Wednesday, 13 November 2013

Mentorship

How's it going people? In the last post, I dealt with discovering your gifts/talents and taking inventory of it. It is pertinent to note that the fact that you've identified your gift doesn't necessarily mean that you'll make money or prosper from it. Needed to make that clear. Discovering your gifts is just step one of this process. The next is what I'll term MENTORSHIP.

Just as it was stated in Steve Harris' podcast "Life is a week", the next season after that of discovery is practice. You've undoubtedly heard the phrase "practice makes perfect". Like all cliches, there's an element of truth to it. The best way to perfect a skill is to practice over and over again until it becomes a second nature. Malcom gladwell's 10,000 hour rule supports such.

Remember our goal is to live according to our design. We've discovered our talents, we are now at the season of practice. At this stage, you need a mentor, someone to guide you through this season of practice. There are so many misconceptions about mentorship out there. I would try as much as possible to break it down. Here goes:

WHAT IS MENTORSHIP?
Mentorship is a process that involves communication and is relationship based. It involves informal communication, usually face-to-face and during a sustained period of time.

WHAT EXACTLY IS A MENTOR?
A mentor is a more experienced (typically older) professional in your field who offers you career guidance, advice and assistance from a real world point of view. Pretty simple, right? A mentor is the present picture of your future.

WHY DO YOU NEED A MENTOR?
Its like having a great trusted ally to go to whenever you're feeling unsure or in need of support. They can help you set and achieve career goals, make smart business decisions, overcome workplace challenges, learn new skills. The benefits are just endless. There are always others who have "been there, done that" from whom you can always learn.

WHAT A MENTOR IS NOT
A mentor is not perfect. As strange as it sounds, don't expect perfection from him/her, rather expect sincerity.
A mentor is not an ATM. When you begin to hustle or beg for money from them, you defeat the purpose.
A mentor can't be dead. He/she has to be someone currently living your future.
A mentor can't be far from you. He has to be someone that's always accessible.
A mentor can't effectively mentor above 200 proteges.


WHO SHOULD BE MY MENTOR?
This is a huge question and I'll suggest you take some time to think over it carefully. The choice of the person makes a big difference in YOUR success. Look for someone you respect professionally and someone who has a career you'd like to emulate. That doesn't mean that you want to follow in their footsteps exactly.
Of course, you also need to find someone who's willing to be a mentor, is eager to share knowledge, will have time to dedicate to you and is trustworthy because a lot of personal stuff would be exchanged.
Also, I recommend that you look for someone you like on a personal level and not just a professional one. You should look forward to spending time with your mentor. They conversations should be pleasant, engaging and inspiring.

Note: Often times, its the mentor that looks for his/her mentees. For instance, Jesus' 12 disciples didn't look for Jesus rather, He went out in search for them. As a protege, you don't really have to carry a placard on your head with the words "MENTOR NEEDED" boldly written. Just project yourself positively. This would attract your mentor.


WHAT'S IN IT FOR THEM?
You're probably reading this and wondering, "I get why I should want a mentor. But what's in it for them?" Good question. The answer varies though. Some mentors simply believe in the person they are helping and want to see him/her succeed and that alone is worth the time and energy.
Some see themselves in the mentee and are intrigued or drawn by such a resemblance and try to help this person avoid the mistakes they made in life. For instance, the movie series, "The Originals". Its a spinoff of "Vampire Diaries". In the movie, Klaus, the hybrid, found "Marcel" a lil chap at the time and decided to take him under his wings and mentor him just cos he saw certain characteristics of himself in the kid.

Others look at mentorship as a way of leaving a legacy. You get to pass your knowledge on to the next generation. For some mentors, they just like the challenge. Its fun when someone looks up to you. It kinda feeds the ego. So there are all kinds of reasons mentors do what they do. Its a win-win situation.


In summary, a mentor delivers you from long queues. A mentor is someone that sees you stuck in a queue and takes you to the front of the queue. Your mentor should be someone who while he is reigning ,drags you along in that glory of his. Your mentor is someone who prays for you everytime he wakes up in the a.m. Your mentor is someone who you can call 2 a.m in the morning to tell that the principle he/she taught you didn't work.

Your mentor is someone that remembers to check up on you when you told him the day before that you had a quarrel with your wife. If you have a vision dat requires you to take 5 steps, your mentor is someone that is 10 steps ahead and not someone that is 100 steps ahead. When you eventually reach the 10 steps, you can then look for another mentor that is 15 steps ahead.

I really hope you've been inspired to start a mentorship relationship today. If I've failed to address your doubts or questions, kindly post them in the comments section below. You could also send a mail to daviesreward13@gmail.com

Everyone who reigns in public trains in private. You have to be in form before you're given the platform.

Cheers!
@daviesreward

Wednesday, 6 November 2013

why get a paid job when you can create one?

Yo peeps, how's it going? Thanks for the comments and mails. Do keep them coming.
The past posts have beem about steps to be taken during and after the NYSC scheme. Hopefully that's done and dusted. If you still have questions, tweet @daviesreward or send a mail to daviesreward13@gmail.com.

I would like to rattle our thoughts a little in this post though. More like steer us in another direction of thought in this pursuit of happiness tingy.

This post is a call to arms for anyone who believes that spending an enormous proportion of your life working in a job you don't enjoy is unacceptable. It is for anyone who yearns for a level of freedom that traditional career paths do not offer. This post is for anyone who's ready to implement enormous change and create a life that they have complete control over.

I stated in the 1st post that about 80% of y'all won't get jobs (no be curse o!). Let's face it, that's the sad reality of naija today. With the increasing number of graduates passing out from the NYSC scheme, chances of getting a good job are pretty slim. My point is you most likely won't get a job that you are passionate about unless you create it. Create it? Some might question, yea, exactly what I typed. I know there's an entrepreneur hidden somewhere in everyone one of us because we were all created in His image and likeness, the master Entrepreneur Himself. Some would argue that they are content with getting paid jobs anyways. Its sad that a majority of us are unconsciously okay with living abused lives i.e lives lived without purpose. These days, although largely due to some naija factors (#NotAnExcuse), peeps get so caught up in this job hunt tingy that they often forget the true essence of having a career. Most peeps actually hate their jobs (for those that have jobs) while those that are still searching get so frustrated to the point that they would accept any job thrown their way.

Its simple. When the purpose of life is unknown, abuse is inevitable. Abuse occurs when you disregard your design. (Tweet this). I've noticed that we have so many square pegs in round holes today. Right people in wrong jobs. For instance, a bank MD who's designed. To be a lecturer is living an abused life. (#MyOpinion). He/she might be making cool cash,driving dope rides but deep down there's an emptiness.

So what's the solution? Here's my proposal:
Step1 : Take inventory of your gifts/talents. Some might argue that they don't have talents. Laughable right? Just ask yourself questions like;
- what's that thing that frustrates me when its done poorly?
- what's fascinates me when its done properly?
Taking inventory of your gifts helps you figure out what you were wired and fired for. Kindly refer to my last post "why start this blog". Your design is hinged on your fascinations and frustrations.

Just like Fishes don't require swimming lessons to swim, birds don't go to flight school to be able to fly. It comes naturally to them. Same principle applies to us. You'll always prosper in your natural habitat. So whatcha waiting for? Go figure! Take sometime out today and take inventory of your talents. Make a list of it. You can reach me via email daviesreward13@gmail.com if you need more assistance. I'll talk about the next steps in subsequent posts.

Here's a little something for y'all. As i'm no motivational speaker or coach, I feel it would do you a world of good to check out www.iamsteveharris.com . Download his podcast titled "Life is a week". Trust me, you would be amazed.

"An unfulfilled vocation drains the colour from a man's entire existence" - Honore de Balzac

Cheers!
@daviesreward


Sunday, 27 October 2013

Why start this blog?

If you've ever written a book or a poem or maybe a song, then you know one of the first questions people tend to ask you is, "Why?" Why did you write that? Why did you create that?
I think it's a fair question. People want to know about the heart behind your creation, why behind what you do.

Earlier this year, while still serving at Ogbomoso, Oyo state, I was opportuned to return to Lagos to spend a little time with my family as schools were on vacation. It happened that I accompanied a friend to unilag where he was invited for a job test for one of the banks around. He didn't really know the venue of the test so I decided to take him there. When we eventually got to the venue, it turned out to be a kinda reunion of some sort cos we saw friends, classmates, schoolmates and the likes all there for the same job test.

Some had completed their service while others like me were still serving. As you know, the crowd was crazy. We all got acquainted on the latest happenings in our daily grinds as it had been quite an age for a few of us. I remained outside, waiting for my friend as they went in to write the test in batches. All I did was marvel at the number of people because these same peeps had at one time or the other said they weren't interested in the banking industry (y'all know why, don't you? ). It then dawned on me that in a few months I would be joining this group and others at large who were in this pursuit of happiness(job hunt). It was a sickening and frustrating feeling, trust me. I felt like we were all doomed and hopeless,really. So it got me thinking, remembering that I was created to solve my frustrations.

My mentor, @iamsteveharris once taught me that our design is hidden in two things;
- our frustration and,
- our fascination.
Its simple just ask yourselve these questions;
- what frustrates me when its poorly done? You are designed to solve that frustration
- what fascinates me when its properly done? You are designed to add to your fascination.

That's by the way, anyways. I got really frustrated by number of graduates/corpers who were on this pursuit for happiness yet couldn't make any headway. Hence, this blog.
I went back to my ppa and took a survey like I mentioned in my first post. You can look it up if you haven't. The results were shocking. I asked some of the corps memebers questions like, "what are your post NYSC plans with respect to getting a job?" I got funny answers like "Na God ooo", "No job for naija oo, wetin man go do na?" etc I kept asking myself if this guys maybe expected God to descend from heaven to get them jobs or something. Dunno, just saying.

Hence, I decided to use this medium to air my version of events to at least help alleviate this decay in our system. Hopefully, I've been doing justice to that with your support of course.
Please do keep your comments, questions and requests coming. Follow me on twitter @daviesreward or send a mail to daviesreward13@gmail.com . Indebted to helping you overcome your challenges.

Cheers!

Tuesday, 15 October 2013

What's next after POP(3)

Hello people, how's it going? Hope the past articles have been really helpful. Thanks for the comments, requests, and questions. Please keep them coming. I'll be dealing with a few of the questions in this post.
I'm quoting someone here, "Hello, I read your post online on the steps to take after POP. I liked it indeed. I would like to request for your model cv to know if its better than the one I have composed personally. I have registered with some job sites like hotnaijajobs. I graduated with a 2.2 and almost always can't apply for any jobs because of the requirement issues. Its frustrating but I can't give up. Sometimes I feel it would be a good idea to get another degree so I can make atleast a 2.1. I would like you to write on this issue for people below the requirement line. Thanks"

Hmmm, what can I say? Here's the deal,
I won't advice going for another degree (Bsc,Btech etc) except that's what you really want. I feel our educational system isn't worth wasting between 4-5 more years of your life(#MyOpinion). Besides, what's the guarantee that you would make a 2.1 this time? Just saying. Not to mention the ASUU strike that seems hopelessly doomed to continue. Rather, I would suggest you beef up your 2.2 or whatever degree you have with certifications. Take a professional course or something. There are many of them these days ranging from PMP to HSE to ICAN, CCNA etc. Try getting at least one of them. Doesn't really have to be related to your field. For example, every graduate should be able to manage projects. Hence, PMP comes in handy.
Service year would have been the best time to accomplish this but its never too late (if you've passed out i.e). Basically, its about having something that would give you an edge out there. For instance, I'm a computer scientist by degree. During my service year,I got a French certification, oui francais! Awkward right? The point is, let's say I went for an interview after passing the tests and there was this other guy being interviewed for the same position. The guy could do almost everything I could. Programming, networking, database management bla bla bla... What if I could also write those programs in french. Who do you think the company would go for? #thinkonthis . The bottomline is to get something that would give you an edge. It doesn't necessarily have to be a certificate (afterall, its just a piece of paper like some would argue). I'm confident there are jobs out there that would take a 2.2 graduate as long as you can back it up. Y'all can follow my friend @StevenHaastrup, he's a testimony to that.

There's also the issue of work experience. Most job adverts these days require people with varying years of experience. The big question is where/how do you expect a fresh graduate to get experience if he/she won't get employed? Dunno, but you guys ever thought about volunteering (like working as a volunteer without getting paid)? Hope that didn't sound absurd? You could actually volunteer to work for free in some companies. Afterall, the requirement doesn't ask to state one's pay package during the years of experience. So its possible to work for free and acquire the experience needed so you could later apply as an experienced person. As long as its something you love doing. Remember, God's desire is for you to be able to charge a FEE doing that which you can do for FREE.

In summary, identify the industry you wanna work in, identify the skills required, learn those skills either through internship or paid training then you can apply as an experienced person.

Stay purpose driven. Cheers!

Wednesday, 9 October 2013

Hi guys. How's it going? I talked about the process required to apply for jobs at the last post. I hope it was pretty clear and you guys have gone about doing just that? Well, this post is about preparation or preparing for the job. Its one thing to apply for jobs and its another to be ready/prepared when you get an invite for a job test/interview.
We all know the saying that "practice makes perfect" right? Trust me, its not overrated. The truth is that you should have spent your service year preparing for this but let's be honest here,most didn't. Let me cut straight to the chase. At camp, some guys must have lectured y'all about this (unless you were sleeping during lectures) so I'll just focus on the specifics here. Most companies these days base their tests on GMAT. Sure you knew that already. So, the best way to prepare for such tests is to get a GMAT book and practice answering the questions there. You can only get better as you keep practicing. The key thing is to answer as many questions as possible correctly within a given time limit. So, get on with it if you haven't started already.
There's a saying that "everyone who reigns in public, trains in private". You have to be in form before you are given the platform. Yea, you can take that to the bank cos it sounded good. Bottomline is, Practice! Practice! Practice! GMAT is quite cheap these days anyways.
Now, that you've aced the test, you'll probably be invited for an interview. I can't cover everything here because various companies have varied means of conducting interviews. You can follow me on twitter @daviesreward or comment on the blog if you have questions and I'll try as much as I can to reply. Most companies conduct their interviews in stages. So, you've definitely gotta be well prepared to scale through. I won't bore you here with dress codes, etiquettes, and what nots because I know you know that already. Basically, its about getting grounded about the company. You don't expect a company to employ someone who's clueless or doesn't show enough interest about the company. Thank goodness for the internet. You could google the company,visit their website and get updated. Paramount interest should be placed on the company's vision,mission statement and core values. Most times I wonder what we use our phones for. I met a guy who's of the opinion that "if you have a smartphone,and that smartphone can't renew its subscription or buy itself, then, you should be slapped". I totally agree. Topic for another day though. Job forums and the likes can also help with information about different companies. Just subscribe and join the forum, simple.
So, don't just read this blog and marvel at my awesomeness (yea right). Get to work! Start practicing! Like my mentor (@iamsteveharris) always says, "Its not what you don't have that limits you, its what you have but don't know how to use".
#thinkonthis


Tuesday, 8 October 2013

Mastering the business of your talent


FOUR SUCCESSFUL CEO's SAT AT A TABLE TALKING...

'It's interesting that people want their lives to change, but don't want to sacrifice for the thing that is certain to change their lives' said the CEO of the Energy company.

'I agree, sometimes they take it as one big joke, laughing that they have time' replied the CEO of the Entertainment company.'

'If only they knew that the makeup for greatness already lay within them' agreed the 3rd CEO.

"I would really love to teach them how to brand themselves and stand out' concurred the CEO of the global Advertising Consortium.

'They would gain so much and shorten their learning curve, as our combined business experience is over 80 YEARS!'

Imagine 4 of us in an MBT class! It would be amazing! But truth is, we shouldn't make it free. Let those that desire TRUE CHANGE come. Only those who are DISSATISFIED WITH THEIR PRESENT, TIRED OF THEIR PAST & HUNGRY FOR THEIR FUTURE should attend this MBT class.'

'What will we put the class fee at' asked the CEO of the Beauty Group.

'N10K . It's not worth 10mins of our time, but enough for the serious minded to make a way, and for the unserious to make excuses. We will give them an hour each' said the Energy Don.

By the way, what does MBT mean? asked the Entertainment CEO.

The Brand CEO responded 'Masters In Business of Talent'

They turned to a 5th member, a younger CEO who they were grooming and was listening quietly, because when THE FOUR spoke, he listened.

'Steve, make it happen'.

Consider it Done and Dusted'.

Our CEO's:

Tonye Cole: (Energy), AliBaba: Entertainment (Comedy), Tara Fela Durotoye :(Beauty) &
Charles O'Tudor: (Branding)

have requested that you attend a 1 DAY 'Masters In Business of Talent' (MBT) course.

Sat, October 26th 2013.
Terra Kulture, Tiamiyu Savage Street, VI @11am
Course Fee: N5K (STUDENTS & NYSC) N10k (YOU).

Call Oluchi on 08096581956
http://evt.so/biz-talent

Have a Ruthlessly Executed Day

@daviesreward for @iamsteveharris

WHAT`S NEXT?

Yepee! Its 2 days to POP,isn't it? Was wondering what would be going through your minds and thought I should share this.
For some of y'all it's a feeling of nervousness mixed with fear while for some its sheer joy and relief from the shackels of NYSC. Funny enough all these feelings boil down to how you spent your service year,the last 12 months of your life basically. So the question on everyone's lips should be; WHAT NEXT? Reality must have set in one way or the other. No more allowee. What seemed like peanuts a while ago would be needed so dearly now. You had better plan how to spend the last one wisely.
Back to our main question, WHAT NEXT? A job, masters, business, trade... The sad reality is that quite a number of "good to go" corpers are clueless about the answer to the above asked question. Most spent service year flexing, partying/clubbing, working at their ppa's, "chopping space"etc without really adding value to themselves. A friend of mine calls it building capacity.
The truth is that 90% of you guys won't get jobs (no be curse ooo,lolz) unless you create (for the entrepreneurs) them because there are really no jobs out there. You might be wondering,what the heck is wrong with this guy sef but the truth hurts sometimes. There are thousands of unemployed graduates out there and the numbers will only increase with you guys passing out soon. So what's the way forward?
This article would be strictly for job seekers,I would deal with that of masters (Msc) and the likes at susbequents editions.
Firstly, get a functioning email address. Sound ridiculous right? Its 2013 afterall. I took a survey a while back at my ppa which I would like to keep anonymous for now and discovered that some corpers didn't have a "functioning" email address. Mark the word "functioning". I won't bore you with the details just open an email account. Yahoo or gmail preferably would serve and please be formal about the names you choose for the account. Your first name and surname alone would serve. Shows your professionalism. Secondly, subscribe to job forums. We are blessed with social media these days. You don't have to buy newspapers to check for job adverts before you can apply. Just google: "nigerian jobs for recent graduates", many links should pop out. Click on as many as you can,register or subscribe with your email address. The jobs forums would notify you anytime there's an opening.
Lastly,apply! Sounds lame but some people really don't know how to. I don't need to need to tell you that you need an updated cv/resume for this. I won't bore you with details either. Just send me a mail, daviesreward13@gmail.com to request for a model cv which I'll give freely. Yea,it costs absofreakinglutely nothing. You can also follow me on twitter ;@daviesreward to reuest for the cv. All you have to do is just edit it to your taste. Then voila, you can applyy for whatsoever job you deem fit. Preferrably graduate trainee jobs for now. I'll be writing on the next phase soon.

Thanks