365 days...

On Sunday 15th December 2013 I completed a '365 miles' marathon. This marathon this year signifies a lot to me - the good, the bad and the ugly. As I was running the race I was thinking about the parallels between putting realities of life into movies and actual race of life. Below are a couple of lessons that I’ve learned from my 365 miles marathon experience:

• Have a plan and stick to that plan: In life, if we want to accomplish great things we have to have a plan. For me, I have a written life plan that articulates what I want to accomplish and how I’m going to accomplish it. The plan consists of 10 different areas that are important to me: spiritual development, marriage, fatherhood, ministry, relationships, career, personal growth, recreation, financial and health. Do you have a plan? If so, are you following that plan and doing what you need to do on a daily basis?

• Accountability keeps me consistent: I would not have completed this marathon without having a running partner. Thankfully I had the opportunity to prepare and run this marathon with a very good friend of mine, Fisayo. Accountability is necessary for each of us to be the best version of ourselves. We celebrate life’s victories together as well as walk alongside each other in life’s difficult seasons. Who are you accountable to?

I know this isn’t news to you but life can be painful. You’re going to face challenges and obstacles in the pursuit of your goals. The successful people are energized by the challenges and refuse to quit while everyone else shirks back from the pain and difficulties. What challenge or obstacle are you currently facing? Are you tempted to quit? What will keep you motivated to keep pressing on?

Glory be to God for yet another journey of life. Remember, the JUST shall live by faith.

Year Ahead...2014

By now you have exchanged gifts and are heading towards a new year filled with opportunity. This is a perfect time to look forward and set your targets (not resolution) for next year. So, if I may ask rhetorically, what are your targets, objectives and goals for 2014? ...so numerous!

Regardless of what your goals are for 2014...make up your mind to impact the world you live in the coming year. There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts:
1. What we do
2. How we look
3. What we say, and
4. How we say it.

Proclaim goodness, increase into your life in the coming year. Believe that it is well with you. May we all enjoy the good blessings of 2014 in Jesus name.

Happy New Year in advance.

Maturity nurtures Success

I once read in John C. Maxwell book that "God is as interested in our success as He is in our maturity." That is a sobering thought, and I quite agree with it. Maturity is more often developed out of our losses than our wins. But how you face those losses really matters. People suffer losses, make mistakes, and endure bad experiences all the time without developing maturity. So how do you become mature?

First, you have to learn from your mistakes and losses. Learning is what investor Warren Buffett has done. People today know him as one of the richest men in the world. This elder statesman is well respected for his financial skill and wisdom, but those qualities have come as a result of learning from his losses. He says, “I made plenty of mistakes and I’ll make plenty more mistakes, too. That’s part of the game. You’ve just got to make sure that the right things overcome the wrong ones.”

Learning from our mistakes is wonderful, but it means little if you don’t know how to turn the lesson into a benefit. That comes when we take what we’ve learned and apply it to our future actions.

IFRS: Knowledge or Certificate?

Watching the trend of publicity that is being given to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the rate at which people (especially professionals) are expending funds on courses with pursuit of attaining certificates and/or certifications on same, I wonder if it is the certification that matters or the practical knowledge of the standards.

Having read books and other materials on IFRS, I realised that it is nothing but a Standard (i.e. Rule, Law, Guidelines etc) like International Accounting Standards (IAS), Statement of Accounting Standards (SAS) and so on that guides the way and manner accounts are prepared.

Nevertheless, I am not undermining the importance of training or sophistication of IFRS but the quesion is "Do we need certificates and diplomas in IFRS as organised by ICAN, ACCA before the Accounting Standards can be enshrined in us as professionals?" I pray we won't have Institute of IFRS Accountants someday soon.

Maybe all we need is vibrant reading culture that is backed by availability of materials couple with networking of professional minds.

It's in YOU

If you are thinking and contemplating on how to fulfill your purpose in life. The solution lies in you. The trick is to start with what is already inside of you, use it as a foundation to build from, then find others who are getting the results that you desire and model their actions, beliefs and methods. By doing this, you will build a powerful and automatic confidence demeanor within your own nervous system. This will in turn result in better actions and more effective behaviors. Tap into that wealth of power that you already own and model what you have already done.

Mind you, a purposeful personality engenders good leadership.

Life and Changes

I believe there are overriding principles that we should follow and be led by. That life is about constant, predictable patterns of change. And that as we approach the future; for all of us, the only constant factor will be our feelings and attitudes toward life. Secondly, we as human beings have the power of attitude and that attitude determines choice, and choice determines results. All that we are and all that we can become has indeed been left unto us to decide and interpret through our attitude and choices.

Life and business are like the changing seasons. That's one of the best ways to illustrate life: it's like the seasons that change. Also, you cannot change the seasons, but you can change yourself. You must learn how to handle difficulty; it always comes after opportunity.

When things were difficult, I used to wish they were easy. I didn't know any better. Then Mr. Shoaff gave me the answer from a part of his very unique philosophy when he said, “Don't wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don't wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.”

Who Is Responsible?

Who is responsible for what happens in your life? Do you believe you should take personal responsibility? Or do you feel as if that is outside of your control and there's little or nothing you can do about it?

Psychologists say that some people possess an internal locus of control, where they rely primarily on themselves for the gains and losses in their lives. Others possess an external locus of control, where they blame others when something goes wrong. Which group is more successful? The group that takes personal responsibility. Which people are more content? The ones who take personal responsibility. Which people learn from their mistakes and keep growing and improving? The people who take responsibility.

Taking responsibility for your life is a choice. That doesn't mean you believe you are in control of everything in your life. That's not humanly possible. But you can take responsibility for yourself and every choice you have.

Failure: Our Handiwork

Over the years I have come to the understanding that failure only manifest itself by the way and manner you handle it. Some people fail forward. Others fail and quickly spiral downward. These two types of people are very different, but how?

The difference is on the inside. It's the spirit of the individual. Those who profit from adversity possess a spirit of humility and are therefore inclined to make the necessary changes needed to learn from their mistakes, failures, and losses. They stand in stark contrast to prideful people who are unwilling to allow adversity to be their teacher and as a result fail to learn.

But failure to learn isn't the only way pride impacts a leader. Prideful people blame others, deny the obvious truth, and are closed-minded, rigid, insecure, and isolated from others. All of these can be detrimental to a leader, especially one who is interested in growing.

However, if leaders can move past arrogance and work toward humility, they can become the very best. According to John C. Maxwell "Great talent is good, but great talent with a spirit of learning is better." As leaders, we need more than just talent to be successful. In fact, humble leaders must not boast in their talent, but instead, must be confident in the ways they can build others and build organizations regardless of failure.

Fear Factor

Are your fears holding you back or are you using them to move you forward?

Your fears can actually lead you to success. Fear is an intense emotion. But that doesn’t mean it has to control you, or even stop you. Fear can prepare you and push you forward just as strongly as it can hold you back. Fear heightens your awareness and increases your physical strength. Fear brings your mind to sharp focus. With all that going for you, does it make sense to just run and hide? Of course not. Fear gets you in shape to take action!

Are you waiting for things to get better before moving ahead? If you’re serious about success, you need to start taking action today. If you’re waiting for things to be perfect, you’ll wait forever and nothing will ever get done.

The way to achieve is to bloom where you’re planted, to do what you can, where you are, with what you have. It’s easy to think up excuses for not taking action. “If only I had more hours in the day. If only I had a better job. If only I could meet the right person.” But excuses won’t bring you anything of value. You’ve got to change your “if only” into an “I will.” “I will make better use of my time. I will work on improving my career. I will create and nurture my relationships.”

Take a chance. Have faith in yourself. Your circumstances will improve when you make the effort to improve them. Start where you are right now. You have everything it takes to reach for whatever you desire. Stop wishing. Use your time, your energy, your thoughts and efforts to make it happen!

You’ll be glad you did!

Respect is Reciprocal

Respect is a word that means different thing to different people. Some may see respect as a plague of seniority while others see it as an epitome of maturity. In respect itself I found answers to action steps that can enable you to earn respect from those you lead.

-Respect yourself and those you work with
-Exceed the expectations of others
-Stand firm on your convictions and principles
-Possess maturity beyond your years
-Experience success in your family life and career
-Contribute to the success of others
-Think ahead of others

Self-respect comes with understanding who you are - your personality and purpose. You may not always win, but when you routinely give outstanding effort and you will experience success. Do not take failure or criticism personally. After failing, never give yourself permission to self-identify as a failure.

3 Lives of Leaders

We all live three lives: public, private, and secret. I first read this in an article by Stephen Covey. In our public lives, we are seen and heard by colleagues, associates, and others within our circle of influence. In our private lives, we interact more intimately with spouses, family members, and close friends. The secret life is where your heart is, where your real motives are the ultimate desires of your life.

Many leaders never visit the secret life. Their public and private lives are essentially scripted by who and what precedes and surrounds them or by the pressures of the environment. And so they never exercise that unique endowment of self-awareness the key to the secret life where you can stand apart from yourself and observe your own involvement.

Most of us live within the purview of our public and private without giving any consideration to our secret lives. Courage is required to explore our secret life because we must first withdraw from the social mirror, where we are fed positive and negative feedback continuously. As we get used to this social feedback, it becomes a comfort zone. And we may opt to avoid self-examination and idle away our time in a vacuum of reverie and rationalization. In that frame of mind, we have little sense of identity, safety, or security.

The most critical junctures in your life take place when you visit your secret life and ask yourself, "What do I think? What do I believe is right? What should my motives be?" These are times when I choose my motives. One such time occurs when you relate with God, your creator...the author and finisher of your faith. It is more noble to give yourself completely to truth, than to labor diligently for the protection and salvation of fallacies." Truth is truth! I have never seen a thing like half-truth or almost-truth.

In the face of daunting situations like "For or Against same-sex marriage"; "For or Against child-marriage" a true leader should know where to pinch his or her tent. Friends, you ain't a leader until you are bold enough to tell anyone "Wait a minute it's my life."

As a true leader who is God-fearing, you should be capable of choosing your own motives.

Stand-out! Never join the crowd.

Leading & Relating

Effective leaders grow their relational skills in the following manner:
1. Have a Leader's Head - Understand people
2. Have a Leader's Heart - Love people
3. Have a Leader's Hand - Help people

I have said many times that if you want to know the effectiveness of a leader, then ask those who are led. This is because there is no perfect assessment, no bright-line test for what makes a leader effective, and no model that can perfectly determine great leadership.

So how then can we relate more effectively as leaders? Here are seven simple steps for improving your ability to do so:
1. Express genuine care and concern.
2. Establish high standards.
3. Bring in the perspective of others.
4. Share relevant information.
5. Role model the behaviors you want to see.
6. Clarify your understanding.
7. Provide your reactions and candid opinions.

I should hint that while these ideas may be simple, that does not mean any of them are easy to do. The right behaviors are frequently filled with common sense, yet that does not mean they are common practice. Consistent effort and attention to relating will improve your skill.

Self Factor

Just thinking aloud - "Why do we (myself inclusive) inevitably support the underdogs in a sporting event, those that are perceived as really having no chance at all of getting the prize but somehow made it to the finals?"

Because we can see ourselves. The big stars of the game are far removed from our reality and we can’t compete at their level, but bring in the underdog, and we instantly see something there that could be us. And because we see ourselves it makes it real and achievable to us with our “if they can do it, so can I” attitude.

It doesn’t stop there though; there are more instances we look for ourselves subconsciously.

Take the true story about a CEO whose company had some pretty tough staffing issues. He took himself and the majority of his team through a behavioral profiling process and found that each one of the team was an identical profile type to his own, he had employed 20 people that were all like him! Can you imagine how their business was running internally, the frustrations involved with no mix of behavioral styles?

Take a group photograph with you included in it. Who do you look for first? You. Try it if you don’t believe me, its really hard not to seek yourself out first.

We are not being selfish when we do this, but somewhere in our subconscious, it registers. There is something inside us, the way we are wired maybe, that makes us think about ourselves but not selfishly so. Call it an interest, call it human nature, call it hog wash, I don’t know I can’t explain it, but its there.

What Make Life Worthwhile

Over the years as I’ve sought out ideas, principles and strategies to life’s challenges, I’ve come across four simple words that can make living worthwhile. These words are Learn, Try, Stay and Care.

First, life is worthwhile if you LEARN. What you don’t know will hurt you. You have to have learning to exist, let alone succeed. Life is worthwhile if you learn from your own experiences—negative or positive.We learn by what we see, so pay attention. We learn by what we hear, so be a good listener. Now I do suggest that you should be a selective listener. Don’t just let anybody dump into your mental factory. We learn from what we read, so learn from every source: from lectures, from songs, from sermons, and from conversations with people who care. Always keep learning.

Second, life is worthwhile if you TRY. You can’t just learn; now you have to try something to see if you can do it. Try to make a difference, try to make some progress, try to learn a new skill, try to learn a new sport. It doesn’t mean you can do everything, but there are a lot of things you can do, if you just try. Try your best. Give it every effort. Why not go all out?

Third, life is worthwhile if you STAY. You have to stay from spring until harvest. If you have signed up for the day or for the project, see it through. Sometimes calamity comes and then it is worth wrapping it up. And that’s the end, but just don’t end in the middle. Maybe on the next project you pass, but on this one, if you signed up, see it through.

And lastly, life is worthwhile if you CARE. If you care at all, you will get some results. If you care enough, you can get incredible results. Care enough to make a difference. Care enough to turn somebody around. Care enough to start a new enterprise. Care enough to change it all. Care enough to be the highest producer. Care enough to set some records. Care enough to win.

Four powerful little words: learn, try, stay and care. What difference can you make in your life today by putting these words to work?

Generosity...Recipe for Leadership

Leaders must be generous and predisposed to give their resources to others. As leaders, we must believe that a candle loses nothing when it lights another. The biblical law "Love others as yourself" is synonymous with leadership. Show concern, show care, show love and people will follow you.

According to John C. Maxwell, "You can give without loving, but you can not love without giving." Leaders who fail to display generosity should ask themselves: Do I really love the people I lead? Researches have shown that when great leaders err, they always err on the side of generosity. And do you know the resource they seldom give? It's TIME.

Beloved leaders, kindly create time for caring, loving, listening, sharing and giving to your followers.

Art of Delegation

Time has become so inadequate! As owner or manager in charge, it’s too easy to believe you should be the best at or involved in everything in the business, which is impossible. You should be spending time identifying the strengths and weaknesses of you and the team then using everyone (yourself included) as effectively as possible. Most people, myself included, sometimes guilty of trying to mould a set job around people or vice-versa rather than looking at individual tasks separately then assigning the various aspects to the people whose strengths are in those areas. We get preoccupied with 'a job' sometimes rather than sets of specific tasks which require certain skills. Sadly easier said than done when involved in an owner managed business and after throwing the bane of all our lives into the equation - ad-hoc work!

Leaders, let's take advantage of delegation of duties...so that you could free up time to think about other areas of the business.

Habits...Future

According to Mark Victor Hansen, “If you want to distance yourself from the masses and enjoy a rich and unique lifestyle, understand this - your habits will determine your future."

The fact is, if you keep on doing things a certain way, you will get a predictable result. That's the simple law of Cause and Effect. Successful habits create positive rewards. Negative habits breed negative consequences.

If you want to enjoy longevity, you must have healthy habits. If you are in the habit of starving your most important relationships of time, energy and love, how can you expect a happy outcome? If you spend money extravagantly or don't save any money, your bad habits will lead you to a never-ending cycle of work.

Shift yourself out of your bad habits and always believe that you have a destiny to be great.

THANK - FULL

Someone once asked me, "SMO, is it necessary to be thankful always?" Perhaps most of you would respond with emphatic Yes. And I will add that thankfulness is a key to survival. Are you saying "Why?" Most of us believe that being a graduate or affluent, we have probably already solved the necessary problems of survival, gone beyond that and are now working to achieve our desires. But let me give you this key phrase, “Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want.” I believe one of the greatest and perhaps one of the simplest lessons we can learn in life is to be thankful for what we have already received and accomplished.

Years and experiences have brought us thus far, but it is thankfulness that opened windows of opportunities, of blessings, of unique experiences to flow our ways. Believe me, I am a testimony to that.

Don't end this week without thanking one or more people that have made your life worthwhile.

Beyond The Economy

Economic disaster begins with a philosophy of doing less and wanting more. If you want to amend your mistakes, you must begin by amending your philosophy. Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out. Only human beings can reorder their lives any day they choose by refining their philosophy. The key factor that will determine your financial future is not the economy; the key factor is your philosophy.

Don't borrow someone else's plan. Develop your own philosophy and it will lead you to unique places. If you learn to set a good sail, the wind that blows will always take you to the dreams you want, the income you want, and the treasures of mind, purse, and soul you want.

The Buy-in: Leadership

People consciously or unconsciously always ask, "why should I follow you?" Leaders must understand that they themselves go on display before they ever get the chance to display their vision. In other words, people peruse and scrutinise your person and personality before they can buy-in into your dreams. Once followers gain confidence in the leaders, they'll feel confident about the vision.

Seven qualities that attract people to a leader are:
1. Calling
2. Insight
3. Charisma
4. Talent
5. Ability
6. Communication skills and
7. Character

Take stock...do your plus or minus. And ask, "do I possess all, some or any of the qualities mentioned above.

Easy to NEGLECT

People often ask me how I manage to write and post inspirational tips consistently in the past three years on this forum while many people could not. The answer is simple: The things I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. I found it easy to set the goals that could change my life. They found it easy not to. I found it easy to read the books that could affect my thinking and my ideas. They found that easy not to. I found it easy to attend the classes and the seminars, and to get around other successful people. They said it probably really wouldn't matter. If I had to sum it up, I would say what I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. Since several years back, I've made up my mind to adopt tenets of contentment while some are still blaming the economy, the government, and company policies, yet they neglected to do the basic, easy things.

In fact, the primary reason most people are not doing as well as they could and should, can be summed up in a single word: NEGLECT.

Thank God for a new day, week...start building your own Rome now.

Leadership vs Opportunism

"My Oga at The Top" a fast selling comical brand in Nigeria since Mr Shem Obafaiye, Lagos Commandant of NSCDC goofed on Channels Television on Tuesday 5th March 2013. A lot of people including myself, have all had fun laughing over it. But let's take a cursory look at the cause and effect of it all.

Art of leadership is a serious business. Some prepare for it while others do not. This is a signal to all especially opportunists that people are listening, watching and taking note of every action of peopl in position of authority. Even when mantle of leadership fall on your lap unexpectantly, you should not hesitate to learn in quest for continuous improvement.

Mind you, with the advent of the Internet, there is a rise in the volume of people who know what they are not used to know. In other words, no hiding place for ill-prepared leaders.

Since you've made up your mind to lead while others follow, be prepared!

Life

It is so important to be living in prime time, rather than watching TV in prime time. On your way to success make certain you grow friendships, not just bank and mutual fund accounts. Life is a collection of memories, not of material things. The Egyptian pharaohs were buried with all their treasures, and were mummified in hopes that they could enjoy their bounty in the next life. But we are only caretakers of possessions. There is a big difference between standard of living and quality of life. Standard of living is based on income earned. Quality of life is the enjoyment of the millions of minutes in between accomplishments. Having money is only one aspect of wealth. To the sick person, wealth is health. To the lonely person, wealth is someone to talk to and share with. To the estranged person, wealth is hearing words of love and forgiveness.

Become a Man of Value

The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become. That is why I wish to pay fair price for every value. If I have to pay for it or earn it, that makes something of me. If I get it for free, that makes nothing of me.

All values must be won by contest, and after they have been won, they must be defended. Don't sell out your virtue and your value for something you think you want. Judas got the money, but he threw it all away and hung himself because he was so unhappy with himself.

Values were meant to be costly. If it doesn't cost much, we probably wouldn't appreciate the value. Count the cost first. Don't pay too big a price for pursuing minor values.