A guy once complained to his father. “How come Bello get more responsibilities even though I’m older?”
His father smiled and answered. “Fine, Musa. Go to Yaro’s farm and ask him if he has chickens for sale. We need to restock with at least 5 chickens.”
Musa went and came back. “Yes, Father, he has five chickens we can buy.”
“Go back and ask him how much they’ll cost.”
Musa made the journey to the other farm and thirty minutes later, he was back. “He’ll sell them at 800 naira each.”
“Okay. Ask him how soon we can get them.”
Another thirty minutes later and Musa returned with the reply. “We can have them tomorrow.”
His father nodded sagely and then summoned his younger brother. “Bello, go over to Ladi’s farm and ask him if he has chickens for sale. We need to restock with at least 5 chickens.”
Bello set off and thirty minutes later, he was back. “Yes, Father, he has 5 chickens he can sell now, and he’s expecting more tomorrow. He says he’ll sell 5 chickens at 800 naira each or ten at 700 naira. I told him to deliver 5 chickens today if he doesn’t hear back from us and he should deliver 5 more tomorrow, but we’ll buy those at 550 naira each.”
His father turned and smiled at Musa. “Do you now see why?”
This story is a classical example of personal effectiveness at work. It’s not enough to just talk about what you want and where you want to be, it’s not enough to just have good intentions. Someone once said, “Most people spend half their time wishing for things they could have had if only they didn’t spend half of their time wishing.” We must walk the talk, we can do no less. People are watching us, and it simply won’t do for us to stand at the vanguard of social reform while our personal life lay in shambles.
I’ve compiled a short-list that covers the bases insofar as leading oneself is concerned. First on that list is a need for a vision that describes what success looks like. A simple way to identify your vision is this: where do you see yourself in 20 years?
Second is to perfect your communication skills. Do you have a concrete way of assessing this? A good idea would be to get feedback from people you can trust and to take up challenges that would help you practice. For example, join the lectors, offer to tutor at your local high school or better still, offer to give a class in the present LDP!
Thirdly, build your competence. Be the person people think of when they want an expert in your field. Take online courses, start a blog, get certified or just learn brand-new skills.
Fourthly, develop a sense of service. Try and understand where your job or study fits in the big picture. Doing this gives you a sense of just how important what you’re doing is, and chances are, you’ll do it better. There’s a story Charles Plumb tells and it illustrates just how important little, seemingly-irrelevant jobs can be.
Recently, I was sitting in a restaurant in Kansas City. A man about two tables away kept looking at me. I didn't recognize him. A few minutes into our meal he stood up and walked over to my table, looked down at me, pointed his finger in my face and said, "You're Captain Plumb."
I looked up and I said, "Yes sir, I'm Captain Plumb."
He said, "You flew jet fighters in Vietnam. You were on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down. You parachuted into enemy hands and spent six years as a prisoner of war."
I said, "How in the world did you know all that?"
He replied, "Because, I packed your parachute."
I was speechless. I staggered to my feet and held out a very grateful hand of thanks. This guy came up with just the proper words. He grabbed my hand, he pumped my arm and said, "I guess it worked."
"Yes sir, indeed it did", I said, "and I must tell you I've said a lot of prayers of thanks for your nimble fingers, but I never thought I'd have the opportunity to express my gratitude in person."Let me ask you a question: do you keep track of all the parachutes you pack?"
"No" he responded, "it's enough gratification for me just to know that I've served."
I didn't get much sleep that night. I kept thinking about that man. I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform - a Dixie cup hat, a bib in the back and bell bottom trousers. I wondered how many times I might have passed him on board the Kitty Hawk. I wondered how many times I might have seen him and not even said "good morning", "how are you", or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor. How many hours did he spend on that long wooden table in the bowels of that ship weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of those chutes? I could have cared less...until one day my parachute came along and he packed it for me.
Finally, and perhaps, most importantly, get a mentor and a network of friends who know what you’re about. Oprah said: surround yourself only with people who can lift you higher, who challenge you to be better. A mentor (or mentors) keeps you accountable, identifies your strengths and weaknesses and challenges you to be better. Chances are, of you have someone you report back to on your personal development, you’ll be better motivated to get things done.
So there you have it. An action plan you can start now. Like one of my friends likes to say: The future started yesterday. Aren’t you supposed to be leading it?
Great online resources, by the way:
| for students and those preparing for Masters or just want to learn something new | |
| think Facebook for serious career people | |
| different online courses for any skill or subject you want to become an instant expert on | |
| strictly for career women trying to balance career, family and personal needs |
