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.

What advice would you give a sacked banker 2?

He’s a broadcaster extraordinaire, a polyglot and an exceptional master of ceremony, MC. That he’s a world-class media personality is no doubt. His name- Bisi Olatilo. You have certainly seen his show.

Saturday Sun says “his story is an inspiring story of audacity, persistence, passion and hard work.” His broadcasting career has taken him through Radio OYO, Radio Nigeria, Voice of Nigeria, later Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN.

What you may not know about Bisi Olatilo is that he was sacked from FRCN! Sacked? Yes, you read that right. He was laid off for engaging in private practice (PP) or freelance business deals. That included legitimate jobs like script writing in Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo & Pidgin, MC-ing and jingle production.

He says, “I didn’t bargain for it. But today, I am thanking God that it happened the way it did.” That’s because 10 years after, he’s a multi-millionaire doing the business he established after his dismissal. More importantly is the brand, fame and the goodwill he’s been able to build for himself. I doubt if this would have been possible as an everyday newscaster in FRCN. Do you agree?

To be continued…

Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin II

What advice would you give a sacked banker?

Let’s have a discussion on the current issue in our labour market.

What would you advise a friend who just lost his job to the current wave of massive job loss? 5,000 bank jobs were lost last December alone, that’s over 15,000 Nigerians deprived of their daily bread as a result of organisational restructuring and global recession, or what do you feel?

I have a few thoughts…and I guess you’ve got yours too.

 Develop latent talents- I’d advise my friend to look inwards. Inside every individual are resources that have the potential of creating wealth. He needs to list his talents and develop 1 or 2 into marketable skills. Creativity for fashion, humour for stand-up comedy, organising for events management… talents abound that can be developed into money-making ventures.

 Make network work- he should leverage on his wealth of contacts garnered through years of experience in the banking industry. Goodwill is the intangible currency money can’t buy.

 Above all, I’d tell him to see his job loss as an opportunity in disguise. People never know how high they can jump until a lion chases them. Creativity is birthed when one’s mental faculties are effectively engaged. This crisis should create an avenue for new ideas/opportunities.

Okay now, have I given some sound advice? Oh, you feel he should scout for another job? That’s if you’d give him one. If you still have your job, this is also for you.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for
those who fear, too long for those who grieve,
too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.”
–Henry Van Dyke

Life is incomplete without its ups and downs, lows and highs and you must not lose sight of the benefits in every storm that you experience. Understand that life’s tribulations are not common to you alone. Giants always look around you, waiting to wreck havoc on things you cherish such as your health, money, jobs, career, family or academics.

In this recession, if you have lost anything, God is the reason you didn’t lose everything. Look around you for the friendly winds that have been pushing you towards destiny’s path.

A wounded lion has its life to be grateful for. Focus on what you have and not on what you have lost. The outgoing year may have been dotted by job losses, uncertainty, fear and economic turbulence but be thankful to God and be hopeful about the future. See a better day ahead.


NB
In view of the massive job loss in the banking sector last week, I’ll request that you re-read my previous blog posts:
• Of Recession & Redemption
• This Recession is for You
• Bail Out or Bail Options
• The Anatomy of Change
• Mind Your Business 1-5
Next blog post, I’ll attempt to proffer solutions to those affected by the storm.

WHAT’S IN YOUR HAND?

Recently, there was a young man who wanted to test a wise man’s wisdom. So he caught a butterfly and held it tightly in his fist. He questions the old man:

“Wise one, please tell me, is the butterfly buried in my hand dead or alive?”

The young man paused, waiting for an answer. The wise man smiled, revealing only one or two front teeth. Yet he remained silent, perhaps consulting the universe for the correct answer. Then he looked intently at the young man’s clenched fist. He again smiled.

In his reverie, he said to himself, “If I tell him that the butterfly is alive, he’ll crush it dead. And if I tell him that it’s dead, he’ll open his palm and allow the poor insect to fly away!”

In a moment, the wise man’s face brightened up, “Boy, it’s in your hand”, he answered. “Whether it’s dead or alive, it’s in your hand.” He continued.

Such is life. Your destiny is in your hands. Your future, your hope, your happiness, your career, your home…everything is in your hands.

Life is what you make of it. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade and enjoy. Life owes you nothing; it was here before you, so stop blaming it for your inadequacies. Learn to convert the negatives that life has given you to positives. Successful people are those who have learnt to surmount their challenges and are not overcome by them. See the opportunities in your adversity and use them as a springboard to success.

Thomas Edison (1847-1931), the man who invented the light bulb was undeterred by his 999 trials at developing his invention. He kept failing until he got it right the 1000th time. Helen Keller (1880-1968) was deaf and blind but with her good attitude and determination, she motivated people via her books and newspaper articles. Some evergreen Christian hymns are also attributed to her. Donald Trump, one of America’s greatest real estate investors once fell from grace to grass, dipping from billions to bankruptcy. With a dint of motivation, courage, resilience and ingenuity, he later paid-off his $9b debt and bounced back to wealth.

Pause for a moment. What are you making of your negatives? You have no excuse not to succeed. Do not throw in the towel, push further for the best. History will tomorrow capture your great deeds if you make the best of today. It’s in your hand.

GREAT QUOTES

• Human beings, by changing the good attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives. - William James
  
• The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire and how you handle disappointments along the way. -Robert Kiyosaki
  
• When it rains, all birds fly for shelter, but the eagle alone avoids the rain by flying above the clouds. Problems are common to all but attitude makes the difference. -Unknown
  
• There’s one quality that one must possess to win, and that’s definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it. -Napoleon Hill
  

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DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY

Have you been consistently facing disappointments on a task? Decide whether to keep at it, change strategic approach or choose a new idea entirely. Plans fail sometimes due to wrong motives, wrong approaches, low drive/passion, inability to source for resources, poor management of resources, uncertainty, poor planning and fear. These may bother on educational, career/business, marriage or money plans.

This is the time to take an inventory of your life as lived in recent times. Have you consistently misused the resources and opportunities around you? Time, people, ideas, places and events are raw materials for the bright future you desire.

Outline your strengths and weaknesses. Magnify your strengths to make up for your weaknesses. Find out the opportunities and threats around you. Pursue those opportunities and silence the threats. Do not complain about your elusive desirable future if you are not ready to ditch your comfort zone. Quit singing the old song when new melody is available. The old wine was good for the past, not for today or tomorrow. Find your voice.

Your fear has kept you from taking territories. Someone else acted against his fear and smiled to the banks. The difference between you two is in the use of the mind. What would you have done if you were not afraid? Deolu Akinyemi says, “Never let your actions be determined by the feelings of fear. Rise above them, confront them, and live the lives of your dreams.”

The greater your risk appetite, the greater your propensity to achieve big success. Risks are walls of separation from big opportunities, scale over them and you are on your way to the future you desire. All achievers have stories of failure and success to tell. They however became success stories because they stuck to their guns, continued to take risks and repeated their success rate. Do not sacrifice your bright future on the altar of fear and insecurity.

To survive this global economic crunch, you must be ready to do things differently from others. Change your approach and outshine your competitors. Change is the key to unlocking doors in a recession. Anticipate change, control change and be the change you wish to see.


GREAT QUOTES
-To double your success rate, double your failure rate. - Deolu Akinyemi

-Failing is not the same thing as becoming a failure. Failing becomes failure if failing is a destination rather than a bus stop. - Deolu Akinyemi

-Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill


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GRAB YOUR LEVER!

People readily give very fluent and well-thought-through answers to celebrate their weaknesses. They overly emphasise on what they are incapable of doing, or what they had been unable to achieve in the past. Friendship with an inglorious past is a threat to a bright future. You cannot possess the future, driving on the reverse gear.

So, make up your mind.

Decide to focus on your strength areas and not on your weaknesses. Focus on the bog possibilities around you and not on the despondent environment. Reflect on the big breaks that can come your way if you decide to develop the latent talents in you. Think about your network of friends, your knowledge base and your experiences; you surely have something like a lever, something to lift you up to the next level you desire. So, why should you continue to subsist and grope in darkness? Light up your world and shine the light.

Living life on a subsistence level of just sleeping, waking, working, eating and then sleeping would not endure for long, most especially in an economic recession. It is either change meets you lying low or you create a change around you before it beckons. In a hurricane-prone country like China, civil engineers have learnt to construct weather-friendly buildings that withstand hurricane turbulence. Is your building weather-friendly?

How?

What do people say you do so well? Or what do you do so well that make other people grin with envy? Or what do you do so instinctively that make others cheer you? You really need to ask personal questions.

Leverage on your strengths, not on your weaknesses. You will excel by maximising your strengths, not by emphasising on your weaknesses; though weaknesses must be effectively managed. Stop going about complaining about what the government, your parents or your boss has not given you, rather leverage on the little stuff you already have. Marcus Buckingham says strength is “a consistent, near-perfect performance in an activity.” You need to grow your strengths with practice or training and find a role that draws on these strengths daily.

Push yourself to a higher level of existence by leveraging on what you know, the people you know, your talents, your personality (introvert or extrovert) , your character, your skills or training or knowledge or experience. You may also leverage on your culture, ethnicity or nationality, religious inclination, your looks, the places you have been to, worked or schooled (alumni/trade associations) or your power of imagination… The list is endless.

Now, the question is: what do you have that can legitimately get you to where you desire? There is certainly a lever around you with the potential to lift you up the ladder of success. It sits dormant, unused, dusty, rusty, neglected and weather-beaten. Its rusted, lacklustre fulcrum cries for lubrication. Around you and in you lie loads of untapped potentials and opportunities that are tossed to the wind because of your comfort zone. What happens to you if your nest is ruffled by a turbulent wind? You will excel by maximising your strengths, not by emphasising your weaknesses; though weaknesses must be well managed.

Rise up and light up the fire around you. Drive away the chill of mediocrity, slumber, casualness, lethargy, ignorance and fear. Grab your lever, ascend to a new level.


GREAT QUOTES

• Leverage is the ability to do more with less. - Robert Kiyosaki
• If you have a talent, use it in every which way possible. Don’t hoard it. Don’t dole it out like a miser. Spend lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke. -Brendan Francis
• Men take only their needs into consideration, never their abilities. -Napoleon Bonaparte
• We’re limited, not by our abilities, but by our faith in our abilities. -Dr Ubah Maxwell

· You may email your reactions, questions via this email link: motivation.today@yahoo.com
· Current and past editions of this e-newsletter are available on my blog-
www.tundehundeyin.blogspot.com . You may also post your reactions on the website.
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THE ANATOMY OF CHANGE

Metamorphosis. I know you have seen this word before. It is a change in form, structure or function due to development. Often times, this process is unpleasant but it is inevitable because it brings growth and fun to life. No one goes through the continuum of life without change.

Picture a beautiful butterfly. It goes through seasons of mutation from egg to larva, larva to pupa, pupa to imago, and then to a colourful insect. Change is life; life does not exist without change. You do not progress by fighting change but by partnering with it. Spencer Johnson suggests, “Don’t over analyse and over complicate things. When the situation changes, change and move on.”

While commenting on why Microsoft upgrades the Windows software every two to three years, Bill Gates said, “The secret to winning in our business is change. I believe a company can stay on top by making the changes at the right time.” No wonder he was the richest man in the world for over a decade!

The Great Recession is an outcome of change. Change in stocks prices, crude oil price and other economic indices. This change has led to other changes like job loss, pay cut, fear, confusion etc. The key to managing a situation such as this is to effectively manage the change- as change may create a positive or negative impact. Change leads to growth. A promotion from Deputy Manager to Manager for example, is an indication of growth. Nothing makes you grow faster than change.

Change is the most constant life factor; nothing is as permanent as change. The Great Recession would not last forever. Times and seasons do not last, tough people do. Not getting used to change causes distress and frustration.

The greatest restriction to change is you. Change your thoughts and the old traditions that no longer hold water. Understand the times. It is not morning when the day breaks. It is morning when you wake up to change, to a reality or to a discovery. Until then, your success has not begun.

How To Relate To Change.
§ Expect change always. Do not wait until it happens.
§ Do not waste time complaining about the change. Why cry over spilled milk?
§ Do not panic, plan. Think; see the silver lining in the change.
§ Move with the change, positively.
§ Be dynamic. Innovate.
§ Enjoy your new level of growth.
§ Watch out for the next change. Do not get used to anything, everything changes.
This recession season requires constant personal adjustments. Change the thoughts, habits and actions that do not align with the times. This however, does not call for warped thinking and actions. Around every problem lies a sound solution.

We see them all around us- organisations, hospitals, trade associations and people who have refused to change and innovate. They become relics of an old generation. You have a great future ahead of you. Your seasons of growth and promotion are hidden in seasons when you will be required to make slight or major adjustments in your opinions, relationships, environment, thought process, vision, values or strategy. You may need to make a detour or become persistent. You may need to network new people or have a new inspiration for living. Each time you see a butterfly, remember change. Make that change now!


GREAT QUOTES

· Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. -Carl Bard
· Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. -John Wooden
· Human beings, by changing the good attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives. - William James



· You may email your reactions, questions via this email link: motivation.today@yahoo.com
· Current and past editions of this e-newsletter are available on my blog- http://www.tundehundeyin.blogspot.com/ . You may also post your reactions on the website.
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THIS RECESSION IS FOR YOU!

Motivation Today E-zine, Issue 02, May 2009

“When written in Chinese, the word, ‘crisis’ is composed of
two
characters. One represents danger and the other represents
opportunity.”
- John F. Kennedy

There are two sides to every coin. What you see becomes your reality: head or tail. Your mind is going to play a major role during this economic crisis. Like the rudder that controls a ship, it is going to determine the course of your life. How do you perceive the concept of ‘crisis’? Do you see it as a danger or as an opportunity?

Crisis means unexpected change. Meaning that, if you organise a party for 20 people, then 50 people turn up; it will result in a food crisis. But the reverse would be the case if less than 20 people show up. A crisis introduces new problems. Problems are not walls of limitation but pedestals to new opportunities. What do you see? It is wise to keep your mind on things you want and off the things you do not want.

Why Is This Recession For You?
1. Redistribution of Wealth
Many wealthy people have held on to wealth for too long that they are so greedy not to establish businesses that will create jobs and opportunities for the poor. They stash it away on Wall Street and in Swiss accounts. Some of it is already changing hands. People with vision who harness their potentials by selling products or providing services are inevitably provided with the opportunities to trap some of this wealth. This recession is providing opportunities for those who can see the movement of money. Salaried jobs would not provide this opportunity though. Have you realised that Mike Adenuga, Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola- the wealthiest men in this nation fall within the same age group? This is because they seized the opportunities that showed up at a certain season of their lives; sometime in the 90s. They chose to stand out of the crowd. The new millionaires and billionaires of the next decade are emerging during this recession. Same goes for the new have-nots. The world is in a very delicate season.

2. The Law of Recognition
Many times, you do not realise an opportunity until you lose one. Sharpen your inner sight; your insight. This is the time to process correctly, the information you glean from the mass media, seminars, fora and via word-of-mouth. Success is said to be 10% information and 90% perception. Interpret what you hear, see and read, and convert same to income.

3. Risks
Increase your risk appetite, with every opportunity comes risks. Do not be afraid to take calculated risks in trying new things/ideas. Do not sit on the fence or get stuck to your rut. The fear of death should discourage people from air travel but the aviation industry is still thriving. The fear of stillbirth should have stopped your mother from having you, but she still tried anyway. Close your eyes, confront your fears and act. It is better to die trying than not even making an effort to try.

4. Creativity and Innovation
New products and services are usually products of problems. Every problem-solver requires creative and innovative solutions in combating challenges. Leke Alder opines that, “when you mix your dreams with your skills and your problems and the problems of others you’re concerned about, you have a business idea cooking.” Develop your problem-solving skills. Do not chicken-out at the sight of walls, face them head-long. If they do not fall, try another solution. You cannot solve new problems with old methods.

5. The Law of Attraction
You attract to yourself whatever you think about. You will always attract to yourself your most dominating thoughts and obsessions. If you think wealth in recession, you will attract opportunities that will create it. If you think scarcity, then you will attract it. So, what do you think?

6. World Advancement
Because of new problems that are being created during this economic downturn, new products and services will emerge that will move the world further. This is the time for young professionals to embrace responsibility. Many rigid-thinking companies will fold up and there will emerge companies of the future. Are you thinking glocally?

7. Giving
“Don’t get all you can, can all you get and sit on the can”, goes an old saying. One of the causes of the meltdown is greed, so avoid the path. Give to those less privileged than you are. Give opportunities, give hope, give information, give money, give jobs, give service and give what you have free. There would never be a better yesterday for givers.

This recession is for you. If you believe and break free from your comfort zone, from fear, distrust, greed, rigidity, despair, ignorance, trauma and retrogressive mindsets, you will indeed reap the benefits hidden in it. Register your dream company, market a product or service, find opportunities, be ready to change, network and collaborate with stronger people. Finding nothing to do is not an option. Take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime moment in history.

Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin II

GREAT QUOTES
Ø “The optimist sees the rose and not the thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious of the rose” - Kahlil Gibran
Ø “You can never solve a problem at the level it was created.” - Myles Monroe

• You may email your reactions, questions via this email link: motivation.today@yahoo.com
  Current and past editions of this e-zine are available on my blog- http://www.tundehundeyin.blogspot.com/ . You may also post your reactions on the website.
  To register a friend, send “Subscribe” with the e-mail address to motivation.today@yahoo.com
  To be removed from this e-mail list, send “Unsubscribe” to motivation.today@yahoo.com