The Manager's Tips For Productivity

 The reason for this article is to share with you what I believe today’s managers need as a result of my reading the book “The Mafia Manager”. I have read the book a couple of times and I find it interesting, educating and inspiring. This is not where I am going to about this book anyway.  The mafia according to what we all seem to know is a lifestyle of the Italian immigrants in America whose organizational skills and notoriety earned them recognition in the American economy.

The mafia was founded and ran with some outstanding principles some of which are fear, compliance to laid down procedures, loyalty and productivity. What I want to note here is the last sprinciple which is productivity. It is anti-human not to be productive. It is worrisome to have a business that will not yield returns more so sustain and perpetuates itself. In order to be assured the maxim of returns, the mafia manager rules by fear of reprimand for non productivity. Let’s skip into the 21^st century. Most people work hard at their work not because they do not want to lose their jobs but due to some of the reasons stated below:

·         They want to survive

·         They don’t want to be naked

·         They want to continue to afford their fantasies

·         They don’t want to lose their friends

·         They don’t want to lose their spouses and the lists goes on and on

In as much as fear rules us sometimes, our survival instincts also and most often develop our creative and imaginative skills to survive. This is where I am going, please do follow me. If you have not read the book “The Mafia Manager”, kindly go to your local book store or order online at www.amazon.com. We are linked to various online bookstores and will also help make your search through personal development stuffs and articles exciting as your browse through our related articles, videos, products and services that can catapult you and your businesses to greater heights. You can get to order similar personal development books, videos on conquering fear, eliminating indecision and procrastination. You can also get books and videos on time management tips and techniques for everyday living. If you want to be more productive with your time I will suggest you read my book titled “TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR TIME, TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE”.

Also of note in the book Mafia Manager was that there was a culture of education and training. You cannot jump ship except you were a genius or possibly a psycho, probably killing the boss or being the boss’s son. For you to be a good manager you must possess:

·         Strong education

·         Relevant skills

·         Experience

·         Personality

·         Connections

Now tell me if these are not some requirements needed in our typical business environment. We live in a competitive world, global for that matter. You need a strong education to give you the leverage for selection and enrolment. After getting yourself educated you need hands-on experience to groom your educated mind. While doing that you need to develop new skills and fine tune old ones. Your skills get noticed as a result of education and experience. Your personality is your passport. A cheerful heart makes a cheerful face. And in this century you sure need connections to get your business leads. Join a local club, be a member of your church or mosque. Offer yourself to help your local community and you can use your contact to strengthen your leads.  Remember the fear of the unknown is one of the stimulants for the great inventions of our time. Fear as it is a weakness can be converted to one of our greatest assets of all time. I see you on top of your riches

Kolawole Kehinde is the C.O.O of The Idea Embassy and R.E.E.L Inc and currently lives in Abuja. He can be reached on kolamagic@gmail.com and kolayore@yahoo.com 2348055159014 for speaking events and seminars on personal development, time management and marketing business services in the 21^st century.

Remember and Appreciate

As I stepped out of my house one Saturday morning to observe my weekend training session-this entails jogging within my avenue and doing some sit-ups. I decided to change my routine and instead took a walk in my neighborhood to feel the morning breeze.  I consciously took my time looking at the still well lit mansions sprawled around the neatly manicured gardens. The street was still very quiet so I had time to really savor the wonders of human imagination and creativity. I could hear faint voices of kids running around behind the walls probably a weekend ritual like my own too. Looking at these magnificent buildings was enough to challenge one’s thinking. I remembered the first time I bought a car. I was ecstatic!  Though I knew I was going to buy a car sometime I honestly wondered how this was going to happen. If you knew where I came from then you will understand. My parents were from the middle class income bracket and my father used a car for 27 good years not because he loved using it but because he had a lot of bills and hangers on to take care of. It was funny though but somehow I am so proud of him. The most important thing he ever focused on was to get us educated. I am enjoying this great legacy today.

I could not sleep because I was just waiting to get into the car and drive off to nowhere! The car became a very important thing to me. Today I am grateful to my parents, much more grateful to God as I remember and appreciate the good things of life I have come to and still are enjoying. When you remember and appreciate the good times it prepares you for a greater future.  Now when I remember that day I always become thankful and appreciative knowing that more of these goodies are still coming my way. 

Really there is nothing that cannot be achieved. The thought started with little savings here and there. There were days I would have to sacrifice my lunch or refuse to go out with the boys to the club. Oh I was stingy with something’s even to myself and some of my friends wondered where my money was going to. To me all I wanted was to buy a car. When I moved into the city of Abuja from Ibadan, I left the comfort of my parents’ home to survive in the uncertainties of the mega city life. I conditioned myself to get the best from the megacity and not to expect the worst. It is all in the mind. With nobody to turn to but my instincts I began my own journey to success. After staying with a friend for some while I moved into my own apartment with just a mattress and my clothes. To say I was happy is an understatement. This little progress meant a lot to me because I knew I was moving forward.

Now when I walk down the street and I see edifices littered around with their owners parading themselves in front of them or driving out of the street I just smile to myself and say these guys were just like me at some point, I am definitely going to be like them very soon. We can get to wherever we want to only if we know where we want to get to. Happiness does not come from only from the abundance of possessions but also from our past and present achievements. When you think back and remember, this is one sure way of appreciating your present position and one great strategy of moving forward in life. Our sorrows stem from the fact that we want to become big all at once. So my dear friends, when you walk down from your building take time to smell the roses if you have any or just look around and see the wonderful things that surrounds you. Even if you are in the comfort of your offices and are checking through your numerous bank accounts remember and appreciate your little beginning. It takes a lot to remember and appreciate our humble beginnings. I see you on top of your riches.

Kolawole Kehinde is the C.O.O of The Idea Embassy and R.E.E.L Inc and currently lives in Abuja. He can be reached on kolamagic@gmail.com and kolayore@yahoo.com 2348055159014 for speaking events and seminars on personal development, time management and marketing business services in the 21^st century.

Outperform Your Competition

Simply put we are our greatest competition. We constantly battle ourselves often thinking whether we can go beyond which our minds have benchmarked us. Often times we have been fooled that our competitors are our colleagues at work , the next grocery seller on the street or the next door neighbor who sells the same business offerings as you do.  Every battle is started, won or lost from the mind. This is a sad truth. As a man thinks so he is and so he becomes. Your fear is your greatest competitor. 

Our imaginations are like shinning lights unto our paths. We will face difficulties, meet with challenges, be subjected to criticism and sometimes face ridicule and rejection. These are unavoidable bumps on the road to success.  We are inclined to believe mostly that our competition is the next person doing our kind of business but interestingly they may not be our only competitor. The truth of the matter is that our fear is our greatest competitor. The man within that tells you that you cannot make that sale, the man that tells you that you can never be a boss or meet your targets. If targets are really set logically, I do believe there will be ways on how they can be achieved.

While I know that your boss can be all out to get you fired, don’t you think that you can make or be a difference? To outperform your competitor, you need to outperform you repressive and reactive mind set that breeds fear in you. Be bold-jump on it and just do that thing. To outperform the competitor within you, it is important that you enhance your thinking. I hope these six tips will get you started on the road to self discovery and consequently towards outstanding achievements.

·         Think Ahead: Ask yourself this question, what can I do to help my situation? You want to get married, go out and make friends. A man who needs friends must appear friendly himself. So move out, make friends and open your heart to love. If you want to start a business go ahead and have a business name. Decide and determine what you have to offer, set your target market, get your pricing right and move on with it. If you cannot do all that consult a professional to help you out. But the first thing you need to do is to take the bold step by thinking ahead what you want to achieve and how you intend to go about it. The principle you live by today will determine the world you will live in tomorrow.

·         Know Your Destination: Where will I lead to? Whatever you think of must take you or lead you somewhere. As you set out of the house in the morning, the steps you made evidently took you away from your previous location to another. You cannot move up north and still expect to be heading down south. You cannot even continue to do the same thing and expect a different result. If you do not set out to make the move, then you might not make the sale. Remember to think ahead and know your destination. This is really important. Always learn to let your imagination come to play in any decision making.

·         Develop Your Arsenal-What do I need?. Sincerely we cannot achieve success alone on our own. Whether you are a super genius or a multibillionaire the truth of the matter is that you need support. The ability to know who can complement you is a great skill required of managers today in the corporate world. It is called putting the round pegs in the round holes. You should be able to know and identify the “who and what” of your business. If you have a product and you do not know how to sell it then it becomes a problem. Organizations hire agents and consultants to find the right fit of employees to help them achieve their business objectives. As an individual you need to develop your arsenal too. Read books, attend conferences or choose a mentor.

·         Identify Your Strong Points: He who has no weakness is a god but interestingly we all have weaknesses. Nevertheless we also have strengths and strong points that make us tick. Maybe you are a good negotiator or a creative geek, it could be that you are a good listener or a good communicator. Use what you have to get what you want. Sell yourself with these strengths and you are sure to come up and be noticed. We get paid or attracted to because of what we are noted for.

·         Develop An Enduring Image- What do peole think of you?. Do not think that it is only businesses that need branding. If you are not a brand chances are that you cannot work for a brand. Organizations hire based on skills and competences. Your skills are part of your entire image. Your personality, attitude etc all make you a brand to work with or to work for. Your brand is your identity. It is the image you project to people.  At REELinc we believe that branding makes 30% of the probability of your sales process work out. Our brand is the first impression our customers see about us. It gives us the leverage to compete in this fast paced century of ours.

·         Be Constantly Open To New Ideas: Ideas they say rule the world. Learn how to respond to your environment. Learn how to create a new life to your business and personality. Ideas are not static. Even your vision should not be static. Develop new ways of doing things. Read a new book, watch a new video, try out new technologies and just look for new ways of getting things done.

When you develop the will to succeed from within and actually follow these six tips you sure are taking positive steps to becoming a better person. The man to beat is the man in the mirror. Everybody have their own audience. People have choices and constantly exercise this right. As human beings we thrive on the choices we constantly make and sure this makes the world a better place to live in. Your competitor is yourself because someone out there needs you. I see you on top of your richhes.

Kolawole Kehinde is the C.O.O of The Idea Embassy and R.E.E.L Inc and currently lives in Abuja. He can be reached on kolamagic@gmail.com andkolayore@yahoo.com. You can also call him on 2348097705804 for speaking events and seminars on personal development, time management, leadership and marketing business services in the 21^stcentury.