is not gain without pain. The men and women who have made our World an easier place to live in today made sacrifices in the past. The United States will never forget their patriots who fought the British to a conclusion resulting in the creation of the most powerful country in the World today. South Africa will also not suffer Amnesia; the years spent in Robben Island and other prisons by the ANC leaders will not be forgotten. Other African nationalists also fought and died for the emancipation of their countries. Great inventors, composers and artists also have something in common – they sacrifice a lot of time thinking and fabricating their thoughts to evolve masterpieces.

5. It pays to sacrifice
The joy of sacrifice is that the end results in a lasting legacy. Jesus Christ today is known everywhere and even those who don’t believe in him still discuss him. Pagans enjoy the Easter holiday in their own way and I am not sure there is a more interesting personality than him. That was the result of his sacrifice on the cross. Abraham is known as the father of faith and from him came many descendants which was a direct gain from his willingness to sacrifice. One needs to read biographies of successful men and women to understand that their success came as a result of sacrifices made throughout their lives. Sleep deprivation to read books, journals, write proposals, study for certification exams are some of the things that stand out men who are going somewhere. Women have to literarily put their lives on hold to carry a child for 9 months and thereafter nurse same. We all know the joy of bringing a child to the World but sometimes forget the sacrifice that accomplish it.

6. Pursuing righteousness is a sacrifice
We are in a perverted world where sex, corruption and other vices rule. I was not in Sodom and Gomorrah but I doubt it was this bad. It is getting increasingly difficult to stick to doing right in our times. Deciding to do what is right is the key for our World to get back on track. Having a mind to be just to all men will change a lot of bad to good. Those who are prepared to stand up and leave the urges of their skins are doing themselves and the World a favour. Saying no to 10 minutes of fun that can ruin a whole lifetime is the hallmark of great men. Saying no to the lure of illegal riches stands a man out. We need you to sacrifice to save yourself.

7. There is no better time than now to start sacrificing
We are in interesting times. A time when many are singing the tune of being cast down. The economic realities ensures that only those who understand the principles which open doors are safe. This is the time when wheat will be separated from shaft. When those who sacrifice are lifted up because of their diligence. If there are 10 people who do the same job as you, this is the time to be better than them all else you might lose out. This is also the time to give to the poor despite the fact that you think things are not too rosy to give out but know that feeding is hard for some people. Whoever understands the principle of sacrificing in difficult periods are always rewarded for their efforts.

As we just finished the holidays that signifies the highest sacrifice ever made; I pray that our eyes of understanding will open and lead us to do what is right.

For Immediate Release:

April 6 2009 Advertfarm, a mobile content network, has emerged today from private beta. This start-up is privately funded and based in Lagos, Nigeria. Advertfarm, as a stand-alone company, focuses on delivering mobile contents to users across Africa through Short Message Services (SMS). Our services include but not limited to SMS marketing, SMS Recruitment, Events Broadcasting, Sponsored Mobile Services and Mobile Alerts.

Advertfarm provides advertisers with permission-based targeted marketing. These advertisements are delivered to subscribers based on specific interests and demographics. Advertfarm only sends its network members localized subscribed mobile content that matches their interest, and gives them total control of when they want to receive it, and how frequently they want to receive it through settings available on the Advertfarm platform.

With over 200 million mobile subscribers in Africa, Advertfarm allows advertisers to target a specific base of consumers in a meaningful way while allowing them to see a much higher rate of return on their investment. The system is developed to fully ensure that advertisers do not waste money on a demographic target that is irrelevant to their goals.

The Advertfarm network has a strict privacy policy on all data collected from its members. The Advertfarm mobile content delivery solution is the first of its kind in Africa as they not only deliver permission-based content to their subscribers but also pay their subscribers for subscribing.

Meanwhile, Advertfarm rewards its subscribed members through a revenue sharing model. The income earned by members of the network is automatically sent to the ATM cards attached to their account.

Advertfarm is currently running its pilot mode only in Nigeria and will launch it 2-WAY SMS interactive system by July 2009. This system would include features such as “SMS Service Un-subscription” where subscribers to a particular service could un-subscribe for certain services without having to visit the web portal. We will be launching services in other African countries in the next quarter.

Please visit www.advertfarm.com to subscribe.

I came in contact recently with a story that fascinated me some years ago. That story made me re-evaluate my life and the kind of stuff that I allow to pass through my mind. It also taught me about the concept of fear and the way it paralyzes one’s dreams, ambition and even in the extreme cases – LIFE. Let’s look at the story:

There was a man named Nick – a strong and hardworking rail yardman. His fellow workers liked him and he was very easy to relate with. But he has a nemesis in the working place – Nick had a deep and disturbing fear that he would be locked in an isolated, refrigerated boxcar.
One day, the train crew were told they could close an hour early. As they left, Nick was accidentally locked in a refrigerated boxcar, which was in a yard for repairs. He panicked, shouted and banged on the walls until his voice went hoarse and his fists were bloody. He believed the temperature in the car was zero degrees. He thought, If I don’t get out of here I’ll freeze to death.
Shivering uncontrollably, he scrawled a message to his wife. “So cold, body’s getting numb. If I could just go to sleep…. These may be my last words.”
The next morning the crew slid open the boxcar’s heavy doors and found Nick’s body. An autopsy revealed that every physical sign indicated he had frozen to death. But the car’s refrigeration unit was broken. The temperature inside was never lower than 61 degrees. Nick’s fear became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Note: This account of the story was taken from John Hagee’s book – The Seven Secrets.

I have a reason for using this story to illustrate my point. It is so relevant to many of us especially those who think negatively all the time. These are people I try not to relate with as their unbelief and their wacked believes are detrimental to progressive growth. The bible says that “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is”. Nothing can be truer and I find this very liberating. Rich people first became rich from their mind and thinking. Same applies to poor people.

The rich people believed first that they can do it, put their minds to it and achieve the goals. Most of the battles we fight to become relevant in this world happens right inside of us. The manifestation of what we see is a product of our thought process and believe/disbelieve in our abilities. In this unique time in history, a time of bleak message being preached all over the World – we need now more than ever to control our thoughts in preparation for a glorious future. Otherwise, the story would not be too palatable. I have the following points which might help.

The emotion of fear can save our lives in the event of responding to the effects of Adrenaline when we see a Lion approaching us. But the spirit of fear can only do one thing – destroy us. In all we do – we must learn to exercise faith and be positive. God bless you as you march forward and conquer.

My last post was focused on the need for organizations to commit more into evolving great organizations by ensuring the development of a great workforce. It is obvious that great people make great organizations. Today, I am going to play the devil’s advocate by bringing another side to this very important matter. We are going to be looking at the second part which is personal performance.

I have come to the conclusion that one must never allow his/her destiny to be put into the hands of an employer of labor. It is very important to take one’s destiny as a personal responsibility. I am going to use the following points to expand my thoughts.

1. Personal Development
Most small companies are very guilty of not providing training opportunities for their staff. Some of them are afraid they might lose the staff to bigger organizations after having trained them and they are not totally wrong for these assumptions. In my opinion; one will only stay in a small company if there is a strong sense of growth for the company and a reasonable career progression for the staff. But one thing that cannot be wrong is the case of personal development. I always use a simple analogy for this. Imagine a company that recruited 5 young people at the same time, it is sure that they cannot be in the same level after 10 years. Some might attribute the growth of the top guy to having a god-father but the simple fact is that organizations respect those who take out time to develop themselves. Bigger organizations recruit from smaller ones and only those who stand out in those places get the juicier jobs. Reading good books, writing certification exams, etc are sure ways of getting a good career growth.

2. Growing in a slow environment
There are organizations people work for that look to me like a death sentence to their careers. These are places where the skills gained are so one-sided and gives no room for continuous improvement (Not Kaizen’s ).
Some people will have no choice than to start their careers in such environments and it is so important for them to start thinking of a way out. The simple way again is to think out of the box. Most organizations can actually do with a lot of innovations to the way they perform their duties. Individuals who work in such organizations owe themselves a favor to take on extra duties aimed at developing their resumes. Imagine a bank worker who after 4 years of meritorious duties can boast of only a 2-paged CV which highlights his/her duty of being a Teller – it can be catastrophic. Now imagine another banker who developed a new system of bringing effectiveness into his branch’s handling of customers; they are miles apart.

3. Learn To Volunteer
Getting that next move might not be a function of the skills u pick from your regular 9-5 but can come about from strange sources. Imagine if you are interested in Project Management but your role in the office is far from it; there is a chance to do same for NGOs and even your church on a volunteer basis. Think about it.

4. Success is everyone’s friend
I am not talking about Master Success, your next door happy-go-lucky guy. I am talking about the situation when you reach great milestones repeatedly. Have you ever wondered why some people resign and their bosses call an emergency meeting to try and stop them and some resign and everybody feels happy? It is most likely because the first set of people add values to the organization while the latter just come to mark the register. Redundant staff think nobody notices their ineffectiveness but the contrary is the truth. Before you complain about your organization’s behavior to you, please review your own ways.

5. The more you think entrepreneurship, the more you are sought after
One thing that has been recurring in the labor market is the tendency for the entrepreneurial in spirit to get the best jobs. They actually want to leave normal employment and start out on their own but keep getting better offers to stay on working for corporations. The reason is simple; it is a matter of giving from those who don’t have to those who have. Some people have as much as 6 offers in a year while some still don’t have jobs, is that not a cause for concerns. The answer is simple and can be gotten from one of my favorite parables – the parable of talents. When you have the spirit of excellence and use your talents well, people will notice and keep needing you. Take a cue.

6. Work Smart
I find myself hating the term hardwork these days because it is highly subjective, A lot of hard work does not necessarily bring the required results. Working smart does that for you and that is why those who find ways of completing their tasks to time and quality get the accolades. The Nigerian work environment most times can lead to a lot of passiveness which makes people lose tough with their smart sides; hence reducing them to a not so quality workforce. It is time to start thinking of improvement not only to benefit the organization but bring personal fulfillment.

7. The word retirement
Many dread this word a lot because they did not prepare for what is going to happen after leaving their comfort zone. Those who had fulfilling careers where they were selfless and got great skills don’t only retire early but retire well into affluence. I have seen former teachers who left government service to start schools that are doing well today because of good vision. No matter what pension scheme you subscribe to; you still need think of what you can do after retirement and that starts from the way you handle your duties at the workplace today. How you handle other people’s business is a good pointer to how your own will operate.

8. Take Charge
If your career is at standstill now or you don’t like your job, you need to act on your own. Do not think anyone will help you out but know that you are the one that can make a change. Start thinking of things you can do for a career change. Be more useful to your present organizations and take the volunteer point to heart. Some of the decisions you will make might be hard but if you don’t do it now; it will never fly.

We will meet at the top.

I personally detest mediocrity and celebrate smart workers who I refer to as entrepreneurs even whilst working for organizations that do not belong to them. These people give their best and are constantly renewing their skill sets and their conscience is linked to the fact that as you do to another man’s business; so shall men do unto you too. The Nigerian labor pool is filled with a mixture of flavors of workers.

Government establishments have their big share of redundant workers whose aim for working is to collect their pay cheques at the end of every month. When you have business with most of these people, they do it as if you are asking for a favor and some of them actually act as tin gods in their respective cubicles. To sign a document, you will be surprised to hear that it takes 4 weeks for the file to pass from Office Assistant A to B before it goes to the table of Mama Typist who types the memo attached to it. This then goes to the Secretary’s table where it spends weeks depending on the level of settlement by the subject in concern. The journey to the big Oga’s table is a matter of miracle sometimes because the almighty office boasts of a high record of lost files.

I am not going to commit a fallacy of hasty generalization, hence I must mention that some government workers still understand the meaning of dignity in labor and carry out their duties conscientiously. These are the exceptions to the rule. Sometimes; I try to imagine where it all went wrong but I guess it dates back to periods before my conception though the erosion is a continuous one which gets worse with each generation.

This problem is not limited to government establishments but also in private organizations. When you see an under-performing business, you need to check the people in the organization. When an office is filled with people who do not even understand the reason they are working apart from the need to eke out a living – then the sun is about to set on such organizations. Sadly, most establishment run into this problems sooner or later no matter how well they started.
I wish to share some insights into some factors causing this.

1. Morale
I mentioned that mediocrity in staff behavior is not an exclusive property of government establishments. Mostly, it is linked to low morale of the workers. When people don’t have goals or visions, it is always very hard for them to perform as every day is like the last one. Morale is not necessarily bought by big salaries but can be tied to challenging duties and other incentive to want to work smarter.

2. Monotonous Duties
It is hard to find people who don’t like varieties in the food they eat, activities and even most importantly – their job. Companies make the mistake of keeping a man for years doing the same thing over and over again. Rotating duties seems a sensible way of keeping workers alive to their duties.

3. Unclear Career Path
Most employers are selfish and not really interested in their workers’ career plans and progressions. Those who have such plans are not truthful to the implementation. The few companies where these plans work testify to the effectiveness of such practices and have stood for ages. Wonder why there are not many old Nigerian institutions? It would be sensible to make this an important part of the company policies such that each employee knows what is expected of him and where he will be in years to come if he keeps to it.

4. Hazy Performance Measurements
Organizations have different ways of measuring their employee performance using different terms like KPI, IPF, etc. The bad news is employees think they are very subjective ways of measuring their performance and that their managers cheat them. I bet HR practitioners are yet to understand this part of their job very well and it continues to be a big problem. A situation where companies decide from the start that only a certain percentage must score A and B even before carrying out the assessment does not make any sense and the smart workers of last year who were not favored will definitely have a rethink for the next year.

5. Compensation
This is a big issue especially in the public sector where we have civil servants and teachers. Teachers are the worst hit by this as they have no one to give them any ‘encouragement’ compared to their civil service counterparts who regularly have someone ‘thanking’ them for expediting their files lol. That is corruption and a matter for another day but it all starts from bad compensation packages aka salaries and allowances. Those of us with teaching parents would testify that our first salaries were most likely fatter than theirs after working for decades. Why would you expect so much from them. Sometimes, I wonder how they even managed to take care of us.

6. Motivation Theory
Some of the major motivation theories point out to the fact that some workers would be happy if simple things like understanding the need for self-actualization, responsibility, recognition etc and not only by the salary they are paid. Organizations who learned this secret reaps from it massively because their employees have the feeling of being a part of the growth and are proud of their achievements.

7. Leadership
This is a very important factor. If a permanent secretary resumes in the office at 8.00 am each morning, woe betides any staff who come late. A smart working leader also passes on a good work culture to his subordinates and they tend to follow in his footsteps. The greatest factor to a paradigm shift in the Nigerian work culture and many other problems is leadership.

Organizations are at a defining moment in their existence because they need to keep a dedicated workforce of not many people but efficient ones. Today’s post talks about the role of employers. In my next post, I am going to point to the fact that employees have more to lose by being mediocre in their daily duties.