"It is good, it is well"- (An African Story)

Everything happens because it was destined to happen. Truly, even failures and disappointments we encounter in a certain minute are all for our victory in the next minute. There is this African story of a King called Nana Wofo. He was a talented man such that when he was a child, almost everyone pleads to seek an advice from him. He was noted to have killed many wild animals in the Nalem evil forest, where all brave men would not have loved to hear in their ears. Nana Wofo’s talent and bravery brought him fame and courage that earned him the throne after the father’s death. His father was murdered by a suspected group of gangs who made away the kings regalia and precious chains. All efforts to get the murderers arrested could not work out. The kings precious chains were missing. During his leadership period as a traditional ruler of Asimani village, Nana Wofo still goes on his hunting expeditions and a talented hunter.

One day, some strangers found their ways into the gates of Asimani, only to be directed to Nana Wofo’s palace for reception. On arrival, Nana accepted them kind heartedly as he always does to other strangers by giving them one of his wide apartments as their temporal residence. A conversation with the visitor made the king convinced that they were very wise; even wiser than he does. He however decided to keep them in the village as his friends forever. All the friends disagreed, except one, Teley who accepted to remain.

Teley became the chief’s best friend and offers the king series of help as they go to the bush together to hunt for bush meat. One thing so unique about Teley is his ability to give a good compliment for every circumstance. Even if he is in pain, Teley would say “it is good”. On the Kings birthday, when the kings inquired from him to give recommendation about his palanquin, all that Teley was able to say was “it is good”. This made the king to be proud of him. Gradually, everybody in and outside the palace began to call Teley “it is good” and he will respond to that call “it is well”. He one day cautioned the teenagers during their puberty rites with his encouraging words. He informed them that sooner or later, they will be getting married and that marriage though is complex they should say in every challenge “it is good”.

The first Saturday of the first month of the year was meant for sharing grasscutter meat from household to household. King Wofo and Teley however decided to hunt for the grasscutter meat that morning for the evening’s feast. They set off early and got many animals killed except for a grasscutter. At exactly noon, they were however lucky to have seen a fat grasscutter grazing on a green grass few meters away. As they always go by it, Teley put the bullet into the gun for the king to shoot at the animal. Unfortunately, he did not place it well. The consequence of this mistake accidentally made the king to shoot his fingers off. The king got angry at Teley, showing him the bleeding hand with fingers chopped off. When Teley saw the king in tears and pain, he looked again at the wound of the kings and gave a louder shout “it is good”. Nana Wofo got angry at his remarks, asking that how can pain, tears and bleeding be good? When they got to the house, he made his guards arrest Teley and had him imprisoned for life.

Nana Wofo now resolved and hunts alone after his wounds got healed. One day, he was enjoying his expeditions till he got deep into the forest where no one goes and returns safely. All of a sudden, he could hear some strange noise all around. Next was a tragedy. Wild cannibals just surrounded him. They carried him to their territory to eat him up. When they arrived, Nana Wofo got panicked due to what he saw. There were bones of human beings that they cannibals ate few minutes ago. It was time for him too to be eaten. Six cannibals surrounded him and removed his cloth. They were just about to start eating him when one of the cannibals  saw that two of his right fingers were missen. They stop immediately and got afraid because cannibals don’t eat disables. In fear, the cannibals dressed the kings again, carried him to where they found him and run away in fears. Immediately the king returned to the house and narrated the story to his house hold. He remember that it was because of the  wound caused by Teley, that he is still alive. Nana wofo on that note rushed to the prison where Teley was kept. When Teley saw the king, he smiled and said “it is good you came here”. The king replied, yes “it is good”, and “it is good I got wounded” because, this wound same me from cannibals. Cannibals don’t eat disabled; the wound saved me. The king turned to Tilley and apologized. He said “am sorry to bring you to prison for what you did, I didn’t know it is good”. Teley smiled again and answered, “it is good you brought me to prison, else I will be with you in the bush and the cannibals would eat me because I am not disabled; its is good”. The king now understand that everything is good. As they were leaving the prison, the kings saw his father’s chain on the neck of one of the prisoners.  He quikly ordered for a check and it was realized that that prisoner was the murderer of nana woofo’s father. In tears, Nana again whispered “it is good that I came here”!.

So you see, my brother, my sister, my mother, my father, what you are passing through is good. Just shake yourself, be proud to say “IT IS GOOD, IT IS WELL”

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Three (3) unhealthy actions all leaders should avoid

Leadership is a game and games are won by keeping to the rules, principle, terms and conditions that are related. Some principles will suggest you do something. Other suggest you don’t do something at a specific time. Your inability to follow what the principles suggest is a prepared palm to receive failure in that game. Leadership is also a game that requires a lot of dos and don’ts. This concept leads us to knowing some three (3) major unhealthy things to avoid in leadership, namely;

1.       Unhealthy ego

2.       Unhealthy associations

3.       Unhealthy lifestyles

1. Unhealthy ego:
This is  a kind of ego that lack secured, and well defined personal boundaries. Unhealthy ego results in grandiosity and makes the leader feels exaggerated ideas about him or herself. A person with unhealthy ego will probably:

·         Talk to others frequently about him or herself even if not asked. Every story in a conversation leads to his or her autobiography.

·         Deny credit to others even when they deserve it at the expected time

·         Make the leader to stop learning by creating a sense of complacency in him or her. He or she feels there is nothing again to be known

·         Blame others in their mistakes instead of assisting them in correcting the mistake created

·         Complain about a problem instead of seeking the solution

2. Unhealthy association:
Social issues are of great concern to every leader. As a leader, you need to;

1.       Know who to identify as a friend and who to avoid as a foe

2.       Associate yourself with people with similar mindset and ideology

3.       Make decisions that do not negatively influence your relationships.

Unhealthy association is a kind of social integration that negatively affects a person’s disposition owing to a difference in character, ideology or culture between two or more people. It is always said that “show me your friends and I will tell you your character”. Why?  This is because of the role that association plays in influencing characters. Bad companies (unhealthy associations) the scripture says corrupt good behaviours. Beware of your associations as leader.

3. Unhealthy lifestyles:
Unhealthy lifestyles are typical examples of behavioural actions that contribute no quota to success. Instead, they result in disgraceful personal branding which does not create attractive environments for success to visit. Unhealthy lifestyles that contradicts good leadership roles are divide into tthree main parts as follows:

1.       Unhealthy behavioural patterns: for example

Ø  Over-engagement in arguments

Ø  Over-complaining about tasks instead of deciding solutions

Ø  Giving excuses frequently and procrastinating takes

Ø  Portraying a-know-it-all behaviour

Ø  Exhibiting bad listening skills 

Etc

2.       Unhealthy health lifestyles

Ø  Smoking excessively

Ø  Addiction to drinks

Ø  Bleeching of the skin

Ø  Over-eating

Etc

3.       Unhealthy work attitude

Ø  Excessive lateness to work

Ø  Poor communication leading to poor client relationship

Ø  Over reacting to little issues

Etc

 

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Ability, Motivation and Attitude

“Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what to do. Attitude determines how to do it”- Lou Holtz

Ability:
Everyone has a capability and that is what he or she can do when given the opportunity. An attempt to do go outside what you can only leads you wayward.

Case Study on "Ability":
Imagine a striker in a football team for instance the reknown Christiano Ronaldo who is popularly known for his wonders in scoring goals, deciding to play the position of a goalkeeper. How awkward he will perform! Why? Because goal scoring is his ability and any attempt to practice what he can’t do well and don’t do regularly is a leading factor of failure.

Motivations:
Everyone is blessed with a reservation to do something his abilities are geared towards. It therefore means that everyone at least have a level of personal motivation. It is now expected of you to know what you are motivated to do. You may be motivated by your talents and or, someone’s speech and or an action you are exposed to. Motivations are what “determine what to do”. Are you motivated positively or negatively?

Case Study on "Motivations":
There was this secondary school student called G.K. G.K got introduced to his friends who were average smokers. Having being motivated by their actions, their actions (i.e smoking) in turn “determined what G.K should do”. G.K eventually ended a heavy smoker while his friends remained average smokers. Today his parents spend a lot to care for his psychiatric medication.

Attitude:
Everyone has attitudes, be it positive ones or the reverse of it. Attitude could be healthy or unhealthy. It tells more about how you will do something you are capable of doing or what you are motivated to do. Attitude appears in your actions, mood and thoughts. Anyone with unhealthy attitude works tirelessly for unhealthy achievements- thus failure!

Case Study on "Attitude":
Everyone has a level of discipline, a least. That’s why you will see that even the most laziest person will get up from his bed at least even if it’s late. A person will a lazy attitude lack discipline. Imagine one lazy man who decides to write a book of 31 pages  and resolved to write a page per day in the month of August till the month ends to get 31 pages. Lack of a good attitude, discipline to describe it will result in him trying to find where he left his page 4 last night as the month is about to end. Thus “how” he will do it because “attitude” does it in a “how way”. In this case, that how could be described as “inadeduate work”, “shabby work”, so he will pass a slow way to get there!

You may have a vibrant ability, but you must be motivated to spark to movement. You may have motivations to spark your abilities into motion, but you need a healthy attitude in order to do it better in your own style!

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What on earth is required of us?

What on earth is required of us?
Christ told us, Bibles still tell us

Leaving footprints on your ways
Making positive impacts in your days

In God are grace and success keys
To be obtained on bended knees

When everyone is placed in God’s sight
Be sure among them, you are right

When all stand in God’s view
Be that person who was made new

When God looks for whom to send
Be the one who wills to attend

Seek not to be revered by men
Create hope in God’s silence Amen

Live your life in integrity and diligence
To God only give reverence!

-Israelmore Ayivor

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The Big Six Questions For Goal Setting

A goal is a set of plans, steps and strategies put across to attain a fulfilled status of a dream in focus. “Many people fail in life not for the lack of ability or brains or even courage, but simply because they have never organized their energies a goal” (Elbert Hubbard). How then can a person organize him or herself around a goal in order not to fail? It’s by using compactible ideas and information when setting goals. In the following six (6) questions, you will identify some reasons, strategies and steps to draw a well fulfilling goal for establishing a realistic dream.

Ø  WHAT?
What am I up to? What do I wish to accomplished? What will I do to have it done? What purpose will my intensions serve? What is the goal? What does my talent need to offer?

Ø  HOW?
How am I going to create the goal? How will I go by what I have created? How am I going to get assistance or a help? How will I know if my goal is achieved? How will I identify the obstacles on my way? How long will my goals take to be accomplished?

Ø  WHO?
Who is going to take the steps am putting down? Who will assist me carry out these plans. Who is going to benefit from these goals? Who am I associating myself with?

Ø  WHICH?
Which steps will be needed of me? Which friends will I need to make and which ones should I avoid? Which obstacles are likely to stop me? Which of the steps is more important?

Ø  WHERE?
Where will my dreams be situated? Where will I get the incentives for my goal? Where will assistance or motivation come from?

Ø  WHEN?
When do I want to accomplish my dreams?  When should I start?

 

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SMART in goal setting

A goal set to accomplish a purpose must have feasible characteristics. One set of those characteristics is that a goal must be SMART. The acronym SMART was propounded by George T. Doran in his article entitled “There is a S.M.A.R.T way to write management goals and objectives” as appeared in the November 1981 issue of Management Review.

Varieties of books, blogs, websites and other posts gave their views about the meanings of the letters of the acronym. However, the 1981 edition of the acronym stood for S- Specific, M- Measurable, A- Assignable, R- Realistic, T- Time based. In the current edition of the SMART acronym, one is likely to find key words are suggested by Smart project (http:/projectsmart.com) as outlined as follows;

·         “S- Specific, Significant, Stretching

·         M- Measurable, Meaningful, Motivational

·         A- Agreed upon, Action, Achievable

·         R- Realistic, Relevant, Reasonable, Rewarding, Result-oriented

·         T- Time-based, Timely, Tangible, Track-able”

What then does a person need to do with those five key words above as far as goal setting is concerned?

S- SPECIFIC:
Your goals must be clearly defined, touching a task fulfillment and can be understood by everyone

M- MEASURABLE:
You must know how your goal will, be said to be completed; thus the parameters for identifying an accomplished goal, how much of it will be accomplished and at which time?

A-. ATTAINABLE:
Also means “achievable” and this figures out that the goal can be established to fulfill the dream in focus. There are some goals that are not attainable owing to what it’s going to fulfill.

R- REALISTIC:
The goal must be real. It must represent a way out into reaching a dream and a way in which you are willing to work.

T- TIME-BASED:
A goal is said to be time-based if it has been woven around a time-frame or a deadline. Every single day can serve as a little improvement on a set dream through a well set goal.

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What is a Goal?

A goal is the “end result or achievement in which effort is directed” (www.positivethinking.toobox.com)

It can also be defined as “a desired result an animal or a person or a system envisions, plans and commits to achieve- a personal or organizational desired end-point in some sort of assumed development” (http://en.m.wikipidia.org/wiki/goal).

A goal in my view after comparing the above terms and many more references revealed that a goal must have the following and many other features. A goal must be;

1.      Directed towards a dream: A goal cannot exist independent of a vision or a purpose or a dream. A dream is just a fantasy or a desired end. Goals are steps taken to reach that fantasized end.

2.      Designed with a deadline: Every goal must have a time to “die”; thus a time to be accomplished. This deadline is the main reason why “Time bound” is found in the SMART tool used for constructing goal.

3.      Divided into two main types; short term and long term goals: Short term goals are those set to be completed with a short time, for instance within less than one year. Long term goals are those set to be completed within a long time interval, for instance more the three years.

The following words have been researched and accepted to represent the ideologies behind the term ‘goal setting’; “objectives, aims, intensions, deadline, purpose, strategies, vision, planning, preparation and dreams”.

Without a goal, a person will either remain a dreamer till he dies or he will attempt to fulfill a purpose in an unplanned way which may equally yield what happens to the former.

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