A Simple Question For Every Good Parent... by Martin Udogie

* Martin Udogie.

Recently, one of my mentors asked me a very simple question: “Martin, what is your son passionate about?”

I thought long and hard, going back as far as when he was a toddler, till now. Was it cartoon network? Game Boy? Perhaps when he became a Karate black belt at 9? I was clueless.

But greatly alarmed and bothered. Because I could imagine even him asking me, what he should write as his passion, while trying to answer an essay question, or at some interview, etc.

And then, days later, I got some relief.

Something I myself enjoy doing so much, that I derive so much joy and satisfaction from (and which quite a number of people appreciate from formal and informal feedback) is relentlessly seeking useful and practical knowledge and disseminating same through the media (social and traditional).

And I didn’t discover this passion of mine until about 10, maybe 15 years, or so ago.

So, when someone’s passion is discovered could vary from individual to individual. But as countless examples have demonstrated, from Bill Gates, to Michael Jackson, the Williams Sisters, etc, the earlier a child’s talent is spotted AND encouraged, the surer the chances of success and fulfillment.

And this brings me to the fascinating story of George Onafowokan, MD/CEO of Coleman Wires and Cables Company.

George’s interest and flair for business started as far back as when he was in secondary school. He remembers starting with the sale of Lake Country wine. From a carton, his stock grew to twenty cartons and more, all stacked away in a corner in the same warehouse used by his father.

Then he noticed that for six months, his father’s staff were unable to sell his consignment of corned beef. So he approached his father with an offer: To help him dispose of the consignment but for a commission.

Father and son struck a deal. Barely two weeks later, the entire stock was sold out completely. And all fully paid for!

George was only just about 16 years old then.

So several years later, when his father was looking for a successor for his struggling cables company, he recalled this and several such similar experiences with George.

George took over the reins of the struggling cables company. And today, he has turned the business into the biggest cables and wires company in the whole of West Africa.

So, what is your son passionate about?

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Martin Udogie, Publisher, Trainer and Programme Host for the Radio Nigeria Network, wrote in from Lagos.

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NELSON MANDELA DIES AND THE WORLD REACTS TO LOSS OF AN EXEMPLARY LEADER by Benson Agoha

* Nelson Mandela: 1918 - 2013.

Those who went to bed early last night or were working far from mear channels awoke this morning to the news that Dr. Nelson Mandela, liberator of South Africa from the clutches of Apartheid and its former President has died.

I grew up hearing of the struggles of Dr. Nelson and Winnie Mandela, who fought the obnoxious system called Apartheid in his country for several years leading to his imprisonment and confinement to Roben Island prison, where he spent a record 27 years.

Mandela's struggles, like that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr., were symbolic because he fought not for a selfish cause, but a popular one. Mandela fought for emancipation of all peoples.

In one of his speeches, the former president was quotated as saying "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. ... But if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die..." He loved life, and stayed alive.

He lived to serve his term and witness his release. Lived to come home to a people that he loved and still did. Lived learn that the struggle for which he fought an obnoxious system for so long, has weakened the system, and weakened to the point it gave hope to the ANC.

That hope and sustained pressure, rose to a point where the ruling government of Pieta Willem Botha, who ruled as Prime Minister from 1978 - 1994 and, as Executive President from 1984-1989, was prepared to negotiate the total dismantling of apartheid, the modifiation of the South African Constitution (which eventually provided for two deputy presidents) and the eventual enthronment of popular democracy, which brought Mandela's African National Congress (ANC) to power.

A man who loved his people, freedom and life, Nelson Mandela's love continued to his ripe age of 95.

In many respect similar to, but perhaps bigger than the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Mandela clung to life - long after cynics and rumour mongers spread the news that he was dead. He lived on, long to prove them wrong.

* Nelson Mandela's Statue at Parliament Square.

The world reacts to Nelson Mandela, who is the only black man whose statue stands at the Parliament Square near Westminister Abbey.

The Council of Europe is flying their flags at half mast and described him as “...the world’s greatest human rights defender of our time."

In London, the South African and Union flags are flying at half-mast above Downing Street.

In an official statement by Downing Street, Prime Minister David Cameron said “A great light has gone out in the world. Nelson Mandela was a towering figure in our time; a legend in life and now in death - a true global hero. Across the country he loved they will be mourning a man who was the embodiment of grace. Meeting him was one of the great honours of my life."

"My heart goes out to his family - and to all in South Africa and around the world whose lives were changed through his courage.”

Later, as he signed the condolence book he said "Your generosity, compassion & forgiveness have given us lessons to live by."

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said: “Our thoughts go out to the people of South Africa who will be left heartbroken by this sad news."

“Every so often history produces an individual whose message is universal, and Nelson Mandela will be mourned and missed on every continent around the globe. The hope he offered was enough to unite races; it bridged cultures and transcended generations; and it could heal the deepest divides.“

"That hope must now live on. Nelson Mandela’s legacy will continue to burn brightly, there is little doubt about that. But our greatest tribute to him will be our commitment to equality, humanity and peace - the values for which he very literally put his life on the line.”

And Ed Milliband paid his tribute saying "Deep condolences to Graca Machel, his family and friends and to all the people of South Africa. Nelson Mandela called Britain "the second headquarters of our movement." Today I remember his courage and those who sustained the movement.

In Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan said "Nelson Mandela’s Indefatigable Spirit Will Continue To Inspire Present And Future Generations Of Africans.

In an official message to President Jacob Zuma and the people of South Africa, President Jonathan conveyed the sympathy and solidarity of the Government and people of Nigeria as the world mourns the former South African President.

President Jonathan said “I write to commiserate with you, the Government and people of South Africa and the family of Dr. Nelson Mandela on the death of one of the greatest sons of Africa.

“Although it has come at the advanced age of 95, Madiba’s death will create a huge vacuum that will be difficult to fill in our continent. He will be sorely missed by all who cherish love, peace and freedom the world over and will be eternally honoured for his immense contribution to the dismantling of the apartheid policy, one of the world’s most obnoxious systems whose under-pining philosophy was the degradation of man by man.

“Dr. Mandela served as a source of inspiration to the oppressed peoples all over the world. In the course of his life-long epic struggle for freedom, fairness, justice, equity and the human rights of his oppressed people, Dr. Mandela made unparalleled personal sacrifices. The indefatigable spirit which he demonstrated throughout his life will continue to inspire present and future generations.

“Dr. Mandela will always be remembered and honoured by all mankind as one of its greatest liberators, a wise, courageous and compassionate leader, and an icon of true democracy.

“We join you, the Mandela family, the people of South Africa and lovers of freedom, peace, justice and equity all over the world in praying that God Almighty will receive the Great Madiba’s soul and grant him eternal rest,” President Jonathan wrote.

In United States, President Obama said Nelson Mandela was "A man who took history in his hands and bent the arc of the moral universe towards justice...Let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived."

In Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid his tributes, saying Mandela "...fought for the abolition of apartheid with a strong will. On nation building, he made a major achievement with focus on the reconciliation of the people. He was a great leader,"

Only months ago, the rumour mill spilled out that Mandela was dead, following frailing health and surgery in a hospital where he was re-admitted on June 8 with a renewed lung infection, after his condition deteriorated.

He was in hospital for 3 months and released and taken home on September 1, 2013 where he has been in intensive care at his home in Johannesburg.

Jacob Zuma, incumbent South African President visited him on November 18, 2013 during the commissioning of the 'Nelson Mandela Centre Of Memory' in Houghton, he said there was not much change.

Mandela may have giving up the fight to live, but at 95, when he went to final rest yesterday December 5th, 2013, the world understands he wished to live on.

He sure will, because we will not forget him in a hurry.

* Twitter: @bensonagoha.

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The Men Who United America by Martin Udogie

"The Men Who United The States" was written by Simon Winchester. Martin Udogie recently bought a copy and below, he explains why.

I literally froze when I read the title of this book. And it’s worth reflecting on why.

The United States of America wasn’t created as it is today. There were men who went out of their way, to do things to UNITE (not DIVIDE) the states of America. And anyone who has visited the U.S can’t but be full of admiration for these people and salute their courage and vision.

There is value in number and sheer size. America is what it is today on account of its size, and diversity.

Which reminds me of Germany of yesterday and today.

After Germany was defeated in the Second World War, the country was divided into two: West Germany (known as the Federal Republic of Germany) and East Germany (called the German Democratic Republic).

West Germany prospered as it embraced capitalism, while communist East Germany was doomed to poverty.

This dichotomy caused a steady flood of people from the East to the West.

Then suddenly, overnight on 13 August 1961 East Germany erected a huge border wall to stem the tide of migration from the East to the West. And what came to be known as the Iron Curtain would remain in place for almost three decades.

But ironically, while the wall existed, it was the more prosperous West Germans who waged a relentless campaign of unification, to tear down the wall.

They didn't have to. West German economy was booming, with low employment and world-class manufacturing and global brands. They had even won the FIFA World Cup thrice: 1954, 1974 and 1990.

And then finally, after 28 years, the Wall came down and East and West Germany reunified into a single German state on October 3, 1990.

The cost of the re-unification? Almost $2 trillion dollars, all borne by West Germany. The transfers from the West to the East was a sum equivalent to half Germany’s total economic output in 2008. Eastern Germany economic output was only 33% of the West in 1991, a figure that has now risen to around 80%. Both countries have prospered and Germany is today Europe's largest and strongest economy.

But the story doesn't end there.

On Sunday, September 22, 2013, German Chancellor and Head of Government, Angela Merkel swept into a historic third election victory.

It was a personal victory for the 59-year old woman who is now on track to overtake Margaret Thatcher as Europe’s longest-serving female leader.

And you know what? Angela Merkel is from the old Eastern Germany!

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Martin Udogie, Publisher, Trainer and Programme Host for the Radio Nigeria Network, wrote in from Lagos.

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POVERTY & SUCCESS: ARE PEOPLE POOR BECAUSE THEY ARE POOR? Asks Martin Udogie

* "In cognitive demanding fields, there are no naturals" - Malcolm Gladwell.

Malcolm Gladwell, who is by far one of my favourite authors, uses the most powerful and persuasive technique for writing - and speaking: storytelling. But what does he mean by above quote?

What it means is that in human endeavours or activities that involve mental or intellectual effort or application of a high-level skill, there is nobody who is naturally born for it. This means, that it takes preparation and hard-work to achieve excellence.

The argument relates to what's called the "10,000 Hours Rule".

Research and studies have found and proved that geniuses and those who achieve greatness put in at least 10,000 hours of preparation before they hit that level of performance that we all celebrate. From chess players, to surgeons, basketball players, footballers, musicians, Nobel laureates, etc, from Michael Jackson, to Michael Jordan, Lionel Messi to Floyd Mayweather, the Williams sisters, Dr. Ben Carson, Bill Gates, Wole Soyinka, etc.

And 10,000 Hours translates to roughly 3 hours every day, for 10 years! But you can shorten that equation. Doing 6 hours every day will make you an expert in just five years! 10 hours every day, in 3 years!

As told in the book, Accidental Billionaires, Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg and his team of developers used to start their day working from mid-day, and won’t got to bed until 5am the following day (that is 18 straight hours every day!).

Many of those early employees are billionaires today.

So, if this is the simple formula for success, why are many people not successful? Or to pose the question slightly differently, why do we still have so much poverty in the world? There is something called poverty trap. People are poor because they are poor.

To prove this, brilliant American economist, Jeffery Sachs teamed up with glamorous American actress Angelina Jolie to produce a video for MTV. They visited Sauri in Kenya where they met Kennedy, a young farmer.

Kennedy was given free fertilizer and as result, the harvest from his farm was twenty times what it had been the previous year. With the savings from that harvest, the video concluded, Kennedy would be able to support himself forever. See? Simple! The gift of free fertilizer freed him. It was the only way he could escape poverty.

But then other more skeptical economists started to ask that if fertilizer was really so profitable, why couldn’t Kennedy not have started by buying and applying little quantities of fertilizer and gradually grow from there? In the same Kenya, one of the most prosperous farmers was a man named Otieno. How did he manage to rise above others?

In the Kenyan village, most farmers can’t afford fertilizers. Why? Because during the harvest season, when they are liquid they do not invest in fertilizers. There are other uses for the cash. By the planting season when fertilizers are plentiful, they are cash-strapped.

So what did Otieno do? He buys fertilizers during the harvest season when he has cash. So, how does he meet his other needs for cash?

According to the book, Poor Economics by A. Banerje and E. Duflo: “He works a bit harder as a bicycle taxi driver (a job he did on the side when he was not too busy with farming)”.

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Martin Udogie, Publisher, Trainer and Programme Host for the Radio Nigeria Network, wrote in from Lagos.

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HOW LEADERS CAN OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES OF RETRO-EXPERIENCES by Benson Agoha

* "Unfortunately I can’t travel back in time yet, but at some points certain rifts in the timeline open up, allowing you to witness the gaming splendors of days gone past.." - Martijn Arthur Willemse (The Video Game Historian).

Travelling back in time is often not a very palatable thing, especially if you have already had a distasteful experience.

The main question here, I think, is not about whether you can travel back in time, we all do. Being a process, you sometimes just find yourself swept off your feet. So, it is more about recognising when we are in it, and much more importantly, understanding its implications as well as knowing what to expect next.

Knowing what to expect NEXT, helps us prepare for it's challenges. And with such awareness, ride the waves, through to shore.

But although Martijn Arthur Willemse deals with games, my purpose here is to apply retro experiences to leadership, using his quote, in the hope that my definition, and application to subject are understandably relatable.

In `UNMASKED', I had since written an article on `retrogrades', and later, on `backward walking'. I dwelt on, and talked about, how they occur - and are taken advantage of - by those who know `how'.

I am only going to apply the two concepts to leadership and by so doing, hopefully create the necessary platform that offers useful clues to leaders.

A few lines above, I mentioned that travelling back in time is a process. I suppose I have to explain further that sometimes, you can actually start the process, whereas at other times, you find yourself thrown into it. The later is more relevant to this discussion.

For example, when you sit down, try to relax and reflect on your past, you have control over starting the process. You decide when to take a break and sometimes, you even decide where to start. Being in control, you can further decide what are relevant and what are not.

When you find yourself thrown into elements of your past, some of which are so distasteful and unappreciable that you would rather not revisit them, there is cause for concern.

* Clockwise or Forward Direction.

So my purpose here is to discuss retro situations over which we have little control.

Personally, you would have had people in your past so `selfish, brutish, crude, vindictive, deceptive, abhorable, abominable, intollerable, greedy, inconsiderate' ( hahaha..should I hold back? Oh yeah, my group are `Cronies' not `Wailers'), that given the choice, you would rather not meet again. Yet you do, and every single time, you always ended up hating it.

But leadership is a role whose objectives must be, skimmed of personal agenda and, aligned with the corporate objective.

There are also situations, during which leaders did what they genuinely believed was in full consonance with their personal and organsational values, as well as complying with company's policy, but whose result turned out wrongly, and left them with unpleasant tastes, displeasing memories and discolouring their leadership credentials.

It's perhaps only in football that Managers/Coaches have their worst and best experiences - almost simultaneously. Fired today and rehired tomorrow, evidently obscuring their most recent agony. And unless they are serial disappointers, they would look forward to making a better history.

Well, you get my drift then when I talk about retrogrades and how they affect human, and by implication, leadership experience.

As a leadership enthusiast, my concern here is on how leaders can recognise and handle retro-experiences analogous to `tragic' organisational experience.

Some retro-experiences afford leaders the chance to right a wrong, or better put, retrace their steps, locate the point of digression and get back on track - picking up from where they veered off. Others however, are eminently distructive, particularly if the leader had not been analytical enough or mistakenly relied on a wrong data.

Retro-experiences, that occur sometimes, if we must insist, beyond human control, are caused by `retrograde'. This is when the rotational and orbital motions in the solar system are in clockwise direction.

Generally, scientists have since found that all or most (except three) of the planets revolve eastwards.

Courtney Seligman wrote that “most of the rotational and orbital motions in the solar system are in the same "eastward" direction, and motions in this direction, are referred to as direct motions.”

But when when planets are in westward motion, they are considered as travelling in opposite direction and therefore referred to as a retrograde.

Anti-Clockwise, Counter-Clockwise, Backward or Retrograde Direction.

Retrogrades negate or contravene the natural order of flow, except for the three plannets known to revolve backwards - naturally. When this happens, you notice that suddenly, things that have happened to an individual in the past, begin to repeat themselves and they begin to have `retro-experience'.

So retro-experiences `pull you back' through old events or occurences. On the plus side, optimists argue that retrogrades point to the evidence that the universe can, and does, control human excesses.

They may yet be right but my purpose here is to discusse how leaders can manage the effects of retrogrades. Below, I list some guides to understanding and recognising retro-experiences.

Ways To Recognise Retro-Experiences:

(A) If you were expecting a paper to be signed, it could meet with an obstacle.

(B) If you were expecting the release of the next instalment for a project, it could stall.

(C) And if you had successfully negotiated a new deal with your creditors, you could be recalled to the negotiation table.

(D) Contracts already signed can be delayed or even cancelled.

(E) Even some anoying people from your past will start reappearing - and worse, they would probably be ready to anoy you again.

Understanding this important natural - and manipulable - phenomenon help the leader navigate some of the tempests facing leadership because it has the potential to halt projects; disorganise group activity and slow the journey; as well as put a question mark on the credibility and proficiency of his leadership.

Regrogrades are manipulable and below, I explain how leaders can manage its effects on their organisations effectiveness.

Overcoming The Challenges of Retro-Experiences:

(1)Awarenes is key to managing retro-experiences. Understanding it's nature and be alert to spot it when it starts, is an invaluable skill that leaders can't ignore.

(2)Do a little research to find out if some other natural phenomenon - like an eclipse - is due soon and how many are expected. These are natural, and may seem beyond human control, but their effects can been cushioned.

(3) Analyse its potential impact. This is like determining what happens next and how it will affect the group or the organisations operations.

(5)Plan for it. Developing contingency plans helps leaders respond appropriately to retro-experiences. When they say "I knew it", or "I was expecting it", it shows awareness, through conventional communication or intuition.

(6) Communicate expectation and plans to important surbordinates.

(7) Implement plan as meticulously as possible, when conditions for its development arises. Here, the leaders organisational, managerial, control and leadership proficiency is tested. A leader who can ride the waves and manage crises triggered by retro-experiences effectively, is already proving his mettle.

Have you had a retro-experience in your leadership capacity that threatened to derail your project? How did you handle it?

Please, feel free to write in and share your experience with me and my `Cronies' on Leadership Lane. Feedback is essential and we would love to hear from you.

Thank you for visiting and please do return.

* Twitter: @bensonagoha.

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* Courtney Seligman, is a Professor of Astronomy and Science at Saint Mary's University, Nova Scotia, Canada [ http://cseligman.com/text/sky/retrograde.htm ].

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HOW KOREA PUT A STOP TO THEIR PLANE CRASHES by Martin Udogie

DEVELOPING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN CORPORATE LEADERS by RD Kosor

It is no longer sufficient to simply ask for leadership from employees. Leadership must be defined, boundaries set, and behavioral expectations laid at the feet of those granted the awesome responsibility of leading others.

Thirty-plus years of research have resulted in the conclusion that the most successful and competitive leaders in the world share four core characteristics: the power of irresistible attraction, a motivational approach to a shared vision, the ability to arouse brilliance in the team, and recognition of the individuals who make up the greater whole. Simply put, these leaders each have well developed emotional and psychological intelligence. The challenge inherent in developing this kind of competitive leadership is translating these four talent areas into trainable curriculum.

Emotional Intelligence (EI), has recently received a good deal of attention. Whereas in years past being emotionally in touch would have been considered a weakness, today it is strength. Having emotional intelligence means maintaining not only the awareness of internal impulses and natural reactions, it means having the ability to control those impulses. As awareness builds, so does the capacity for sharing appropriate empathy for others.

A natural by-product of the previous three is the power of the leader to elicit the desired response from those who report to him. The ultimate goal is to be well versed in each of these four areas all while focusing every ounce of emotional intelligence on the overarching goal, whether personal or professional.

It might seem to some as if having emotional intelligence amounts to having the ability to manipulate personal responses in an effort to get what is needed from others. Perhaps so. After all, is it not part of a leader’s responsibility to rally the team to achieve something greater than can be accomplished alone? No matter how it may seem on the surface, manipulation is never a goal of true leadership. In fact, pseudo-transformational leadership theory reveals that there are people in leadership positions who are adept at using manipulative tactics to retain power. Ultimately, their behavior results in a loss of productivity due to fear, distrust, and the alienation of the team.

Emotional intelligence is not the manipulation of self or others. The difference is intent. Leaders believe in their own ability to achieve. It is one of the things that draw others to them. But even more than that, leaders believe in the ability of others to elevate the process of achievement. They encourage innovation and creativity in others the likes of which develops a competitive and lively spirit.

That kind of encouragement comes through appropriate social interactions, professional speaking skills, and the ability to effectively communicate across lines of diversity. This kind of workplace environment is contagious and can impact entire organizations.

Leadership development requires psychological intelligence in addition to emotional intelligence. Psychological intelligence can be boiled down to two words: attitude and approach. Training psychological intelligence begins with developing hope and resilience and culminates with self-efficacy and learned optimism. Each of these four developmental areas is distinctly psychological in nature. Much like emotional intelligence, these require a level of awareness of the skills and authority over them.

The development of hope begins with the clear definition of attainable yet challenging goals. Once defined, roadblocks to achievement are presented and multiple pathways are explored. The result is the leader’s ability to redirect team activities when necessary and perseverance in times of change. Resilience logically builds from the preparedness mindset found in the development of hope. Acknowledging that change is constant requires that leaders think two steps ahead which results in an attitude of flexibility in the face of a trial.

Psychological intelligence completes the leadership development paradigm with positive self-efficacy and learned optimism. A key component in self-efficacy is confidence. Having the confidence to take on challenges and then to put into those challenges the kind of effort necessary to succeed speaks to a leader’s psychological capital. On the surface, it seems rather redundant to train a leader in self-efficacy. After all, are leaders not already confidant and capable? The answer is most are, most of the time.

Everyone experiences moments or even phases of life when confidence is shaken. A mistake is made, an innovative design falters, a sales goal is left unmet and the leader becomes hesitant. It is natural, both emotionally and psychologically, for failure fallout to occur. The key is not to block out or ignore the resulting fear but to embrace it…examine it for what it is worth…and then determine how to avoid making the same mistake twice. Then, move on to whatever comes next.

Which leads to the much-needed psychological asset of learned optimism. How essential is it to be able to brush aside the disappointments and look forward with a positive attitude? How refreshing is it to be around someone who sees the silver lining rather than the blackness of the storm?

Learned optimism is the key asset in becoming psychologically strong. Human beings are naturally negative, masking that negativity in realism. Especially in business, it is widely acceptable behavior to be chameleon like depending upon the expectations of the boss, the organizational culture, and especially in politically-sensitive situations. It is this practiced pessimism that leads to an expectation of negativity.

Learned optimism steps in and attempts to disrupt this process. With a strong belief in the organization’s mission, a firm understanding of where the leader’s purpose fits with the accomplishment of that mission and the acceptance of self the leader is trained to approach situations from an optimistic perspective. Practical exercises reinforce a belief in every person’s positive attribution and purpose with a focus on what it will take to succeed both now and in the future.

A common misconception is that this kind of leadership development is reserved for the executive level employee. Leadership development through emotional and psychological intelligence has been proven to impact sales force moral judgment, increase trust between client and sales person, improve customer service satisfaction, vastly increase innovation and creativity, and improve financial viability of organizations across a span of industries. Organizations with well-developed leadership programs will benefit from supplementing their current training programs with specific topics previously discussed.

The combination of emotional intelligence and psychological intelligence results in the kind of leader who has the charisma others seek out, the ability to motivate teams toward a common goal, a sincere desire to coach growth, and a constant search for greater knowledge. Leadership development curriculum must focus on both ends of the spectrum while recognizing that emotional and psychological growth is a process that requires professional and practical instruction.

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RD Kosor PhD, Author, Trainer and Transformational Leader, is an Adjunct Professor at the Arkansas Tech University, and founder of Metamorphosis.

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DO YOU WAIT TO BE NOTICED? Asks Benson Agoha

["Excessive spiritualisation of the environment, creates problem for society - and for business."] - Benson Agoha

By the time you read this, you will probably make a mistake of `misapplication' of the hypothetical scenarios, and I sincerely hope not.

But when I opened my mail box today, waiting for me was a message from an agency, advertising a position they thought might be of interest to me. They probably sent it to several others. But the one small lesson to gain from their action is that they did make an effort to communicate their intention.

You see, information is power! And I am not talking about spiritual information through dreams or psychic manipulations - which are unreliable. In business, communication has to be physically done.

Which is probably why in our world today, `physical communication' is at the top of the list of the most successful organisations. And is Carlos Slim Helu, the world's reachest man worth $73bn, not into telecommunications?

Wonderful Weirdo wrote that "constantly talking isn't necessarily communicating". If that holds true, not talking at all is an unforgivable sin from a leader, indeed from anyone, who expects response when he has said nothing.

Leadership that does not know how to commuicate is potentially dead - and business communication must be in physical, not spiritual.

During one of my field runs, I visited a client for an appointment, only to find everyone having fun at a hastily arranged fairwell party for a retiring member of the organisation.

After a quick chat, my client invited me to join the party. Two days later, she called me.

"How do you ensure that a `target' notices your interest in them without necessarily pre-warning them?" She asked me.

"What sort of interest do you mean?" I asked her.

She explained that since she was informed that a member of her team was leaving due to ill-health, she had been considering a potential replacement without alerting him. Now, she had to make a decision but thought that the staff in question has a major fault.

"Do you mind letting me in on this major fault?" I asked.

She told me that the man hardly notices people around him. I asked if he has any problems with his sight or was just plain daft.

She said "Ahh, Benson. That man is not daft at all, far from it."

I said the chances are the man actually notices his environment much more than anyone can imagine, otherwise, he would be daft, and won't even deserve to be there.

She pondered this and said she would have a chat with him. A week later, she called me back to say she confirmed the man for the position the previous friday - immediately after the `chat'.

* [ Structure of the Eyes ensures that pulses from the optic nerve travel in a spherical way through to the lense, making it possible to see a wide spectrum of images at the same time. ]

I said "ooops!..what happened? How did you make up your mind?"

"The man is sound, extra-ordinarily sound if I must be honest. I suppose I judged him wrongly because of complaints from others."

Intuition can be a powerful tool for decision making, but leaders are advised to rely on it only when it has consistently guided them aright.

People see what they want to see. Yet, among the lot, they can further prioritise them for recognition and even storage. This is why academics defined perception as "how we organise our sensory organs, in order to give meaning to our environment."

The evaluation of what makes a `good leader' and what makes a `great leader' maybe ongoing among scholars.

But, it has since been accepted that good leadership has something to do with its quality, whereas great leadership has to do with how leaders handle adversity. It would be naive of anything to think that the journey will be smooth-sailing.

A man maybe working on the computer, yet his spectrum is in full swing, so that nothing, and no one could go unnoticed.

But the question is, why must people expect you to notice them when they know they need your attention?

Criticising just for fun, without communicating is the bane of leadership. If you need it done, let them know and if you need him, let him know.

If you are an employer, don't just wait to be noticed, do the noticing and, more importantly, you must do that in the `physical' please.

Like the employer, the unemployed have a list of potential employing firms, and business scholars, though making effort to recognise the impact of spirituality on organisational members, do not yet recognise spiritual communication.

Excessive spiritualisation of the environment, creates problem for society, and for business, the employee and the employer.

Serious employers go on a head-hunt over their employable targets - and they do so by physically contacting them and making their intentions known.

That's aceptable business practice!

* Twitter: @bensonagoha.

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Articles for publication must have full contact details, including name, address and telephone number of sender and sent by email to: onlinewoolwich@yahoo.co.uk.

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Benson Agoha is the Founder of [.]Woolwich Online.

HOW ARE YOU LIVING YOUR HISTORY? Asks Martin Udogie

In her book, No Higher Honour, Condoleezza Rice, the first Black American lady to be National Security Adviser to the U.S president and also U.S. Secretary of State, has a quote:

“History is lived forwards but it is written in retrospect.”

And then on her last day in office as US Secretary of State, she says to herself, “My, you’ve lived a lot of history.”

It’s so true. It is your actions and inactions, choices, infact whatever you do now, today, and tomorrow, and thereafter, that will make up your history, whenever it is written.

So, what’s going to be your history…your story?

Here’s one of my favourite examples of a personal story.

As a 16-year old, Sydney Weinberg, after dropping out of PS 13 (Public School No 13), needed a job, badly.

“At 8 o’clock one morning, I took the elevator to the 23rd floor of 43 Exchange Place, a nice-looking tall building on lower Manhattan, New York. Starting from the top, I stuck my head in every office and asked, as politely as I could, “Want a boy?’

“By 6 o’clock, I had worked my way down to the third floor…”

There, he encountered a small brokerage firm, where he was asked to come back next day.

He was hired for $5 a week as an assistant to Jarvis, the janitor. The year was 1907!

He worked his entire life in the small brokerage firm, building it into the world famous and powerful Goldman Sachs. He became Senior Partner in 1930, until his death in 1969, i.e. for 39 years, 30 out of that as Chairman.

Inside Goldman Sachs he addressed as “Chairman”. To outsiders, he was “Mr. Wallstreet.”

He served on 31 corporate boards, attending up to 250 committees and board meetings in a year. He was confidant and adviser to U.S Presidents often chairing Presidential committees.

Yet, he lived all his life, in the same house he bought in the 1920s. And always went to work on the Subway.

When he died on July 23, 1969, his Obituary made the front page of the New York Times along with the story of the first man (Neil Armstrong) landing on the moon.

Yet, all this was down to that famous elevator ride, in 1907, the moral of which include:

a) He started from the 23rd floor, at 8am and came down to the 3rd floor at 6pm, without ever given up, on any of the floors, thinking that there’s no job in the other floors below. Not on the 20th, or 15th or 6th floor. He continued way down….

b) Had he started climbing that 23-story building, from the ground up, he would have easily gotten the job on the 3rd floor. But that would have left him thinking that there were more jobs in the upper floors.

c) But coming down all day, from the 23rd until the 3rd floor, he knew there were no jobs up. Hence he took this very one seriously, staying for well over 60 years (1907 – 1969)!

So, that’s Weinberg Story.

History is lived forward. How are you living yours, today?

Warm regards.

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Martin Udogie, a Programme Host for the Radio Nigeria Network, wrote in from Lagos.

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Articles for publication must have full contact details, including name, address and telephone number of sender and sent by email to: onlinewoolwich@yahoo.co.uk.

I AM STILL STANDING. WHAT A MIRACLE!… by Martin Udogie

* Martin Udogie.

The last thing he recalls hearing on that day during the match was his team mate, Zat Knight screaming at him to “Come back”. He tried to do as Knight was suggesting, to back-pedal and defend.

But gripped by an inexplicable severe headache, he found he couldn’t run. He felt horribly confused, his head spinning, his vision scrambled. He saw two Scott Parkers ahead of him. And then he just went down.

By the time his head hit the White Hart Lane turf, technically he was dead.

You probably still remember Fabrice Muamba.

On Saturday, March 17, 2012, during the quarter-final FA Cup match between his club, Bolton Wanderers, and Tottenham Hotspur, Fabrice Muamba suddenly collapsed on the pitch. He stopped breathing and was dead….for 78 minutes.

But he lived to tell his story, in his book, I’m Still Standing.

How come Fabrice Muamba came back from the dead, when he stopped breathing for 78 minutes? Was it a miracle? Perhaps!

But for an answer, we have to go back, more than 20 years, to the same venue, White Hart Lane, home of same Premiership club, Tottenham Hotspur.

It was on the evening of September 21, 1991, and a vicious and grudge boxing re-match between Chris Eubank, and Michael Watson was going on.

Eubank was the bad boy of boxing – proud, cocky, boastful but supremely confident and unbeatable. He was giving the game of boxing a bad name. But no one could stop him, until now.

Watson was the nice guy, well liked, equally strong. And an Arsenal supporter!

Their first fight in June of same year, 1991 had ended controversially, with victory awarded to Eubank on points. But everybody knew that Watson had been robbed of that fight.

And so, very quickly a rematch was arranged, barely three months later, to settle scores. It was a12-round fight. Watson was leading on points. And then came Round 11. With a savage punch, Watson sent Eubank reeling to the floor. There were only about 20 seconds left in the Round.

Eubank was finished, his eyes a blur. He was on his knees as he listened to the mandatory 10-counts of the Referee. Other boxers would have given up and allowed themselves to be counted out. But not Chris Eubank.

Round 12. Watson came out. And walked into a torrent of hard punches from Eubank. Then the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. The time was exactly 10:54pm. And Watson was slowly dying…..

The brutal uppercut had caused havoc in Watson's brain; and ruin spread as a giant blood clot formed during the crucial first hour after he had slipped into unconsciousness.

After repeated emergency operations Watson was locked in a coma for 40 days. It seemed he would die or, at best, remain in a persistent vegetative state. He had to learn how to talk again and, hardest of all, walk again.

Against all expectations, Muamba regained consciousness on Monday just two days after his collapse on Saturday. He recognised his fiancee, Shauna Magunda, and asked after their son Joshua.

So why was Muamba recovery from the dead, a “miracle” and Watson’s not.

Here are some critical life-saving differences (in summary).

1.When Muamba went down, it was Van Der Vaart, a player from Spurs, the opposing team, who was the first to be frantically signaling to the pitch-side medical teams for help. The entire pitch fell silent, watching and perhaps praying for him.

But Watson’s opponent, Chris Eubank, was trying to smile as people screamed in joy at him from the ringside. There was blood on his teeth. Not far from ringside, fights broke out among rival fans in sections of the 22,000 crowd.

2. When Watson slipped into coma, there was no emergency resuscitation equipment available at ringside. He was carried from the ring to a waiting, but ill-equipped, ambulance.

The first minutes after Muamba collapsed were crucial. It didn't take long for the CPR to be administered. Instantly given oxygen and professional CPR, his chances were already raised.
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3. Watson was taken to the North Middlesex hospital, arriving there at 23.22pm (almost 30 minutes since the incident). It was the wrong place. There was inadequate resuscitation equipment and no specialist head trauma staff. It wasn’t until 23.55pm when he left North Middlesex for Barts Hospital.

But Muamba continued to get luckier. Sitting in the stand that day was Spurs fan Dr Andrew Deaner, consultant cardiologist at the London Chest Hospital. He was allowed on the pitch to help. Muamba was given 15 defibrillation shocks in all.

And critically, Dr Deaner, convinced the ambulance to take Muamba to the London Chest Hospital – almost eight miles away – rather than, as had been planned, the North Middlesex, much nearer White Hart Lane. This singular, doctor’s advice may have helped to save the footballer's life.

The London Chest Hospital has teams of cardiologists, brain specialists, etc. Some had been listening to the match on the radio, and wondering whether they might get the call to readiness. They were ready, and waiting.

So, did Muamba receive a miracle and Watson did not? Or was Muamba lucky and Watson not so lucky?

Warm regards.

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Martin Udogie, a Programme Host for the Radio Nigeria Network, wrote in from Lagos.

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Goodwill: Why Leaders Must Strive To Build A Good Name For Their Organisation

by Benson Agoha | Organisational Goodwill

“Goodwill is the one and only asset that competition cannot undersell or destroy.” ~ Carl Ludwig Börne.

Goodwill represents the sum total of attraction built into a name through sustained marketing effort, consistent delivery of quality products and services, high quality and reliable manpower and profitability. It is often said to be unquantifiable quality image. Perhaps so, but once built, accountants are usually able to assign values to it and treat it as an asset to the firm or individual. A firm’s goodwill can be so strong and highly valued that its fortunes are tied to that image, sometimes making profit oscillate along with the image.

Private names, like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Andy Murray, Tiger Woods, JK Rowling etc., also enhance their respective fortunes. For example, JKR’s latest book, was not doing so well, but once her pseudonym was unmasked, it shot to best seller and its pre-orders rose. Rihanna’s legs were insured for $1m, just because she is a performer. Cristiano Ronaldo was bought from Manchester United for £80m. Last season alone, he scored 55 goals in 55 games. He is now said to be valued at 10 times the original price by Real Madrid. Whereas Lionel Messi of Barcelona, highest goal scorer in the Spanish League and winner of the Player of the Year Award, he is valued at about £360m. This proves that goodwill has a lot to do with people’s perception of the `name’ or brand.

PS4 CONSOLE.

In some respects, goodwill is like wine, it matures with age. But whereas it can rise and even remain at its saturation point for a long time, unlike wine, its lifespan oscillates along its marketing curve and maybe shorter.

How To Look After Goodwill: The continual relevance of a name, the potential for a higher value and the length of its relevance depends on its management, the ability to identify deficient spots and take timely corrective action before major damage is done to the name.

Here, the leader must ensure that the right mix is in place to manage the brand. The public relations experts will decide when to contract inserts in the mass media, what the message should say, how long it will need to be carried, whether it should be print or electronic as well as determining if the PR is doing the intended job. Also, the team will know how to respond when scandals hit – even if they are facing their own scandals.

Benefits of Goodwill: There is a wrong notion that a company does not need to fight for good except it is a player in the mass market. Nothing can be farther from the truth. The public will always appreciate to know about the existence of a firm and how it impacts on them even if indirectly. Benefits of goodwill to a firm include the following:

a) Attracting the right suitors, goodwill ensures that interests come from the right buyers or merger proposals. This can only happen if it is has created consistent goodwill overtime.

b) Ability to attract Loans and grants, as and whenever, the organisation or individual required it. Michael Jackson was a successful musician whose name attracted instant positive response from lenders.

c) Goodwill also helps an organisation or name to create the right influence, by leaving the right impressions on stakeholders, quicker. It’s adverts position faster also.

d) Goodwill enhances the chances of future profitability of the firm or individual. Apple, Samsung, Facebook are some of the organisations whose new products are trusted and embraced timely. Facebook’s share took a hit and plunged shortly after its Initial Public Offering. The shareholders became downcast and analysts whipped up the sentiment. But their mobile advertising app has been hugely successful, increasing its revenue and returning its share price to its current value of $39.90 on the NASDAQ.

e) Volunteers also embrace organisations with a strong goodwill when considering where to give their free time. Some volunteers give time, not just because they have it, but also because of what they hope to benefit from doing so – such as boosting their CV or benefiting from Referrals. The British Heart Foundation, Coca Cola, Apple and Facebook are some of the names whose strong goodwill can be of attraction to generous but selective volunteers.

SONY'S PS4.

Measuring Goodwill: There are several indices which can be used to measure an organisation’s goodwill. These include:

a) Share Turnover can be used as a determinant of goodwill because this shows the attitude of consumers to its name. For example, if a company is a quoted firm, its shares tend to be active at the stock exchange. Nestle is a quoted organisation at the London Stock Exchange with a strong goodwill and, as the time of writing this piece, its share are quoted at £65.30 and the trend is positive, Coca cola was at 38.20 and also active.

b) Shareholders value represents what the firm is worth to its owners after its liabilities and commitments are deducted for the accounting year. A company with high shareholders value will almost always have a strong goodwill. Shareholders value provides evidence of managerial proficiency – and what else can add to an organisations image than skilled and reliable manpower, that communicate confidence in what they do?

c) Acceptability of new products. As already stated, image sells and in fact retains the potential to sell more. So an organisation with a strong goodwill stands a very good chance of successfully and quickly introducing new products into existing or even new markets. Sony makes PlayStations and new versions are almost always anticipated and quickly embraced. It’s PlayStation 4 is due for release soon this summer and, it is already being anticipated.

d) Attraction to skilled workforce. Even if it does not pay the highest industry rate, a company can retain the capacity to attract skilled manpower, simply because of its name.

e) Positions faster. Organisations with a strong goodwill are almost always quickly remembered because of what the media would have done for them. Positioning is a marketing term for public relations efforts that achieve the aim of registering the `image’ in the mind of advert targets.

Downsides of Goodwill: With so much going for goodwill, it will appear that an organisation with a good name has nothing to worry about. Well, uneasy lies the head that wear’s the crown. So organisations find that, contrary to being on a bed of roses, they have issues to worry about as a result of the image they have built, including:

a) Being continuously on the media radar. Because of the work already done to achieve the good name, organisations are also of interest to journalists for any form of news concerning them – and this may not always be good. So the pressure to avoid embarrassments builds. Look at the embarrassing image of Charles Saatchi throttling his wife, Celebrity Chef Nigella Lawson. The couple had finished their dinner and gone for a whole week, during which they have patched up their differences, only for the photos to be published. Subsequently, she moved out and they have now divorced.

b) Industry watchdog will also be doing their regular assessments and monitoring and sometimes, they contribute to the pressure as organisations work to avoid penalties or sensor.

c) Competition is also another pressure builder. When an organisation has built up a good name, the tendency to attract other new-comers is huge and expectedly, they have to work to increase their investment into strengthening or further embellishing their name.

d) Potential for derivative loss of profitability resulting from a dent on that image. Sometimes, one bad news results in a huge loss to an organisation. If the wrong person dies after drinking a bottle of soft drink in whose bottle a dead cockroach is later discovered, it can create a big problem for the firm. Aside from the monitoring and legal implications, this can also cause negative consumer reaction which, if not properly managed, can lead to loss of sales. So the pressure is also always on to track and settle cases early.

In conclusion, goodwill puts unquantifiable value to a firm’s name or image and this can potentially have astronomical positive multiplier effects on it’s fortunes. The 2012 London Olympics is an example. Positive news have been pouring in from all sides. Even factors that would have probably been considered unimportant – like the perception of the British as a people of high taste by Germans. The latest news say the Germans, now believe that Brits are people of high quality. Auto sales are on the rise and consumer confidence is increasing from all sides. The highest number of Ferrari Sport Cars, a preserve of the rich, was said to have been sold in Britain in the past year, second only to the US.

No doubt, the London Olympics was a perfect example of organisational masterpiece, but if so much good news is pouring in as a result, imagine what the reverses and damage would have been, if the event was, organisationally a massive failure.

Leadership has the responsibility to build goodwill, and must put the right mix in place to achieve this, as well as strive to get the quality right, consistently. The cost of failure can be astronomically higher than foreseen.

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Twitter: @bensonagoha.

E.T. Phone hOMe - Our Eternal Light is On (Concluding Part) by by Lucira Jane Nebelung

Difficulty is Growth

M. Scott Peck said "Life is difficult." It is. We don't grow and evolve unless we are challenged. Once we accept this, all "difficulty" disappears. Spiritual growth and integration is not a process of change but an evolutionary emergence to become the fulfilment of potential, like a larva becoming a butterfly. Creation is evolution by virtue of the emergence of potentiality into actuality (David Hawkins).

We only grow when we are challenged. If you find yourself uncomfortable or angry with what is written, great! There is an opportunity for growth. What is the perspective or belief that is ready to shift? What in this writing, triggered judgment? That judgment is inside of you, a part of how you "see" yourself that you are recognizing in me as a mirror. Write down all of these judgments, "good" or "bad" and reflect on how, in what ways they perhaps describe you. "Lj is out of her mind." - I can't live like this; I will be seen as crazy or lose my mind. "Lj is too open and personal." - I fear what I will learn about my true self. Or, as one reader commented: "This is amazing." - Yes we are. We can always resist or retreat from discomfort or we can move into it and allow its source to be revealed. When it is, the cause is dissolved. Allow the discomfort to be what it is with relaxed awareness, without reacting with drama and watch it dissipate.

Everything is an out-picturing of the consciousness within. When we gaze in awe at the cosmos, we are observing the vastness that we are. When we turn away from or fixate on pictures of war or famine, that war or hunger is raging inside of as well. When we are touched by nature's beauty, that beauty is inside of us. Nothing is ever an "accident." It's all an opportunity to recognize and be the Love that you are.

As we love ourSelves, love flows through all of our interactions with one another and with life. We act as a "tuning fork" for those around us. Life is calmer. One no longer engages in the drama, rather acts as witness. Life becomes extra-ordinary in ordinary circumstances. Everything we engage with, including "difficult" situations, is joyful. We are literally enthusiastic about all that life offers. If we look to "master" anything in life, may it be empowered surrender. The jihad is within playing out on the world stage.

We are Divine. Our Essence is Love. Leadership in Service to Life. Leading as Love. Universal Leadership. Love makes a leader a Leader. Realized Potential. Leadership is not a role. Leadership is a state of being, the integration of all levels - body, mind, heart, and soul - as love. Leadership is being in integrity with oneSelf. When we are full of ourSelves, Love, it overflows and we are in service to all. What is the good I want to share with the world? When we allow our reunion with the source of all life, our lives are used for the highest good at all times. We achieve nothing without Love. Nelson Mandela embodies this.

If we have everything planned out according to a template, it's impossible for us to be the movement of Love, of Light, in the moment. We can have a few guiding principles for how we engage with life. It is more pragmatic to incorporate these "spiritual" principles in everyday life and lifestyle. Choose even just one principle as an inner rule to be applied no matter what. Our Higher Self merely awaits activation by invitation and assent. What is your commitment for this life from the deepest core of your being?

Life on Planet Earth

If you got this far in reading this, some of you might say: What planet is Lj on? What do I do with this? I'm on Earth, just like the rest of you. I stepped back and broadened and deepened my perspective beyond the five senses and our social conditioning to include the consciousness of emotions and thoughts and that which can only be seen with the heart. I began to see clearly what makes all the truly effective leadership and organizational practices effective, like Appreciative Inquiry, Emotional Intelligence, Positive Organizational Scholarship, Servant Leadership, Transformational Leadership, to name a few. A blinding glimpse of the obvious that we would rather not acknowledge: They all honour and nurture the soul, the spirit within each of us, our totality of being; they call forth our Love. Personally, what can you do? First and foremost, deeply commit in your heart to Self-love, being the Love that you are, and surrender the prison of the mind. Then bring into consciousness the essence of your expression of love. This is your unique purpose; align your life with this.

Heaven is not a place; it is the state of unity with all of creation. Why is our true nature so elusive? Why do we resist and reject the Love that we are? What is so frightening about accepting the perfection of our imperfections? Allow your higher consciousness to take over, the consciousness that comes from the heart. To be the Self is the greatest accomplishment one can achieve; to create from the wellspring of the embodied Light within is true abundance and well-being. Why choose to be less than you are? It may appear that I have "lost" my living; I have gained my Life and livelihood.

Recently the film, E.T. - The Extra-terrestrial, came to mind as a metaphor of how our "soul" might feel when landing in a body and life on planet Earth - alienated, lost, being chased and imprisoned, longing to return home. Perhaps this accounts for the universal and lasting popularity of the film for more than 30 years: At a deep level it is our shared human story, we identify with these feelings. The lesson: "Turn on your heartlight. Let it shine wherever you go." Our Light is eternally on. Let's stop hiding from what we are and allow our radiance and brilliance to shine forth. Be the Love You Are.

>~~~~~~~~~~~~ Concluded ~~~~~~~~~~~~<

Lucira Jane Nebelung is the Founder & Principal of "Leading as Love".

Mentoring vs Sponsorship by Martin Udogie

What do the following people have in common?

Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer at Facebook. Condoleezza Rice, first black female National Security Adviser to the US President; and later, US Secretary of State. Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, two-term Chair of the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

They were all “sponsored.”

A July 9 article in Financial Times of London highlighted the merits of sponsorship over the more common mentoring that most organisations and individuals advocate.

Take the Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg. She acknowledged the importance of sponsors to her career. The first was Larry Summers, who she served as research assistant, and then followed him to the World Bank.

She would later become his Chief of Staff as.US Treasury Secretary, at the age of just 29.

Little wonder that today she is No 2 at Facebook. And somebody somewhere who knew her and believed in her abilities must have played some role in her career.

This was certainly the case with Dr Condoleezza Rice.

In her book, Extraordinary, Ordinary People, she mentions key people who spotted her talent and stuck out their neck for her. From her university days to public service.

At almost every critical junction of her illustrious career, there was always someone who knew her ability and whispered to another: Watch this lady. And these people were mostly white, male Americans. So the issue of cronyism or favouritism didn’t arise.

From national security guru, General Brent Scowcroft who recruited her into the National Security Council, to George Shultz who invited her to become Director of Chevron Corporation.

Even the much revered David Packard co-founder of HP showed up in her office one afternoon and told her, “Hewlett-Packard is a good company. You’re a good person. I want you to become a director of H.P.”

And of course there was America most famous Black Soldier, Colin Powell, himself already on the way up the ladder, as Deputy National Security Adviser, who “sent important messages throughout Washington that I was someone to keep an eye on.”

So, what is Sponsorship? According to the Financial Times, “A sponsor is someone who advocates a person’s promotion.”

But the article cautions that “To attract a sponsor, you need to be a star.”

There are stars in Nigeria, but they need sponsors to help them into critical roles where they can deliver, just as Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru did at FIRS, setting up the structures to grow Federal Government revenue from about N1 Trillion to well over N4 Trillion.

Sponsorship is not about cronyism. It is about proven ability. Competence.

Warm regards.

>=========================================<

Martin Udogie: is on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

E.T. Phone hOMe - Our Eternal Light is On (Part Two) by Lucira Jane Nebelung

The Radiance Within.

The heart is the door, the gateway to our "soul", our inner light. The mind, the ego, our thoughts and beliefs that generate "negative" emotions close this portal: "This is not how I want life to be." Our emotions tell us whether or not we are "aligned", whether or not the door is open and how wide. Emotions are our body's reactions to thoughts about a situation, a feeling generated by thought. We are free when our thoughts no longer determine our inner state of consciousness. Our inner state, our relationship with our true nature is our primary responsibility.

Every one of our choices has a consequence. Positivity increases positivity. Negativity increases negativity. If we choose love, our entire being thrives and expands. If we choose fear, our entire being contracts. In a series of books, David Hawkins describes the Levels of Consciousness. The lower Levels of Consciousness, those governed by the ego include pride, anger, desire, fear, grief, apathy, hatred, guilt, and shame. The objective is personal gain; thoughts focus on causal (if-then) specifics and self-interest. It results in our conditioned reactions of striving, force and conflict.

The higher Levels of Consciousness governed by the heart (soul) include courage, neutrality, willingness, acceptance, reason, love, joy, peace, and unity. From the higher levels, we view the world through overall context, non-causal meaning and spiritual significance. It is our natural responsiveness of congruence, expansion and power. This is how we really want to be.

Our hearts literally radiate our emotions, energy in motion, into both our personal and the collective experience. The image is of the electromagnetic field of our hearts (HeartMath). Are you contributing harmony and joy through your inner harmony and joy? Or, are you contributing energy to the collective chaos and negativity through your own chaos and negativity of complaints, blaming, retaliation, etc.? Is your energy focused on self-serving, self-interest for personal gain and control? This includes shoring up one's personal beliefs and self-image. If so, it is based in fear and ego.

It is when we are mentally neutral that the heart, Love, can express itself. Belief and thought generate separation, without our thoughts we naturally love, that is seek unity. Our mental neutrality allows Love to come forth into expression, enact itself and move in life.

If action truly benefits everyone and everything and comes from a place of genuine care, understanding and respect, it is based in love. Ask yourself, who benefits and how? What is gained for myself and others? What control is present? Love is living with an open mind and open heart and letting life in as it is, as it unfolds. Only love empowers oneself and others to fully realized potential. A shift in perception and attitude brings the ability to acknowledge and feel emotion to completion without judgment and reactivity. Ego asks: "What can I get out of this situation or relationship?" Love asks: "What can I give to this situation or relationship so that it fosters wholeness (holiness) of all?"

When we release ourselves from the glamour, security, lust/greed, and competitive power and their fear-based perceptions and behaviours, our limited, self-centered identity awakens to compassion towards all life as an expression of our divine Self. We awaken to our full potential. Life doesn't necessarily get "easier"; there will still be "difficult" or "painful" situations. They are the catalysts for growth. Experiencing them with love for all, life becomes clearer, deeper, more meaningful, and simpler.

Who We are Called to Be

It is simply a matter of a heartfelt intention and commitment to have a conscious relationship to bring Love fully into one's life and believe you are worthy and deserve it. To Love that part of yourSelf that is consciousness, the creator ever-evolving into more. We are the love we seek. When we relax into the experience of unity and Self-love, we see the luminosity of Life and the rest falls away. We see through the fallacy of mind-generated illusions.

Imagine that we are one with all that is. Imagine that our consciousness, our thoughts and emotions, create all that is. Imagine that part of your being that is all-knowing and all-loving. Imagine your life as infinite love. These images are reality. This is what you are. We cannot truly live or "master" life until we accept that we, our consciousness, are creating it. We created the split, the separation between spirit and matter; only we can end it and allow "spirit" to dwell within us. We each are a perfect thread of Love in the divine tapestry of Life. The mind is the emissary of the heart. Let your heart lead, the mind in service to the heart. Living in and through the heart sublimates, transforms fear to love without suffering.

Self-love is expressed through our "higher" purpose, our essence expressed in life. It is the Love we came to bring to the world. It is this secret held in our hearts that sustains us. It is the ground of our personal being. We when bring this into consciousness and align our thoughts, emotions and actions with this deep purpose, we know fulfilment, abundance and joy. It our personal source of being in the world but not of the world. It is at most 1 - 2 words that are simultaneously a vision, a virtue and our deepest value that we commit too. First we commit to Self-love, to merge. Then we can know and commit to the nature of our love. This is the catalyst for our experience of unity with life. From this experience of unified love, all that is contradictory is revealed. At the end of the day, the only relationship that matters is our relationship with the One within; the self with the Self.

What we focus on we create. Focus is a form of "prayer." Self-love is profound. Its only desire is to give Love expression - to expand the expression of Love - to grow and evolve into more of itSelf, to know itSelf in new ways. Conversely, worrying is praying for things we don't want to happen - and our focus can create them, a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Letting go of old concepts, no matter how flawed, is not easy. The only thing that is up to us is whether or not we make this transformation proactively or reactively. The only one stopping you from being the love you are is you. It is a postponement of the inevitable. We can engage willingly and gracefully or suffer if we resist. As we give more of ourselves to ourSelves, we naturally give more of ourselves to others and life.

When you are "done" living less than you are, your fullest potential, make this heartfelt intention and commitment: To Live the Truth of Who You Are as Divine Love. If you want "help", call forth and invite your own "teacher" within. Step beyond the confinement of ego and flourish. When we do, we stop blaming others for how we feel and looking outside for identity, definitions and answers. An engaged, empowered and fulfilled life is lived from the "soul", the essence, from source as Love. To allow Love's free flow, abandon the identity of the ego-self as the source of existence. Living in fear is a learned habit; real power comes forth when we set aside fear. There is no other way.

Through our energetic connection of Love within all things, we add to the well-being or the detriment of the whole. There are no small actions. Everything we think and do generates an energy that becomes part of the infinite intelligence and produces countless ripple effects. Think of the flap of a butterfly wing initiating a hurricane a half-world away. Look beneath the surface to address issues; they all originate inside.

>~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Be Continued ~~~~~~~~~~~~<

Lucira Jane Nebelung is the Founder & Principal of "Leading as Love".

E.T. Phone hOMe - Our Eternal Light is On (Part One) by Lucira Jane Nebelung

At the core of my being I am a troublemaker - a rebel. I am not going along with the cultural conditioning of the masses, asleep to the Truth of our being. Yes, I am a messenger; you might say an evangelist, the origin of which means "bringer of good news." And what is this good news? We are the creators of our experience.

"God" is the Ground of Being.

"God" - Allah, Yahweh, Buddha, Jeshua, Tao, Cosmos, Universe, Christ, Spirit, Heart Flame, Inner Light, Sacred Heart, Divinity, Higher Self, All That Is, I Am that I Am, Source, are all names or labels for the infinite, loving intelligence, awareness, presence, essence, consciousness, the energy that permeates all of creation. This loving intelligence is the ground of all being; it is the life-force of Love unfolding and evolving itself. It is the intelligence that initially created and continues to create and evolve the universe. It is within each of us, accessed through our hearts. There is no Supreme Being, only a ground of being that permeates all. The purpose of Life is to humbly, gratefully, fully, and completely embody this truth. This is Self-Love and Self-realization.

"God" is a reality that infuses all that is; we are one with "God" by virtue of our existence. We are called to experiential knowledge of our innate divinity, Self-realization of our unity with the omnipresent energy that permeates all. "God" is the indivisible absolute of which we are a part; nothing exists apart from the One, apart from Love. Perhaps the "God Particle" in Quantum Physics is exactly this.

What is your relationship with this, your true nature? How do you feel when you hear that you are "God" or "Christ" or "Allah" or "Buddha" or the "Cosmos"? Can you entertain this possibility or do you shut down? Imagine yourself as a child of 5 or 6, and ask yourself what was your perception of "God"? What were you taught? What do you now believe about "God"? This is how you see a part of yourself that's trying to get your attention through life. What would you like this relationship to be? What is it you really want from "God"?

For the most part our relationship with "God" mirrors our relationship with our parents and vice versa. If we were taught and expect that authority figures reward good and punish bad, then our relationship with life is one of quid pro quo - always getting something in return or having something taken away. When love is conditional, equated with rewards, then withholding love is punishment and we came to believe that we must get/have something tangible to "prove" love; when the material is withheld, we are being punished. If we do anything solely for personal or material gain, it is ego and our intent will be revealed and bite us in the butt. Love serves; ego seeks to be served in pursuit of gain.

For a fair number of us, we are in a relationship with a part of ourselves based in fear of what having this relationship will bring. What are the relationship dynamics with your parents? Sometimes this isn't clear until after they are gone. Trust, betrayal, abandonment, security, survival, respect, love... What did you receive? What did you "want"? How was this reflected in your actions towards them and others ("God")? As in all relationship dynamics, trust breeds trust, betrayal breeds betrayal, abandonment breeds abandonment, security breeds security, survival breeds survival, respect breeds respect, love breeds love. It's all a mirror, a never ending reciprocating cycle until someone puts and end to it, for good or ill. If you believe in a punishing "God" for "sins", you see "punishment" in life. This is nonsense; our essence is eternally innocent. We break any spell of negativity through Self-love.

Love is an openness and reverence for life. Self-love is a committed, thoughtful decision to bring Self-integration and Self-realization of this infinite part of our selves, whether or not a "loving feeling" is present. It is Self-evolution of our "higher" intelligence or consciousness. When we relax into this unity, all else dissolves. If you can't get to accepting and loving your "God-self", at least open to the possibility of a "Higher Self', an infinite, loving intelligence that continuously guides our life experience (whether we choose to see it or not). At the heart of Self-love is devotion; devotion to the Truth of our divinity invites and empowers it to become transformative.

It's about having an open mind entrained with the heart - what HeartMath calls "heart coherence." When we slow our minds and bodies they sync with our heart and "soul." "Soul" is our individuated expression of our infinite self; individuated yet indivisible from the whole. We are so focused on our external, physical experience and material things as the only "reality", we have difficulty acknowledging what is unseen within and throughout the universe. Our heart knows; our minds really aren't smart enough to "figure it out." It's about balance and integration, the inner with the outer, the unseen and the seen, bridging and merging the "lower" self with the Higher Self, bringing the polarities of spirit and matter into union.

One reader said it is "egotistical" to say that we are "Christ." "Christ" means "anointed one." We are all "anointed ones"; we all contain the divine spark of the eternal flame of the heart. It is the ego - egotistical and arrogant - that denies our true nature, our essence, our totality of being. However we choose to describe or label another, we are actually describing ourselves. How we see, judge and react to what is said or done by anyone is based what is inside of us and has nothing to do with what is actually there. Excuses, denial, justification, looking for evidence to prove one's point are always ego-based fear. We fear change. We fear the unknown. We fear the vast expanse of Love that we are. This bumps up against and disturbs our conditioned beliefs. It's the ego that refuses to make this declaration of our true nature. Ego seeks to Ease God Out, irrespective of the name we give "God."

Truth is ego's worst nightmare. The mind will overlook or ignore what is not defined in a way it can control, even when the "undefined" is always present. We die in all ways, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically when we judge or dismiss Truth as fantasy.

>~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Be Continued ~~~~~~~~~~~~<

Lucira Jane Nebelung is the Founder & Principal of "Leading as Love".