Change your levels

To be where you’ve never been, you’ve got to travel on a road you’ve never toured.

To achieve what you’ve never achieved, you must become who you’ve never been-

success is who you are: you reproduce your being, not your wish.

To be great, it begins with a mindset; a lofty self image.

Become the change you wish to see – that’s the starting point.

All other things will align once you begin to see yourself through the mirror of your dreams.

Act and behave these dreams. Give them the pursuit they deserve.

Cease talking and acting like a pauper. Act rich.

Carry the briefcase first in your imagination, work smart at it,

then you’ll become the corporate executive you desire.

Imagine the life partner you wish to have. Envision the change you intend to bring to our world.

Attitude is key to success.

Your life will undergo a change of appearance when you undergo a change of attitude.

Photo: Microsoft office images

Act Now 2

If you inundate your mind too much about the future,

you’ll never get anything done today.

Focus on an area where you have a great deal of control today.

“Naija go beta… Naija go beta…” has brought us to this jungle of misgovernance.

Each generation has conceded the responsibility of change to an elusive “unborn generation”.

What is your priority in this season of your life?

What you commit yourself to doing today will determine what you become in future.

Have you any plan to develop your core competence?

If today is the road to the future, you must make each day’s step count.

The result of action - or inaction – is usually lifelong.

Warren Buffet, the 2^nd richest man in the world says,

“What the wise man does at the beginning, fools do at the end.”

Pix: Microsoft images

Where lasting change begins

This blog post breaks my silence on our nation’s political crisis.

I guess I’m disappointing some of you; it’s a topic most Nigerians have given up on. But for how long are we going to continue to run miles on a treadmill? The politicians are not just the problem. We all have a role in building the new Nigeria of our dreams (what is the Nigerian Dream? I guess you’re as clueless as I am).

Building with gemstones of character, integrity, justice, love for all, hardwork and peace in our daily activities won’t be a bad idea. Don’t you think so? The lyrics of the song by Beautiful Nubia below say it all:

Ohun oju nri [What the eyes have seen] by Beautiful Nubia

www.beautifulnubia.com

Ohun oju nri enu o ma ni le so o
Ohun oju ri omo o ma ni le so bo de’le o

[What the eyes have seen, the mouth cannot say in entirety]
They say we’re free and colonisation is a thing of the past
But look around you people
Time is going by and we still can’t get it right
They say our land is the home of poverty and disease
and we’re treated like second-class citizens of the world
Our leaders run around begging for help
When the solutions are right here at home with us
The future of this land is in the hands
Of every man and woman, young and old
Everyone of us has a share in the blame for the failure of this society
See, we‘re still slaves economically,
We‘re still slaves politically,
We‘re still slaves ideologically
But I’ve got a song to sing
Je a gbe’ra kuro o ninu ogbun aye, [Let’s come out of this conundrum]
Ore e so’ra, e dakun o, a ma njin si koto [Friends, we’re descending into a pit]
Je a gbe’ra kuro o ninu ogbun aye [Let’s come out of this conundrum]
A ni e mu’ra, e so’ra o, a ma njin si koto lo o [I say be careful, we’re continually falling into a pit]

We’re trying to fix things from the top to the ground
But the way to solve it is from the ground upwards
Lasting change begins at the individual level
Everyone dips in the pot but no one replenishes
Have you forgotten the rules?
Without love there can be no truth, justice and peace
We must turn our backs on selfishness and greed
Go back to our culture of community - all for one and one for all
Not just every man to his own
We must go back to the land
A nation that cannot feed itself
Will always remain subservient to others
We’re still slaves to material wealth,
We‘re still slaves to religion,
We‘re still slaves to foreign ideals
But I’ve got a song to sing

This land will be a great place one day
A place where dreams come true
Our hope is in the children
Teach them to love their fellow man
And never to judge anyone by the colour of their skin, religion or language
Teach them to be proud of our culture
And the values of hardwork and perseverance, honest and humility
Treat every child like your own
For every child, no matter the circumstances of his birth,
Is a beacon to this glorious future
Teach them to be strong in love
And never look down on themselves
Teach them to be strong
And learn to hold their heads up wherever they may go
Teach the children to sing this song of pride
And let them sing it loud and clear:
I’m not ashamed to be who I am
I’m not ashamed - I’m a proud African
I’m not afraid - I’m a child of The Most High
I’m not ashamed and I’ve got a song to sing

The imagination revolution

Imagine a world without people. Imagine people are without imagination. That’s absolute blackness, don’t you think?

Every technological, political or social breakthrough is a product of someone’s fantasy and action. A fantasy can change a million realities. That Walt Disney fiddled with the idea of a huge amusement park with colourful displays based on his films- created Disneyland in America, Europe and Asia. Each centre hosts millions of tourists annually. The massive transformation of the hitherto filthy Lagos environment through the Mega City Project by the Governor, Babatunde Fasola, is another product of imagination.

Albert Einstein says, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” Knowledge is the seed of imagination. Imagination causes revolution. Let it develop the wings of the eagle in your mind. Dream. Do. Achieve.

Brands that create stories that spark customers’ imagination will always win. The Information Age will not last as long as the previous. The next wave- the Imagination Age, is already upon us. Brands’ pay-offs now convey messages like Rule your World (Glo), It’s in you (Peak Milk), One day, cars will drive themselves (Bank PhB) and There’s a drop of greatness in every man (Guinness).

Consumer brands are now moving us into the Imagination Age, developing brand concepts that introduce us to who we are or who we can be. This adds emotional and psychological value to us through the power of imagination- and it works! We buy the products because we want to get that emotional or psychological value.

Your idea doesn’t have to be as big as Disney’s or Fashola’s, do it your way. Big things were once small. Start small.


Pix: Microsoft office images

Changing with the changing times 2

The world is drifting from the tangible to the intangible, from heavy-weight equipment to light-weight palm tops.

The transition from the Industrial and Jet Ages to the Information Age was a journey from over-dependence on objects to dependence on ideas and intellectual capital. Ideas rule the world, remember.

The world has moved from large stacks of cash to slim credit/debit cards, from heavy telephone boxes to portable, multi-functional mobile phones, from time-wasting postal services to instant messaging, from large heavy-duty industrial machines to softwares, from far-flung paper offices to paperless offices interlinked across space & time.

The world is getting lighter. You can practically ctrl+c and ctrl+v your world into an iPad or blackberry and life moves on unhindered. This, and the automation of virtually every job function has occasioned corporate downsizing, which has in turn rendered many hitherto gainfully employed executives jobless.

Find your place in the emerging jigsaw puzzle. Business execs who don’t re-invent their minds to think in ways that match the pace of development will become casualties of change. Get an idea. Keep increasing and updating your knowledge bank and don’t quit improving your globally-competitive skills.

Pix: office2010.microsoft.com

Changing with the changing times

“Changing times require change in people”, says Sam Adeyemi

The jobs of the 1980s have been transformed, or automated out of existence, same with those of the 1990s. Technological advancement and the recession are killing certain jobs and changing others. This is a call to recognize our days as changing times, which require dynamic attitudes, out-of-the-box thinking and the ability to see the big picture.

The new businesses created today will save the future. New businesses are emerging to save our world from carbon emission, global warming, terrorism, diseases etc.

Paradigms are changing fast. Old 20th century lines of thought are giving way to new ones. The ways we work, play, talk and exist are changing. We live in the push-button age where windows are opened by the click of a mouse, webs are surfed without spiders and chips are eaten by mobile phones. You can’t afford to think or act like it’s yesterday.

At job interviews, there is going to be a shift in focus from educational qualifications to requisite skills and experience. Focus will be on talent/ability rather than course of study. Eligibility will focus on skills and not on paper qualification.

Don’t merely study to earn a certificate and gain employment, study to increase knowledge. Develop globally competitive skills. Add value to yourself. Add value to society through a product or service and you won’t go broke.

Paul Pilzer says “Prosperity belongs to those who learn new things the fastest.” Understand the times. Upgrade your thinking. Improve your world-view. Be bold, attempt something novel. Approach your dreams. Fly with the eagles.