Going Nowhere Very Fast

I always loved this quote "Going No where very fast, the more we change the world, the more we stay the same." I came across this quote in 2002 and it’s been in my heart ever since. Today, I am concentrating on the first part of the quote, "going no where very fast", the other part, we can leave for future discussions.

Going No where very fast? Where am I going with this quote?

Time and time again, we all think of quitting our job one day. Infact, I learnt from a recent research by a USA Software Firm (Intuit - http://www.intuit.com/) that 67% of people think about quitting their jobs regularly or constantly. I did a simple quick survey, and the majority of the poeple I surveyed look forward to better opportunities, better working conditions, flexible work schedule and so on.

Be it as it may, it takes courage to quit the dreaming camp. And indeed, while many dream, only a very few actualize their dream of becoming a professional job quitter.

So where are we going very fast? Many of us are on the wrong path. Even when we are able to secure another job within a short space, we begin to think of quitting again. Why? Because we are simply on the wrong path and we do not find fulfillment in what we do. We are merely going nowhere very fast.

The very first step, therefore, to taking the leap and to have that exclusive first big crush is to have a look at the path you're on and ask yourself if it will take you where you want to go.

This is not going to be easy. Of course, it's tough to quit a job that sounds and appears glamorous, interesting and impressive to the people around you. It involves boldness, clarity and giving up the money, the security and many more that you have and a special combination of your strengths and weaknesses.

Do you have what it takes? Have you thought about a failure plan? What if things just don't go right? How much do you know yourself? If you are not ready to make the sacrifices, you can as well stop thinking of quitting and stay put.

If you take the leap, be rest assured that in the end, you will be happier, fulfilled and motivated because you know where you are going.

Where do you want to go today? "You have to give up to go up"

Read More

Salary Increment and Job Motivation

You have been clamoring for salary increment... you think that salary increment will boost your output and general performance. Indeed, your dream came through. Your boss announces that salaries will be raised by 50% - the best ever in the history of your organization. The thought that readily comes to my mind when we get a major increase is that of self questioning – let us therefore search ourselves, if we really truly deserve the increment. Do you come to work and spend your time moving about…busy doing nothing.. or as I heard from a colleague of mine, “are you constantly in motion without movement”.

Salary Increment to me is not a period to rejoice, it is a period where we should engage in sober reflection, to check our actions and see if we are truly working hard or just coasting along waiting for another year end to come to ask for another salary increment. Soberly reflecting will not make a difference too, if we do not consciously change for the better and let our every action count towards the betterment of the organization.

Paul in admonishing Timothy (2 Timothy 2:2) asked him to commit what he has heard to faithful men who shall be able to teach others. Are we faithful with the things that have been committed into our hands? Do we do our jobs diligently? The little that is committed into our hands, how do we handle them? When we are faithful with little things, more will be committed into our hands. On one hand, yes, we may argue, everything is getting costlier, competition is strife than it has been in the past, increasingly, salaries are on the hike, the market place is looking for people with skills (and we have them, don’t we?). We feel like we have spent a long time on the job and thus deserve more than we are currently getting.

In my candid opinion, what truly brings increment in output and motivation goes beyond increase in salaries, it is being in a position of authority where we are able to do the things we really love to do, it is seeing and experiencing a certain level of growth as we go to work daily. We won’t feel comfortable when we keep doing the same thing over and over again for 2, 3, 4, 5 years. If this is the case, there is a problem! I personally feel that no amount of salary increment can bring about the job satisfaction we derive. It follows that the position we occupy by its very nature, makes it difficult to give our best. When we are not satisfied, then we are not, period.

Of course, salary increment would definitely help lift some financial burdens and, may be, keep us put for some time. On the other hand, I think it is not a good enough reason to just raise salary since it would deliver the message that as long as you keep working long enough (whether you are productive or not, whether you are comfortable with what you are doing or not) you will get that raise, eventually. This attitude is MEDIOCRITY in its highest form and we are not made like that. We are designed to give the world our best and leave a legacy in the minds of those coming after us.

The reason why bosses increase salaries is because they think our work performance will improve (maybe for a while) but ultimately, when we are not comfortable with what we are doing, we will find ourselves requesting for another pay rise in the next financial year. Even when performance improves, it will not make a difference if it does not hit the bottom-line. You know what I mean.

In summary, I am definitely in support of salary hike if it is accompanied by a system which continuously rewards and thus produces more hardworking, resourceful and proactive workers in your organization.

We need to put our hands on deck and begin to see our organizations as our very own.

All the best in 2008.

Read More

Putting Value First : Living a Value Driven Life

Values are fundamental beliefs that guide and motivate our attitudes and actions and they determine the way we behave. As individuals, we need to establish what our values are, what is important and what is desirable, what our desired end results are whenever we want to embark on any action, we have to establish standards and principles that are going to drive the way we act and do things.

Putting value first in all our life's endeavours would ensure that our motivation in life is not mainly economic but rather a mission to achieve results that will be sustainable for a lifetime.

Prof Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank (the Bank for the poor) and Benjamin Carson, M.D. are examples of such leaders. They have both made the world’s history books and even though their births were not announced, when they die, they will forever be tagged as leaders who made history. They are motivated by the number of lives they would change, they have found a reason to be alive.

They have discovered the value in their actions and they have defined the reason why. Hard-work and commitment come naturally to them and if we all emulate such characters, it will be easy for us to fulfill the four basic human needs - To Live, To Learn, To Love and To leave a Legacy – (Stephen Covey, 8th Habit). Fame, honour will naturally come to us as our name will be glued to the hearts of many people (young & old) and the history books for a lifetime.

Quotes:

"The thing that really motivates me right now, to be honest with you, is the opportunity to get other people to understand what's important in life.” – Benjamin Carson, M.D.

“You have to make living a value driven life who you are and not what you do, it will empower you with the capacity to translate your vision into reality” – STB

Read More

THE BOTTOM BILLION: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It - by Paul Collier

If you have been following Sachs and Easterly's debate on ending poverty in Africa, you may find Paul Collier's latest book on Africa reviewed by Niall Ferguson interesting.

Click here to read the book review

One-line summary: "If Sachs seems too saintly and Easterly too cynical, then Collier is the authentic old Africa hand."

Enjoy

Read More

Consumer Credit Initiative revisited

Finally, the Consumer Credit Policy and Regulatory Framework has just been launched by the Federal Government. It is hoped that this initiative will increase consumer's access to credit and thereby boost the purchasing power of the average Nigerian.

In the same vien, the first private credit bureau (CR Services Limited, providing services via the CreditRegistry brand - http://www.creditregistry.com/) was incorporated in 2003 in the country to provide modern private credit bureau services with the use of advance technologies based on facial and finger print biometrics for borrower identification. Today, some of Nigeria's leading banks, mortgage institutions are already signed on with CR services and the list is ongoing. We expect that with these innovation/initiatives, the average Nigerian can enjoy facilities and engage in credit transactions that they would be able to pay for over a period of time.

Read More

The Crowd as the Untruth

Hello y'all, here is one piece that has always been on my mind for some years now.

Do not loose yourself in the crowd.
A crowd in its concept is the untruth, by reason of the fact that it renders the individual completely impenitent & irresponsible, it weakens his sense of responsibility by reducing it to a fraction. Being in a crowd in short unmakes one's nature as an individual by diluting the self.

THE CROWD IS THE UNTRUTH.

.... excerpts from the philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard

Read More

Consumer Credit Regulation gets a boost

Nigerians are enthusiastic with the introduction of the National Consumer Credit Regulatory Commission. The Bill which is aimed at increasing the level of consumer credit has currently passed its 2nd reading at the National Assembly. Chances are that the Bill will be passed into law before the present administration comes to an end in May 2007. While it is likely that a consumer credit system may enhance the power of consumers and help alleviate poverty, it is also true that if the FG does not put in place strict control measures, the desired result may not be achieved as it may pose challenges of sustaining inflation within single digit. For more information, please visit http://www.natconsumercredit.gov.ng/.

Read More

What’s in the Black Box?

Some of us may be familiar with this phrase (the black box) known to all avid readers of Jim Collins’ ‘Good to Great’. In his book, he affirmed that inside the black box is yet another black box – namely the inner development of a person to Level 5 Leadership. The Level 5 leader is one that builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will. But I do not intend to talk about Jim Collins & Leadership, I am only challenging us all that inside us (may be in the inner black box) is that inherent ability to build enduring greatness, to change our own destiny, to move the unmovable, to step out of the usual and to be the person we are created to be.

I believe, in my years of living on this planet, getting to that point would begin through a process of self awareness, looking inside and discovering something that you are able to live and die for. Something YOU, something you love and would make you be at peace with yourself.

Read More