The Missing Link

Action is the missing link in most people’s quest for success in their endeavours. They desire success, they dream and talk about it; they wish, hope, and pray for it but they never take action. They even read books on it, attend seminars, solicit advice, make resolutions, strategize, generate potentially life transforming ideas and yet never take action or persist for as long as it’s necessary.

They keep learning many valuable things but fail to apply what they learn. As Tony Robbins, America's foremost motivational guru rightly said, “In life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action.” They forget that it's what they do with what they know that really counts.

They intend to act but keep procrastinating and by postponing the action required, they inevitably postpone their own success. The tragedy of life really is that the man who plans to act on an opportunity at the twelfth hour has the opportunity withdrawn at the eleventh hour.

Some refuse to take action because of the risks involved, as a result while they don’t 'fail', they don't succeed either. Some others take actions but the actions they take negate the essential requirements of the very success they aspire for.

The successful succeed not necessarily because they are more talented, smarter or luckier than others; they succeed primarily because they take actions that others don’t take. They persist where others relent. They keep at it for as long as it’s necessary. As Zig Ziglar said, "Just any dummy can succeed if he cares to know what it takes." The action that the successful take that others don’t take is the singular most important factor that sets them apart from the crowd.

Success in any area of life- marriage, parenting, career, leadership, business, politics, relationships, personal finances, management, ministry, sports or any other demands that you take required actions and it is only by taking those actions will you experience desired result.

Much of success anchors not so much on doing the spectacular as performing the seemingly small, inconsequential, gradual and consistent actions taken on a daily basis. As a consequence, the difference between you who act consistently and others who do it casually may not be noticeable at all at the onset. But over time - in the course of weeks, months or even years, the difference will eventually become not only noticeable but equally profound. 

7 Magnets of Opportunities

Success and opportunities are intertwined. Wherever opportunities abound, potentials for success abound. It is by far easier to succeed where there are opportunities than where opportunities are absent or scarce. The driving force behind monopolies and duopolies for instance is the desire to restrict opportunities from potential competitors in order to maximize returns for the monopolizing parties. A key factor driving migration from less developed counties to developed ones is the general perception that the latter region offers more opportunities which profoundly increases the likelihood of achieving desired success— financial prosperity, political freedom, religious tolerance, qualitative education, excellent healthcare and other indices of good living. Many a parent will make sacrificial investment to send their children to world class universities because of the enviable career opportunities that can be attracted with qualifications gained from such institutions. What then does it take to attract opportunities to yourself as you go through life?

1. Functioning Platform 
Obvious as it seems, you need an active platform through which opportunities can be entrusted to you. For instance, entrepreneurs can only attract business opportunities when they have a tangible 'business' they are identified with. Your platform gives you an identity. It gives you visibility. It gives you recognition. It sends out a message to the society that you are available for particular opportunities associated with that platform. 


2. Excellence
Excellence is a powerful magnet of opportunities. When you are able to consistently deliver better results than others in your field, you will consistently attract opportunities they are unable to attract. As bees gravitate toward honey, so do opportunities gravitate toward the excellent. The best always gain at the expense of the rest. It is therefore not enough to be a player in your field- career, academics, sports, politics, ministry, entertainment, business etc, you need to constantly strive to stand out from the crowd. The demands may be tough but the rewards will pay off in the long run. Develop reputation for being a problem-solver. Become very good at what you do. 

3. Credibility

Attracting opportunities involve interactions with people and where human interactions are involved an element of trust is required. To become a person that attracts opportunities, you need to first become a person others can believe and trust. People and organizations with credibility are patronized more readily than those with little or no credibility. Compared to others, business contracts are more readily awarded to companies with credibility. Credible organizations attract more membership than others. Credible leaders are more trusted and readily followed than those devoid of it.  Without credibility, opportunities even if initially attracted will eventually be withdrawn. Your personal character and deliverables- products and services must be devoid of deceit in order to be adjudged credible.     


4. Crisis 
Life's opportunities will not always be presented to you on a platform of gold but sometimes on a platform of difficulties. Notwithstanding the discomfort associated with them, adversities do have advantages.There are millions of people in life who have built their success out of the very difficulties they encountered. Helen Keller said, "I thank God for my handicaps, for through them, I have found myself, my work and my God." Embedded in problems, difficulties and crisis are hidden but valuable opportunities. Unpleasant as it sounds, you should not have a pessimistic attitude towards difficulties. By maintaining an optimistic disposition towards adversities, it becomes possible to turn them into opportunities for success. The difficulties that do not break you will make you.  


5. Rendering Help
We do not succeed only by pursuing our own goals but also by helping others achieving theirs. The more involved you are in helping others succeed, the more you will be rewarded with opportunities to succeed. Ours is a world where many people are blindly and selfishly engaged in a rat race. But the irony of the rat race is that all the runners remain a rat- never achieving their full potential for fulfilling success. However, as you learn to step back, develop genuine interest in others, think of ways to help them succeed without necessarily expecting anything in return from them, you will discover to your amazement how many wonderful things begin to happen to you- all working together to propel you to greater heights of success. You see, helpers will be helped. George Gurdjieff rightly said, "If you help others, you will be helped. Perhaps tomorrow perhaps in hundred years but you will be helped. Nature must pay off the debt. It's a mathematical law and all life is mathematics."  
   
6. Network

It is a truism that your network is your net worth. As a case study, statistics indicate that unemployment among blacks in America currently stands at nearly twice the level among whites and Latinos. Some studies have however found that the absence of adequate network of friends, family connections and family businesses account for as much as 70% of the difference between unemployment rates among blacks and those of whites and Latinos. Theodore Roosevelt, America 26th President knew the importance of relationships for he once said, "The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people." Many of the opportunities that have come to you so far in life came through the people in your network- friends, friends of friends, family, colleagues, patrons, customers, clients, associates, mentors, proteges, and their own networks. Many more opportunities that will still come will also come through these networks. As you invest in improving on how you relate with people, deepening and expanding your network, you will find more and more opportunities naturally gravitating towards you.
    

7. Passion

When you are passionate about a cause, sooner than later, you become noticeable. By being noticeable, you naturally attract opportunities. The power of passion is so vital that its very absence accounts for much of the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful, between the excellent and the mediocre. Pat Utomi, a political economist and entrepreneur said, "I tell entrepreneurs and students so often that the percentage of success drive which can be attributed to passion is often underestimated." Passion breeds commitment. It drives people to go the extra length. It gets people going even where there are no visible traits of success. A passionate man is an unstoppable man.

The Rise And Rise of Apple: Learning From The Successful

Apple, the American technology giant has constantly been in the news in the last couple of months - for the good reasons. Consider the following: 

1.       In May 2010, it overtook Microsoft to become the world’s biggest technology company

“Apple overtake Microsoft as biggest technology company”- BBC, 27^th May, 2010.

2.       In May 2011, it overtook Google to become the world’s most valuable brand.

“Apple usurps Google as world’s most valuable brand”- Reuters, 9^th May, 2011

3.       In July 2011, it overtook Nokia to become the world’s biggest smartphone maker.

“Apple overtakes Nokia in smartphone stakes”- Financial Times, 21^st July, 2011.

4.       In August 2011, it overtook HP to become the biggest player in the mobile PC market.

“Apple overtakes HP to take top spot in mobile PC market share”- MacDailyNews, 19^th August, 2011.

5.       In August, 2011, it became as big as Europe’s 32 top banks combined.

“Apple as big as Europe’s 32 top banks- combined”- CNBC, 19^th August, 2011.

6.       In August 2011, it overtook ExxonMobil to become the world’s biggest company.

“Apple pips Exxon as world’s biggest company”- The Guardian, 9^th August, 2011.

For a company that has been in existence for less than 40 years, these are by no means ordinary achievements. What vital lessons then does the ascendancy of Apple from obscurity to global prominence teach that you and I can immediately apply to our personal and professional lives?

i.         Deliver good results- Apple got to where it is today primarily on the strength of the success of its products in the global market of which the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad are particularly notable. Regardless of your field of operation, what determines your compensations primarily is the quality of results you produce. The earlier you recognize this, the better. The compensations you attract in life will be determined more by the results you produce than the efforts you make. Results— the outcomes of the efforts you apply; the qualities you possess as a person; the problems you solve, prevent or mitigate; the good you make happen; whatever you do well or are known to be able to do well with your potential and the resources at your disposal; the tasks you perform and the needs you meet, constitute your golden key to maximizing destiny.

ii.       Never give in to setbacks- Apple has not always had it easy. Very few people remember that just 14 years ago, the company nearly went bankrupt. Had it gone under then, it would have become history today. I recall to mind the words of the great British essayist, Thomas Fuller who once said, “Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement and impossibilities. It is this that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.”  In the drive to achieve or sustain desired success in any area of life— career, finance, marriage, relationships, leadership, goal achievement, personal health or happiness, there will always be obstacles to such aspirations. What most people do at such moments is to give in but by giving in they never reach their destination.

iii.      Maximize success by constantly pursuing new goals: Notwithstanding the widespread accolade that greeted Apple’s iPhone arrival in 2007 including being named as Time Magazine Gadget of the Year coupled with the outstanding success of its iPods and Macintosh line of PCs, the company never rested on its laurels but continues to deliver innovative products that leave its competitors trying to catch up. This is the stuff champions are made of and a principal requirement for maximizing success— a relentless commitment to new goals.  Evidently, it is not only the tragedies and failures of the past that hold people back, past successes when not put in the context of what they really are—that they are already in the past, can equally hold people back. By not building on their initial success, many people of great potential fail to become exceptionally successful in life. When people refuse to become complacent however, they start as ordinary people, make progress to become a resounding success and from being successful, they end up as great.

iv.     Leadership matters- The success story of Apple cannot be told without a reference to its Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, Steve Jobs. Steve’s input in management, product design and development has played a profound role in Apple’s success story. I echoed John Maxwell’s sentiment to the effect that everything rises and falls on leadership when I wrote in my book, A Life of Impact that “The quality of life or state of affairs experienced in a domain is directly tied to the quality of its leadership. It is always to detriment of any entity— organisation, family, community or nation to be led by incompetent leaders.  If a place is not experiencing progress, we should check the quality of its leaders. This is because the prosperity of an entity is not unconnected with the quality of its leaders. No business, organisation or society progresses beyond the quality of its leaders.”

v.       Success is gradual- Apple did not get to where it is today in one day. The journey began in 1976, some 35 years back! Contrary to what many people think, there is no such thing as instant success. Good success is achieved only when the conditions to achieve it have been met in the length of time required. Success demands repeated application of diligent and intelligent efforts— doing the same thing again and again until desired results are obtained. This is a recurring theme in Darren Hardy’s book, The Compound Effect who posits that there is no magic bullet, secret formula or quick fix to achieving success.

Lessons From London Riots

Several years ago as a new immigrant to the United Kingdom, one of the places I applied to in search of my first job was at a branch of the giant electrical retailer, Currys, located in Tottenham, North London.  However, for four consecutive nights, I, alongside millions of other people around the world watched on various news channels in amazement as this particular branch of Currys and many other buildings and vehicles in several parts of London were either being looted or completely burnt down by rioters during widespread riots in the city remotely triggered by the fatal shooting of a 29-year old man, Mark Duggan. Although the riots spread to other key cities in England including Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, the massive deployment of police officers eventually led to restoration of law and order.  Let me share with you 6 life-applicable lessons to pick from this unfortunate experience.

1. Never take anything for granted: Prior to the riots, London had (and still has) an enviable reputation as Europe’s foremost financial hub; a great city for tourism, civility, sporting events. That image was however partly damaged by the mayhem. The foundation for failure and descent from greatness in life is to erroneously assume that the good things currently being enjoyed will always remain the same. Never assume that the good measure of success you enjoy in your marriage, business, career, personal finance, health or any area of life will always be readily obtainable by you at your beck and call. People do not remain successful, excellent, happy, healthy, of impeccable character or at the top by default. It takes conscious and continuous application of intelligent efforts rooted in an understanding that no condition in life is permanent.

2. Insure against risks:  Most, if not all of those whose businesses were attacked at the onset of the riots never had any premonition of the impending damage to their businesses. This is how life, not just in London, but in the world of reality functions. It is full of uncertainties. Your primary concern however should not be to keep trying to 'predict' the future but to keep 'preparing' for it. Continuously take precautions that will position you to readily prevent, overcome, mitigate or recover from life's adversities and their effects. Integrity for instance is your best immunity against false accusations and character assassination. By constantly updating your skills, expanding your knowledge-base and networking with others in your field, you position yourself to remain employable thereby enhancing not just your job-security but your employment-security.

3. Tap into the power of social media: Unlike previous London riots like the 1985 Brixton riots and the 2009 G-20 summit riots, the mob of the 2011 riots were actively mobilized by the power of such social and communication media as Blackberry messenger, Twitter and Facebook resulting in sporadic eruptions of protests at different parts of London, all happening almost at the same time. Take it or leave it, this is the Facebook generation. It was not a mere coincidence that Mark Zuckerberg, the 27-year old billionaire founder of Facebook was named Time magazine person of the year 2010. Facebook as well as other social media represent the face of the 21^st century where opportunities abound. To gain influence with this generation, you need to fish where the fish are. You need to go online because the people are online, accessible by the power of the internet and these social media.

4. Manage information effectively: At the root of the London riots were rumours and more rumours. There were rumours that no senior police officer attended to those demonstrating peacefully the shooting of Mark Duggan; that a teenage girl was attacked by the police. Rumours and hearsays create room for the spread of mis-information. Psychologists generally concur that at the root of many frictions between married couples is the lack of clear communication- adults that won’t sit down and talk through issues of mutual concern to both parties- before it boomerang into greater crisis. Leaders have an obligation to communicate effectively with their people just as businesspeople need to communicate effectively their customers. Much of success in most areas of life depend on the ability manage information effectively.

5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help: As the riots persisted into the fourth night, the leadership of the Metropolitan Police decided to mobilise for support from around the country leading to the deployment of a 16,000-strong police guard on duty. Throughout your lifetime, you will always encounter situations when you will need help from others. This is why I do not believe in the notion of a ‘self-made’ individual. Success is always an aggregate of inputs- of your own efforts and contributions from others. The pursuit of your vision, overcoming an adversity or achieving a significant success in life will always demand the input of others. Only two things will keep people from asking for help when the need for it is obvious: pride or fear. Don’t let either stop you. I love what the Chinese say; “He who asks is a fool for five minutes but he who keeps silent is a fool forever.”     

6. Adversities have advantages: The London riots threw up new debates and re-opened old ones which may never been considered had the riots not taken place. The riots also brought out the good in people. The same social media used in inciting rioters were used to mobilize people to render financial and material support to victims as well as to engage in communal cleaning of the affected areas. Regardless of the difficulties you may be facing now, always remember that those difficulties have inherent benefits. More than anything, adversities and failures offer an immense opportunity to learn vital lessons which will prove beneficial in the months and years to come not only to you but to others to whom you may relate those experiences. Your strengths, weaknesses, true character, sense of judgement and state of preparedness are exposed and put to the test during moments of adversities. (Chapter 14 of my book: A Life of Impact is exclusively devoted to ‘Handling Difficulties’)

 If you have been inspired by this article, please feel free to leave a comment or share with others. Thank you.

10 Ways to Enhance Your Competitiveness in Life

The world we live in is becoming increasingly competitive with more and more people chasing after the same number of finite opportunities. Regardless of the field of play- sports, business, career, entertainment, politics and ministry among others, the demands for opportunities to gain and retain customers, attract patronage to one's cause, secure votes from the electorate, get to the top, emerge successful at bids for contracts, jobs interviews and competitive events far outstrip their supply.

Many other people are actively vying for the same opportunities and favourable outcomes that you are gunning for. Thousands of other applicants are interested in the same dream jobs or business contracts you are aiming for. Thousands of other authors like you are vying for their books to be bought by the same set of readers you are targeting. Thousands of other businesses are competing with you for the patronage of the same set of customers in your field.  A thousand and one other sportsmen and artistes are working towards winning the same medals and endorsement you so much desire. Thousands of others, just like yourself are positioning themselves for the best jobs in the land, the topmost positions in their field and the highest returns obtainable in their enterprise.  

How then do you secure competitive advantage in the midst of stiff competition? How can you become well suited for competition in your field? In essence what can you do to gain an edge over the competitions so as to cause valued opportunities to gravitate towards you thereby achieving favourable outcomes in the process? Let me share with you ten vital keys to enhancing your competitiveness in life.

1. Commit to excellence.
Be excellence-driven. Cultivate a passion for excellence. Insist on it. Pursue excellence rather than success, by so doing you will achieve both. Invest in becoming excellent at what you do. Develop a reputation for delivering outstanding service, performance and results. Strive to be among the best in your field. The demands may be hard but the rewards will compensate for the sacrifices made in the long run. Excellence, more than any other factor, will help you overcome barriers to achieving favourable outcomes in your field of play. Excellence enhances your value. It will secure for you recognition and with recognition comes patronage. Outstanding results will make you stand out from the crowd. The best in any field do gain at the expense of the rest. Average and poor performance by contrast make you less competitive. 

2. Be opportunity-aware.
In the world we live, the informed succeed. You cannot afford to be uninformed if you must remain competitive in your field. In Benjamin Disraeli's observation, "As a general rule the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information.” Being adequately informed on what opportunities there are, where they are and what to do to appropriate them will confer enormous advantage on you. Information is the currency of today's world. It is to your advantage that you know not only what is going on in the world but also where the world is going- as it relates to your field. 

3.Maintain relevance.
Strive to remain relevant to the needs of your patrons- employers, customers, clients, voters, fans, followers etc. Become indispensable to them. Become a person whose skills, knowledge, attributes, products, services or contributions your patrons will value and cannot do without. As long as you are meeting their needs, you will not lack patronage and opportunities. To remain relevant, it is necessary to be sufficiently knowledgeable about your current and potential patrons- their needs, values, fears, preferences, concerns, goals, interests and challenges and to build your service-delivery around those. Constantly help them achieve their goals-to make more money, achieve happiness, prevent or solve problems etc.

4. Increase your value-perception.
It is not enough for you to be valuable, it is necessary for others to perceive you as valuable. It is important you continuously enhance not only your value but your value-perception as well in order to remain competitive in the market place. To attract favourable responses from your patrons you need to convince them you have something of value which they may not find readily in your competitors. Different things can influence stakeholders to perceive you as being valuable- professionalism, outstanding results, track record, appropriate packaging, commitment, passion, experience, testimonials, and endorsements among many others. Be associated with such. 

5. Be unique.
The market place out there is a crowded field, you need to do everything possible to stand out from the crowd to boost your chances of success. Offer to people what other players in your field cannot readily offer them. In life and in business whatever makes you unique will make you sell and out-compete your contemporaries. There are certain things are peculiar about you- your talents, your passion, your calling, your interests, and your strengths; identify them and leverage on them for distinction. Find your niche. Pursue your passion. Labour in your area of expertise.Be creative. Innovate, where you cannot invent. Many of the world's great men were able to beat the odds because their life pursuits were centered around their passion. Develop valuable but uncommon competencies- knowledge, skills, attributes, brand and reputation that will make you stand out from the crowd and for which people out there would be prepared to compensate you. What additional benefits can you offer, different from your competitors'? By all means stand out from the crowd- from other job applicants, employees, entrepreneurs, players, contestants, authors etc. 

6. Always be prepared. 
Abraham Lincoln famously said, "I will prepare myself before my opportunity comes and when my opportunity comes, I will prepare myself." Because life-changing opportunities, just like challenges often come unannounced they are best maximized when the person to whom they accrue is well prepared to utilize them. Being prepared at all times is a proof of commitment. You cannot claim to be committed to a cause unless you are always prepared to handle responsibilities relating to the cause. A principal reason why the committed ultimately rise to the peak in their field is because they are always prepared. They are always in a state required to perform their responsibilities and produce desired results whenever occasion demands it. By living prepared, they are in a vantage position to respond decisively to opportunities whenever they come. In actual sense, opportunities tend to gravitate towards the prepared. 


7. Connect with others. 
Be a team player, not a lone ranger. Leverage on help from others. The most important thing is for you to succeed; who you share the credit of your success with is of less importance. Give others opportunities to be part of your success. Network with others, even with your co-players. All beneficial relationships have multiplier effects. Relationships create platform for people to exchange information, share ideas and pull resources together. Tap from other people's wealth of experience. Learn from their successes, failures and mistakes. Be humble and courageous enough to ask for help. Seek expert advice. Go for counselling. Similarly, you need to help others to succeed; you will achieve your own success in the course of helping others achieve theirs.

8. Go for inspiration.
Information is vital but so is inspiration. Thomas Alva Edison famously attributed success to 98% perspiration and 2% inspiration but without the proportionally little 2% inspiration, success will be elusive. Be constantly inspired, challenged and motivated; without it, mediocrity is inevitable. There are thousands, even millions of individuals who have once stood on the same spot you now stand, who have dreamt the same dream you now hold and who succeeded in turning those dreams into pleasant realities. Listen to their stories and be inspired by them. Draw inspiration from the success of others, role-mentors, rags to riches cases and all those who defy the odds to make a success of their lives, knowing that if they can, you too can. You need inspiration because discouragement will come. You don't even have to do anything wrong for discouragement, criticism, mockery, setbacks and oppositions to come. You need constant inspiration to enable you persevere in the face of all such difficulties. Draw inspiration from your own goals and aspirations. Envision a better and brighter tomorrow. Let your past successes spur you on to greater successes.

9. Be future-minded.
Out-compete your contemporaries by thinking and planning ahead of them. Those who see, think, and plan ahead, get ahead of others. Those who don’t see ahead are left behind. By constantly thinking ahead, you do not only get ahead, you will equally stay ahead. Constantly envisage future problems, challenges, needs and opportunities and begin to prepare for them. Have realistic plans for your life 1, 5, 10 or 20 years from now. Prepare for tomorrow before it becomes today. Think long-term. Be futuristic in your approach to issues, by so doing, you will be influenced to take decisions that result in long-term rewards. Assign greater priority to objectives that have long-term benefits than those with immediate or short-term benefits. Build your enterprise to last. Do not in an attempt to gain immediate or short term benefits compromise your values, ethics, principles and moral codes. Exercise foresight. Think stability. Think durability. Think continuity. The future will arrive sooner than you think. Approach life as a marathon, not as a sprint. Live purposeful life. Be goal-driven. That you are not there today does not mean imply you won't be there tomorrow. Identify current trends in your field.

10. Be persistent. 
Those who do not notice you today will eventually notice you tomorrow. The opportunities that do not come your way today will come your way tomorrow; but only if you persist. You won't get there in a day but daily. Through your persistence, you stand to put to silence any opposition, critics, mockers and cynics. When you persist, you stand to eventually overtake your competitors.

The Informed Succeed

The principles of success are universal, timeless and constant. The reasons why people succeeded in marriage, career, business, parenting, ministry, leadership, sales, finances, goal achievement or any area of life in the past are the same reasons why people succeed in these areas today and will tomorrow. The reasons why people and businesses prosper in one country are the same reasons why people and businesses prosper in another country. Factors that contribute to high life expectancy in Spain are the same as those contributing to high life expectancy in Australia, the separating distance of 17,000km not withstanding. The reasons why people become legitimately wealthy in societies in the West are the same as obtainable in societies in the Far East, differences in climate and culture not withstanding. The reasons why people emerged Olympic champions 50 years ago are the same reasons they do today. The reasons why people end up as mediocre or poor in one part of the world are similar to what obtain in another part of the world.
The circumstances, details, periods of time, people involved and geographical locations may be different, but the underlying principles are always the same. There are reasons why people succeed or fail in any venture. Both success and failure can be explained. There are reasons why some marriages last while others end in divorce. There are reasons why some businesses and organisations grow while others operating in the same field and location, stagnate. Success is not accidental. Success is not determined by luck rather it is a predictable outcome.
The fact that there are reasons for success and failure accounts for why wisdom does not only teach principles of success, it also teaches principles of failures. In other words, wisdom teaches how people succeed and how people fail. Knowing the reasons for failure is particularly important, as people are liable to becoming victims of failure or repeating the failure of others when they are not sufficiently acquainted with reasons for failure.

(Article extracted from the book: A Life of Impact. Out Sept 2010)