Leke Oshiyemi

How to be Happy as an Entrepreneur

2016-10-11T11:59:00.001-07:00

How To Get Out Of HR Rut... Volume 1

2013-03-21T16:17:00.003-07:00

How To Get Out Of HR Rut... Volume 1

...Take a FREE Online Education in HR.

There are various inventions of our time that are true Game Changers.
For me, the MOOC is No.1

What’s MOOC? A massive open online course. It’s an online course aiming at large-scale participation and open access via the web. MOOCs are a recent development in distance education and often use open educational resources. Typically they do not offer academic credit or charge tuition fees.

This is the best time to be alive, the game has changed. The veil is broken.
Education is becoming free for all.

Taye Solarin fought for Free education.
Awolowo dreamed it.
Many of our fore-fathers wished it.
But, today, we’ve lived to see it.

This brings me back to you the HR-pro in a rut or that junior HR-apprentice.
Personal Development Programme (PDP) is critical to your career advancement.

You'll thank me for this someday.
Take a free course in HR today.
Click the link below:

http://www.saylor.org/courses/BUS301/

Appraisals And Performance Management: The Errors Continue

2013-02-26T10:28:00.001-08:00

New Year Training Resolution: Better appraisals

Published by Mike Shea in Management · 22/1/2013 12:54:08
Tags: Appraisals, performance, management

Ever since management came to be viewed as a distinct function in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there has been a burgeoning catalogue of management theories, management books and management training. Gurus like Peter Drucker (inventor of the concept of management by objectives) and W E Deming (Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle of design and quality management) provided innovative ways of improving the management and productivity of organisations. They have been followed by many, many more commentators. It is surprising, therefore, given the wealth of advice and opinion that is now available, how poorly appraisal systems continue to be designed and operated, as if companies do not really understand what appraisals are for.
Appraisals should achieve two or three things: a mutual agreement between appraiser and appraisee of what the appraisee has achieved in the past year and how they achieved it – results and behaviours; an assessment of personal development needs related to the job they have to do and a plan to attend to those needs in the forthcoming period; if appropriate to the individual, development needs with a view to promotion and a plan to attend to those. Above all, the appraisee must feel that they have had a fair, constructive and worthwhile review and been able to voice their opinions freely.
The appraisal interview should not be the time when dissatisfaction with performance is first aired – any performance issues should be dealt with as they arise, not stored up for the appraisal interview. There should be no surprises in an appraisal interview for either party. The appraisal interview should not be a woolly conversation based on the question: ’What do you want to achieve this year?’ and it should not produce goals that are superfluous to the job or the development of the appraisee to enable them to do the job better.

Source: EnCours Blog - Management Development

The Beautiful Side Of ANGER!!! (How To Handle Injustice)

2013-02-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

More than we realize "Emotions" play a very vital role in the final outcome of our lives. Our emotions control all our actions and reactions. Every human behavior is orchestrated by our Emotions, either for good or otherwise.

Experts in Emotional Intelligence (E.I) have propounded myriads of theories attempting to explain why we behave the way we do.

Nevertheless, I want to discuss something I meditated upon recently.

There are two concepts in human emotion: Call them "Yin" & "Yang" if you will.

But, I call them "Love" & "Anger".

I believe there's a lot of waste going on around us, in the realms of "emotions"

People get fired by their bosses unjustly. Raped at a very young age by a trusted person. Forcefully divorced by a Cynical Spouse. Expelled from the university for the wrong reasons. Unable to complete education dues to lack of funds. Graduated out of school with a 3rd class due to sickness. Always Being Marked down by a Terrible Boss/Supervisor. Always getting 1 Notch every appraisal Year. Left (Unjustly) at the Same Salary for donkey-years. (The list is inexhaustible)

You and I know someone who fit at least one of the descriptions above. (I actually know several folks for every case mentioned above. I'm sure you do too).

These are folks who have suffered great degrees of "Injustice". Injustice from their fellow country-men and from "unfairness" in all ramifications.

Folks like this are usually angry, as expected. While some have chosen to live a life (As described by Henry Thoreau) of "quite desperation". A life that the King of Afrobeats Fela Kuti called "Suffering and Smiling".

Then, it occurred to me what a waste! What a waste of Power! What a waste of Potency, Of a Raw Fuel for effectiveness Focus and Determination. A quintessential elixir of "Purposefulness". The engine house of capacity for "PURSUIT".

In my estimate "Anger" can be useful, if properly used.

Hey, boiled water can produce a nice meal or scars through the hands of a jealous lover. Guns can be used to defend the innocent, protect national sovereignty at war, or be used to kill innocent souls in cold blood. Positive usefulness is the operative word here.

The point I'm making is simple "Your ANGER can be an ASSET".

Put to proper use can be the raison d'etat for your Success or Greatness in Life.

I'm not talking about being "Revengeful" I'm talking about How you can "Re-channel" or "Leverage" your hurt to your own advantage.

As a growing kid, I watched lots of old Chinese Kungfu movies.
Usually the same story line "You killed my master when I was 10, now I'm 20. I've been "training". Today, I'll kill you and avenge my master".

Fantastic as the fights were ( I loved the sound effects of the kicks & acrobatics), However, once in a while, you find the protagonist being "Taught" during his training years ( They're usually groomed in the hands of another "Drunken Master" or Old wise teacher in the bush...) telling the young boy, "When the time comes, use your anger wisely".

So, I ask you today. Are you angry? Are you very offended?
By your boss? Ex-boss? Ex lover? Parents who didn't pay your school fees? Cynical neighbors who derided your childhood dreams?.

Out-rightly bad supervisor? Or Draconian Company Policy? Etc

Well, I want to tell you congratulations! You're qualified!
You have the right ingredient for Great Success! There's a more Excellent Way!

I want to challenge you to:

■Take your anger to the Gym and loose that dead weight you're carrying in your belly.

■Take your anger to the University and register for your Master's Degree.

■Take your anger to Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and register your first business. PS: I think every thinking Adult should have a registered business even if you're a career employee for life. (You'll thank me someday for this).

■Take your anger to the extra curriculum class. And learn a new Skill-set or competences. Learn something new, even if its "Salsa Dance".

■Take your anger to the Saloon and make yourself look sexier.

■Take your anger to the Embassy and travel to see another country.

■Take your anger to seminars. Enroll in a course. If you don't have money, go to Cousera.com and take a free course. And get a free Certificate from Solid Universities abroad. FREE.

■Take your Anger to your children's school and ask their teacher How their academic Performance can be improved upon.

■Take your anger to your land or uncompleted house, and finish that Project once and for all.

■Take your anger to your dusty bookshelves, pick up a self-help , management or any good book in your field and acquire New Information.

■Take your anger to LinkedIn.com. Sign-up. Complete your profile. Join Groups. Engage with 200million Pros. Participate in Intelligent discussions. Share Information, Ideas and Opportunities. And watch your personal brand equity grow!

The outcome of our lives can sometimes be "empowered" "enhanced" or "driven" by what we do with that (formally negative) emotion called "ANGER"

"Be ANGRY, but Sin not"...Eph.4: 26
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

Invitation to International Training Programme_United Kingdom_ “Blue Ocean Strategic Thinking”, April 9-11, 2013

2013-02-13T15:42:00.000-08:00

Invitation to International Training Programme_United Kingdom_

“Blue Ocean Strategic Thinking”, April 9-11, 2013

Ref. RK003 Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Rekrut Consulting Limited

1^st Floor, Light Plaza, Suite FF8.

#32, Association Avenue, Ilupeju-Lagos, Nigeria.

Tel: +2347029286723 | Mobile: +2348033071649

http://www.rekrutconsulting.com

Course Venue

Baylis House, Stoke Poges Lane, Slough, Berks, SL1 3PB, England, UK

Dear Sir,

PROGRAMME ON: Blue Ocean Strategic Thinking, April 9-11, 2013

Rekrut Consulting Limited (Nigeria) in conjunction with Encours Ltd (UK) is pleased to invite you to participate in the above United Kingdom Training Programme

1.0 INTRODUCTION

In this course you will learn 1.) Why you want to avoid head-to-head competition; 2.) Instead, how to open fresh market with innovative products; 3.) What the six principles of "Blue Ocean Strategy require; 4.) What their risks are; and 5.) How to implement them.

■ Most corporate strategies grew from military models featuring direct confrontations.

■ When businesses directly compete, the battle fire becomes over crowded so; all participants suffer from reduced market share, growth, and profits.

■ The Blue Ocean strategy builds new businesses where none existed

■ These businesses, such as Cell phones and Biotechnology, barely existed 30 years ago.

■ Blue Ocean industries are more profitable than fields with head-to-head competition.

■ The Sustainability and the renewal of Blue Ocean Strategy.

2.0 WHO SHOULD ATTEND

CEOs, Managing Directors, Marketing Directors

3.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES

The synopsis of the programme objectives amongst others are that at the end of the programme delegates will understand and be able to: -

■Understand Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant.

■ Create Blue Oceans

■ Possess Analytical tools and frameworks

■ Focus on the Big Picture and not numbers

■ Utilize tools and implementation guidance etc

4.0 VENUE

Baylis House, Stoke Poges Lane, Slough, Berks, SL1 3PB, England, UK

5.0 DURATION/DATES

Three Days: April 9-11, 2013

6.0 PROGRAMME FEE £2,025

7.0 ACCOMMODATION

Delegates requiring accommodation should indicate so during enrolment.

8.0 VISA & IMMIGRATION FORMALITIES

Once you have decided to participate on the programme, you should notify Rekrut Consulting, and the necessary enrolment materials and information will be sent to you, to enable you register early and allow enough time for visa procurement and accomplishment of associated travel formalities. Your registration and payment must reach Rekrut Consulting Limited at least four weeks prior to the commencement of the programme in other words by March 01, 2012

9.0 CONTACT PERSON

For further clarification and assistance, please contact: Gbemisola:

Rekrut Consulting

1^st Floor, Light Plaza, Suite FF8.

#32, Association Avenue, Ilupeju-Lagos, Nigeria.

Tel: +2347029286723 | Mobile: +2348033071649

http://www.rekrutconsulting.com

We trust this programme will meet some aspects of the training needs of your establishment and look forward to receiving your early nomination(s) for the programme, to allow enough time for the accomplishment of associated travel formalities, including the procurement of visas.

Should you seek further clarification and assistance, do not hesitate to contact us and we shall be pleased to assist you.

Top 1% LinkedIn Profile_Leke Oshiyemi of Nigeria

2013-02-12T07:49:00.003-08:00

It feels good to be recognized for something. No matter how mundane or little it may look.

Wow, Leke Oshiyemi made top 1% .

To be top 1% of anything indeed is a great feeling, especially when we’re talking about 1% of 200,000,000.(Two Hundred Million LinkedIn Users)

By God’s grace, I have dedicated a chunk of my time to worthy causes.

Helped people build their businesses, find their dream job opportunities. And have trained lots of others to get back on their feet when defeated in their career.

Now, i feel so blessed to be Top 1%.

Leke Oshiyemi

http://ng.linkedin.com/in/lekeoshiyemi/

You Can Get A NEW JOB! See this Report

2013-01-15T03:33:00.000-08:00

According to a LinkedIn report sent to me today: 20% of people on my LinkedIn network changed Jobs in 2012!

That's 764 People! 764 Brand New Tear "Rubber" Jobs! (Disclaimer: It is my personal wish and choice to believe that each entry is unique and are actual new jobs, not just mere profile edits, upgrades or change of job roles-lol)

If it makes you better, i actually do know some of these guys personally. And YES, they got their "Dream Jobs" in 2012.

I imagine, 764 new job titles, 764 New companies and of course 764 New bosses. Maybe 764 new official car keys (who knows), 764 New Salaries/Payslips, and above all 764 testimonies!

Hey, my dear job seeker friends, i’m writing this because of you. Don't believe those who say there are no Jobs! They're small minded people; operating on "scarcity mentality".

I'm writing this article to lift your spirit. And to renew your hope, so you can subscribe to the school of "Abundance mentality". There's more than enough to go round for everyone.

Keep trying. Keep searching. Keep believing. Keep learning. Keep growing. Keep networking. Send out one more CV today. Phone someone on your network of family and friends today. Ask for help. Don't Give Up. Learn new things every day. Study "How to get a Job". And very soon, not too long from this season, I’ll surely see you at the TOP!

Leke Oshiyemi (HR-Expert, Life & Career Coach)

The Value of Being A People Person - Why You Need “People Skills”

2013-01-15T02:13:00.001-08:00

Some people are so skilled at working with People that they ought to be in a relationship hall of fame. People such as Dale Carnegie, John Wooden, Ronald Reagan, and Norman Vincent Peale easily come to mind. Likewise there are people whose relational abilities could make them candidates for a relational hall of shame. Leona Helmsley, Henry Ford (Sr.), Frank Lorenzo, and Dennis Rodman have such reputations.

Hey, you don't have go into history books before you readily find some examples of these relational extremes. You actually have them in your own life everyday: on the street, at church, (maybe at home), and most definitely at your workplace. Interview entrepreneurs to find out what separates successes from failure and they'll tell you its "skill with people". Top sales people will also tell you its "People skills" first, then product knowledge. Teachers, Parents, Pastors, Tradesmen will equally tell you that people skills make the difference between those who excel and those who don't.

"It doesn't matter what you want to do. If you can win with people, you can win"- J.C. Maxwell

Many people fall into the trap of taking relationships for granted. That's not good because our ability to build and maintain healthy relationships is the single most important factor in how we get along in every area of life.

Our people skills determine our potential for success.

According to Robert W. Woodruff, (The man whose leadership transformed Coca-cola company from a small, regional beverage producer to a global operation and financial powerhouse said this:

"Life is pretty much a selling job. Whether we succeed or fail is largely a matter of how well we motivate the human beings with whom we deal to “buy” us and what we offer. Success or failure on any job or project is essentially a matter of HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS. It is a matter of the kind of reaction to us by our family members, customers, employees, employers, and fellow workers and associates. If this reaction is favorable we are quite likely to succeed. If the reaction is unfavourable we are doomed"- From Zig Ziglar's book "Top Performance".

All of life's successes come from initiating relationships with the right people and then strengthening those relationships by using good people skills.

Leke Oshiyemi-Inspired by readings from John C. Maxwell.

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

How To FOCUS on Your 2013 GOALS !!!-Why Goal Setting & New Year Resolutions Fail…

2013-01-04T05:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone.
It’s a brand New Year and as usual, prayers have been said, 2013 prophecies abound everywhere, new year resolutions are flying in the air.

But, it’s only the fourth day, and I can imagine some resolutions have already been broken.

And the question I ask is this: How many dreams will fail this year?

How many goals will be rendered dormant in 2013? And the answer came thus: "Same as Last year".

Why is this so? Well, it’s been like that forever. I'm not a prophet; but I believe in trends. And I discovered one thing about History: It usually repeat itself. According to Karl Marx “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce”. “If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience”-George Bernard Shaw

The road to hell they say is paved with good intentions. The question is this, are we prepared to follow through on our 2013 goals? I'm taking for granted that my readers have set their 2013 goals. But, the cold fact is this: only a tiny percentage of us have "Written goals".

An often discussed 1979 Harvard survey of a class of MBA program students asked, “Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them? Here’s what the study revealed then:

■ 3% in the class had written goals and plans

■ 13% had unwritten goals

■ 84% had no goals at all

Ten years later 3% of individuals with written goals had a higher net worth than the other 97% combined! To be exact, the 13% with unwritten goals earned twice as much as the 84% with no goals. Even more incredible, the 3% with written goals and plans earned ten times as much as all the others put together.

It’s a fact. People who have clear, strong goals, especially WRITTEN ones, are far more likely to succeed than those who don’t.

In my view, there are standard seven areas for goal setting:

■Spiritual ■Family ■Financial ■Physical ■Career ■Learning ■Business/Investment Goals. All of which can be cascaded into: ■Daily ■Weekly & ■Monthly Goals (Or Short, Mid and Long-term goals) whichever works for you.

But, why do we lose momentum in the pursuit? Why do we relent in our efforts? Why do goals die a natural death? Why is it so difficult to "execute" something as important as “I shall lose 10kg in 2013” “I shall register for my Masters Degree programme in 2013”, or “I shall quit smoking…” “I shall save X% of my salary towards xxx…” etc.

WHY GOAL SETTING & NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS FAIL…

There are probably a thousand reasons why we fail to birth our once exciting dreams; but I'll focus on eight quick points:

1. NO GOALS. Nothing is as wasteful as having no goals. According to Plutarch "When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer." Living in uncertainty is energy consuming, unnerving and stressful. My view is best captured in the words of that great American educator Benjamin E. Mays when he said:

“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn't a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not a disaster to be unable to capture your ideal, but it is a disaster to have no ideal to capture. It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim is sin."

2. POORLY SET GOALS: Poor Planning Prevents Perfect Presentation of Proposals. If the plan is defective, execution will be difficult. And may I quickly add; if the goals are not WRITTEN, then it's not a Goal, its mere wishes or discussions.

3. LACK OF FOCUS: Tiger-woods remain my favorite golfer, but he'll surely loose his game if blind folded. Just as sending or replying a BB message while driving a car is a short-cut to motor accident. We're wired to pursue only what we can see. Steve Jobs near the end of his life was visited at home by Larry Page, who was about to resume control of Google, the company he had confounded. Even though their companies were feuding, Jobs was willing to give some advice. “The main thing he stressed was “Be Focused”. Figure out what Google wants to be when it grows up, he told Page. “It’s now all over the map. What are the five products you want to focus on? Get rid of the rest, because they’re dragging you down. They’re turning you into Microsoft. They’re causing you to turn out products that are adequate but not great.” Page followed the advice. In January 2012 he told employees to focus on just a few priorities, such as Android and Google+, and to make them “beautiful,” the way Jobs would have done.

4. DISTRACTIONS: I'm a big fan of Social media, Blackberry & cool business gadgets. But caveat emptor: Blackberry is a.k.a: Crackberry! While I reckon that Facebook can be "addictive". Too much of anything is not good. I stand to be corrected but in my view, the following items are guaranteed to distract you or even derail you completely if not dealt with: (a.) Soap operas. (b.) Pornography (c.) Television (d.) Unhealthy relationships. I'll give more details on these in another article.

5. UNPLANNED MEETINGS. This is a confirmed big time waster.

6. INABILITY TO SAY "NO". Being a "Yes" man or woman can be very derailing. Its okay to prove you can do the job or impress the boss. But, sometimes quick/ friendly requests, (from colleagues or family), may end up taking the whole day to achieve.

7. TELEPHONE INTERRUPTIONS: My cool callers always ask "Hey Leke, is this a good time to talk?" Whatever can be said, can be said shortly. Keep it short and simple (Kiss). Go straight to the point, especially if it’s your boss, (Or your spouse during office hours-Lol).

8. GO FOR THE WHALE: Take my advice, you can't do everything. Learn to strategically “drop” the small fishes (mundane task) and go for the Whale (Value adding task). Small fishes will take all your time to catch, fill your boat with rubbish and sell for a nickel per kilo. If you catch one Big Whale it can pay for the whole voyage. (That's more rewards or great sense of accomplishment for you).

Wishing you all the best in 2013.
Leke Oshiyemi: Experienced Human Resources Professional | HR-Business Partner | Talent Acquisition & Training Specialist | Life & Career Coach: +2348033071649

In Nigeria, We Over-celebrate, But Under-Achieve...

2012-12-03T02:42:00.000-08:00

I was going through some of my random jottings of encounters with remarkable people when I came across this quotation "You people over celebrate, but under achieve!". It is from my encounter with an Hong Kong based Chinese business executive who once worked in Nigeria. It was during a British Airways flight from London to Houston, Texas, last year August. For the first one hour of the flight, the man was busy working away on his laptop, while I got myself engrossed in a book. It was a book on South Korea, decades after General Park. I guess it was the cover of the book that attracted him, when he said to me You do business in South Korea? To which I said no, that I was only reading for knowledge sake. My answer would later trigger a discussion on Asian, and later Nigerian and African politics for the next two hours. I was willing to learn more about Asia from him being a native.

However, I had initially teased him that the Asian miracle happened because the Western powers led by the United States were afraid of Soviet Union and China influences in the region in the period between 1970s and 1980s, so they had to pump investments there and create prosperity as a buffer against the communist threats and by also supporting pro-Western reformist-dictators. While he didn't entirely disagree with my view, he believed that the successes of Asian countries had more to do with their traditional values more than any other thing. In his opinion, it was the foundation without which nothing could be built. According to him, they took to western approach to development without allowing it to enslave them as they never forgot who they were Asian values, he remarked, are anchored on discipline, hardwork, painstaking, thrift and sense of community. Those elements to him were never compromised. He said Africa can always borrow from Europe and Asia, but it must never compromise its traditional values. The difference between the Asian man and African man in his own view is in the area of physical and mental discipline as we have similar cultural orientation.

The problem of Africa by his own analysis, has nothing to do with knowledge but is due to lack of physical and mental discipline. So what did he mean by lack of physical and mental discipline? He explained lack of physical discipline in terms of "GREED" Too much pleasure for less work; glory seeking without honour; power without responsibility; self over community. And as for the mental discipline, he meant a lack of conviction. Inability to stick to an idea or belief, reckless paradigm shift, and our leaders' inability to govern by noble values was how he explained it. Throughout our initial discussion, he never asked of my identity. It was when the discussion got to Africa that he wanted to know if I was from there to which I said yes, and a Nigerian. Mentioning the name Nigeria jolted him. So you are from Nigeria, I once worked and did business there and have also gone to school with Nigerians, he claimed.
He appeared to be more familiar with Akwa Ibom and Cross Rivers axis more because he was involved in importation of timbers, wood and teak from the area in the 1990s. What a very rich part of your country, he said. This would later opened up another discussion of his sojourn in Nigeria.

His first encounter with a Nigerian was at Imperial College in London where he studied engineering. He said he saw Nigerians as some of the most brilliant people on earth and that there was one "Olu" in his class who was the overall best student at his graduation and who works with a corporation in Japan, as they have since remained best of friends. It was the image of "Olu" that he saw in every Nigerian until he got involved in business with Nigeria years later.
Unfortunately, he became disappointed seeing how rich the country was with so much resources even more than china and yet not making good use of them. He was really amazed by the richness of Cross Rivers forest from which several industries could have emerged; yet we allow others to exploit and cart away that richness without adding value. And of course he was one of those exploiters and like he confessed, his business was out-manouvred by other smart competitors with the collusion of government officials, hence had to seek other sources in places like Garbon and Congo.

His comment about his encounters with most Nigerian workers when he had dealings with them through his local company then made me to conclude that those encounters were responsible for his theory of lack of physical and mental discipline. "You people" he said to me, "over celebrate and under-achieve".
*It is pleasure and enjoyment all the time. There is always something to celebrate everyday of the week where so much money is always wasted, to paraphrase him. I then asked him what he meant. He said, his local company in Calabar was fond of getting request from workers for loan to solve one family problem or the other. He recounted a particular experience, where one of the workers had applied for a small loan to do the naming ceremony of his third child. That when the company refused, he had to mobilise his Nigerian supervisor to come and beg on his behalf because he doesn't want his wife family members to put him to shame that he had no money to name his child. He said at other times, people asked for loan to either bury a relation or for one ceremony or the other. He felt that, if they were more sensible and inventive, they could borrow, put that borrowed funds together amongst at least four people and start a small wood fabrication business with the skills some of them had acquired working for them as raw materials would be cheaper to get, but that they were contented with little money they were being paid. This is how Asian entrepreneurship developed, he advised. He also had something to say of some of his Nigerian directors, then whom he had followed to collect chieftaincy titles in some parts of Nigeria for which he could not remember. The worrisome part of the celebration is that the roads leading to those places are usually untarred, no water and most times you see these hungry looking or half-fed villagers in tattered clothes all looking, some cheering, some curious at the event social but with no hope of a better future. For him, he wondered for what purpose the eminent sons were being honoured when there are poverty and underdevelopment everywhere.

As I glanced through the jottings, that particular word "You people over-celebrate, but underachieve" sent me on a reflection. The Chinese might have interpreted Nigeria from a narrow prism, but there was some home truth in his conclusion. He was probably talking about 15 years ago, but what has really changed since then from our attitude to life, conduct and way of life. Don' we really over celebrate and underachieve? I believe it is one honest truth we must face. You only need to take a look at Nigerian newspapers daily to see an avalanche of birthday, burial, chieftaincy or Iwuye ceremonies, awards both genuine and fake, notices of celebrations. When you see some of them particularly the awards or honourary degree conferments, you wonder on what basis?; particularly for some people who had helped to plunder the country.

Part of our over celebration is usually manifested through conspicuous consumption, gaudy exhibitionism, shameless display of opulence through reckless and unproductive competition amongst the super-rich. *My party or daughter's wedding celebration was grander than yours. *I hired an aircraft to ferry my guests. *More important people were at my chieftaincy party than his: in a country synonymous with squalour and developmental failures.

Our underachievement confronts us daily, when we craze for latest designer shirts, wrist watches, shoes, automobiles, furniture, mobile phones, computers from abroad but; cannot copy Europe by having designer roads, electricity and water supply, agricultural farms, government and business services. That underachievement is also manifested, when we build mansions in villages where there is no access to portable water or in cities where the roads leading to them are drain less, untarred and gully infested. Or when we live in super rich areas where we are only concerned about our inner opulence, but can't clean the drains or prevent shanties from developing around us. Or when we make so much but don't want to give little as tax. Then you then wonder as Thomas Jefferson, one of American's founding father once remarked: What is in individual glory, when his community is in peril".

"Over-celebrate, But Under-Achieve"
The New Republic By Tunji Bello,
Email:tunjibello@thisdayonline.com

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE IN A MOMENT!

2012-11-09T01:53:00.000-08:00

“All beliefs are learned”

What’s your inner conviction about yourself?

Our current beliefs were learned from and influenced by our parents, family, books, the streets, movies, lyrics of songs, religion, colleagues, or even our bosses.

Most times our inner beliefs are negative or inimical to our progress. We feel we’re not good enough, not smart enough, not competent enough, not tall enough, not pretty enough.

You see, beliefs are like computer programs. We unconsciously bought into them, installed them, and then they start to run our lives either towards negative or positive outcomes.

The good news today is: ALL BELIEFS CAN BE CHANGED (Uninstalled)!!!

There is a law of nature that states that “Whatever you believe with conviction becomes your reality”. “Be it unto you according to your faith”-Christ. James Allen wrote “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”.

So, You are not what you think you are, but what you think you are.
■Albert Einstein was condemned as un-trainable. Yet he became a Doctor at age 20, gave us the "the world's most famous equation: mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2. And received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics.

■Kanu Nwakwo was diagnosed of Cancer... Yet he lives to play great soccer.

■Lepacious Bose could have chosen to live a life of “quiet desperation” or die of poor self –esteem...But she went on to make money by making herself (Size XXXL) the butt of jokes.

■Cobahms Asuquo could have chosen to live by begging, See how he’s converted disability to great ability.

Every human being on the surface of the earth is a genius. According to Howard Gardner (1983) there are 8 Intelligences for mankind:

■Mathematical: Scientists. Mathematician etc

■Linguistic: Languages. Public Speaking etc

■Musical: Song writers, Producer, instrumentalists etc

■Bodily-Kinaesthetic : Sports men and women

■Spatial: Artists, Architects, Designers etc

■Intrapersonal: Writers, Thinkers etc

■Interpersonal: Communicators, Public figures, Pastors

■Naturalist: Farmers, Agriculturists etc

Unfortunately, recognition is usually given to the top 2 (especially by our educators).

In the end, that intimidating intelligent friend of yours, boss, or colleague has got limits.

Stop measuring yourself against other people’s "Power-Zone". It’s unfair to you and your psyche.

Place yourself in your own "Power-zone". That’s your place of power. Stay with what you're good at.

■Tonto Dikeh is a great actress, but a lousy singer.

■Mike Aremu is a great saxophonist but would make a lousy politician.

■ Obama is a great politician, public speaker but he’s got his limits.

■ Dangote, Tony Blair, Adeboye, Mandela, even her majesty has her limits.

Every genius is a genius because they stay in their POSITION (Boundary)

Imagine how dumb the fish looks outside water, but comes alive in an aquarium.

All improvements and personal growth in your life thus far, have been products of SELF-BELIEF.
You can double or triple your income if you believe so. You can unlock your inner potentials by debunking those lies you've been told from kindergarten till today: “You can’t do it”, “You’re too weak”, “You’re too old, “You’re too ugly”. You’re too dumb”. Trust me, everyone bought these lies at the beginning. But, some have learned to reject the lies and transformed their lives.

Wow! It’s indeed an extremely empowering thought! That i can change my life, by changing my SELF-BELIEF! It’s true, the creator of mankind made them all perfect. God makes No junks!

Show me your SELF-BELIEF (Inner programming about yourself) and I can predict your future.

How to Change Your Life In a Moment!
Start by Acting Right. Act your way into greatness. Speak positively to yourself. Even as a joke, never allow anyone to address you as a “fool”, “Jerk”, “Stupid” etc
Call yourself great names “Gorgeous” “Excellency” “Blessed” “Wise” “Competent” “Favored”. Etc

Simulate the life of a top performer you’ll like to be. Get yourself a mentor. Read positive books. Delete cynical/negative friends from your life. Rid yourself of toxic people.

Walk the talk. Fake it till you make it.

Re-program your thought process by saying:

“I am a winner”. “I’m smart in my own way”. “I’m very unique and special”, “I have a place in destiny” “I’m a man with a mission”, “I think right, i talk right and i live right”. “I will SUCCEED in life”.

And indeed, i will see you at the TOP.

Leke Oshiyemi

leke_oshiyemi@yahoo.com

Who Is Your Mentor? Where Is Your Mentor?

2012-10-30T04:04:00.003-07:00

I could have turned out a tramp, a school dropout, or a "street-urchin" popularly known in Nigeria as "Area boy". Don’t get it wrong, I wasn’t a truant in any shape or form. Never been, and never will be. I was well raised, by my great (Pastor) parents. Nevertheless, I could have settled for less, but for God and my mentors.

Listening to Jim Rohn on my way to work this morning (Audio book: "Designing Your Life, Rather Than making a Living"), and how his relationship with John Earl Shoaff helped in his dramatic “turn-around” in life; my heart then remembered my mentors, again.

As the story goes, Jim Rohn was a farm boy from Caldwell, Idaho. He went to college for a year and a half before dropping out and joining the work-force. At age 25, according to his accounts, he was working as a stock clerk for Sears collecting a weekly $57 paycheck. He wasn't broke but struggling financially, unable to see a way that would lead to his personal ambitions. Around this time, a friend invited him to a lecture given by John Earl Shoaff, an entrepreneur who impressed Rohn with his wealth, business accomplishments, charisma, and life philosophy. At that time, Shoaff was VP of Sales in a nutritional supplement company called AbundaVita. In October 1955, Rohn joined AbundaVita became a distributor of the company's product line and began a process of personal development that culminated in his becoming a millionaire by age 31.

As Sidney Poitier is to Denzel Washington (Read the “Hand to Guide Me” by Denzel Washington). As Marcheline Bertrand (Mom) was to Angelina Jolie. As Apostle Paul was to Timothy. As (his uncle) Sanusi Abdulkadir Dantata is to Alhaji Aliko Dangote. As Joe Lewis was to Tiger-Woods. As Miriam Makeba was to Yvonne Chaka Chaka. And as Batman is to Robin.

Who was your career mid-wife? Who gave you that old cassette, CD, Mp3, or that little book that changed your philosophy, your thinking, your paradigm, that set your sail towards a positive life? Who helped you to quit smoking? Who was that manager that never gave up on your career, inspite of your many mistakes? Who tongue-lashed you into the right path of righteousness? Who was your Chief-whip? Who taught you how to read and write? Who corrected your metaphysical notion on the concept of “Ojuju Calabar”? Who read you story books that opened up your faculties at a tender age? Who taught you how to sing, dance or cook? Who paid for your first internet browsing experience? Who bought your Jamb, waec or Neco form?

How can anyone ever claim to be a “Self-made millionaire”? or "self-made" anything for that matter?

“If you find a tortoise on the wall, you can bet it didn’t get there by itself”-Chinese proverb.

Who is your mentor? and where is your mentor today? Was it your math teacher who dramatized mathematics into your heart? Or your Chemistry lecturer who was a magician Chemist? Your Pastor who’s metaphors and deep knowledge of words steered your mind towards a positive life? Or your former boss who was more of a leader than a manager?. Who was it that gave you the midas touch? Your Dad or mom?. Where are they? Can you call them to say "Hello" and "Thank You"?

I think you should celebrate them: Especially if you're lucky they're still alive today. When was the last time you called that Super-Aunty or uncle of yours? Life is short you know.

Indeed, there are angels among us.

Today, I celebrate you my primary & secondary school teachers (Especially Mrs. Gold). My pastors (past & present). My best boss/manager/leader ever! (Mr. XoXo-Name withheld). My best Authors (Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Steve Covey & J.C Maxwell).
I celebrate you all. (My siblings, uncles, auntys, in-laws, friends, colleagues, mentees, children and my great wife).

And most importantly the world’s greatest Dad: My Dad.

Thanks to everyone who ever used "kobokos" (Horse whips) on my back! Thanks to the man who let me watch my first coloured TV. Thanks to all the actors & actresses who kept their clothes on when i was a child. Thanks to every great song writer and musican that ever lived. Thanks to whoever invented "cut and paste" (You've helped my career and learning in no small way-Lol). Thanks to every great company out there, with life changing products. Thanks to everyone who ever wrote or spoke words of wisdom, insight and encouragement. Thanks mom for not flushing me down the toilet and for teaching me about "Hard-work", how to cook and how to pray.(I'll see you in heaven).

I celebrate you all this day. And, I hope to contribute my little quota. To make my mark for my children and my generation.

“On my honor, I will do my best

To do my duty to God and my Country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight”- Boys Scout.

So help me God.

Leke Oshiyemi

On 3rd Mainland Bridge.
October 30, 2012

HR Competencies that Impact Your Effectiveness

2012-10-17T05:24:00.000-07:00

As HR professionals we may struggle with perceptions regarding our effectiveness in the workplace by line managers, top management, and even the employees we serve. We may even find ourselves trying to “sell” what our value is to the organization or combating a role that has historically been seen as administrative and regulatory. As we strive to enhance our roles within our organizations, we find many challenges associated with HR leadership. How do we cultivate trust from our workforce? How can we be seen as more effective in our roles? Trust and perceptions of value and effectiveness are cultivated in a number of ways. Here are a few ways you can build trust and effectiveness in HR.

Demonstrate your business and HR knowledge

Most importantly, demonstrate that you know what you are doing and have exceptional HR and business knowledge. Continue to learn more in your field by attending training and engaging in developmental opportunities. People tend to trust those that are knowledgeable about their area of expertise. Research also seems to suggest that having strong HR competencies, particularly displaying skills such as business knowledge, delivery of HR, and management of change (Ulrich, Brockbank, Yeung, & Lake, 1995), is linked to greater perceptions of HR effectiveness. A survey just released by SHRM (2010) suggests that the five key competencies HR professionals must have include:

*Effective communication

*Strategic thinking

*HR knowledge

*Integrity

*Ethical behavior

In order to demonstrate these competencies, however, you’ll need to make decisions and implement programs that generate positive results and outcomes for your business. This involves having reliable data and information to back up your decisions. After all, your decisions have major costs for your organization and you need to make sure they are effective.

Integrate the perspectives of your top managers.

In order to be a leader of your HR function, you need to see the big picture and learn to see the perspectives of other leaders and communicate with them on strategy, market competition, sales, finance, and technology – as it relates to HR and talent management. Always be prepared with answers to the following questions:

*How do our HR practices fit into the strategy and objectives of the organization?

*How do our HR practices compare in the market (against our competitors)?

*How do the costs of a particular program or initiative compare to its return in productivity, performance, etc?

*How can we employ HR strategies to enhance the effectiveness of our sales force or other key areas necessary for profitability?

*How can technology play a role in streamlining HR functions?

Walk the talk.

Comply with the same rules of conduct, policies, or behaviors you expect of your employees. Apply policies and procedures in a consistent manner and follow-through on what you say you are going to do. Integrity and ethical behavior are viewed as some of the most important competencies for HR professionals, and walking the talk will help you express those competencies more fully.

Be responsive and accessible.

Remember that your job is to provide HR services to your employees, managers, and business. Others’ view your effectiveness, in large part, by the quality of HR services you provide – recruitment, selection, on-boarding, compensation, benefits, performance management, training and development, and more. Your responsiveness to employee and line manager needs cannot be underestimated. Providing exceptional internal service involves knowing and anticipating the needs of your customers and responding to them accordingly.

In order to increase your competencies as an HR professional, consider using resources and training provided by ERC to enhance your skill sets and enhance your knowledge of current HR practices.

*Professional development: Increase your knowledge of effective communication and HR practices by enrolling in HR University. Sometimes we need more training, education, or skill in the field of HR to address a problem accurately and appropriately. For new knowledge on HR topics such as compensation and benefits, orientation and performance management, staffing and recruitment, and communication.

*Research: Use ERC’s research (Surveys, HR Help Desk, Research Library, and Online Member Center) to help you make important decisions. Click here to log into the Member Center and access these free resources.

*NorthCoast 99: Many NorthCoast 99 winners have demonstrated their effectiveness and value to their organizations and as a result have developed workplaces that attract and retain top talent. To learn more about this program, please visitwww.northcoast99.com.

Source: http://greatworkplace.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/hr-competencies-that-impact-your-effectiveness

Interview Questions To Ask When Recruiting Human Resource Managers

2012-09-01T05:45:00.001-07:00

Searching for a qualified human resource manager requires careful consideration of a candidate’s professional experience, expertise, credentials, and education. For large organizations, the hiring process for a human resource manager may involve supervisors from various departments. For smaller employers, the selection time period may be shorter and involve fewer people. Whatever your organization, you can find the most suitable candidate for your business with a thorough interview process.

The Qualified Human Resource Manager

A suitably qualified human resource manager has professional experience in all human resource disciplines: compensation, benefits, safety, recruiting, human resource development, and employee relations. Candidates with formal human resource training, education, or certification may also be a good choice.

Interview Purpose

During the interview process interviewers can glean the information they need, such as how a potential candidate interacts with employees and management, to make the best selection. Responses to interview questions also shed light on how a candidate handles challenges within the human resource department and throughout the organization. Asking behavioral and situational interview questions should elicit a well-rounded perspective of the candidate's interpersonal skills and capabilities.

Behavioral Interview Questions

1. You discover that a human resource department employee is discussing confidential information with employees outside the department. Explain the steps you would take to address this issue.

2. Describe the system you use for prioritizing human resource projects. What human resource discipline do you believe drives the department focus?

3. Explain how you motivate your human resource department employees, and how you assist them with reaching their professional development goals.

4. An employee from another department is dissatisfied with her performance appraisal. She has appealed to her supervisor to no avail and is now asking for your assistance. Explain how you would handle the employee’s concern.

5. You have been selected to deliver a presentation to executive leadership on behalf of human resources playing more of an integral role in the business operations. Name three points you would use to convince your audience to allow human resource at the board table.

Situational Interview Questions

1. Recall a time when you had to make a difficult decision that involved either a disciplinary action or a termination. Tell us how you handled the matter, and any follow-up issues.

2. Describe the sexual harassment training you deliver to employees, including how you capture the attention of employees who do not understand the seriousness of sexual harassment or other unfair employment practices.

3. Explain how you would handle a notice of audit from the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, and, if necessary, how you would negotiate the terms of a conciliation agreement.

4. You recently made an unpopular decision that can potentially impact a large segment of the workforce. What steps do you take to explain your decision and rephrase the decision in a way that has a more positive tone for employees.

5. Provide your method for administering an employee opinion survey and how to interpret the results. What would be the goal of your employee opinion survey, with your knowledge of this company?

10 Useless Résumé Words: Article about Resume, Cover Letter and Portfolio

2012-08-23T16:44:00.001-07:00

"Generic hyperbole belongs on cereal boxes, not on résumés," says Duncan Mathison, a career consultant and co-author of "Unlock the Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Job Search When Times Are Tough." "If it does not pass the 'So what, anybody can make that claim' test, leave it off."

Instead of being another candidate professing to be a "hard worker," revitalize your application with a little seek-and-replace exercise. Scan your résumé for empty, overused words such as the following:

1. Outstanding
2. Effective
3. Strong
4. Exceptional
5. Good
6. Excellent
7. Driven
8. Motivated
9. Seasoned
10. Energetic

"Watch out for words that are unsupported claims of greatness," Mathison says. Adds David Couper, a career coach and author of "Outsiders on the Inside: How to Create a Winning Career ... Even When You Don't Fit In," "If you call yourself an 'excellent manager,' how do we know?"

The nouns following those subjective adjectives can be equally meaningless. Anyone who has ever had a co-worker can claim to be a "team player." "Do not say you're a 'good communicator' or have 'excellent communication skills.' Who doesn't have these?" says Susan Ach, a career counselor at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City.

A better route to take is describing accomplishments and letting the hirer make his own judgment. Give specific (preferably quantifiable) accounts of what you've done that makes you an "outstanding salesperson." Likewise, peruse performance reviews for quotable material from supervisors that demonstrates why they consider you a "strong leader." Listing awards or other forms of recognition also can be used as support.
Some words should be avoided because they convey traits that employers consider standard for anybody who wants to be hired. "You're motivated? Hope so. A good worker? So happy to hear that; I didn't want to hire a bad worker," Couper says. Don't take up precious résumé space with unnecessary items.

Also on the "don't" side: Words that seek to overcome what you might think are your shortcomings. "Using 'seasoned' for 'over 50' or 'energetic' for 'inexperienced' looks like spin and smells like spin," Mathison says.

Keep the focus on what makes you right for the job.
On the flipside, certain words can make hiring managers do a double-take. Light up their eyes with these 10 words:

1. Created
2. Increased
3. Reduced
4. Improved
5. Developed
6. Researched
7. Accomplished
8. Won
9. On-time
10. Under-budget

"We suggest that résumé writers include action words to describe their jobs," Ach says. Verbs project the image of someone who has the background and initiative to get things done. Employers can clearly comprehend what you've accomplished in the past and can use that as a basis for envisioning future success with their company. Think about it: If you were hiring, would you rather take on someone who calls himself a "productive manager" or somebody who states that at his last job he "increased company profit by 3 percent," "reduced employee turnover in his department to the best level in five years," and "improved brand awareness by implementing a new social media strategy"?

Lastly, it can be beneficial to use verbs and nouns that are common to your specific industry. This shows your familiarity with the language of your field and optimizes the chances of getting past an automatic scan for keywords. But remember, too, that all companies tend to speak a universal language: money. "Terms such as 'on-time' and 'under-budget' are often good. Hiring managers want to know you can get things done with minimum fuss," Mathison says. Tell them what makes you the most profitable choice for the job and employers will tell you the best word of all -- "hired."

Source: careerbuilder

LinkedIn Job Seeker-Why You Don’t Get Invited For Job Interviews

2012-08-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

Open Letter to LinkedIn Job Seekers,

Greetings to you today.

You don't know me but I know you. I have read your online profile many times. I know you've been job seeking for some time now. And I can imagine you're wondering where all the job opportunities are hiding on LinkedIn.

My dear, just last weekend I visited your profile, this time to invite you for an interview. Your experience totally matched the vacancy but unfortunately your full details were not found on your profile.

You had no email address, no telephone number, no pictures, no detailed JD/ work history, only 20 people are connected to you, your career summary was blank, and no one ever recommended you!

You seemed qualified for the role but you were simply unreachable.

Your uncompleted profile created a “gulf” between you and your opportunity.

You seem not to be aware that Talent acquisition specialists, recruiters (or head-hunters) are everywhere on LinkedIn. They hire every time.

You're not even conscious that your LinkedIn profile is your 21st century resume, and not just another facebook. You treat LinkedIn like facebook; and that's your sin. You're messing with the world's largest business platform; with 161 million business professionals; and almost 200,000 of them are Nigerians. (CEOs, Directors, Entrepreneurs, Business Managers, HRMs, Decision Makers, Recruiters, Head-hunters, etc)

Well, this is my way of getting across to you.

The truth is, there was a job and you were qualified for it. But I couldn't reach you to invite you for the interview.

PS: The vacancy has since been filled. I just thought you should know what happened behind your back. And if you think my write-up is a fable, think again.

Leke Oshiyemi

What Does It Take To Be Successful In Life? - A snippet on Goal Setting

2012-07-26T07:02:00.001-07:00

Every invention, every success or celebrated cause on earth were all at one point residing as mere figments of someone's imagination. Until a greater force birthed the ideas into reality.

Remember Newton's First Law of motion: “Every object continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line, unless COMPELLED to change that state by external forces acted upon it”.

I have never met a young Nigerian without a grandiose business idea. Every young person i know either want to become Don Jazzy, D'banj, David O, Tiwa Savage, Nice, or Dangote.

But unfortunately, many of them don't understand that it’s one thing to have a bright idea and another thing to SET THE GOAL to achieve those "Dreams".

The following are my favourite word pictures for Goal Setting:

A. Guided Missile: This is an unmanned explosive-carrying vehicle that moves above the earth's surface in a flight path controlled by an external or internal source. There are many kinds of guided missiles, but all have the same ultimate function: destroy enemy "targets", i.e., personnel, tanks, vehicles, airplanes, ships, and weapons, including attacking missiles.

When launched out of a jet or battle ship (as seen in my favourite war movies) smart bombs go straight to their targets (whether you're asleep or awake, they’ll deliver). The simple logic is "They’re programmed to pursue and destroy SPECIFIED TARGETS”.

B. Homing Pigeon: If you take this graceful domestic bird in a blind-folded cage. Travel 1,000 miles in any direction in a car. Change your course and keep spinning around as you go, with several twist and turns in your journey. When you finally release the bird; you can bet its going straight back home that same hour (unerringly). (This creature comes with in-built super-self navigation system). This bird has an innate homing ability, meaning that it will generally return to its own nest and its own mate. Flights as long as 1,800 km (1,100 mi) have been recorded by birds in pigeon racing competitions. Homing pigeons are called messenger or carrier pigeons when they are used to carry messages. Only two creatures on earth possess this incredible ability (The Pigeon and Mankind).

C. Laser: a device that emits light (electromagnetic radiation) through a process of optical amplification of light. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. You’ll appreciate the laser more when you compare it with the almighty SUN. The Sun dispels billions of wattage of energy daily; without achieving anything spectacular. Simply put, the sun is powerful but not focused. Laser on the other hand concentrates its little energy to achieve some serious businesses for mankind. Check out the list of what lasers can be used for: Medicine (Bloodless surgery, laser healing, surgical treatment, kidney stone treatment, eye treatment, dentistry)

Military (Marking targets, guiding munitions, missile defence, electro-optical countermeasures (EOCM), alternative to radar, blinding troops). Law enforcement (used for latent fingerprint detection in the forensic identification field). Product development/commercial (laser printers, optical discs (e.g. CDs and the like), barcode scanners, thermometers, laser pointers, holograms) Cosmetic skin treatments (acne treatment, cellulite reduction, hair and tattoo removal.

Focus is a powerful thing.

A research was carried out and this is the outcome (ask Anthony Robbins about this):

Guess what successful people think and talk about most of the time:

1. What they want. And

2. How to get what they want.

And take a wild guess at what unsuccessful people think and talk about most of the time (Yes, you guessed right):

1. What they DON'T want.

2. And what they're unhappy about.

The question is: What do you think about most of the time?

You see, your outer world is a reflection of your inner world.

If only you can DECIDE what you want. You'll begin to move (unerringly) towards your goal (and ultimately your PURPOSE in life) and your goals will move towards you almost magnetically.

Show me your CLEARLY SET Goals, and I can predict your future.

Every step you take towards your goal increases your faith in yourself.

Invest whatever time it takes to achieve Clarity about your goals.

DESIRE is the starting point of Goals Setting. "Intense" is the operative word here: Intense Desire.

What does it take to be successful in Life? (Brian Tracy was asked). And the answer is this:

1. What do you want in Life?

2. What price do I want to pay?

3. Get started with paying the PRICE.

Make goal setting a Lifelong habit. (Don't die as a couch potato). Resolve to be like the Homing Pigeon, the Guided Missile or the Laser, be committed to your own cause. Be focused.

Believe in yourself. If you don't believe in your cause, nobody else will (or should).

SET CLEAR GOALS FOR YOUR LIFE.

(This is another article that's typed on my Blackberry while in traffic today: Inspired by Brian Tracy audio books)

See you at the Top!

By Leke Oshiyemi

HR-Expert| Recruiter | Conference Speaker: on Human Resources Mgt. Personal effectiveness. Social Media.

Let’s connect!

www.linkedin.com/in/lekeoshiyemi

www.twitter.com/lekeoshiyemi

www.facebook.com/lekeoshiyemi

lekeoshiyemi@gmail.com

LinkedIn and Your Job Search: Use LinkedIn to Enhance Your Employment Options

2012-07-11T00:42:00.000-07:00

What do Microsoft, Ebay, Netflix, and Target have in common? All these companies (and many more) have used LinkedIn to recruit candidates for employment.

Kay Luo, Director of Corporate Communications at LinkedIn, explains why, "The main reason that companies are using LinkedIn is to find passive job candidates. Another reason why companies are using LinkedIn, is because referrals from their employees are highly valued because they typically have a higher success rate (hence the popular "employee referral bonuses"). LinkedIn helps companies leverage the networks of their employees."

How Employers Use LinkedIn

One LinkedIn member (who will remain nameless because his company doesn't know he's job seeking) I spoke to received an inquiry less than 24 hours after posting his profile. He was amazed at how fast a former colleague found him.

Steve Goddard obtained his current job through LinkedIn. Recruiters working for his employer, VMware, Inc., searched LinkedIn's database of information for people with relevant skills sets and experience pertaining to VMware's existing requirements.

The recruiter discovered Steve's work history, downloaded the information, circulated it to group managers, and then contacted him. After a couple of lengthy phone calls, VMware scheduled an on-site interview. After that, it was hiring as usual.

Steve told me, "I regularly get head hunters or recruiters with small start up operations, that have found my contact information through LinkedIn, calling me or emailing me with new job openings and hiring opportunities." From the company's perspective, Steve noted that VMware internal recruitment staff believes that LinkedIn has been a tremendous help with recruiting.

It's also important to note that LinkedIn has reached a point where it's almost unprofessional not to be on LinkedIn. There are members from all 500 of the Fortune 500 companies. LinkedIn members comprise 130 different industries, and include 130,000 recruiters.

Search LinkedIn

Take a few minutes to search LinkedIn and I'm sure you'll find lots of contacts from your current and prior employers, clients, vendors, and schools. All those contacts have the potential to help you grow your career or find a new job. In addition, it can be a good source of employment references, as well as reference checking.

Job Search

You can search the Jobs section of LinkedIn by keyword and location or use the Advanced Search option to search by more specific criteria.

How to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job - Or Have a Job Find You

· Create a Profile. Create a detailed profile on LinkedIn, including employment (current and past), education, industry, and web sites.

· Consider a Photo. You can add a photo (a headshot is recommended or upload a larger photo and edit it) to your LinkedIn profile. Note that it must be a small photo - no larger than 80x80 pixels.

· Keywords and Skills. Include all your resume keywords and skills in your profile, so your profile will be found.

· Build Your Network. Connect with other members and build your network. The more connections you have, the more opportunities you have, with one caveat from Kay Luo, "Connect to people you know and trust or have a business relationship with, no need to go crazy and connect with everyone."

· Get Recommendations. Recommendations from people you have worked with carry a lot of weight.

· Search Jobs. Use the job search section to find job listings.

· Use Answers. The Answers section of LinkedIn is a good way to increase your visibility. Respond to questions, and ask a question if you need information or assistance.

· Stay Connected. Use LinkedIn Mobile (m.linkedin.com) to view profiles, invite new connections, and access to LinkedIn Answers from your phone.

By Alison Doyle, About.com Guide

2012-07-06T05:16:00.000-07:00

Why Corporate Nigeria SHOULD Join LinkedIn!!!

I am always amused whenever i come across professionals, executives, business owners, government officials, recruiters, consultants, head hunters, and even job seekers on LinkedIn.com, with 2 or 10 connections. That immediately tells me how much they know about Social Media and the power of networking. Maybe they’re too busy to reap the immense benefits of “being Linked”, or got the invite and simply just signed-on and went into what i call “LinkedIn Coma”, or worse still, they joined but want to keep their privacy?!

(Helloo, why exactly did you join LinkedIn?).

To my mind, every professional and business person in Nigeria should be on LinkedIn. If you represent a business or brand, if you have something to say/sell to the world (about a product, service, an idea or a cause), if you’re employed, unemployed, or under employed If you’re a consultant, trainer, public speaker, blogger, entertainer, politician, an event manager, or you’re seeking to recruit staffers for your company etc.; In my estimate LinkedIn is your best bet. According to www.inc.com: “Today, LinkedIn is the No. 1 social media platform for professionals. Estimates of professional participation in LinkedIn are as high as 83%”.

My LinkedIn Story

I have been a member of LinkedIn since: October 7, 2008. I can’t remember exactly who invited me or how i stumbled in. I can imagine that the invite came into my email inbox saying “Leke, I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn”. I must have clicked on the “Accept” button because the message came from a trusted associate. And afterwards, i went into “LinkedIn Coma”, like many people i see online today. Unknown to me, i had just joined one of the most powerful business resource platform of the 21^st century! For most people who “accidentally” joined LinkedIn like i did, they usually ask “Now, i’m on LinkedIn, Now what?”

This was my question too until i attended a Booth Camp (for HR-professionals) in Lagos 2010, where a young man briefly discussed Social media/LinkedIn. Then, i had my “Aha!” experience and an understanding of the power of LinkedIn.

And since then i have: studied LinkedIn, trained many individuals, spoken at seminars and conferences about this amazing platform. Using LinkedIn i have: recruited local and expatriate employees, helped a number of people find jobs, developed power relationships across the globe, collaborated with very experienced professionals on various projects, recruited board members, have been recruited as a board member for an international NGO, have obtained professional help/answers to difficult business questions, joined and participated in very interesting group discussions, created and managed a vibrant professional LinkedIn group, mentored some young professionals, connected with some great mentors and have exponentially increased my “social capital”. etc

You too can succeed professionally or in your business using LinkedIn by making connections and capturing great opportunities on the Web’s #1 Business Networking Site.

While most folks are still wondering if Social media is a fad or a revolution, LinkedIn has suddenly become an essential business networking tool for professionals across all demographics. Today, there are over 161 million members on the site. Some have fondly referred to LinkedIn as the “Facebook of business”. To my mind, this professional networking site can be a valuable resource to Corporate Nigeria. LinkedIn is not a play ground like Facebook seems. It’s got that “office ambience”. Rather than connecting users to one another just for socializing sakes, LinkedIn connects users to the business world of “serious business minded people” providing them with a virtual platform to display professional work experience, connections, and groups. And like I said before, if you want to market yourself for job opportunities, business endeavors, or networking opportunities, LinkedIn is the place for you.

About LinkedIn

"LinkedIn is the office, Facebook is the barbecue in the backyard, and MySpace is the bar," referring to the three major social-networking sites. ~Reid Hoffman CEO of LinkedIn.

§ Founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003.

§ A Public quoted company, revenue for the first quarter (2012) was $188.5 million, an increase of 101% compared to $93.9 million in the first quarter of 2011.

§ In October 2010 Silicon Valley Insider ranked the company No. 10 on its Top 100 List of most valuable start ups.

§ As of December 2010, the company was valued at $1.575 billion in private markets.

§ It was reported that LinkedIn earned $154.6 million dollars in advertising revenue alone in 2011. This number was actually higher than that of Twitter who earned $139.5 million dollars respectively.

§ Has more than 14 million Business Owners.

§ LinkedIn is still young and still growing with over 4million new sign-on per month!

§ All 500 of the Fortune 500 companies are represented in LinkedIn. In fact, 499 of them are represented by director-level and above employees!

§ It’s Facebook for serious minded business people.

§ Houses world corporations and business leaders (Of Fortune 500 companies, SMEs, NGO etc)

§ Free consultancy platform.

§ You can reach the world and be reached.

§ Has more than 14 million Business Owners.

§ It’s the most untapped Business resource of all social networks.

What Can Corporate Nigeria Do with LinkedIn?

The following are some of what you can accomplish with LinkedIn:

1. Go beyond borders: Network with resource people locally and internationally.

Share information, Ideas and opportunities with 161,000,000 professionals! World’s largest professional network on the Internet with 161 million members worldwide (As at February, 2012), and still growing rapidly (That’s equivalent of the entire population of Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria!)

2. Increase your visibility: let the world know what you do.

3. Meet professionals in your field to share and collaborate on projects and business opportunities.

4. Increase your chances of employment: LinkedIn is 21^st century’s resume. Call it resume 2.0

5. 21^st century recruiting platform for employers and head-hunters. Find great professionals (local or expatriate) to recruit into your business: 80% of recruiters now use LinkedIn for head-hunting!

6. 21^st century Job finder’s platform for the under-employed/Unemployed.

7. Reduce your recruitment cost and increase your chances of short-listing a great staff.

8. Publish your articles, positive ideas and business concepts to business people: Publish or perish. (NB: Be weary of sending unsolicited marketing messages to other users on LinkedIn)

9. Raise great Board members for your local brand: Or be invited to the board of great businesses.

10. Find yourself a great mentor or become someone’s great mentor.

11. Make your local business go “Glocal”: Think Big, Start small, and Scale up fast!

12. Promote your Brand: Use LinkedIn as your branding focal point.

13. Drive traffic to your existing business website.

14. Ask important questions, and help some find great answers on the platform.

15. LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals.

Why i really want Corporate Nigeria on LinkedIn?

§ As at today (June 2012), Nigeria (Africa’s most populous country with 165million people) is grossly underrepresented on LinkedIn with regard to Internet averages.

§ Total number of LinkedIn visitors from Nigeria is lesser than 400,000! (According to the report above)

§ There’s need for the global community to interact with corporate Nigeria: we need to forge better strategic alliances, and cross pollinate our business thoughts and ideas with advanced business communities. This can take place, real-time, on a daily bases. And there’s no better platform to achieve all this other than LinkedIn.

§ Corporate Nigeria can equally use this platform to disabuse the mind of the world about Nigeria and Nigerians, as we project our positive/Professional side.

§ I predict that someday, most Nigerian recruiters will use this platform for 90% of their recruitment drive, because it’s cheaper, easier, faster and better. (The general implications of this will be discussed in another article).

§ Summing it all up, it is my belief that increased presence of corporate Nigeria on LinkedIn will ultimately bring us prosperity as a country. (If we stay on the positive track in the usage of this great platform).

§ My dream is to see 5,000,000+ Nigerian professionals on LinkedIn by June 2015!

LinkedIn Visitors by Country

Source:http://www.booleanblackbelt.com/2010/09/linkedin-demographics-and-visitor-statistics/

How Do i get Started (11 Baby Steps)?

1. Go to www.linkedin.com and sign-up. ( That is if you’re not already a member)

2. Upload your picture-Your privacy is not an issue on LinkedIn!

3. Invite your existing contacts to join you. It’s a game of numbers! (Upload your Yahoo, Gmail, Ms-Outlook contacts)

4. Sell your expertise and experience!-Describe your achievements and goals.

5. Write your summary-Stating WHY you joined LinkedIn (attracts like-minded people)

6. Join groups- You can join up to 50 groups of your choice.

7. Participate in group discussions- 15mins per day is enough. Discuss. Share. Collaborate.

8. Ask for recommendations – be recommended!

9. Promote and attend events.

10. Tip and trick – customise your public profile URL, make it your name!

11. Use the right keywords on LinkedIn! (watch out for my next article on “How to increase your connection on LinkedIn”)

Testimonials and Co

How I Found My Dream Job Using LinkedIn, Forbes

"I conducted a LinkedIn search for the company and discovered that one of my former co-workers, a direct connection, was connected to someone there through previous work experience..."

"...As you can guess, since I wrote this article, the former co-worker graciously introduced me and even praised me (hallelujah!) to the person at my first-choice company. Two days later, I received a phone call inviting me to schedule an interview. A week and a half later, I was hired." ~Avril David, an energy and environment analyst for Project Performance Corporation (In Forbes)

"You may not be surprised to learn that companies such as technology powerhouse Salesforce.com use social networking sites to search for job candidates, but even buttoned-down firms such as Allstate have gotten with the program. In fact, 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use LinkedIn specifically for that purpose. That’s why it’s critical to have a profile on LinkedIn..." ~CBS MoneyWatch

See you at the top.

By Leke Oshiyemi

HR-Expert| Recruiter | Conference Speaker: on Human Resources Mgt, Personal effectiveness and Social Media/LinkedIn.

Let’s connect!

www.linkedin.com/in/lekeoshiyemi

www.twitter.com/lekeoshiyemi

www.facebook.com/lekeoshiyemi

lekeoshiyemi@gmail.com

How “Typos” Can Kill Your Career- By Leke Oshiyemi

2012-07-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

How “Typos” Can Kill Your Career- By Leke Oshiyemi

I can bet most of us have come across what has been referred to as ‘typos’ or ‘errors of ignorance’; which are commonly (and especially nowadays) found (well embedded) in a written matter.

By way of definition ‘errors of ignorance’ are simply put, spelling errors caused by ignorance, while typographical errors (popularly known as ‘typos’) are mistakes made by accident while typing or transcribing something. For the sake of this write-up, I’ll refer to both errors as ‘typos’.

An informal comment posted in an on-line chat, a formal article, a paragraph in a memo, or even a simple comment on a blog, which could have been informative, engaging and even entertaining suddenly, leaves a bad taste in the readers’ mouth as a result of avoidable errors. Some people call them “printer’s devil”.

Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to find mobile phones with ‘QWERTY’ keypads. Mobile devices have made typing-on-the-go an accepted norm and an integral part of the new age/pop-culture. There’s now a good dosage of typing that’s involved in our socio-economic lives. We type away naturally at work and at play; from casual emails/BB chats between friends to concluding major league business transactions.

However, some of us neglect the editing and proof reading of written text because it (sometimes) feel like a ‘JAMB’ examination (for those not familiar with JAMB, it’s a tough qualifying exam to gain admission into a Federal University in Nigeria).

BUT most of us are really not always conscious of the potential dangers of ‘typos’. It’s a known fact that when it’s a written material, you cannot determine how far it can go, or who will read (judge) it. Think about it for a minute and use your imagination as regards who might be reading your written texts.

Let’s use our imagination here; it might be your potential business associates, your boss, your supervisor, your father in-law or your potential employer!

Due to my job function as Human Resource professional, i have seen many CVs ‘over-flowing’ with ‘typos’! Now, if a candidate has no discipline to proof-read a 2 paged CV (which has been in his/her custody for a while), imagine what your judge (reader) is thinking and concluding about you. Your competence, skill, and ability to deliver on a job could suddenly be under serious review and appraisal behind your back. The unfortunate part is you’ll hardly ever get a chance to defend your ‘typos’. Listen, nobody cares about your excuse for errors! Maybe your eyes were tired or you were distracted before you pressed the ‘send’ or ‘print’ button. Some readers can be very critical/ judgmental you know.

Think about this credo for a minute: ‘All grammatical errors have impeding consequences’. Some consequences are trivial and some are serious e.g. heavy wastage of printing papers, loss of ink, loss of time, loss of energy, loss of money, public mockery, damage to company’s reputation, misrepresentation of brand, loss of clientele or a potential job opportunity. Some errors can indeed lead to huge financial loss. (Think about the cost of reprinting an entire day’s newspaper, book, magazine, etc due to errors in print. Some errors can even lead to a lawsuit!).

A job seeker recently posted this on a group discussion page on LinkedIn in response to a job advertisement/discuss: “Hi, Iam interestingly, kaindly snd job referees number to my emailing inboz: xxx@hotmail.com. I anm an gradute of ___University. I will appreciate employment with your comanies!” (And so on and so forth). Unknown to our friend, some Human Resources recruitment experts (my friends) were following the thread of conversation. One of the recruiters called me afterwards to say “Leke, you won’t believe what I’m about to tell you, this particular lady was penciled down for a role within our company, but her ‘typos’ have just killed her chances with our organization”.

Yeah, I know some folks will think this “typo” judgement thing is too harsh or unfair. I must admit at this juncture that even I make typo mistakes sometimes too. Nobody is infallible (Disclaimer! Even this article has some typos!-Yeah, I know. Lol).

But, seriously speaking; we don’t know who is judging our typo(s) or the degree of loss that can potentially follow an “innocent typo”. And while we can get away with some errors in our letters, emails, memos, BB chats, tweets, FB comments, LinkedIn group comments, profile updates, websites, blogs, magazines, books etc.; nonetheless, there are potential consequences. (Either known to us or unknown to us)

The point I’m making here is. Let’s all try harder to painstakingly read through before we push the send/print button. “Being too casual in your writing can (potentially) make you a casualty”.

Read that e-mail over again before pressing the ‘send’ button.
Type and edit it first on MS-Word before you post that comment on-line.
Ask your friend to help you proof-read before you send that email or written text.
If it’s not already in the ‘urgent and important’ quadrant. Why not type it, save it, read it another time before you send it.
Use spell checker on Microsoft word to review the document before you print/send it. Use F7 function key (MS-Word).
Try reading it aloud before you post it. (Works wonders for me).
If in doubt, use your dictionary or Google to check the correct spelling. (Smart thing to do).
When you’re typing, look up every once in a while and monitor your progress. If you notice a word is spelt incorrectly, fix it right away instead of waiting for spell check.
Use the zoom-in function during proof-reading. Read it over in font size 18 until you’re done proofreading the document.
Never ignore the red or green wiggly line that appears under misspelled words and incorrect grammar when you type. This can practically save your career.

Share your views/questions with me in the comment section and be sure to get it answered.

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Do have a great day.