b. Teamwork: sometimes the team is just you, the idea here is having focused effort. You cannot split your effort. If you have others in your team, everyone should pull in the same direction. In difficult circumstances there will be those who whine and complain. It is important that your whole team / or the different aspects of what you are doing pull in the same direction. As a business owner this is the time to weed-out the chaff and bring into your team people who are workers and are focused even during these difficult times.
A small efficient team is much better than a large bloated one that feeds your ego with the ‘number of jobs you are creating’.
Aside from getting the right people do not encourage office politics as this splits the teams’ progress and can be demotivating especially with a small team. Creating an environment where each one feels appreciated and part of a family that survived these hard times will give you more mileage than dividing and ruling. Concerted effort also ensures you make real progress on specific goals.
When working alone focused effort is key to your progress. Multitasking is the enemy of your progress – male or female. Avoid any distractions when working and monitor how you use your time. Doing this alone can move you from being a non-achiever to achieving your goals in record time. This is also very important if you have to make do with new ways of doing things e.g. having to have meetings online.
c. Perfection is overrated – excellence is to die for: Nothing is really perfect but many things can be excellent. Perfection means no flaws, excellence means performing above ordinary standards. Humans are always improving their performance and that is why there are new innovations and records set and broken. It does not mean there is a new breed of people but that some people choose to perform beyond the ordinary.
Put the extra in your efforts. That extra is what makes you excellent. If you want to make more money, find extra ways of making it, you want to excel in your writing, spend extra time writing, if you want that promotion to make, extra effort doing your job well. That extra is what gold medal holders are made of. There may be other factors that hinder you but be assures with your eyes on the ball you will find ways around them.
In today’s circumstances just being the first to adopt new technologies and processes in your sector or geography is the extra you need to do.
d. Enjoy the journey and lookout for the portholes: every journey has its good, easy and tough aspects. Even with Covid, we have had different opportunities as much as doors are shut on what we knew.
Enjoying the ride is not about ignoring the portholes or only smelling the roses. In my perspective, it is smelling the roses while looking creatively at the portholes for solutions as others are coming down the road after you. When we view life’ challenges as opportunities to grow and help others then we live a more fulfilled meaningful life no matter what our circumstances. The rewards will be there, enjoy them, however, look out for areas of improvement and growth.
e. You are as good as it gets: if not better. Confidence in your ability to handle the task at hand and meet your goals is crucial to your success. They may not be the exact goals you had initially but either way you should have goals adjusted to the current circumstances. You may not have all you need at the moment but, knowing what you need and that you need it is 50% of the work done.
I believe often it is the reason God put you on your track at this time – you have a solution to something that others before you may not have thought of. Favor to accomplish things is not really about your education and know how but more about talent and what you already have in you.
So in the middle of this pandemic, let us not freeze and stop acting but intentionally make concerted effort to move forward as Africans passionate about this continent wherever we are. Chances of winning now for individuals and businesses in this continent have never been higher as the first world is dealing with the unfortunate incidents of the pandemic in their countries.
