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Tag: beyond talent

  • What time is it?

    What time is it?

    “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

    I love new things. New clothes…new shoes…new books…new clients…new friends, new vacation spots and of course a brand new year. I especially love going into a new year because it gives me the opportunity to start a new chapter in this journey called life. I was thinking, the other day, how tedious it would be if we did not have days, weeks, months or years to calibrate our lives and time just seemed to go on…and on…and on… with no breaks. Argh!

    How would you take stock of your life? How would you measure progress? Imagine if you had to measure your age in days, 365 days old or 3650 days, orsweet 5840 and never been kissed, or independent 7665. Need I say more?

    As I reflected on what a new year meant to me, it dawned on me how important time is to us all. It is a measure of our lives and gives us the opportunity to locate ourselves within the context of our personal journey and the universe so we can find our way to our desired destination.

    In the last quarter of 2013, I found myself losing steam. I was not as inspired or bursting with energy as I was at the start of the year. Don’t get me wrong, 2013 was a phenomenal year. It’s just that the thrill of the hunt for entrepreneurial adventure seemed to have waned. The ideation and imagination phase was over and execution had fully kicked in. There was paperwork to be done, reports to write, proposals to create, potential clients to prospect and staff members to supervise, discipline and develop. What once seemed exciting like a new Karen Millen dress, had become old and rather tedious. I was seriously in need of a fresh start and new mountains to conquer.

    Here is where the New Year comes in to save me. Life does not have to be a wearisome blur. I have a great excuse to STOP, REFLECT& CHANGE DIRECTION! I can close the door on the past (2013 is now history by the way) and look forward to new and greater achievements in 2014. I can abruptly end one chapter and start writing the next one. My past is not the only determinant of my future. What I choose to do in “THE MOMENT”, in “THE NOW”, in “THE PRESENT” ultimately determineswhere I end up. However, before I start writing my 2014 story I must ask myself one critical question. WHAT TIME IS IT? What season of life have I come upon? It takes wisdom and discernment to know what is right to do at any point in time.

    How many times in 2014 do you suppose you are going to be asked the question, “What time is it?” And what do you think your answer will be? If you are trying to be funny, you might say “Time to get your own wristwatch”. Or you might do what you have been programmed to do your entire life which is to look at your wristwatch or phone or a clock and state the time of the day that it is. I want to encourage you to think about time in a different way in 2014, not as the position of the short and long hands of a clock but as a season with a specific purpose.

    Time is what exists between the day of our birth and the day of our death. Time is a funny thing… on the one hand it is an equalizer, but on the other it is not. Time is called the universal leveler because everyone has 24 hours in any given day whether rich, poor, strong, weak, old, young, good or bad. My mother had a favorite saying when I was growing up and whenever I asked her why we did not have certain things that other contemporaries had. “All fingers are not equal”, she said. (By the way, I got a slap when I repeated the same words to her when she asked me about my junior secondary school examination results, LOL.)You see, even though you are guaranteed the same universal time every day, there are no guarantees for how many days your eyes will see. Which begs the question, “What should you do with the time that is indeed given to you?”

    WHAT TIME IS IT? Is it the time to be with family and loved ones? Is it time to pursue higher education? Is it time to start a business? Is it time to start a family? Is it time to become a supervisor, team lead or manager? Is it time to invest in your health and wellness? Is it time to retire? Is it time to change your career? Is it time to change your car?

    The next time you or someone else asks you for the time, and you take a look at your watch, don’t just tell the time…LIVE THE TIME!

    HAVE A PROSPEROUS

    2014!

  • Making things happen

    In January 2012, I was fresh of the plane walking into an unknown and uncertain future. I had but one thing, a burning desire to build a human performance consulting organization that helped people realize their potential through learning and professional development. At the time, I wished I had a crystal ball to tell me what the year had in store for me.

    Fast-forward to January 2013, I was a different entrepreneur. Armed with twelve months of knowledge that there was a demand for my brand of service, capabilities and experience in the market, the future was less uncertain. This time I did not leave my fate solely to time and chance. I had my first experience of the Best Year Yet Goal Setting process and started the year with my Best Year Yet Goals for 2013. I was clear about what was important to me and what I wanted to accomplish.

    Three hundred and forty nine days have gone by in 2013. How close have I come to achieving my goals?

    1. I had a goal to grow my business revenue and clientele. I did not meet my ambitious revenue target, however I achieved significant year-over-year growth and landed a few major accounts. I am grateful to my business partner and my clients who pay me to do what I love to do so that work for the most part seemed like play.

    2. I had a goal to support family and friends. In 2012, I was unable to support others financially because I had quit my job to run a startup and was in bootstrapping mode. I am grateful that I was able to get back to financially blessing those who are near and dear to me, especially my retired parents.

    3. I had a goal to visit two African Countries. In June I was far from accomplishing this objective and I considered giving up on it. I am thankful to Microsoft Partner University and Stanbic for affording me the opportunity to continue to extend my professional reach beyond Nigeria, into Kenya and Uganda.

    4. I had a goal to develop myself and enhance my capabilities. I am grateful to have become more sociable and engaging, in spite of my quiet and reserved nature. I walked up to Kate Henshaw at the Abuja airport and struck up a conversation with her. It sounds easy, but it took me almost twenty minutes of pep talking myself to do so. The next week it took me less time to strike up a conversation with the Honorable Odein Ajumogobia who sat next to me on a flight to Abuja.

    5. I had a goal to expand my business and social networks. I am thankful that I joined Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) and was able to attend their Annual Conference. I made contact with women from all spheres of life and reconnected with some old friends. I am grateful for the opportunity to have supported two members of WIMBIZ in setting their 2014 Best Year Yet Goals.

    6. I had a goal to foster the development of my team. I am grateful to have imparted knowledge and know-how in the people who work with me. I encouraged the young professionals who work with me to take advantage of their exposure to various development programs to enhance their skills set. Most of all, I am grateful to have given them the opportunity to walk confidently into the new year armed with their 2014 Best Year Yet Goals.

    These are just a few of the many things that I am grateful for in 2013 and the reasons I believe 2013 ABSOLUTELY ROCKED as my Best Year Ever! I would not say that I achieved a hundred percent of my goals for 2013, and I can live with that. The important thing is that I am making progress in the things that are most important to me, whether in baby or giant steps, and I still have 2014 to course-correct and do better.

    What has your 2013 adventure been like?Have you accomplished some or all the things you set out to do? What are you most proud of? What setbacks or disappointments did you experience? Whether you win or lose, there is always a lesson to be learnt in every experience and an opportunity for greater success in the future.

    Get closure for 2013 and leave it where it belongs, in the past. Focus on 2014, a world of opportunity that is ahead of you…a blank canvas. There are two kinds of people in the world, those who make things happen and those who let things happen. The first are those who set and pursue their meaningful goals and the latter are those without plans. Be the first and not the latter. Start planning to make great things happen to you and yours in 2014.

  • Transformational customer service

    Transformational customer service

    If you ask many corporate executives today, what is their most valuable asset; many of them would say their employees… but what about their customers? What about those people who patronize the companies and keep the gravy train rolling such that investors get their returns, employees get their bonuses and management get eye-popping stock options?

    Transformational Customer Service (TCS) is that level of care and consideration with which you serve your customers that transforms them from buyers to believers, from free agents to evangelists. The TCS framework below will show you how to treat every customer interaction as a test of your customer service promise, and how to build transformational experiences into every stage of your business transaction cycle.

    THE 3 FOUNDATIONAL BLOCKS OF

    TRANFORMA-TIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE

    1: Make Them A Promise And Keep It

    At the heart of every great customer service organisation is a customer care ideology that puts the well-being and satisfaction of the customer first. Your customer service promise is the statement that you make to your customers, that clearly identifies what they should expect for all interactions with your organisation.

    2: Pay Attention To The Devilish Details

    Transformational customer service rarely occurs by accident. If your company wants to create “magic” for its customers, you must carefully orchestrate your business transaction cycle, such that each successive stage reinforces the last, in a seamless execution of your customer service promise. The devil is in the detail and every detail counts when creating transformational customer experiences. Every aspect of your business operations must walk the talk, whether it is visible to the customer or not.

    3: Take A Page from The CIA Manual

    If you want your company to become a great customer service organisation, make it your business to know your customers’ “business”. Use every customer interaction as an opportunity to listen and learn more about your customers and keep track of customer preferences, details and complaints in a way that allows your organisation to personalize and improve the service experience.

    THE 5 PILLARS OF TRANFORMATIONAL

    CUSTOMER SERVICE

    1. Give Them Your Best

    The first pillar of transformational customer service is a product or service that satisfies the emotional and economic requirements of your customers. In many cases, the first interaction your customer has with your organisation is when he comes in contact with your products or services. This is a crucial moment for your organisation. If your customer walks away believing that the product or service met his needs in a way that resonates positively, the probability that he will seek a repeat experience increases significantly.

    2. Hire The Best

    Customer care comes from the heart, and your employees are the face, heart and soul of your organisation. Therefore, interactions with your employees are a critical part of your customer service experience. Each interaction your customer has with your employee, must reinforce your organisation’s customer service promise and contribute to the seamless execution of the customer service experience. One careless word, look or action from your employee can disrupt the customer experience, erode customer loyalty and ultimately lead to the loss of that customer.

    3. Set The Stage, Set The Tone

    Your organization’s setting is the stage on which you conduct your business operations. In today’s technologically advanced global business environment, you now have multiple channels through which to reach and engage current and potential customers. For example, office buildings, the internet, email, telephone, print etc. Each of these channels must reinforce your customer service promise.

    4. Have A One-Track Mind

    You are in the business of manufacturing satisfied customers, so every aspect of your business operations must contribute to customer satisfaction. Your organisation’s combination of physical and human components drives your customer service cycle and each of your processes has to support consistency in delivering high quality customer experiences. Make it a priority to walk in your customers’ shoes in order to see the world from their perspective, and you are on your way to becoming a great service organisation.

    5. Make It Up to Them

    Service break downs can and often times occur in the course of business operations. These are critical moments for your organization because service break downs are a disruption to your customers’ experience and can ultimately lead to customer loss, if your organization does not handle the matter in the right way. Recover quickly from a service breakdown and transform the disruption to customer experience into an opportunity to draw your customers more deeply into a long term business relationship with your organisation.

    Conclusion

    Transformational Customer Service (TCS) is an organizational belief system reflected in the attitude and behaviors of its people, as well as its structure, processes, policies and systems which places the needs, wants and requirements of its customers at the heart of its operations and creates resonating customer experiences that impel repeat experiences and referrals.

  • Find your zone and stay in it

    Find your zone and stay in it

    I once attended an event in Lagos, where I saw a young man sing and perform in front of what I estimate to be at least two hundred other young adults. His passion, energy and talent were so obvious and electrifying, that my eyes were glued to him and I could not keep a dopey grin from spreading across my face as I watched his every move. This young man was in the moment, connecting with his audience, and having such a good time on the stage that I could not help but be carried along by him. I thought to myself, “This is someone who is in his element and doing what he was born to do”. Similarly, I have found myself “in my element” when writing, researching a topic of interest or solving a complex problem. These are activities I can spend all day doing and walk away feeling energized, happy, content, alive, at peace and on top of the world.

    When are you “in your element” or “in the zone”? When have you found yourself so single mindedly immersed in a task that you lose track of everything else and all that exists is just you, the stimulating challenge of what you are doing, the joy and positive energy from doing it, the confidence that you have the ability to succeed and the anticipation of the sense of fulfillment that will come from mastering the challenge? This is what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, known for his work on positive psychology, calls FLOW. Mihaly describes flow as the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement and success in the process of the activity. Mihaly’s research shows that frequent experiences of flow lead to higher productivity, performance improvement, innovation, motivation and personal growth. I have outlined below steps, based on Mihaly’s work, which you can take to set yourself up for finding and staying “in your zone” this year.

    Set Clear Goals: Since flow is associated with achievement, schedule meetings with your key stakeholders (supervisors, colleagues, business partners, customers, spouse, etc.) to clearly articulate mutually desired outcomes for the year and reach agreement on performance goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. You are more likely to get “in the zone” when your work goals are clear and you perceive your actions as directly contributing to the desired outcomes.

    Engage In Work That Match Your Abilities: Your goals must not be too easy such that they do not require your full concentration, nor should they be too hard such that you suffer mental defeat before you start. Spend time with your supervisor early in the year to identify stretch assignments (In-The-Zone Projects) that you can include in your scope of responsibilities for the year. You will experience personal growth when the work that you do furnishes you with higher than average challenge, demands greater than average skills set from you and keeps you in your strength zone.

    Focus Your Attention, Energy and Emotion: Look for work assignments with levels of difficulty and importance that will deeply engage your mind and require a high degree of concentration. Such projects must provide you with the opportunity to connect emotionally with the challenge and intensely enjoy the process of losing yourself in the task at hand. You will find yourself “in the zone” when the work you do utilizes all your attention and heart and leaves no room for your mind to wander.

    Seek continuous feedback: A friend said to me that feedback is a gift. Schedule regular meetings with your stakeholders to obtain their feedback on how well you are performing relative to your mutually agreed performance goals. This way, you get timely information regarding the potentiality of success or failure, and you have sufficient time to improve your outcomes by course correcting or adjusting your behavior. You will stay “in the zone” when you see that your work contributes directly to the desired outcome.

    Pursue intrinsic rewards: Your “In-The-Zone” Projects should be activities that have intrinsic value to you. That is, you must derive pleasure and fulfillment from doing the activity itself because it affords you the opportunity to operate at your best, whilst contributing to something greater than yourself. You are more likely to be “in the zone” when your ego is absent and you are motivated by internal rewards rather than extrinsic rewards such as money and promotion.

    If your definition of success in involves achieving a high sense of fulfillment in your work, maintaining a strong internal motivation, experiencing personal growth and operating at peak performance, then seek out environments and tasks that are conducive to being “in the zone”, and cultivate personal characteristics such as curiosity, persistence, low self-centeredness and intrinsic motivation which will facilitate your flow experience.

  • Never leave home without athena

    In 2003, the company I worked for was perhaps one of the early adopters of formal mentoring in Nigeria. I arrived at work one day and discovered that my colleagues and I had been assigned mentors from the management cadre. While the intention behind the idea was great and laudable, it did not work very well for me because my formal mentor and I were thrust together without being adequately prepared to build a mentoring relationship. I do not believe that my assigned mentor understood the responsibilities of a mentor, nor did I understand how to get the best out of the mentoring experience. Fortunately, an informal mentoring relationship had emerged between another member of the management team and me, and this great relationship helped me develop a broad repertoire of professional skills early in my career, that have served me well.

    A decade has since passed and I have been very fortunate to have had several wise and trusted counselors and advisers who have willingly and generously provided guidance, so that my chances of achieving higher levels of success in life are greatly enhanced. These individuals regularly set time aside to share their personal experiences, knowledge and social capital to help me solve work related problems, close performance gaps, achieve my career ambitions and expand my world view and network. All my mentoring relationships have developed informally. In some cases I approached an individual I respected, who possessed qualities and experiences that were important to me, and asked him or her to be my mentor. In other cases, social or professional relationships, over time, took on a mentoring flavor as I faced challenges and opportunities in life and work. My mentors have helped me create and execute successful career strategies, navigate treacherous office politics, make difficult choices between important values, and steer clear of performance pitfalls.

    The word “Mentor” derives from Greek mythology. Mentor was the friend that Odysseus, King of Ithaca, entrusted with the care and education of his son, Telemachus, when he, Odysseus, left to fight in the Trojan War. Twenty years passed without word from Odysseus, and many suitors set their sights on Penelope, his wife, in hopes of claiming the land. It is said that Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and heroic endeavors, disguised herself as Mentor when visiting Telemachus, a favorite of hers, to provide guidance on how to deal with his mother’s suitors and empower him to go in search of his father. Athena, being goddess, knew that Odysseus was alive but did not tell Telemachus, choosing to allow him to embark on a hero’s journey with her as his guide. The nature of the relationship between Mentor and Telemachus, coupled with the disguised intervention by Athena, inspired the English adoption of the name “Mentor” as a noun that describes someone who imparts wisdom to and shares knowledge with a less experienced colleague.

    A mentor is an extremely useful resource for career and professional development. If I could live my life again from scratch, I would have a mentor by the age of thirteen. I strongly believe that every professional should have at least one mentor; someone more experienced than they are, who makes a conscious decision to invest in their long term success. When thinking about who to choose as a mentor, consider the chemistry and compatibility that exists or may develop between you and that individual, personally or professionally. It is important that you set expectations from the start. Let your mentor know what you would like to get out of the relationship. This way, both you and your mentor are embarking on a journey that leads to the same destination. Additionally, think about what your mentor will get out of being in a relationship with you. Mentoring is, after all, a two-way relationship, with both parties giving and receiving. The experience must be extrinsically or intrinsically rewardingfor both you and your mentor.

    How will you know when a mentoring relationship is going well? The first sign of a great mentoring relationship is alignment. Your mentor should possess personal or professional qualities that are important to your success. You, on other hand, must be willing to listen and act on mutually agreed plans. The second sign is that the protégée (you) is achieving set goals. This shows that the energy and effort in the relationship is purposeful and effective. Many mentors have a sincere desire to have positive impact on the lives of their protégées. Third, you and your mentor feel secure in your relationship and feel comfortable to share your experiences, because you trust each other to respect the confidentiality of personal information shared. Last,there is mutual internal expansion.A mentoring relationship is a journey, in which both parties are seeking to self actualize by accomplishing mutually compatible goals.

  • Check your alignment

    Check your alignment

    One value that I have learned and imbibed from my business partner in the past two years is “ALIGNMENT”. Alignment is defined as “an arrangement in a straight line” or “a state of agreement or cooperation among persons, groups, etc., with a common cause or viewpoint”. In our business alignment has become a combination of both definitions. It is a state in which members of our team have a clear understanding of and commitment to our meaningful group objectives i.e. a straight line connecting them to our goals) and are cooperating with one another to complete tasks that drive the accomplishments of those objectives.
    Where two or more people are expected to work together and achieve synergy i.e. the whole being greater than the sum of the parts, ALIGNMENT becomes mission critical. Even the good book, the Bible, speaks of this in the verse that says “Two cannot walk together unless they agree”. For two or more people starting out on a journey together to get to the same destination, at the same time, they must individually and collectively know where they are going, as well as the best way to get there together within a desired timeline. This is ALIGNMENT and without it collective energy becomes defocused and dissipated. I have come to see, understand, respect and appreciate the POWER OF ALIGNMENT. I have also discovered that the root cause of many issues in the workplace, especially between managers, team leaders, supervisors and their direct reports can be traced to MISALIGNMENT.
    Worrisomely, a significant percentage of professionals who attend our development programs say that they are not aligned with their managers with regards to their key performance indicators. Yet when we ask how many of them have one-on-one meetings with their managers, the numbers are telling.They seem to rarely spend regular uninterrupted time having “intimate” conversations with their managers about(i) their overall performance relative to agreed key performance indicators, (ii) their strengths and accomplishments, and (iii) areas of development in order to keep growing and climbing the career ladder. Inevitably, when outcomes and results are being evaluated and performance ratings are being determinedat the end of the year, managers and their direct reports find themselves on different channel frequencies. One is tuned to Nollywood and the other Bollywood.
    How can you increase the level of alignment between you and a key stakeholder such as your manager, direct report, key vendor, customer or even spouse?
    Communication! Communication!! Over-Communication!!!There is a lot of talking (the movement of the lips that produces sound) that goes on in the workplace and less of communicating (the exchange of meaningful and valuable information).Someone said people would talk less if they knew just how often they are misunderstood. I have a hypothesis that companies would see huge returns investing resources in improving the quality of their communication and driving horizontal and vertical alignment within their organizations. This is a low hanging fruit that most managers overlook which often times turns out to be a major, though not necessarily sole, cause of their managerial woes.
    When I worked in the corporate world, one-on-one meetings had significant impact on my productivity and professional brand. I scheduled monthly one-on-one meetings with my manager to ensure that we were both on the same page. I asked questions about his priorities, his view of my performance and his recommendations on my development areas and shared my perspective on how he could help me overcome performance challenges. This was my way of ensuring that we were tuned to the same channel all year. I also scheduled quarterly one-on-one meetings with his peers who were my internal customers. I asked them to share their team objectives, priorities, activities, pain points and suggestions on how I could be more supportive of their success. This not only ensured that I was always working in alignment with the things that were important to my stakeholders, it also gave me regular face time with senior managersand directors, creating goodwill and enhancing their perception of my competence.
    A one-on-one meeting is a preventive control that seeks to evaluate the health of your collaborative relationship with another individual with a view to sustaining or improving the output of that relationship. The overarching objective of a one-on-one meeting is to improve collective performance, therefore both parties must communicate, actively listen to each other and be willing to achieve results that are mutually beneficial. It should be scheduled in advance on each party’s calendar, accompanied by an agreed agenda. The meeting can last for 60 to 90 minutes and can be held monthly or quarterly.
    In conclusion, if you are not in the habit of having regular one-on-one meetings with your manager or other stakeholders, then consider the possibility that you may be shortchanging yourself. Do not underestimate the power of regular one-to-one meetings in creating alignment that drives collective performance. It is a must do if you are interdependent on others and seek to achieve success through collaboration.

  • Caricature Leadership

    This year, I have had the privilege and opportunity to discuss leadership with over 300 professionals at different points in time. I use the word “privilege” because I have benefitted immensely from over 200 hours of research and discussion with others on what leadership is truly about. In these discussions, I have also been opportune to help others see leadership in a brand new way.

    James Hillman said, “You can’t see the Angel, unless you have a notion of it”. The same, I believe, applies to leadership. You cannot see leadership unless you have a notion of it. Growing up, my idea of who a leader is was shaped by the people I saw in positions of authority and influence. These were mainly political leaders, business leaders, community leaders, tribal leaders, military leaders and religious leaders. Consequently, I “saw” leadership as something distant. It was about becoming the “Oga or Madam at the Top”.

    I have since dropped out of the “Oga at the Top” school of leadership and enrolled in the “Transformational Leadership” school. The definition of leadership that resonates with me the most was put forward by Peter Drucker. He described leadership as a MEANS, with PERFORMANCE as its essence. For Peter Drucker, the critical question is “Leadership to what end?”You call yourself a leader, SO WHAT? What is the hallmark of your leadership? What difference has your leadership made in the lives of those you lead? Now, my notion of leadership is that it is about moving the collective forward in achieving a future state that is commonly desired. A leader’s primary role, therefore, is to bring positive change to the people he or she is leading.

    There are many people who, unfortunately,are in leadership positions but have no notion of what leadership is. Some of them, I dare say may not even be able to spell the word leadership or find it in the dictionary. Their perspective is that leadership is an end in itself. To them leadership is a destination to be arrived at, and its reward is the opportunity to use access, power and influence to further their personal agenda. They lack the notion that leadership is about the trusted relationship between the leader and the led, that the leader will endeavor to carry ALL, not just himself or a few hypocrites and sycophants, to the Promised Land. Many of them believe that the fact that they occupy leadership “POSITIONS” naturally confers upon them the right to call themselves leaders, but they are not. They are simply “CARICATURES”.

    The “Oga at the Top” school of leadership, in my opinion, is detrimental to both the leader and the led. To the leader, this view of leadership makes them feel invincible, untouchable and infallible. They start to think that they have a monopoly on leadership and everyone else is inferior to them. They surround themselves with mediocre people who will acquiesce to their every command. In essence, they become the King who wore no clothes to the parade and nobody had the guts to tell them how utterly stupid and foolish they look.

    To those that are led, this view of leadership gives them every excuse not to stand for something. They cede all power to their leader and become comfortable blaming others when things go wrong.They fall into a state of mental inertia and stop thinking critically about the issues that affect them because the leader is supposed to do ALL the thinking for them. They think that leadership is someone else’s responsibility and do not see themselves as powerful enough to make a difference in the world that they live in. They do not hold themselves individually and mutually accountable to achieving an end that is beneficial to all, and by so doing they cannot hold their leaders accountable too.

    Nigeria will never reach its potential if we keep waiting for the “right leader”. It is unrealistic to expect one person to shoulder all that is right and wrong with Nigeria. Instead, we must become a country of leaders. Everyone must play a leadership role in their own area of influence, be it at home, school, work, play, church or mosque. Can you look in the mirror and call yourself a leader… an agent of positive transformative change, first in your own life and then in the life of others? Do you see the greatness of Nigeria and fellow Nigerians as connected to your greatness?

    If the answer is “NO” and if leadership is not something you demand of yourself everyday, then you do not have a right to demand it of others. Leadership is not something far from you or something to aspire to. The opportunity for leadership is your daily companion. It sleeps with you, wakes with you, eats with you and goes to work with you. You don’t have to wait until you become the “Oga at the Top” to be a leader. You can be a leader every day, wherever you are, by simply choosing to helpthose around you see leadership as a means to collective, not just individual, progress.

     

  • When modesty is an undesirable virtue

    Performance reviews need not be such a highly unpleasant, uncomfortable, unwelcome and dreadful affair. Agreeing clear and measurable performance objectives at the start of the year and holding quarterly performance reviews with your manager are two great ways of making sure you and your manager have a rewarding and amicable performance review. A third way is to support your manager by writing your own-self appraisal whether it is formally required by your organization or not. Such a strategy does two things for you.

    At the very least, you remind yourself of everything that you have accomplished and can pass on that information to your manager. On the other hand, managers can sometimes be too lazy or simply too overworked to give your assessment the time and attention it requires. An objectively written self-appraisal can be a very valuable source of information for your manager. Below are five tips for writing an effective self-appraisal.

    1. Don’t Be Bashful?

    There is a time to be modest, however the right time is not during the review of your performance.Performance appraisals are akey part of the performance management process in many organizations. The process starts with the establishment of organizational goals and their cascade, first to departmental levels and then to individuals. Each individual is required to contribute in a measurable way to the attainment of corporate objectives and the performance appraisal is where that evidence is formally captured.

    There is no reward here for being humble or bashful. No one is better equipped to comprehensively describe your work and accomplishment throughout the year than yourself.If you leave something out or play it down, chances are it will stay that way.

    2. Be Objective

    It is one thing not to be bashful, it is another to invent events and accomplishments that are known only to you or fail to hold up under scrutiny. Do not include anything in your appraisal that you cannot justify or support with objective data. Do not exaggerate your contributions and certainly do not attempt to take credit for someone else’s work.

    Be objective in your self-appraisal and do not make it seem like the sun shines through your “you know what”. Everyone knows that no one is perfect and writing a self-appraisal that sings only your praises is not very realistic. It could actually convey that you are out of touch with reality and not self-critical. A good self-appraisal captures both past accomplishments and future development areas in a balanced, not necessarily equal, way.

    3. Focus on Results not Activity

    What is the point of saying you prepared and sent 100 sales proposals to clients if at the end of the day none of it resulted in an actual sale? Do not expect a pat on the back or accolades.

    It is recommended that you use the S.T.A.R. method when writing your self-appraisal. Start with the Situation or Task. This should be consistent with your performance objectives set at the start of the year. Describe the actions you took especially those that went over and beyond expectations, mitigated risks, overcame obstaclesand/or took advantage of opportunities. Finally, tie your actions to measurable business results, especially financial results. If you cannot connect what you do every day to changes in the metrics that your organization uses to measure its performance, you will be hard-pressed to prove your weight in gold, come appraisal time.

    4. Use Third Party Evidence

    What is greater than self-praise? Praise from someone else, especially an objective third party. Make sure you are gathering evidence throughout the year of positive feedback you have received from other colleagues, customers, vendors or supervisors. Written evidence, such as an email or letter, is great for showing that your work is appreciated by your stakeholders.

    If nobody else except “Yours Truly” is praising your work, you have a problem. Also if you have to beg, cajole or arm twist a third party to write a commendation, then your contribution is truly not valuable. Make it a point to add tremendous value to others such that they cannot help but sing your praise. Let them, through their feedback, write you a glowing appraisal that no manager can refute.

    5. Don’t Sell Fish

    It is true that the performance appraisal is about you, but it is not all about you. When your appraisal contains more “Is” than “WEs”, you start losing points for not being a team player. Identify individuals or groups of individuals who had a positive impact on your success and give them a befitting and worthy mention in your appraisal. Better still, send a note of appreciation to them copying their managers.

    Lastly, share some credit with your manager. Recognize your manager’s contribution to your performance and development. Make your manager look good to his bosses by spotlighting (not exaggerating) his positive qualities and backing it with examples so you don’t come across as a sycophant. The law of reciprocity says that your manager will feel indebted and be compelled to make you look good too.

     

  • Plain coo-coo or simply ga-ga?

    Plain coo-coo or simply ga-ga?

    Two weeks ago my business partner and I were at the Maanzoni Lodge in Machakos, Kenya, attending the 2013 Microsoft Partner University. We were invited to facilitate a two day “Unlocking Public Sector Opportunities” Workshop. We arrived on Sunday, the thirteenth of October, just in time to watch the soccer match between Nigeria and Ethiopia. Since we were a day early very few attendees had checked into the resort, and all the dining tables on the terrace were emptyexcept for the table next to us which was occupied by seven Ethiopians.

    It was evident in the first half of the game, and parts of the second half, that the Ethiopian team was eating our lunch. Our players could not keep possession of the ball and their passes often fell short of the mark. The middle field was in disarray and there was no apparent strategy to win the game. Our opponents, on the other hand, seemed to have a very good strategy for effortlessly dispossessing our players of the ball and they got bolder by the minute. The Ethiopian team scored first and their fan club of seven in Kenya jumped off their seats and celebrated. My business partner, a football fanatic and ardent Arsenal supporter, congratulated them in the spirit of good sportsmanship. However, the goal and the Super Eagles’ lackluster performancehad shaken our confidence.

    In frustration I wondered, “When is Keshi going to DO something?”

    He soon did. He sent in Igiebor to replace Oduamadi, and Ideye to replace Moses in the second half. Oh Boy! What a difference those changes made!It seemed to me that the middle field was strengthened and our boys were able to hold the ball much longer than they did in the first half. Emenike scored two goals in the 57th and 90th minutes, and that is how Nigeria won the game, coming from behind to equalize and brush past the Ethiopian team with a 2:1 victory. I do not know much about the intricacies and technicalities of soccer, but as far as I am concerned the changes madeby Keshi, were GAME CHANGERS.

    It would have been ABSOLUTELY INSANE for Keshi to have played the second half of the match using the same failed strategy or tactics as the first half and to have expected a different result. “If you always do what you have always done, you will always get, what you have always got.” I don’t think it was a fluke that the changes Keshi implemented made a difference in the final outcome. The results of the first half of the match was feedback to him that something had gone awry. Whatever strategy the Super Eagles had devised to play in the locker room was obviously flawed or it was not being properly executed on the field.

    Guess what? That is a part of life. Sometimes our emergent strategy looks very different from our intended strategy. It is easy to create strategies in the locker room, but when you are on the field and trying to put the strategy in play, STUFF HAPPENS. Some things we can control, others we cannot. If you are getting signals that your emerging strategy will not get you to the Promised Land, then corrective action becomes imperative. As a coach, there is only so much Keshi can do from the sidelines when the ball is in play. He can, however, still make the decision about who gets to play.

    Taking responsibility and accountability for the realized strategy, aka results, means being willing to do “something” to change the game. Recently, I gave someone very near and dear to me some tough love. I said,”Doing nothing is a decision in its own right, and not the lack of one. Running away, burying your head in the sand or choosing to do nothing out of fear, is tantamount to “CHOOSING” not to demonstrate leadership. You need to “man up”, face your “S@#t” and do something…anything, to change your game.”

    The end of 2013 is almost upon us. This chapter of our lives will soon close never to be open to our influence again.History is filled with crazy people. The “Coo-coos” and the “Ga-gas”.The Coo-coos are those who chose, consciously or unconsciously, to “stick to” a strategy that is obviously not going to get them to their Promised Land and keep expectinga different outcome. It’s like getting on a bus going to Sokoto and expecting to end up in Bayelsa!That’s just plain “El Loco” or “ARO”.The Ga-gas, on the other hand, are a different kind of crazy! They are those who get on the bus going to Sokoto and convince the driver to take them and the other passengers to Bayelsa! The Ga-gas are the Wright Brothers, pioneers breaking new ground and doing what others say is impossible. They are those who have this crazy unshakable belief that they, by TAKING ACTION, per chance can CHANGE THEIR GAME.

    You havesixty-five days to change your game before the 2013 whistle blows, sixty-five opportunities to take action to change how history will judge you. Plain Coo-coo or Simply Ga-ga.

     

  • How to become an A+ employee

    How to become an A+ employee

    Every organisation wants A+ employees, however, such employees are a rare gem to find. The market today is flooded with individuals who are looking for where to park their “butts” and get paid plenty for delivering very little value to the world they live in. They are the clock-watchers and pencil pushers; in at half past eight in the morning and out by half past four in the afternoon, under the guise of beating traffic. They put in just enough not to get fired and act as stumbling blocks in the way of others who desire to make more positive contributions. You would typically hear them say “This is not my father’s business”. As if they would be so lucky.

    A+ employees,on the other hand, make their organization and world a better place for everyone. They are team players, proactive problem solvers, idea generators and risk takers. They leave legacies and track records behind for others to beat. Being an A+ employee is not hereditary. It is a state of mind and a choice. It is behaviour that can be learned. Here are 3 key lessons on howto be an A+ Employee.

    (i) Understand the business of your employer. Every organization is set up to achieve a set of objectives, whether it is a not-for-profit, for-profit or government agency. Find out what those objectives are and identify how you can directly contribute to their achievement. You are an A+ employee when you take the time to discover what makes your organisation great in the eyes of its stakeholders and you invest your time, energy and passion in making your organisation rock!

    Work with your manager to clearly articulate your goals and deliverables for the year, and establish early connections between your work outputs and business priorities. If you cannot relate what you do every day to the survival and success of the company you work for, you will have a hard time convincing yourself, or anyone else for that matter, that you are a valuable asset to be retained.

    I had to break this message down for my employees in very simple terms. If we are not engaging new customers and we are not delivering to our customers’ satisfaction, then the business will eventually go bust and so will their jobs. It is everybody’s job to sell and deliver quality service. Everything else is secondary.

    (ii) Check yourself before others put you in check. Every year, smart organisations invest funds and resources in creating monitoring controls. They set their performance targets at the start of the year and spend the rest of the year benchmarking their actual performance against these. This enables organisations identify early warning signs of impending disasterand take timely action to avert undesirable outcomes. If monitoring controls are good enough for your employer, they are certainly good enough for you.

    A+ employees regularly monitor their own individual performance and keep score. They proactively seek out performance feedback from stakeholders and take immediate action to address performance issues. Plan and organise your week in such a way that you accomplish your most important tasks first, and evaluate your performance against your objectives on a weekly basis. Ask your manager to evaluate your performance on a quarterly basis. Do not be afraid of constructive criticism.

    One of our interns quickly learnt the hard way that he had to “check” himself when his internship was extended from six months to nine months because he was not meeting some of his performance goals. The experience was a wakeup call that spurredhimto evaluate his own performance on a weekly basis and regularly ask for performance feedback.

    (iii) Create and implement a Personal Development Plan. All organisations are expected to evolve into bigger and better versions of themselves. They are expected to grow market share, increase revenues and improve profitability, in an environment that is constantly changing. Guess what? Companies are made up of people and if those people are not constantly reinventing themselves to improve their work outputs, then their organisations will soon become extinct.

    A+ employees keep abreast of the strategic direction of the companies they work for and changes in the environment, so that they can respond proactively to emerging business needs. Work with your manager and mentors to formulate learning and development strategies for upgrading your knowledge, skills and experience so that you can meet not just the present, but also the future needs of your employer.

    In a one-on-one meeting with one of my interns, I helped her understand that her desire to pursue graduate studies and work experience in the United States means that she is choosing to compete on a global stage for admission and employment with people from all over the world. It is, therefore, her responsibility to ensure that her skills and competence are at par with or better than other prospective graduate students.

    As we progress into the last quarter of the year, it’s a good time to check-in with yourself and probably your manager, what grade of an employee you are. If not A+, then what?