5 ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR LEADERSHIP IN THE 21ST CENTURY

 Writen by: Promise Edem Nukunu

There is a new crop of leadership, and that is Servant leaders. Below are quality of the 21st century servant leader.

Who You Are and Whether You Care are Just as Important as What You Do.

 The 21^st century presents many new challenges for both employees and business leaders. In an interconnected, fast moving world, we need to learn cognitive flexibility, stress tolerance, and divergent thinking. While technology can make us more effective, new theories of leadership emphasize the importance of trust and establishing long-term relationships. In a competitive world, we need leaders with novel ideas, who are willing to take risks, inspire and motivate, and build new strategic partnerships to address global challenges.  In these endeavors, leaders need to incorporate skills that are more in the realm of psychology and cognitive science. Below is a psychologist’s perspective on what it takes to succeed in the new world of business.

1. CONTRIBUTE UNIQUENESS

"Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is specifically your own.“ –Bruce Lee

There are so many people out there saying exactly the same thing. To stand out, you have to be original. Being original involves taking time to really think about material that you hear or read. How does this story or research finding relate to finding solutions for the problems that you want to address? 

• Have an original perspective that inspires people
• Apply knowledge from one area to another or synthesize ideas from different disciplines
• Tell a different story about the material; Relate it to your own life and work experiences
• Find a novel way to communicate key concepts or approach a problem
•  Trim the fat off of a theory or operational system; add new elements that improve   

2.  ACT EFFECTIVELY

“Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” – Peter Drucker

It’s not about getting things done quickly or doing the most activities in the shortest time. Rather than doing a bunch of busywork, take time to formulate a vision and set priorities and goals. Find a balance between doing the urgent and important things.

• What are the short- and long-term challenges that your team/organization will address? 
• In what way will you contribute unique value in addressing these challenges?
• What potential barriers will you face and how will you deal with them?
• What skills and resources do you need to optimally provide and support these new services/technologies.
• How can your team support people to do their best work and support customers to get the best use out of your products/services
• Sometimes doing the right things will not be the most efficient. Gaining the trust of  customers and employees can consume time and resources, but will lead to better long-term stability and effectiveness.

3. BE RESILIENT

“Fall seven times, Stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb

The truth is that everybody makes mistakes. The bigger your goals, the more mistakes you will make. Being innovative means trying new things; and venturing where nobody has gone before. It’s easier to do things the way they’ve always been done, but your long-term impact will be less. If you want to have a memorable and long-term impact, you need to take strategic risks, and that may mean failing or messing up sometimes. Self-confidence is key. Often this comes from having prior successful experiences. Even if you’re doing something new, remember your prior successes, and the personal qualities you have that created them.

·         If you believe in your mission and abilities, failure is just a temporary detour.

·         Most failures contain one or more lessons.  Be willing to admit your contribution to the failure, and be ready to change your thinking about the issue.

·         Listen to and collaborate with others, but do not suppress your own voice and goals.

·     You may need to take time to grieve the loss of a dream, contemplate, and regroup. 

    4.EMBRACE CHANGE

       “The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity. “ – Peter Drucker

 We live in a time of rapid technological, geographical, and economic change. Old formulas don't predict as well, anymore.  New knowledge about the brain and human genome is already leading to radical new ways of viewing the world. Mobile technology makes the world smaller and increases the access  & knowledge of constituents who previously had no voice. This creates many challenges, but also opens the door to new opportunities.

•     The human brain naturally resists change, seeing it as a threat.
•      Think about how you can apply your tried and true skills and strengths to this changing landscape. What new needs does the change create?

5. STAY GROUNDED

“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. “ – Lao Tzu

When you do succeed, do not get too distracted by your ego. Success does not make you invincible or more worthy than other people. Every person has something to contribute and all are worthy of respect (except perhaps human cannibals, etc.).  Similarly, if you don’t get desired results, your preconceived views may need to be tweaked, so be willing to change your thinking.Be patient with the process. Results take time. You may have to go through a stage of investing your time and resources, learning new skills, putting ideas out there and waiting for them to take root.

• Always keep the meaning of your work at the forefront. Why are you doing what you do? What contribution do you want to make to bettering the lives of others?
• Value the simple things in life, such as nature, health, friends, coworkers,  and family. These will sustain you through the difficult times, so remember to feed them.
• Practice mindful self-awareness to learn compassion for yourself and others. Much of business is about relationships. If you exude a humble, caring, open attitude, and are a team player, others will be more willing to work with or follow you.
• Work hard, but don’t drive yourself like a machine. Life is a marathon, not a sprint., so use your energy wisely and know when you need to  replenish.
• You may have underlying needs, that drive you, such as to be acknowledged, have power, be part of a group, be respected, cared about, and so on. The more you understand and acknowledge these needs, the less they will get in the way of your mission.

Using these strategies should help optimize your personal strength and adaptability, passion for your work, ability to act strategically, and work with others in mutually beneficial ways.  While the old model of business emphasized dominance and power, the new models are more abou vision, focus, communication, cognitive flexibility, authenticity, and partnership. The world is becoming too complicated to be effective alone. Forming meaningful, trusting relationships with others who have different skills and knowledge, but similar goals and values is the way to succeed in both small business and large organizations.

you may read more here; https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201206/five-essential-skills-leadership-in-the-21st-century

THE POWER OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

Written and posted by Promise Edem Nukunu

 

THE TREASURE WITHIN YOU
Nothing is permanent except CHANGE.

Infinite riches are all around you if you will open your mental eyes and behold the treasure house of infinity within you. There is a gold mine within you from which you can extract everything you need to live life gloriously, joyously, and abundantly. Many are sound asleep because they do not know about this gold mine of infinite intelligence and boundless love within themselves. Whatever you want, you can draw forth. A magnetized piece of steel will lift about twelve times its own weight, and if you demagnetize this same piece of steel, it will not even lift a feather. Similarly, there are two types of men. There is the magnetized man who is full of confidence and faith. He knows that he is born to win and to succeed. Then, there is the type of man who is demagnetized. He is full of fears and doubts. Opportunities come, and he says, "I might fail; I might lose my money; people will laugh at me." This type of man will not get very for in life because, if he is afraid to go forward, he will simply stay where he is. Become a magnetized man and discover the master secret of the ages.

 THE MASTER SECRET OF THE AGES

What, in your opinion, is the master secret of the ages? The secret of atomic energy? Thermonuclear energy? The neutron bomb? Interplanetary travel? No not any of these. Then, what is this master secret? Where can one find it, and how can it be contacted and brought into action? The answer is extraordinarily simple. This secret is the marvelous, miracle-working power found in your own subconscious mind, the last place that most  people would seek it The marvelous power of your subconscious You can bring into your life more power, more wealth, more health, more happiness, and more joy by learning to contact and release the hidden power of your subconscious mind. You need not acquire this power; you already possess it. But, you want to learn how to use it; you want to understand it so that you can apply it in all departments of your life.

As you follow the simple techniques and processes set forth in this book, you can gain the necessary knowledge and understanding. You can be inspired by a new light, and you can generate a new force enabling you to realize your hopes and make all your dreams come true. Decide now to make your life grander, greater, richer, and nobler than ever before. Within your subconscious depths lie infinite wisdom, infinite power, and infinite supply of all that is necessary, which is waiting for development and expression. Begin now to recognize these potentialities of your deeper mind, and they will take form in the world without*

The infinite intelligence within your subconscious mind can reveal to you everything you need to know at every moment of time and point of space provided you are open-minded and receptive. You can receive new thoughts and ideas enabling you to bring forth new inventions, make new discoveries, or write books and plays. Moreover, the infinite intelligence in your subconscious can impart to you wonderful kinds of knowledge of an original nature. It can reveal to you and open the way for perfect expression and true place in your life. Through the wisdom of your subconscious mind you can attract the ideal companion, as well as the right business associate or partner. It can find the right buyer for your home, and provide you with all the money you need, and the financial freedom to be, to do, and to go as your heart desires.

It is your right to discover this inner world of thought, feeling, and power, of light, love, and beauty. Though invisible, its forces are mighty. Within your subconscious mind you will find the solution for every problem, and the cause for every effect Because you can draw out the hidden powers, you come into actual possession of the power and wisdom necessary to move forward in abundance, security, joy, and dominion.

I have seen the power of the subconscious lift people up out of crippled states, making them whole, vital, and strong once more, and free to go out into the world to experience happiness, health, and joyous expression. There is a miraculous healing power in your subconscious that can heal the troubled mind and the broken heart. It can open the prison door of the mind and liberate you. It can free you from all kinds of material and physical bondage.

NECESSITY OF A WORKING BASIS

Substantial progress in any field of endeavor is impossible in the absence of a working basis which is universal in its application. You can become skilled in the operation of your subconscious mind. You can practice its powers with a certainty of results in exact proportion to your knowledge of its principles and to your application of them for definite specific purposes and goals you wish to achieve. Being a former chemist, I would like to point out that if you combine hydrogen and oxygen in the proportions of two atoms of the former to one of the latter, water will be the result. You are very familiar with the fact that one atom of oxygen and one atom of carbon will produce carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas. But, if you add another atom of oxygen, you will get carbon dioxide, a harmless gas, and so on throughout the vast realm of chemical compounds. You must not think: that the principles of chemistry, physics, and mathematics differ from the principles of your subconscious mind. Let us consider a generally accepted principle: "Water seeks its own level." This is a universal principle which is applicable to water everywhere.

Consider another Consider another principle: "Matter expands when heated."

This is true anywhere, at any time, and under all circumstances. You can heat a piece of steel, and it will expand regardless whether the steel is found in China, England, or India. It is a universal truth that matter expands when heated. It is also a universal truth that whatever you impress on your subconscious mind is expressed on the screen of space as condition, experience, and event.

Your prayer is answered because your subconscious mind is principle, and by principle I mean the way a thing works. For example, the principle of electricity is that it works from a higher to a lower potential. You do not change the principle of electricity when you use it, but by cooperating with nature, you can bring forth marvelous inventions and discoveries which bless humanity in countless ways. Your subconscious mind is principle and works according to the law of belief. You must know what belief is, why it works, and how it works. Your Bible says in a simple, clear, and beautiful way: Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou re~ moved, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. MARK 11:23. The law of your mind is the law of belief. This means to believe in the way your mind works, to believe in belief itself.

The belief of your mind is the thought of your mind that is simple just that and nothing else, All your experiences, events, conditions, and acts are the reactions of your subconscious mind to your thoughts. Remember, it is not the thing believed in, but the belief in your own mind which brings about the result Cease believing in the false beliefs, opinions, superstitions, and fears of mankind Begin to believe in the eternal verities and truths of life which never change. Then, you will move onward, upward, and Godward. Whoever reads this book and applies the principles of the subconscious mind herein set forth, will be able to pray scientifically and effectively for himself and for others. Your prayer is answered according to the universal law of action and reaction. Thought is incipient action. The reaction is the response from your subconscious mind which corresponds with the nature of your thought Busy your mind with the concepts of harmony, health, peace, and good will, and wonders will happen in your life. 

THE DUALITY OF MIND

You have only one mind, but your mind possesses two distinctive characteristics. The line 
of demarcation between the two is well known to all thinking men and women today. The 
two functions of your mind are essentially unlike. Each is endowed with separate and distinct attributes and powers. The nomenclature generally used to distinguish the two functions of your mind is as follows: The objective and subjective mind, the conscious and subconscious mind, the waking and sleeping mind, the surface self and the deep self, the voluntary mind and the involuntary mind, the male and the female, and many other terms. You will find the terms "conscious" and "subconscious" used to represent the dual nature of your mind throughout this book.

THE CONSCIOUS AND SUBCONSCIOUS MINDS

An excellent way to get acquainted with the two functions of your mind is to look upon your own mind as a garden. You are a gardener, and you are planting seeds (thoughts) in your subconscious mind all day long, based on your habitual thinking. As you sow in your subconscious mind, so shall you reap in your body and environment.

Begin now to sow thoughts of peace, happiness, right action, good will, and prosperity. Think quietly and with interest on these qualities and accept them fully in your conscious reasoning mind. Continue to plant these wonderful seeds (thoughts) in the garden of your mind, and you will reap a glorious harvest Your subconscious mind may be likened to the soil which will grow all kinds of seeds, good or bad. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Every thought is, therefore, a cause, and every condition is an effect. For this reason, it is essential that you take charge of your thoughts so as to bring forth only despable conditions.  When your mind thinks correctly, when you understand the truth, when the thoughts deposited in your subconscious mind are constructive, harmonious, and peaceful, the magic working power of your subconscious will respond and bring about harmonious conditions, agreeable surroundings, and the best of everything^ When you begin to control your thought processes, you can~3pply the powers of your subconscious to any problem or difficulty. In other words, you will actually be consciously co-operating with the infinite power and omnipotent law which governs all things. Look around you wherever you live and you will notice that the vast majority of mankind lives in the world without the more enlightened men are intensely interested in the world within/Remember, it is the world within, namely, yoyo: thoughts, feelings/ and imagery that makes your world without It is, therefore, the only creative power, and everything which you find in your world of expression has been created by you in the inner world of your mind consciously or unconsciously?) A knowledge of the interaction of your conscious and

subconscious working power of your subconscious will respond and bring about harmonious conditions, agreeable surroundings, and the best of everything^ When you begin to control your thought processes, you can~3pply the powers of your subconscious to any problem or difficulty. In other words, you will actually be consciously co-operating with the infinite power and omnipotent law which governs all things. Look around you wherever you live and you will notice that the vast majority of mankind lives in the world without the more enlightened men are intensely interested in the world within/Remember, it is the world within, namely, yoyo: thoughts, feelings/ and imagery that makes your world without It is, therefore, the only creative power, and everything which you find in your world of expression has been created by you in the inner world of your mind consciously or unconsciously?)

A knowledge of the interaction of your conscious and subconscious faith and confidence for fear, success for failure, and freedom from the law of averages. Certainly, there can be no more wonderful blessing than these from a mental, emotional, and material standpoint.

Most of the great scientists, artists, poets, singers, writers, and inventors have a deep understanding of the workings of the conscious and subconscious minds. One time Caruso, the great operatic tenor, was struck with stage fright. He said his throat was paralyzed due to spasms caused by intense fear which constricted the muscles of his throat. Perspiration poured copiously down his face. He was ashamed because in a few minutes he had to go out on the stage, yet he was shaking with fear and trepidation. He said, "They will laugh at me. I can't sing." Then he shouted in the presence of those behind the stage, "The Little Me wants to strangle the Big Me within."

He said to the Little Me, "Get out of here, the Big Me wants to sing through me."

By the Big Me, he meant the limitless power and wisdom of Ms subconscious mind, and he began to shout, "Get out, get out, the Big Me is going to sing!" His subconscious mind responded releasing the vital forces within him. When the call came, he walked out on the stage and sang gloriously and majestically, enthralling the audience.

It is obvious to you now that Caruso must have understood the two levels of mind the conscious or rational, and the subconscious or irrational level of Your subconscious mind is reactive and responds to the nature of your thoughts:! When your conscious mind (the Little Me) is full of fear, worry; and anxiety, the negative emotions engendered in your subconscious mind (the Big Me) are released and flood the conscious mind with a sense of panic, foreboding, and despair. When this happens, you can, like Caruso, speak affirmatively and with a deep sense of authority to the irrational emotions generated in your deeper mind as follows: "Be still, be quiet, I am in control, you must obey me, you are subject to my command, you cannot intrude where you do not belong." It is fascinating and intensely interesting to observe how you can speak authoritatively and with conviction to the irrational movement of your deeper self-bringing silence, harmony and peace to your mind The subconscious is subject to the conscious mind, and that is why it is called subconscious or subjective.

To be continued....

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WANTING TO BE A WORLD CHAMPION?

Written by: Speaker,Eld. Benjamin Asare
 
THEN FOLLOW THIS SIMPLE CODE OF CONDUCTS

1. Determination
 2. Sacrifice
3. Discipline
4. Commitment.
WHAT WE NEED
1. Direction
2. Define your area
a) Identify your gift. - What makes you?
b) What makes you angry?
 3. Knowledge and wisdom (Practice)

 3. Discipline. 1 Cor 15:10
 If you don't move you'll be removed.
5. Be diligence - is putting your best into your assignment.
Prov 2:29 6. Sacrifice.
The man who wakes up and finds himself a success has no time sleeping.

THE WORKSHOP OF THOUGHTS

Written by : PROMISE EDEM NUKUNU




No man is ever whipped until he QUIET - in his mind. We have been made to be aware that our mind is the master brewer and for that matter is the workshop of distillery. What ever a man thinks, he may definitely be that only when his thought becomes the receptacles of ideas. We constantly want to

improve life and the average man is constantly chasing with life improvement methods. The worse of all is the deception from the media especially that of the television. We are made to believe that, applying particular pomade or consuming a peculiar food could make us improve and meet the standard of society. Obviously, none of these could. We can only improve our lives with constant thought and affirmation of what we want and implanting it into our subconscious mind. Improvement starts with oneself and not any one. You can’t change what you like. Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves. They therefore remain bound. The man who does not shrink from self-crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the object upon which his heart is set. This is as true of earthly as of heavenly things. Even the man whose sole object is to acquire wealth must be prepared to make great personal sacrifices before he can accomplish his objectives; and how much more so he who would realize a strong and well-poised life?. He must crucified his own evil thoughts and feed his mind with positive ones. The bible asserted ‘’ … therefore think what is just, what truth, what is good, and what is honorable’’ (paraphrase) Here is a man who is wretchedly poor. He is extremely anxious that his surroundings and home comforts should be improved. Yet all the time he shirk his work, and considers he is justified in trying to deceive his employer on the ground of the insufficiency of his wages. Such a man does not understand the simplest rudiments of those principles which are the basis of true prosperity. He is not only totally unfitted to rise out of his wretchedness, but is actually attracting to himself a still deeper wretchedness by dwelling in, and acting out, indolent, deceptive, and unmanly thoughts. Here is a rich man who is the victim of a painful and persistent disease as the result of gluttony. He is willing to give large sums of money to get rid of it, but he will not sacrifice his gluttonous desires. He wants to gratify his taste for rich and unnatural foods and have his health as well. Such a man is totally unfit to have health, because he has not yet learned the first principles of a healthy life. Here is an employer of labor who adopts crooked measures to avoid paying the regulation wage, and, in the hope of making larger profits, reduces the wages of his workpeople. Such a man is altogether unfitted for prosperity. And when he finds himself bankrupt, both as regards reputation and riches, he blames circumstances, not knowing that he is the sole author of his condition. All these three; the poor man who deceives his employer, the rich man who eat unhealthy food, expecting to have his health and the employer who cut down the wage of his workers to get rich, all these work base on their negative thought and you could see the result manifest. No man has ever think evil and rise to a higher height. Such workshop can not accept workers like that to come in. Lazy thoughts crystallize into habits of uncleanliness and dishonesty, which solidify into circumstances of foulness and beggary. Hateful and condemnatory thoughts crystallize into habits of accusation and violence, which solidify into circumstances of injury and persecution. Selfish thoughts of all kinds crystallize into habits of self-seeking, which solidify into circumstances more of less distressing. A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. And as he adapts his mind to that regulating factor, he ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition, and builds himself up in strong and noble thoughts.

He ceases to kick against circumstances, but begins to use them as aids to his more rapid progress, and as a means of discovering the hidden powers and possibilities within himself. And that is the starting point of his riches. No man can take decision beyond what he knows. A foolish man decides a foolish thoughts and nothing else. The inverse of this is a wise thought who has feed his mind with beautiful and just thoughts and in the extreme, beautiful thoughts of all crystallize into habits of grace and kindliness, which solidify into genial and sunny circumstances. Pure thoughts crystallize into habits of temperance and self-control, which solidify into circumstances of repose and peace. Thoughts of courage, self-reliance, and decision crystallize into manly habits, which solidify into circumstances of success, plenty, and freedom. Upon these you are gradually building yourself to self confidence, trust and finally to actualization of your dreams. What we call future is not in tomorrow. A man has to discover what he have within to be able to make for tomorrow. Who said it could not be done? And tell me what great victories does he have to His credit which qualifies him to judge what can and can't be accomplished. With the thoughts of positivity you will be what you will to be; there is no such word – failure, and defect in the dictionary of the positive mind determine to make an impact. Such only exist in the case of a temporary defect. Because one cannot control all the variables of nature. Let failure find its false content in that poor word, "environment," But spirit scorns it, and is free. It masters time, it conquers space; It cows that boastful trickster, Chance, and bids the tyrant Circumstance Uncrown, and fill a servant's place. Use your head to think. What ever you want to do, think, plan strategize, seek advice and hit with a target. There is no perfect. You cannot prevent all the variables in your life. When you try and fail, trust God for a bounce. And in the words of Prince Kofi Amoabeng of UT Bank ‘’ it is better to step forward and fail than not to take the action. I would rather step forward ’’ so keep moving.

THE SIX (6) BUSINESS ‘KILLER DISEASES’

Written by Albert & Comfort Ocran ] Psted Promise Edem Nukunu 


 Health authorities have, over the years, devoted a lot of resources and effort into dealing with what they call the ‘six childhood killer diseases.’ For the record, these dangerous diseases that pose serious threats to the child are measles, tetanus, diphtheria, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis and whooping cough. These are preventable and failure to effectively do so often leads to infant mortality. The authorities have therefore developed vaccines and an elaborate programme of preventive measures to combat them. These measures have achieved varying degrees of success in different countries. Similarly, there are a number of factors that threaten the survival and growth of young businesses. We have identified six of such ‘killer diseases’ that tend to hinder new businesses from growing. They are preventable but when left uncontrolled behave like weeds growing wildly on a farm. They end up battling with the main plant for oxygen, water and other nutrients. Searching out and destroying them is crucial for the survival and growth of any start-up business. Because of the danger they pose, we have termed them the 6 Business Killer Diseases.
1. The Wrong Team. The entrepreneur with a strong, skilled and highly motivated team has an advantage in implementing his/her vision over one who is saddled with an incompetent and uninspired team. It starts from the very top; you need great people as partners, managers and supervisors. Wrong people who smuggle themselves into your team are likely to frustrate the effort. It is imperative that you create recruitment systems that allow only competent and qualified people into your business. If you compromise on that in favour of unqualified religious affiliates, family members and old schoolmates, you might as well be arranging for the collapse and eventual demise of your business. They often end up compromising on the discipline levels and affecting team spirit in your business.
• Wrong Attitudes. The attitude of the members of the team will go a long way in determining how far the team can go. A bunch of excited, warm and friendly people will infect everyone with their enthusiasm. On the other hand, fear and shyness in any team will lead to loss of opportunities through immobility. Other teams suffer greatly because of a general feeling of complacency and arrogance. It is important to cultivate right attitudes in your team. The way you treat your employees is the same way they will treat your clients. You therefore need no imagination to know the kind of service your clients are getting. In the words of leadership guru, John Maxwell, “The only thing more contagious than a good attitude is a bad attitude.
• Financial Indiscipline. Owners of companies and partnerships must allow good corporate governance standards to take root right at the inception. They must discipline themselves to take salaries and work with budgets rather than dipping their hands into the business’ coffers whenever they have a funeral to attend or a major personal expenditure to make. Budgets must be tied to the company’s strategic direction in order to ensure consistent growth instead of building haphazardly. It is prudent at the early stages of the business to resist the temptation to compromise on the company’s financial health. The focus must be entirely on growing the business entity. That is the only way the business can survive and thrive.
• The Little ‘Foxes.’ Many businesses with great potential are destroyed by certain apparently insignificant things that most people easily take for granted. These ‘foxes’ are loopholes either in the business’ operating systems or management style that tend to imperceptibly gnaw away at the fabric of the company and destroy it little by little. Notable among these are petty cash mismanagement, absenteeism, complacency and a poor work ethic. Other ‘foxes’ are telephone abuse, inconsistency in quality, lack of integrity, the ‘big boss syndrome’ and the exploitation of purchasing systems. Sometimes, friends and family of the business owner openly flout laid-down company procedures and even procure the business’ services on credit without paying. When these things persist and are left unattended, those who are doing the right thing look at leadership to see if they will take action. The failure of leadership to do so discourages others from continually pursuing excellence.
• Lack of Vision/Impatience. Businesses that succeed are often those that have a clear vision or long-term perspective, and also the patience to see it through. Patience and perseverance are essential prerequisites for successfully implementing your vision. Business owners must avoid dissipating all the fruits of their first harvest on frivolous things and flashy cars in a bid to show others that they are making it. Keep doing the right thing even when it does not seem to be paying off in the short run. Galatians 6:9 in the Bible puts it this way, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” The problem is that most people get tired of doing things right and as a result give up and allow things to deteriorate till it is too late. The race to build a dream business is not a sprint but a marathon, which requires perseverance in the face of many difficulties.
• The Destroyers. Service providers and suppliers who do not understand your vision can cost you great victories and bring your business down through the delivery of inferior products or services. Similarly, your auditors, legal advisers and other stakeholders can easily become ‘destroyers’ when they fail to uphold the high standards you are working towards and cause you to stumble. Someone may propose a seemingly genuine or profitable business ‘deal’ which could turn out to be a hoax and set you many steps back. While some ‘destroyers’ may do so inadvertently, there are, sometimes, people whose avowed aim is to see your small business ruined. They are the ‘Herods’ and, to some extent, the ‘Pharaohs’ of your business. These kings in the Bible killed little children for fear of the threat they could pose when they grew up. Herod’s main fear was that a little baby had been born who would usurp his throne. There may be some people who feel the same way about your business. Sometimes, people like that try to creep into your business unawares, or plant ‘spies’ with the aim of destroying all the good that you have striven to achieve. You need to be on your guard against such evil machinations and pray for God to expose any such perpetrators around you. You must also continually refine the business’ operating systems and commit yourself to the procedures that evolve as a result. There are many instances when the only time the right process was skipped led to trouble. Growing your new business into a thriving corporate entity cannot happen overnight; neither is it attained by accident or wishful thinking. Business growth, like success in life, is not a destination but a journey that involves continuous commitment to customer satisfaction, product enhancement, organizational improvement and the unending pursuit of excellence.

THE 4 BIGGEST MISTAKES OF THE WORLD’S 4 BIGGEST ENTREPRENEURS

Written by Promise Edem Nukunu


 I bet you’ve made some pretty big mistakes. But have you ever made a billion-dollar mistake? If not, then rest easy: the world’s smartest and most successful entrepreneurs have made mistakes far greater than yours. One even made a decision that cost him $45 million bucks. Learn from their mistakes today so that you don’t repeat them tomorrow. 1 Steve Jobs Giving Up Control of Apple Today, we all know that Steve Jobs was one of the greatest CEO’s of all time. Between 1997 and 2011, Steve led Apple to soaring profits with unparalleled charisma, leadership, and eye for innovation. But in the beginning, even Steve didn’t know that he was destined to be CEO of the company that he founded. That doubt led Jobs to give up executive control of Apple Inc. in 1977 – a decision that would result in Jobs being fired by the company he founded. Slipping out of his Grasp Apple was a partnership owned entirely by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak until Jobs lured Mike Markkula out of retirement in 1977. Markkula was a seasoned entrepreneur and angel investor who provided Apple with much needed capital and business expertise. It was the beginning of Jobs losing control of his own company. By the time Markkula stepped down as CEO in 1983, Jobs wanted control back. He was ready to be CEO. The only problem was that it was no longer Steve’s decision – and the board at Apple Inc. wasn’t too keen on hiring a 28-year-old to run the fast-growing company. Powerless, Jobs agreed to recruit John Sculley, who was currently the head of Pepsi-Cola. Sculley took the job, but a power struggle between the two strong-willed men ensued. When the conflict reached a breaking point, Markkula sided with Sculley. Steve Jobs was fired from Apple Inc. in 1985. Sculley had this to say: Looking back, it was a big mistake that I was ever hired as CEO. I was not the first choice that Steve wanted to be the CEO. He was the first choice… The reason why I said it was a mistake to have hired me as CEO was Steve always wanted to be CEO. It would have been much more honest if the board had said, “Let’s figure out a way for him to be CEO. You could focus on the stuff that you bring and he focuses on the stuff he brings.” John Sculley, Former CEO of Apple Inc. Without Steve’s unique vision, Apple soon began to falter. A string of failures in the early 90’s opened the door wide for the competition, specifically Bill Gates and Microsoft. Lesson Learned: Steve Jobs wasn’t the most experienced choice for CEO of Apple, but he loved and understood his company better than anyone on the planet. If you want your startup company to grow, you have to give up some control. But be careful about how much control you give and who you give it to. You don’t want to be in Jobs position, betrayed by the very person who you put in power. Note: If you want more on what Jobs has done right, check out this article Nick wrote called 21 Life Lessons from Steve Jobs. Honorable Mention: Selling stock in Apple When Apple went public in 1980, Steve Jobs was awarded 7.5 million in Apple shares. When he was fired from Apple, Jobs sold all but one share. (He would have sold all of his shares, but he didn’t want to stop receiving the company’s annual report.) As of April 2012, with Apple stock trading for over $600, those 7.5 million shares would be worth over $45 billion dollars. That alone is almost as much as the April 2012 worth of the world’s richest man, Carlos Slim ($49 billion). 2 Bill Gates Ignoring Search Engines Gates has proved himself a visionary by founding a computer software company in 1975 (Microsoft), pioneering a graphical user interface in 1985 (Windows 1.0), and by introducing millions of Americans to the Internet in 1995 (Windows 95 came bundled with Internet Explorer). But by 2005, it was clear that Bill had failed to predict a billion-dollar opportunity: the search engine. Walking Past a Gold Mine “Google kicked our butts.” Bill Gates, former CEO of Microsoft Microsoft introduced MSN Search in 1998, the same year that Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google. Google was fast, innovative, and good at delivering relevant results. MSN Search was none-of-the-above. Microsoft hadn’t even bothered to develop a search engine of their own. They used results from Inktomi, an existing search engine. Search simply wasn’t a priority. Microsoft was more focused on defeating Netscape Navigator in a battle of the browsers. Still Searching for Results By 2002, it was painfully obvious to Gates that search had been a big missed opportunity. Google had earned $348 million in revenue that year. A year later, in 2003, Google almost tripled its revenue to $962 million. Finally, Microsoft started developing a search engine. The company launched Windows Live Search in 2006 but it failed to compete with Google. In 2009, Microsoft rebranded once again and introduced Bing. Billed as the first “decision engine”, Bing has taken a small bite out of the search market, but it hasn’t been cheap. In the fiscal year ending June 2011, Bing cost Microsoft $2.5 billion more than it earned. The Lesson: In 1998, no company had more leverage online than Microsoft. Imagine if Gates had prioritized the development of a great search engine back then: Google would probably be the world’s second biggest search engine. But since Gates owed all of his success to software, it isn’t surprising that he overestimated the importance of Internet Explorer. Bill said it best himself: Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose. As long as the world is spinning, your industry will keep changing. Just because a strategy worked for your business in the past, don’t count on it being the best method today. Note: If you want more on what Gates has done right, check out this article on 10 lessons from Bill Gates. Honorable Mention: Playing Monopoly Remember when I told you Bill Gates was determined to defeat Netscape Navigator? He may have been a little bit too determined: in 1998, Microsoft was slapped with a lawsuit alleging that it was in violation of anti-trust laws. In the case of United States v. Microsoft, the plaintiffs alleged that Microsoft had unfairly restricted the market for competing web browsers by manipulating APIs and bundling Internet Explorer with Windows 95. The judge initially ruled against Microsoft and ordered that the company be split into two divisions, but after years of litigation Microsoft won an appeal and reached a settlement that allowed the company to continue its operations. 3 Larry Page Missing Out on Social Networking Google has done so much right since Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded the search engine in 1998. They’ve monetized carefully, kept things simple, and expanded their services (e.g. Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail). But just as Bill Gates failed to capitalize on an opportunity to dominate search, Page missed an equally massive opportunity to dominate a coming web revolution: social networking. The worst part is that Page saw the potential of social networks, but he simply didn’t act on it. Friendster: The Google Network that Wasn’t Google had offered $30,000,000 to buy the social networking site Friendster in 2003. But Friendster didn’t sell. Larry Page should have used his position as “president of products” to start developing a Google social network right then and there. But he didn’t. Google didn’t roll out Google Buzz until February 2010. Buzz was discontinued in 2011 to make room for Google Plus, which has also struggled to make a dent in the market. Looking back on the missed opportunity, Page has expressed regret: “I clearly knew that I had to do something and I failed to do it.” Can you imagine if Google had used its team of developers, mountain of resources, and hundreds of millions of users to launch a social network back in 2004? Facebook wouldn’t have stood a chance. Instead, Google’s on the outside looking in. Lesson Learned: Page says that he “knew he had to do something” with social networking. But after Friendster declined to be bought out by Google, Page temporarily gave up on Google having a social network. Don’t make the same mistake. Next time you absolutely know your business is missing out on a big opportunity, stop at nothing to capitalize on it. Honorable Mention: Google Wave Page oversaw the development and release of this real-time collaborative editing application. Wave stumbled out of the gate because it was released before it’s time (the software was buggy). 4 Mark Zuckerberg Deciding to be the Face of Facebook Nobody can call Mark Zuckerberg stupid. It took great vision for Mark to imagine Facebook in 2004; it took analytical genius to program it into reality. But nobody can call Mark charismatic either. Mark is a strong-minded individual. He tends to be very blunt and a little bit arrogant. That’s why it’s surprising Zuckerberg chose to be the public face of his company. Missteps, Miscues, and Misunderstandings “I just killed a pig and a goat.” Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook The above sentence stirred up a small controversy when Zuckerberg posted it on his personal Facebook page in May 2011. Animal lovers found it offensive – even though Zuckerberg was only killing animals because he wanted to reinforce that “a living being has to die for you to eat meat.” These types of misunderstandings have marred Zuckerberg’s PR career. In interviews and presentations, Mark has been underwhelming and uninspiring. The worst example may be this interview at the D8 conference in 2010. When facing scrutiny over Facebook’s privacy policy, Zuckerberg stumbled over his words and began sweating so profusely that Forbes wrote a story about it called ‘Great Perspirations’. Of course, Zuckerberg’s most memorable (and perhaps most damaging) portrayal in the media was in the 2010 film The Social Network. The fictionalized account of Facebook’s rise to online dominance characterized Zuckerberg as ruthless, callous, and cocky – not exactly qualities you want associated with the face of your company. Lesson Learned: “Basically, any mistake that you think you can make I’ve probably made or will make in the next few years.” Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook Zuckerberg is getting better at PR. Lately, he’s been almost charismatic. And obviously, Facebook is doing just fine with him as the face of the company. People will continue loving Facebook as long as it’s the best way for them to connect with their friends online. But had Zuckerberg stayed in the shadows and allowed a silver-tongued “Steve Jobs type” in the spotlight, Facebook would have a clearer message and a better brand. The world’s biggest social networks would be more trusted, more loved, and – simply – cooler. So, as your company grows, remember that you may not always be the best person for the job. Play to your strengths and, in the words of Warren Buffett, stick to your “circle of confidence.” Note: If you want more on what Zuckerberg has done right, check out this article I wrote on nine ways Zuckerberg has been essential to Facebook’s success. Honorable Mention: Facebook Beacon Under Mark’s direction, Facebook has gotten into a lot of hot water for privacy issues. Their strategy seems to be invading their users’ privacy first, asking questions later, and apologizing if necessary. Facebook Beacon is the most egregious example. Launched in November 2007, Beacon was an aggressive advertisement system that sent information from certain websites back to Facebook. When users started seeing their online activity automatically posted on their Facebook page, they were surprised and displeased. After a storm of controversy and a class action lawsuit, Facebook shut down the service in September of 2009. What’s the Common Thread? Steve Job’s mistake left room for Bill Gates to dominate the personal computer industry. Gates’ mistake left room for Larry Page to dominate the search engine industry. Page’s mistake left room for Zuckerberg to dominate the social networking industry. Before long, we’ll be talking about the entrepreneur who capitalized on Zuckerberg’s mistakes. That entrepreneur could be you. Start keeping a close watch on the leaders in your industry with an eye for the opportunities they’re letting slip through the cracks. If you don’t, then you’re making a big mistake.

GOAL SETTING

Written and posted by; Promise Edem Nukunu

‘’ Success is goals and all else is commentary. This is the great discovery throughout all of human history’’ Brian Tracy. Your life only begins to become a great life when you clearly identify what it is that you want make a plan to achieve it and then work on that plan every single day. “The primary reason for failure is that people do not develop new plans to replace those plans that didn’t work.” (Napoleon Hill) The three turning points in my life were these: First, I discovered that I was responsible for my life, and for everything that happened to me. I learned that this life is not a rehearsal for something else. This is the real thing. In every study of successful people, the acceptance of personal responsibility seems to be the starting point. Before that, nothing happens. After you accept complete responsibility, your whole life begins to change. The second turning point for me, which came when I was 24 years old, was my discovery of goals. Without really knowing what I was doing, I sat down and made a list of 10 things I wanted to accomplish in the foreseeable future. I promptly lost the list. But 30 days later, my whole life had changed. Almost every goal on my list had already been achieved or partially achieved. The third turning point in my life came when I discovered that “You can learn anything you need to learn to accomplish any goal you can set for yourself.” No one is smarter than you and no one is better than you. All business skills, sales skills and moneymaking skills are learnable. Everyone who is good in any area today was once poor in that area. The top people in every field were at one time not even in that field and didn’t even know that that field existed. And what hundreds of thousands of other people have done, you can do as well. Success is goals and all else is commentary. REPORT GOALS! How to get everything you want faster than you ever thought possible! - By Brian Tracy The Goal-Setting Process
1. Decide exactly what you want in every key area of your life. Start off by Idealizing. Imagine that there are no limitations on what you can be, have or do. Imagine that you have all the time and money, all the friends and contacts, all the education and experience that you need to accomplish any goal you can set for yourself. Imagine that you could wave a magic wand and make your life perfect in each of the four key areas of life. If your life was perfect in each area, what would it look like?
1. INCOME – how much do you want to earn this year, next year and five years from today?
2. FAMILY – what kind of a lifestyle do you want to create for yourself and your family?
3. HEALTH – how would your health be different if it was perfect in every way?
4. NET WORTH – how much do you want to save and accumulate in the course of your working lifetime? Three Goal Method – in less than 30 seconds, write down your three most important goals in life, right now. Write quickly. Whatever your answer to this “Quick List Method” way of writing three goals it is probably an accurate picture of what you really want in life
2. Write it down. Your goals must be in writing. They must be clear, specific, detailed and measurable. You must write out your goals as if you were placing an order for your goal to be manufactured in a factory at a great distance. Make your description clear and detailed in every sense. Only 3% of adults have written goals, and everyone else works for them.
3. Set a deadline. Your subconscious mind uses deadlines as “forcing systems” to drive you, consciously and un-consciously toward achieving your goal on schedule. If your goal is big enough, set sub-deadlines. If you want to achieve financial independence, you may set a 10 or 20-year goal, and then break it down, year by year, so that you know how much you have to save and invest each year. If for some reason you don’t achieve your goal by the deadline, simply set a new deadline. There are no unreasonable goals, only unreasonable deadlines.
4. Identify the obstacles that you will have to over¬come to achieve your goal. Why aren’t you already at your goal? The Theory of Constraints – there is always one limiting factor or constraint that sets the speed at which you achieve your goal. What is it for you? The 80/20 Rule applies to constraints. Fully 80% of the reasons that are holding you back from achieving your goal are inside yourself. They are the lack of a skill, a quality or a body of knowl-edge. Only 20% of the reasons you are not achieving your goal are on the outside. Always start with yourself. Only 20% of the reasons you are not achieving your goal are on the outside. Always start with yourself.
5. Identify the knowledge, information and skills you will need to achieve your goal. Especially, identify the skills that you will have to develop to be in the top 10% of your field. Greatest Discovery: Your weakest key skill sets the height of your income and your success. You can make more progress by going to work on the one skill that is holding you back more than any other. Key Question: “What one skill, if you developed and did it in an excellent fashion, would have the greatest positive impact on your life?” What one skill, if you developed and did it consistently, in an excellent fashion, would help you the most to achieve your most important goal? Whatever the skill, write it down, make a plan and work on it every single day
6. Identify the people whose help and cooperation you will require to achieve your goal. Make a list of every person in your life that you will have to work with or work around to achieve your goal. Start with the members of your family, whose cooperation and support you will require. List your boss, co¬workers and subordinates. Especially, identify the customers whose support you will need to sell enough of your product or service to make the kind of money that you want. Only 20% of the reasons you are not achieving your goal are on the outside. Always start with yourself. Once you have identified the key people whose help you will require, ask yourself this question, “What’s in it for them?” Be a “go-giver” rather than a “go-getter.” To achieve big goals you will have to have the help and support of lots of people. One key person at a cer¬tain time and place in your life will make all the difference. The most successful people are those who build and maintain the largest networks of other people whom they can help and who can help them in return.
7. Make a list of everything you will have to do to achieve your goal. Combine the obstacles that you will have to overcome, the knowledge and skills you will have to develop, and the people whose cooperation you will require. List every single step that you can think of that you will have to follow to ultimately achieve your goal. As you think of new items, add them to your list until your list is complete. When you make out a list of all the things you will need to do to achieve your goal, you begin to see that this goal is far more attainable than you thought. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” You can build the biggest wall in the world one brick at a time.
8. Organize your list into a plan. You organize this list by arranging the steps that you have identified by sequence and priority. Sequence – what do you have to do before you do something else, and in what order? Priority – what is more important and what is less important? The 80/20 Rule says that 80% of your results will come from 20% of your activities. The 20/80 Rule says that the first 20% of time that you spend planning your goal and organizing your plan will be worth 80% of the time and effort required to achieve the goal. Planning is very important.
9. Make a plan. Organize your list into a series of steps from the beginning all the way through to the completion of your goal. When you have a Goal and a Plan, you increase the likelihood of achieving your goals by 10 times, by 1000%! • Plan each day, week and month in advance. • Plan each month at the beginning of the month. • Plan each week the weekend before. • Plan each day the evening before. The more careful and detailed you are when you plan your ac¬tivities, the more you will accomplish in less time. The rule is that each minute spent in planning saves 10 minutes in execution. This means that you get a 1000% return on your investment of time in planning your days, weeks and months in advance. 10.Select your number one, most important task for each day. Set priorities on your list using the 80/20 Rule. Ask yourself this question: “If I could only do one thing on this list, which one activity is most important?” Whatever you answer to that question, put a number “1” next to that activity. Then, ask yourself, “If I could only do one other task on this list, which one task would be the most valu¬able use of my time?” Then write a number “2” next to that task. Keep asking this question, “What is the most valuable use of my time on this list?” until you have your seven top tasks, organized by sequence and priority. Here is another question you can ask, “If I could only do one thing all day long, which one activity would contribute the most value to my work and to my goals?” Focus and Concentration are the keys to success. Focus means that you know exactly what it is that you want to accomplish and concentration requires that you dedicate yourself to doing only those things that move you toward your goal. The rule is that each minute spent in planning saves 10 minutes in execution. The rule is that each minute spent in planning saves 10 minutes in execution. 11.Develop the habit of self-discipline. Once you have decided on your most important task, resolve to concentrate single-mindedly on that one task until it is 100% complete. Your ability to select your most important task and then to work on it single mindedly, without diversion or distraction, will double and triple the quality and quantity of your output and your productivity. Single Handling is one of the most powerful of all time management techniques. This means that when you start with the task, you avoid all distractions and stay with that task until it is done. Once you have developed the habit of completing your tasks, you will earn two and three and even five times as much as other people. 12. Practice visualization on your goals. Create clear, vivid, exciting, emotional pictures of your goals as if they were already a reality. See your goal as though it were already achieved. Imagine yourself enjoying the accomplishment of this goal. If it is a car, imagine yourself driving this car. If it is a vacation, see yourself on the vacation already. If it is a beautiful home that you want, see yourself living in a beautiful home. In visualizing, take a few moments to create the emotions that would accompany the successful achieve¬ment of your goal. A mental picture combined with an emotion has an enormous impact on your subcon¬scious and your superconscious mind. Visualization is perhaps the most powerful faculty available to you to help you achieve your goals faster than you ever thought possible. When you use a combination of clear goals, combined with visualization and emotionalization, you acti¬vate your super conscious mind. Your super conscious mind then solves every problem on the way to your goal. Your super conscious mind activates the Law of Attraction and begins attracting into your life people, circumstances, ideas and resources that will help you to achieve your goals even faster. 13.Goal- Setting Exercise Take a clean sheet of paper and write the word “Goals” at the top of the page along with today’s date. Discipline yourself to write out at least 10 goals that you would like to accomplish in the next year, or in the foreseeable future. Begin each goal with the word “I.” Only you can use the word “I.” Follow the word “I” with an action verb that acts as a command from your conscious mind to your subconscious mind. Describe your goals in the present tense, as though they had already been achieved. If your goal is to earn a certain amount of money in a certain year, you would say, “I earn this number of dollars by the end of this year.” If your goal is to get a new car, you would say, “I drive such and such a new car by such and such a date.” Finally, when you write down your goals, always write them in the positive tense. Instead of saying, “I will quit smoking,” you would say, “I am a non-smoker.” Always state your goals as though they were already a reality, as though you had already accomplished them. This activates your subconscious and superconscious minds to change your external reality so it is consistent with your inner commands. Always state your goals as though they were already a reality, as though you had already accomplished them. 14.Decide upon your major definite purpose. Once you have written out a list of 10 goals, ask your¬self this question, “If I could wave a magic wand and achieve any goal on this list within 24 hours, which one goal would have the greatest positive impact on my life?” Whatever your answer to that question, put a circle around that goal. Then, transfer the goal to the top of a clean sheet of paper.
1. Write it down clearly and in detail.
2. Set a deadline on your goal and set sub deadlines if necessary.
3. Identify the obstacles that you will have to overcome to achieve your goal, and identify the most important one, internal or external.
4. Identify the knowledge and skills you will need to achieve your goal, and the most important skill that you will have to become excellent in.
5. Identify the people whose help and cooperation you will require, and think about what you can do to deserve their help.
6. Make a list of everything you will have to do to achieve your goal. Add to the list as you think of new things to do.
 7. Organize your list by sequence and priority, by what you have to do first, and by what is most important.
8. Make a plan by organizing your list into steps from the first to the last, and then resolve to take ac¬tion ac¬tion on your plan, every single day. Always state your goals as though they were already a reality, as though you had already accomplished them.
9. Plan your goal in terms of the activities that you will have to engage in to achieve it, daily, weekly and monthly, in advance.
10. Set priorities on your list and identify the most important thing that you can do every single day to move most rapidly toward your goal.
11. Discipline yourself to concentrate single-mindedly on the most important thing that you can do today until it is 100% complete. Practice single-handling with every major task. Conclusion Resolve in advance that no matter what happens, you will never give up. Persistence is self-discipline in action. Each time you persist and overcome the inevitable failures and disappointments you will experi¬ence, you become stronger and better. You develop stronger and deeper character. You increase your self-esteem and self-confidence. Your goal is to eventually become “Unstoppable.” Decide exactly what you want, write it down, make a plan, and work on it every single day. If you do this over and over again until it becomes a habit, you will accomplish more in the next few weeks and months than many people accomplish in several years. Begin today.

© 2014 by Promise Edem Nukunu.
All right reserved under the international copy right law.
 Promise Edem Nukunu, Author and Personal Development Coach Executive Director, Africa Leadership Network and MasterMindTM International
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www.africaleaders.webs.com
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Promise.mmi@gmail.com