How To Be Resourceful In A Slow Growth Economy

Hello Friends! We might be done talking about success, but every successful person knows that success is not the ultimate. It might bring you happiness, but you're always looking for some bigger goal to make you happier. That's why goal getting as a recipe for happiness, is a poor man's way; it leaves you exhausted and desperate. The Selfish Chemical Our body releases dopamine everytime we achieve a milestone/goal, as a way to reward us. But the danger is that, it can become addictive, if we lack self discipline. That's why, you need to decide to be HAPPY/CONTENT from the little things, like greeting your neighbours and co-workers when you meet them in the morning, smiling everytime you meet a stranger or hugging your spouse everytime you return from work. Remember, success is not some big unexpected event, it's a compounding effect of small and expanding disciplines. The Ultimate Now, what is the ultimate? SERVICE! You should be pursuing your passions and dre...

Most businesses are concerned about maximising the variety of their customers, but as a customer, you are only concerned about what job NEEDS to be done now, and finding the best way possible. This should be the focus of any business leader, by using the RDD (Reliable, Durable and Dynamic) system. You should be focused on providing a solution that fulfils the major promise made to the customer, has a reasonable life span, and meets the peripheral needs of the customer. Take for example a present day automobile, it satisfies the major need for a means of commuting short or long distances, it has a reasonable service life, and it meets peripheral needs of comfort, vehicle weight management, entertainment, itinerary mapping, sensual appeal etc. Be One Step Ahead Now for a business to remain ahead of the curve or gain control of their market, they also have to be thinking about the desires and aspirations of their customer; what they would want done soon  and what they hope to get d...

Probably the most overlooked resource, but one that's essential for building trust; EXCELLENCE. In light of the uncertainty, danger or difficulty of a task, there's always a reluctance to go the extra mile. The difference between a completed task, and it being carried out with excellence, is what sets apart the good from the GREAT. It's not good enough to be someone of integrity, you have to be excellent. It's All About Who You Are Just like every resource revealed in the past few weeks, excellence is not a skill; it's an attitude; a frame of mind; an IDENTITY - more on this subject will be shared in the coming weeks . It starts with a decision, and thereafter, taking steps to become it. Take for example an electrician, who comes to your house to fix/change the cooling unit. What counts for an excellent job, is if the area surrounding the cooling unit is left in the same condition as he/she met it or even better, and if the unit is reliable even after they're...

I'm back this week to conclude the series on success. For the past 2 weeks, I've alluded to goals as being part of success, but stating that goal getting on its own is not success, because you can get to your goal and be worse off for pursuing it, though it's an achievement . What makes a goal worthwhile is who you become pursuing it. Will you be happy/satisfied with the person you BECOME!? Because success is a pleasure. How To Set A Goal Now, when setting your goal, make it as significant, specific, audacious, compelling and exciting as possible. You want something audacious enough, so that you keep growing your life in order to surpass it; specific enough, so that you know the disciplines that need to be in place to achieve it; significant enough, so that it feels like you're contributing to society, purposefully doing what you were meant to do; exciting enough, so that it puts a smile on your face, every time you think about accomplishing it; and compelling...

As a business leader, what really matters are your customers and employees , because they drive innovation. To thrive as a business in the Nigerian economy, and I dare say everywhere, you need to keep GROWING. But, you can only experience continuous growth through innovation . Strategic Innovation I'm not talking about never ending improvement, because every business needs to be constantly improving to survive in the market place. Rather, my focus is on standing apart; always being one step ahead; being sustainable; being successful; being the first to a trend with significant upside; coming up with unique ways to create value, more than anyone else in your market; changing the rules of competition in your market; creating new markets within your market; creating entirely new markets; I'm talking about strategic innovation . What Used To Be In the industrial age; the BTC (business to customer) era, being innovative meant, new product features/modifications, new services a...

You might be courageous enough to take up a task. You might even have enough integrity to follow through on it, even at your own detriment. But, if you are applying the right strategy ,  the difference between attaining your goal, and falling short of it is a couple of hours, sometimes even seconds. Don't Be Naive Don't allow someone who is ill-informed to convince you that it's ok to feel indifferent or comfortable about falling short of your goal; IT'S NOT! If you stick with that attitude, you won't learn anything from the experience, and you'll be liable to make the same mistake again in the future. Take A Stand What are you becoming!? Are you someone who is comfortable with always falling short; don't you know, you are destroying your self-esteem and eroding your confidence, the longer you stick with that attitude!? ALWAYS, keep the promises you make to yourself and others. A Higher Purpose Let your goals be your mile markers, and TODAY,  focus on enjoyi...

Hi friends, I'm back again!! But, you might be wondering, what else is there to discuss about success? Well let me proceed by saying, of what benefit are your disciplines sustained over time if it's not PLEASURABLE? There is a brilliant quote from Brian Smith, founder of UGG Boots. He says,  the quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live everyday happily as a tadpole -  it means that if you aren't enjoying what it takes to get to your goal, then you may never get there. Don't Listen To The Crowd Some might say, all you need is time and patience, but if the process is not PLEASURABLE, all the time and patience in the world won't make a difference. If you aren't happy with who you're becoming in the pursuit of your goal, then you may never get there. And even if you do, via sheer will or luck - as some of us say , you won't be able to sustain it; it doesn't matter whether it's a high paying job, a beautiful wife, a gorgeous body,...

Back again, with more on the 20-80 rule (Pareto Principle). This week, I will be looking at a deriving principle, which is, less can be better. . Keep It Simple As the visionary, the business leader needs to be aware that MORE doesn't always IMPROVE efficiency/conversion rate in business. To ensure that your team stays true and committed to the VISION, a steady message is sufficient enough. You don't have to keep adding new stuff; you just need to keep saying the same thing, even to new people - Ed Mylett. The secret here is CONSISTENCY. Your team's passion should stem from a consistent message, else it would lead to inconsistent performance. Keep It Real Let's take another example of an ad campaign. For it to be successful, less words, a central theme or a simple and relatable ambassador is always better. You don't want the ad to come across as being boring, distracting, fake and disingenuous. The Crux Of The Matter Now there are cases were more can be ...