Extraordinary People Stand for Something!

Leadership Series #7: 

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE STAND FOR SOMETHING AND BECOME CHANGE AGENTS!

One of the greatest human beings to have walked the face of the earth in Mohammed Ali, the Greatest Athlete of all times!

"In 1967, three years after Mohammed Ali had won the World Heavyweight Championship, he publicly refused to be conscripted into the U.S. military, based on his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War – "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong... No Vietcong ever called me nigger" – one of the more telling remarks of the era.  Widespread protests against the Vietnam War had not yet begun, but with that one phrase, Ali articulated the reason to oppose the war for a generation of young Americans, and his words served as a touchstone for the racial and anti-war upheavals that would rock the 60's. Ali's example inspired Martin Luther King Jr. – who had been reluctant to alienate the Johnson Administration and its support of the civil rights agenda – to voice his own opposition to the war for the first time. Ali would then be arrested and found guilty on draft evasion charges, stripped of his boxing title, and his boxing license, was suspended. He was not imprisoned, but did not fight again for nearly four years while his appeal worked its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was eventually successful. Ali would go on-to become the first and only, three-time Lineal World Heavyweight Champion. In 1999, Ali was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC. Ali had brought beauty and grace to the most uncompromising of sports and through the wonderful excesses of skill and character, he had become the most famous athlete in the world".

Bill and Melinda Gates, the richest couple on earth, a few years ago gave themselves to eradicating Polio, Malaria and poverty in Africa. They have invested Billions of dollars to see to the eradication of a disease that affects only Africans. Mo Ibrahim, the richest African, is helping to redefine governance in Africa.

Stand for something, for you can save lives, give hope and bring transformation to generations now and even those yet unborn.

Stand for something, you will inspire a generation!

Bankole Olubamise, August 21, 2012.

Extraordinary People Solve Problems!

     Leadership Series #6: EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE SOLVE PROBLEMS.

The greatest key to your leadership potential is the problems you help find solutions to in life. If you want to secure a legacy solve problems. If you think about it, this world is actually about solving problems!  The restaurant solves the problem of hunger; the carmaker solves the problem of transport! One of the greatest challenge of African ‘leaders’ is that they don’t want to solve the problems that confronts the continent!

After the Second World War in 1946, Europe was totally devastated, everything was upside down, and nations were at their lowest ebb in human history! Then steps in an extraordinary person! George C. Marshal, Secretary of State of the United States of America, at a speech in Harvard University in June 1947 ‘spoke of the urgent need to help the European recovery’. By June 5, 1947, the framework of the Marshall plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) designed by William L. Clayton and George F. Kennan of the State Department was in place. “The plan was in operation for four years beginning from April 1948. The goals were to rebuild a war devastated region, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, and make Europe prosperous again”. The plan cost the US taxpayers US$13b in economic and technical assistance to instil in Europeans a sense of hope and self-reliance, today Europe is a flourishing continent! That is problem solving at its best.

Great Leaders solve great insurmountable problems and move human history forward. Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of modern Singapore, as Prime Minister in 1959 inherited a poor, ‘relatively underdeveloped colonial outpost with no natural resources and transformed his city/state into a “First World” Asian Tiger. He is one of the most influential political figures in Southeast Asia’! His title “Minister Mentor” is very instructive. He is one of the longest serving Ministers in human history! A problem solve per excellence!

What problem do you see in and around you that needs solution-take a deep look, there are countless problems calling for ordinary men and women to step in and become extraordinary! Will you take the challenge, today and do something?

Bankole Olubamise, Aug 17, 2012.

Extraordinary People Overcome DISCOURAGEMENT!

Leadership Series #5: 

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE OVERCOME DISCOURAGEMENT

Joseph was a comely and lovely child, loved by his parents and adored, but despised by his brothers out of jealousy. Sold into slavery at age 17, un-successfully seduced and sexually harassed by his master’s wife, wrongly and unjustly sent to jail for his refusal to practice the sexual exploitation and adultery that was pervasive in his city. Kept in the dungeon where he became counsellor to everybody else without counsel himself! He helped those who forgot to remember him for the good he did to them. For over 20 years, Joseph suffered innocently, but one night made all the difference, he became the Prime Minister of his country, with absolute powers covering the then known world!

This story is a true story and a classic that you can overcome discouragement, no matter from what quarter it comes from-close family, employer, friends etc. Discouragement is the Devil’s advocate against achieving your vision and chosen goals in life. If it were possible, I would say it, but it is not possible that in life you will not face discouragement, but you MUST overcome them as they come just as Joseph did many years ago!

Sometime our goals gets us into trouble, we fail in that project we have invested so much and think about quitting, my friends, when you think it’s time to quit, that is when it’s time to go to the next level. When discouraged always LOOK UP! Woe is he that put his trust in man, for the arm of flesh will fail you. Lift up your head today and look up, draw strength from the Creator of the Universe, He Will Never Let You Fail.

Gather good materials about extraordinary people in your field and be encouraged by their Joseph story. Kick yourself up from the dirt of broken dreams, re-adjust your focus and march forward!!!

Bankole Olubamise, August 15^th 2012.

Extraordinary People are PERSISTENT!

Leadership Series #4: EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE ARE PERSISTENT!

Perhaps the greatest testimony of a persistent persons remain Abraham Lincoln, 16^th President of the United States of America. “He successfully led his country through its greatest constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War-preserving the Union while ending slavery, and promoting economic and financial modernization. Reared in a poor family on the western frontier, Lincoln was self-educated…each time a general failed, Lincoln substituted another until finally Grant (Ullyses S. Grant) succeeded in 1865 to win the war…His Gettysburg Address of 1863 became the most quoted speech in American history…Lincoln has been consistently ranked by scholars and public as one of the three greatest U.S. presidents.” Whao! For a man who lost many elections before he finally made it as the 16^th President of the United States! He stood against slavery until slavery crumbled in the US, he believed in the Unity of his country in the face of secessionists everywhere and won the Civil War. That’s persistence!

I love the following two quotes about persistence:

“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” - Calvin Coolidge

“Too many of us wait to do the perfect thing, with the result we do nothing. The way to get ahead is to start now. While many of us are waiting until conditions are “just right” before we go ahead, others are stumbling along, fortunately ignorant of the dangers that beset them. By the time we are, in our superior wisdom, decided to make a start, we discover that those who have gone fearlessly on before, have, in their blundering way, travelled a considerable distance. If you start now, you will know a lot next year that you don’t know now, and that you will not know next year, if you wait.”- The William Feather Magazine

You and I would do well if we heed these quotes. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. It’s the key to becoming an extraordinary person!

Bankole Olubamise, Aug 14, 2012

Extraordinary People Bend Reality!

Leadership Series #3: EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE DEFY REALITY!

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps at the Lincoln memorial in Washington, D.C. and delivered a speech to more than 250,000 people.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character…” The “I have a dream speech” defied the reality of Dr Martin’s day, where blacks were considered second and third class citizens of America!  That speech defied the status quo and changed history. Today a Black man is the President of the United States!

Extraordinary people defy reality and change history of their family, their community and their nation. Sir Edmund Hilary became the conqueror of Mount Everest because he defied the reality that many have died trying. The American Astronauts defied reality when the landed on the moon. Their first steps became a giant leap for mankind.

Only extraordinary people take one step and history is changed forever. No single Olympian has ever defended the 100 and 200 meters record, but Usain Bolt of Jamaica defied reality and became a living legend! When you defy reality of your birth, circumstances of your village and the negative news about your people, culture and nation, history will bow to you. Today I challenge you to be an extraordinary person, defy your reality and change history!

Bankole Olubamise, 11 Aug, 2012.

Extraordinary People are FOCUSED ON GOALS

 Leadership Series #2: EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE ARE FOCUSED ON GOALS!

'Success is goals, and all else is commentary'. All successful people are intensely goal oriented. They know what they want and they are focused single-mindedly on achieving it, every single day! Says Brian Tracy, one of the top motivational speakers of this generation.

Why not he should know! He left school at 18 without graduating. His first job was as a dishwasher in a small hotel. From there he moved to washing cars, then floors,  becoming a janitor, then to sawmills, dug wells, worked on farm and ranches. He graduated to construction  labourer on tall buildings and later itinerant farm labourer during harvest sleeping in barns and eating from the farmers family. But one day, he took out a piece of paper and wrote down an outrageous goal for himself-to earn $1,000 per month in selling door-to-door and office-to-office. 30 days later, his life changed! Within eighteen months he moved from worrying about his next meal to “walking around with a pocket full of $20 bills”.

GOALS set up your life to succeed. To be a great leader, you must be focused on your goals in life. Having goals-daily, weekly, monthly and yearly helps you to focus your life’s energy system. Goals help you to take control of your life, rather than others running your life for you. “The regular and systematic practice of goal-setting will take you from poverty to prosperity, from frustration to fulfilment, from underachievement to success to and satisfaction” says Brian Tracy in his book, Goals: How to Get Everything You Want –Faster than You Thought Possible.

As an extraordinary leader your eyes must be on your VISION as we said in the first series. To achieve that vision you need to set and focus on daily, weekly and monthly goals that will take you there.  To be focused means to be single-minded about something or let me show you a mnemonics of FOCUS:

Following carefully established patterns and principles

Overcoming subtle distractions

Culturally relevant without compromise

Using time strategically and judiciously

Seeking God’s supernatural empowerment.

Assignment: Today as you rise up, get a notepad; write down your goals for today, next week and month. Let it guide your day. Focus on those goals no matter what they are, you will achieve more with goals than without. Practice this daily for the next month and your life will take a new dimension!

 Bankole Olubamise, Aug 10, 2012.

Extraordinary People Have VISION

What is the difference between ordinary and extraordinary people?

Leadership Series #1: EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE HAVE VISION- A PICTURE OF A DESIRED FUTURE!

Born in January 1943, to a family of tenant farmers, she started working at age 3, as she joined the family on the cotton fields with her own sack(pillowcase)! “This would be the first in a long series of ‘impossible jobs’ at which the little girl would excel, despite being told you can’t...  She had always idolized her older brother, a navy man, and hoped that she would find a way to follow in his footsteps. “

Please meet, Brigadier General Sherian Grace Cadoria, first Black female non-traditional line general, first female Africa-American General in the history of the US Army, first woman to command an all-male battalion in Vietnam, first to lead a criminal investigation brigade, first woman director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first woman admitted to the elite army schools, the Command and General Staff College and the US Army War College and inductee of the Horatio  Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, breaking all barriers of race, colour and sex on her way!  Just because she wanted to be like her idol!

Vision separates ordinary from extraordinary people! After almost 20 years of leadership study and research, I have come to the irrevocable conclusion that Africa and indeed Nigeria’s major problem is leadership, especially VISIONLESS Leadership. There is no greater disease than this in Africa!

Africa is the only continent of the world with an average of 9 months of rain per year,  yet we are hungry! 70% of the world’s mineral resources are mined in Africa, yet we live with and celebrate fake products! 774 local government and 37 state administrators in Nigeria receive monthly huge allocations for which they did not work, yet their people lament every month! Until we have and develop leaders with Vision, this lamentation will continue, but this needs not be so!

Assignment: Stop whatever you are doing for ten minutes!

a.      Get a plain sheet of paper and write ten things you would like to do!

b.      Before you go to bed look at that list and cross out seven that is not too compelling!

c.       The next day look at your list, cross out two that you really can’t be bothered about.

d.      The last on your list is your current vision. Develop a picture of it and hang it around your home and office/school. Carry it with you everywhere you go!

A man/woman with a vision is very dangerous person. NOTHING on earth can stop such a person! With your vision in your heart, you are on your way to becoming an EXTRAORDINARY person!

Bankole Olubamise, Aug 9, 2012.