THE JOSEPH STRATEGY OF ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT AND VALUE CREATION

THE JOSEPH STRATEGY OF ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT AND VALUE CREATION

I hope you haven’t heard this before;

The story was told of a certain man, a body builder by training; stout and strong on whom hard times had befallen, he had gone job hunting and did stumble on an advert; “Well Built Man Wanted”. The notice was outside the gate of a local zoo, the man thinking that perhaps they needed a hand to lift things and stuffs entered and sought for the job, to his utter surprise he was asked in strict confidence to play the role of a large monkey, the management explained that some children were expected and the zoo had just lost its prized monkey. It wouldn’t be nice to disappoint the children; wonderful kids!

The man for no better option agreed to do the job, after all the economic meltdown is here, The next day met him swinging from pole to pole in his monkey suit to the delight of the children who offered peanuts and bananas, By midday he probably got tired of the poles or the bananas got the better of him and the next thing our hero accidentally slipped and fell into the nearby lion’s cage! “Help, Help!” He screamed as the very big lion majestically approached him and to his greatest horror and relief whispered “you had better shut up or we will both lose our jobs”!

               

Though this story is a fictitious one, it rings true and home. Perhaps you identify with someone  in the story but the issues are real. These are difficult times and there is a lot of monkey suits in town,  a colleague of mine offered an opinion one day, He said “the world is a vicious cycle where everybody is conning everybody, it depends on what you go home with at the end of the day” and this story aptly describes that scenario. In reality it is so for many individuals and when one finds himself in an ugly situation and screams for help, it is only to discover that the very person he is calling on is a bigger tougher fake probably employed by another fake organization.

If you found yourself in this story, then the discovery is a great one and probably the first step to suit dumping. The world economy on a macro scale is a game and few people know how deliberate it is, the house of cards has crashed and rebuilt itself many times and I doubt if you want to build something that will crash tomorrow. Most folks do so for no better option, truth is there is a better option and it is a sad thing my colleague believed what he said.

We are going to be discussing one of the basic strategies and postures for creating immense value as an entrepreneur or corporate executive and avoiding the pitfalls that has become the hallmark of today’s market places.

I will tell you another story;

You might have met Ken, he is one of those very passionate individuals. Though most folks were passionate like Ken unlike him they have “grown up” and stopped “dreaming”. Ken worked in a public institution where he believed his potential will be met. He loved estate development and construction and during his years in school Ken had unlike most of his colleagues fashioned concepts and patterns of how social infrastructures could be avenues of socio-economic development, the lectures at school proved his theories right. Even Ken’s lecturers agreed with his posits but many believed he would soon find out what “reality’ looks like. After school he kept reading up on several new concepts and strategies for driving social and economic change via his chosen career.

A few months after the mandatory youth service corps, Ken had been “very very “ lucky to get a job in one particular public institution, though he would have preferred a position with a private firm but the kind of firms he had in mind where virtually nonexistent. His passion was a little “exerting” to some but Ken didn’t mind, His wife once said she married him for that particular quality and to Ken, that was enough.

Six months into the job, Ken found out what a lot know but few worry about; his job was of little influence. Undeterred Ken had started making wonderful suggestions to management to make the place more fruitful, he was appreciated, told off and sometimes even sneered for his “outspoken nature”. Majority told him his suggestions were not new and Ken wondered why little could be done with massive potentials. Ken was discouraged but the voice within didn’t stop and so Ken didn’t, though there were more than enough opposition at the office and he had fallen out of favor with some ‘kingpins”. He kept praying for the management and as a release he took to writing, he wrote in various periodicals and dailies. His were not write-ups of complains and woes but rather one born of insight, he analyzed scenarios and presented solutions. At first his ideas appeared ordinary but few saw the insights his works bore, his efforts were those born of compassion and spirituality.

One day, like in all cases for prepared folks his break came. A new management was in place and Ken’s “proposals” became the agendas at management meetings though Ken never made it to any of those meetings. The truth was nobody cared to mention his name and for those that knew, it would be unwise to say so, after all office politics is serious business.

Ken’s joy was that development was happening and value was created. A few years later, a private firm that executed some of the jobs that Ken’s proposals initiated was looking for  a senior staff and Ken’s name somehow came up. Ken was over qualified for the job, he had among other things gotten a post graduate training in business management.

The salary was  twice his current pay now as a senior staff and it still would have made economic sense even if it was lower as the management had a fantastic bonus package and everybody knew he would deliver. Ken could already imagine the smile on his wife’s face as he shared the news though inside him he was a little trouble. Something told him that staying  back with the public institution might yield greater value. His Boss at the public firm determined not to lose his “best staff” designed an “emergency foreign course” for Ken. Ken chose to stay for at least an additional three years with the public firm while praying that the next management after the present one continues with the same drive. The private firm knew Ken was their man and being more flexible arranged for a consultancy position with their company, the needs of the firm didn’t breach the confidentiality details of Ken’s public employment and Ken’s wife had something to smile about. The monthly retainer for his consultancy service was just a little below his current salary.

Coming back from the training, he was assigned to head one of the committees that would execute another of his “brain child”, he was the most junior staff in the team but he enjoyed the respect of the team.  Ken had retained his amiable nature and unsullied character even though everyone knew the Head of that organization dotted on him. His free spirit and ability to stay agreeable even in disagreement was an asset at committee meetings.

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Question; have you met Ken or you know someone who would have been Ken.

What is the Joseph Strategy

I believe by now you would have begun to get an idea  of what I am talking about,

THE JOSEPH STRATEGY

The Joseph strategy is a business development or value generating principle at the work or market place that essentially includes the free provision of a valuable idea, good or service to a recipient.

In the story we shared, Ken was able to display this strategy in his work place, It is not enough to predict, unravel or understand the root cause, timeline and perhaps obvious consequences of a problem without the ability to propose a solution.

Such propositions must be backed with capacity and the willingness for an effective implementation. The change agent/entrepreneur in this case must also show evidence of such capacity. Such an evidence could be in the form of a job resume detailing the individual’s experience and competencies, a company profile citing the relevant experience or qualifications; the character and experience of the individuals on the company’s board of directors should also reflect such capacity. However,  in the absence of such the change agent should be equally as bold for there is always a first time.

This is the easiest way to get a job or a new client, find a future, present or unrealized problem/capacity and come up with a pragmatic options that makes the most of the situation. Every business arena is in dire need of factors like; increased profits,  market Share, Good will. Share price, and a better brand image. They are also much more disposed to honor anyone that provides these whether from within their ranks or from the outside. The nature and amount of the honor however depends on the nature of the organizations and their evaluation of the value offered.

A public organization would offer consultation fees, honorable words, awards of merits, contracts and in most cases employment opportunities for individuals or organizations that create such value.

A private firm is more poised to give immediate financial benefits like bonuses, promotions, fees and contracts. The reward need not be immediate or of material significance but there is always an exchange when value is provided.

It is the responsibility of the entrepreneur to begin to dispense this value packages and in the process determine their market value and also create the appropriate vehicles for appropriating this rewards.

The design of this vehicle is vitally important, like Ken in our story, a vehicle could be a private consultancy position or a more organized firm. He might however choose to allow things shape up for themselves, an entrepreneur however must design this vehicle himself.

For example, if you offer great business ideas to a private firm they might offer you a job position, if you made the proposal as an individual. If you make the same proposal as a registered business with a board and all the necessary business structures, you’ll likely get a deal. i.e. a contractual venture option. If you offer the same idea to a venture capitalist or a business angel, you will likely get an investment.

The same proposal however could raise eyebrows when you offer it to your family members!

So, the same business proposal would yield different rewards in different scenarios and each scenario demands a different presentation.

It is important to start dispensing of these packages early, first to commoners for free then one day to those that matters while you learn fast along the way.

AS AN ENTRY TOOL

This allows for an entry into a new industry. Microsoft Windows was at first offered free to the market and today we are paying for it. I do not believe Bill Gates planned to become a billionaire with that step, he just knew that was the way to enter the market.

After an entry, character; i.e. consistent performance would be needed to stay in league. And once there is sufficient demand for your product or service, you will notice that a price will be attached to it without too much fuss.

It also is an entry tool for a Job seeker, say you are unemployed and looking for a job, chances are that despite the fact that you are unemployed you still manage to eat three square meals a day. I therefore propose you find a place to offer your skills and services for free.

If you are an accountant, offer to handle the accounts of small businesses for free and do a great job, make the effort relevant to the overall goals of the firm. Find someone that needs your service and offer it free of charge, for starters you’ll be building a resume! Then you are gaining experience, it is like going to school again. It is paying for your education, every business man understands that the early challenges and mistakes of a startup business is like the tuition fee for classes in the market place. It is a practical class though and one that involves a greater degree of innovation, novelty, independence and responsibility. It is here you begin to test your ideas and chances are that if you are good at the work you will find a job or a deal.

VALUE VS SOLUTION

To create value is great but a solution is better. Not all value creation are solution generation, if you live in a metropolitan and I happen to give you a free bicycle, chances are that I have created value but not necessary solved a problem. Though a bicycle is worth something to you, it does not really solve your transportation problem. It won’t make sense riding to work in a bicycle if you lived in Lagos, Nigeria!

In Africa, we have millions of research papers from credible universities and Lectures that have a lot of value-content but very little solution-content. The difference is simply “intentionality”, we don’t chance on change, we drive change with our eyes open and clearly seeing tomorrow.

Thus real value creation is one driven by a commitment to solution identification and maximization.

WHAT TO PROPOSE

You cannot offer what you do not have and there are certain things one is best adapted to having, we have areas of gifting and purpose and it is the duty of everyone to discover this. That gift is your soul’s desire, it is that which you are aware of almost intuitively. It is the “Aha” of your spirit, never trade this soul-ish longings for anything. When we lose this soul-ish longings on the altar of meeting immediate needs, oppositions, hardships, temptations or worldly cares then nothing in the world would satisfy.

With identity comes the responsibility for ownership, protection and development. You do not really own that which you do not understand says Myles Munroe and you can’t offer a legal or mental protection to that which you do not own.

Own your Vision and gifts, it is a protection against the rough tides of the job-place, it will keep you from unemployment and the long queue at social welfare. It is your God-given advantage, master and protect it. A lot of folks would scream if you scratched their cars or even ruffled their well plaid attires but do nothing when you threaten their vision. Your predisposition to protecting your God given Vision and Purpose is the test of character.

The best form of defense is attack, the one talent man in the parable of the talent didn’t know this bit. To increase competence in an area of gifting is an individual responsibility,  like a piece of property given on lease by the government, there is a mandate that the government can revoke the lease if not developed within a given time duration.

Competence development is your responsibility and one, which you may have to overcome great odds to attain. Most great footballers and artists suffered immense tribulations and sacrifice to give attention to this soulish longing. Note that in doing this, they developed something called character.  To achieve development, exposure is critical

Character is a position of constancy brought about by perseverance against tests, it is the mother of hope and hope is what great men and businesses are built of.

When you have hope, you are not ashamed of the circumstances called “today”, because within you is a clear picture of where your gifting is taking you to.

Thus the pattern is this; identity. Ownership, protection and then development.

The Challenge of Development

There is this thing about become who you are that many people fail to achieve and that is a transformation of the mind, we are often adept to remaining as we were. The environment demands conformity, people do not want you to change. They’re most times surprised when you do. One of the greatest challenge at this stage of developing capacity is the uncertainty that such exposure portends, like a butterfly undergoing metarmorphosis one could be accused of having an identity crisis. Don’t mind the externals, stay with your internal scorecards as you learn what works and what doesn’t. it is always easier to run back to old habits, for an entrepreneur that just left the job there is a great temptation to call your former boss. I had to make this a personal saying; “when you sack your boss, never take her back!”. For someone learning the skills your talents require, the challenge of refining what you have might just appear too arduous but stick with it. The price of exposure and transformation can be paid only by you alone. You are like a boxer training muscle in the ring, stay at it, sucker punch and all!

Your gifts however must be organized and offered in such a manner that individuals or organizations would pay maximum premium for it,

Remember, the Joseph Strategy is that you make an offer; your offer.

OFFERING

You may have to at first offer this value-packages of yours for free, I suggest you learn to do these even if you don’t have to. If you are into public speaking, find a crowd, any crowd and talk! Afterwards appreciate them for coming. If like me you are into business or resource development, find those that need your services and get them to listen, show your competence and faithfulness with any given assignment.

In the process you will learn the market position/evaluation of your packages and the best way to present it. This is the time to read massively and develop structures, a famous beautician with a line of cosmetics in Lagos, Nigeria; Tara ………….., began her multi million Naira business by first offering to do free make up for wedding brides in her estate, few people then would agree that someone could pay for a make up! Now it is big business. Most un employed individuals and start up businesses would be amazed at the employment opportunity and client base there is to find with this strategy.

For example, a young accounts graduate could offer to do the accounts of neighboring small businesses for peanuts, in the process he is learning a lot, discovering new problems, contacts and building a resume. A small scale business man can package samples of customized products for his intended market and in the process learn the market evaluation for them. This is important because the field is where muscles are trained, ideas are tested and clarified, theories reformulated and dreams take shape.

One must keep growing, by finding new ways to satisfy and exceed the expectation of your clients/employer you will learn what works and what doesn’t. you will have to device new ways to make them pay adequately for the services rendered.

THE OPRAH WINFREY EXAMPLE

OPRAH built a mighty empire by doing something so little that a lot of people have missed especially in developing nations, the reason why her little strategic step is so vitally important is that paid employment or public services seldom bring out the massive potentials in man especially when under poor leadership

WHAT OPRAH DID.

Oprah Winfrey began her TV career as a  reporter for a radio station WVOL in Nashville, while studying at Tennessee State University. She was probably paid peanuts for this student job but it did grant her entry and experience of the Television industry.

Because of her gifting and competence, At age thirty she had already become a very successful talk show host working for WLS-TV, The Oprah Winfreh Show enjoyed enormous followership.

On meeting Jeff Jacobs, an entertainment lawyer in 1984 she was convinced to set up her own company instead of being a talk show host hired by somebody else.

Harpo inc was established in 1986, with Jeff Jacobs eventually joining in as president. Jeff brought his business acumen to match Oprah’s creativity and intuitiveness.

The point is she built a business around her gift and retained ownership thus her show could be aired on other stations besides those of her former employer, the advert arrangements would differ and she retained intellectual property for the shows. The motivation for delivery was immense and though it wasn’t an easy part, she persevered.

With the independence and motivation, Harpo inc diversified into movies and in 2000 O, The Oprah Magazine was born.  Today, She is the chair of Harpo, Inc,; Harpo Productions; Harpo Studios, Inc,; Harpo Films Inc,; Harpo Print LLC; and Harpo Video, Inc,.

Though she still cannot read a balance sheet, she was able to maximize her gifting and to build a structure that enabled her display amazing creativity.

Question:

Do you know anyone who would have done better with this approach in the entertainment industry or other industries?

Did you notice the progression of events?

Can you read up Bill Gates Biography and relate this story to his?

Can you identify a common thread with yours?

LESSONS FROM THIS STORY

She was probably paid pea nuts for the first job; entry

Competence pays

Continuous learning is key

Ownership is essential if productivity and remuneration are vital statistics

Skills and competence are great, but you need Strategy

Find help where you need it

Be good at what you are gifted to do

COMPONENTS OF THIS STRATEGY

The business arena is a value exchange arena and to make such offerings for free you need to have an abundance mentality, a lot of young people have failed to make this strategic entry simply for their penchant for immediate rewards.

An abundance mentality says there is more from where this is coming and even if I am not paid initially I’m glad to offer value.

COMPASSION

To really maximize your inherent potentials and creative genius there is need you come over to the higher realms of compassion.

At a higher plane, the bedrock of discovery is compassion. Science is a product of sincere inquiry into things men are passionate about. It takes desire to seek, desires are born out of compassion. It could be for a cause,  humanity or for systems but ultimately it is all about people. Some people have limited their compassion-field to themselves and maybe their families, if your compassion-field is limited, so will be the issues that would probably attract your sincere inquiry and hence the number of opportunities you will see.

I do not imply a complaining kind of concern but rather a reasoning concern that is ready to divulge the emotionality of an issue and raise practical pragmatic theories.

e.g. does the economic scenario in your city bother you? In Nigeria, we have a moribund textile industry that could employ more than 500,000 individuals and provide for millions of dependents, every day I see a lot of business potentials in that sector and have been devising strategies for more than 5 years now. My point is that the idea I will come out with at the end of the day is borne from more than 5 years of research, reason and deliberation. I am also in a better shape to utilize any new emerging opportunity that any political or economic wind can bring.

It is a rule that Global/National Interest is a product of National/Global Concern. It is not a surprise that two of the richest men in the world; Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are much concerned about Global issues, I do not think they became concerned because they are big. I believe they became big because they were concerned, resources migrate to individuals with the heart for it.

The vision of Microsoft is to make lives easier for individuals and organizations and sincerely they have.

What bothers you? What do you see on the street and it makes your heart lurch? Those are your concerns. Can you make time for a little inquiry and nature of this stimuli?

Richard Branson of Virgin World said “Business is what you do about the things that bother you”.

Can you attend to your interests? The things that provoke your compassion most times are things you can do something about, most times your capacity to do something about them does not immediately appear but stay with it. Let your spirit brood over them and you will see them begin to take shape in your heart, you would need to research and read up about it and one day you will be surprised to know that you are among the leading thoughts in that area or that you are at full comprehension of the leading thoughts in that area.

Should an opportunity appear on the horizon, these prepared heart has something to say, a proposal to make or a decision to make.

A lot of potentialities have been drowned in the murky and shallow water of selfish interests, I believe this is the biggest limit to innovation. There is a creative genius in man that is hindered by selfishness which is at best myopic and inpatient.

TRAINING

If you are concerned and compassionate, the demand is on you to go to school (study) in your area of concern. Develop competence in that arena, your biggest asset is yourself. Make the most input as possible as you can and when you think you are ready go and test your hands! Offer the first proposal.

Proposals are borne out of an understanding, understanding is a product of insight or wisdom and both are a product of a meditating heart or a studious heart.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH

 Okwonna Nelson

THE NATURE OF SALVATION

In a world of diverging religious world views (Plurality) and consequently Personification (which says “make sure you keep your views at home”) a diligent seeker still needs to find coherence; what makes sense, the unity in diversity. The truth that unifies all truths and this is what University stands for “Unity” in “Diversity”.
Can all religious world views be right? Are they fundamentally the same? Are they all a quest by man to fulfill His need for a God?

I believe that there is a God, man has found it impossible to escape from Him, (I have made this point in my earlier notes in “An attempt at Meaning” and “Reason on Trial”) but another good question is; which God? I ask that question because two mutually exclusive opinions cannot be correct at the same time.

Two mutually exclusive religious world views cannot be correct at the same time.
None the less, as humans any good world view must provide the answer to

Origin: where am I from?
Condition: Who am I? And why do I do the things I do
Salvation: how can I be helped
Destiny: after here?

In my earlier notes I have written on why I know Jesus is the answer, one of those ways is in “the nature of salvation”.

Does man need Salvation and salvation from what? Of recent there was a very high profile discussion among elite circles on the topic “What does it mean to be Human”. It doesn’t take much imagination to fashion the course that discourse must have taken, the reality is that even people who are not intellectually inclined have agreed that man got a problem, implicit is the sentence that “the bent of man is towards evil”.

And man has from medieval times cried out for atonement. Long before Judaism, Christianity and Islam (the three major religions) man has made countless sacrifices on altars to appease “the gods”, apparently they weren’t.

The question is why? Why do we seek to be forgiven? Or better still is there anyone who does not need forgiveness? The sensation of Guilt and total unworthiness is the major cause of suicide and depression (antidepressants sale compete with that of coca cola), and you and I are witnesses to the length humans have gone to mask that emptiness.

What does God say about the condition of man? In the Torah and the Talmud (the Old Testament and Holy book of Judaism, God calls our condition “sin” and the penalty was death!)

To understand salvation one has to understand the nature of Sin. Sin is not the violation of God’s law per say, it is the violation of God himself (Who is described as being too Holy to behold iniquity). In the words of Max Lucado “God is not holy, He is not even Holy Holy, He is Holy Holy Holy” Holiness is the essence of His Godhood.

And man is sinful. In the same Old Testament we find the source of Sin; disobedience. Adam didn’t just disobey he violated God himself (that is why the punishment is death), but then man is Spirit.
the first man died a spiritual death , it is of then necessity that the restoration of man be Spiritual; a quickening of the dead spirit. It is then pertinent that we understand therefore why the blood of rams cannot take away sin, if so why then did God give the Law?

The Law was given so that man could see his need for salvation and to serve as a code of conduct. But it couldn’t make the person righteous. Well, only an ill patient seeks a doctor. And God said the illness (sin) is a life and death issue.

In Abraham, of whom the three major religions call Father, we see God declaring him righteous because He believed Him, Not because He performed certain rites. This was way before circumcision (a mark of the relationship that was borne out of His obedience). See Gen 15:6.

What we see in our society is a great malady called “Sin in the Heart of Man”. The multiplicity of religion, the despair of man and the resort to wantonness and deadening of conscience is as result of man’s interaction with the law which is written in our hearts. You and I know that our great great grand fathers without reading the Ten Commandments observe it to a very high extent.
Is there salvation?

Answer; God did not leave man alone in this dilemma, it is important to note that only God can initiate Man’s salvation, But God’s Justice must be satisfied also; someone must die for the sin of mankind and sinful man does not qualify.

When people wonder that how could Jesus, the Son of God as we claim in the Christian Faith come and die for Sinful humanity.

My answer is:
Could God (A Holy, Just and Loving God) do less to save His idea (Man)?

The silent question I believe in the heart of many is; what is the nature of God, does He? Could He have a son? What manner of Love is such?
Fortunately you can find that out for yourself; close your eyes in reverence to God and ask Him the very question; you can read the bible for yourself.
The seeker finds out He is sought.
Thanks

UNDERSTANDING THE FAITH: SURPRISED BY JOY SERIES 1

Dear significant friend, this piece is for the believer or seeker who intends to understand the Faith. It is really important that we truly have a good grasp of the themes, settings and pillars of the Christian Faith especially in times like this. In my young but eventful life in the faith I’ve found the level of ignorance to be quite high and considering that I suffered from such ignorance myself I felt compelled to write this to enable someone perhaps to live a more comprehensible and productive Life.

C.S. Lewis said of himself in his book “Surprised by Joy” that he was the most reluctant convert in the whole of England! (J.R.R Stolkein, the author of the “Lord of the Rings” was influential to Lewis’s comeback to Christianity), Oscar Wilde lived a life of pleasure all his days but at his deathbed asked for a priest as “God alone was big enough to cleanse this heart of mine”. On the floor of my hostel room at the age of 18 I began a fresh and lasting relationship with Jesus Christ.

Regardless of how and when we come to the Lord, the great news is that we came; you came.

THE PLACE OF UNDERSTANDING

“they do not know, they do not understand. They walk about in darkness. All the foundation of the earth are unstable” Psalm 82:1

“it seemed good to me also, having had a perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus” Luke 1:3.

Perfect understanding is attainable and when it is absent, instability is the rule.

WHAT HAPPENED AT NEW BIRTH?

The death and resurrection of Jesus brought several realities to bear;

1. Jesus died for the sins of the whole of humanity: from the Middle east to the Antarctica, humanity’s problem is not a “sin” issue it is a “belief “and an “understanding” issue. (1 Cor 15:3) Belief for those who don’t believe and understanding for those who do. People will go to hell for rejecting Jesus alone. For more see the meaning of salvation

2. He rose from the grave: His death and shedding of blood secured forgiveness, His resurrection provided the Life. When He died, He took a trip to hell and got the keys of Hell and death (Rev 1:18, Math 28:18). He disarmed principalities and led a triumphant procession out of captivity (Eph 4:8, Col 2:9). His resurrection marked the conquest of death which is a product of sin (Rom 5:13, Gen 2:17). Note that death is spiritual. If you are afraid of death or hell, lose it. He has got the keys.

On resurrection, He offered us the opportunity to live a life devoid of death (eternal life) 2Tim 1:10. This provision is called GRACE and is accessed by FAITH (Rom 5:2). Grace encompasses forgiveness and righteousness. This righteousness is not because we have not sinned but rather because we believe, it is called the righteousness of Faith (Rom 10:6-11).

So God sees me in the Light of Jesus Christ (in HIM), we are free of the burden/conscience of sin (Heb 10:22). I am also able to serve God on planet earth (Heb 10:19).

The Christian life is life in Christ

Jesus among other gods

Eckankar and other eastern religions subscribe to a doctrine of spiritual enlightening via many spiritual exercises; all are aimed at attaining this eternal life (the God kind of life). Islam on the other hand focuses more on atoning for sin via rites (a similitude to the karma, Hindi caste structure and reincarnation theories as all are a form of penance for offence (the present and previous-life).

Christianity offers forgiveness by a God who could forgive and an eternal life to those forgiven. Forgiveness and Salvation is the central theme of the Christian faith and is lacking in every other faith. We have a savior!

THE OBLIGATION OF THE SAVED

“for if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the Truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries” Heb 10:27.

It is then my responsibility to live this new found life. It is essentially a Love life (Faith works by love –Gal 5:6) see my allegory of the Christian Life

Another good reading in dealing with everyday life can be found here “Word Patterns in Life’s Kaleidoscope”

What Happens when I do sin?

Know this for certain; provision was made (note the past tense) I John 2:1-2, you however have the ability not to sin and you must access this ability by faith see “The Bondage Breaker: Overcoming sin”.

THE BATTLE FIELD OF THE MIND

Your flesh in not born again though your Spirit is. So the significant you (the spirit You) must win the tussle by transforming the mind with the Word and prayer while starving the flesh of it’s desires (you know what…….). it is like the two heavy weight dogs of a certain man that fought for bets from onlookers, the owner always knew which dog was going to win. when asked, he stated that the secret was plain simple “starve one and feed the other”.

In conclusion, I hope this was not too long? I will close with the prayer of Blaise Pascal, the great French scientist:

“Almighty God who gave your servant Blaise Pascal a great intellect that he may explore the mysteries of your creation and who kindled in his heart a love for you and a devotion to your service; mercifully give us your servants according to our various callings, gifts of excellence in Body, Mind and Will and the Grace to Use them diligently in and to your glory through Jesus Christ our Lord who love and reigns with you and the Holy spirit, one God now and forever Amen.

Thank you.

Okwonna Nelson

nnamdiokwonna@yahoo.com

WORD PATTERNS IN LIFE"S KALEIDOSCOPE

The title suggests a manner of things in Life’s maze; I have come to realize that on this side of the divide, in God’s dealings with us there is a way He does His things. As a kingdom citizen there are some three basic facets of Life you are interacting with everyday and your success will be measured by the fruit of those interactions.
1. God’s promises
2. God’s ways
3. God’s commandments

The way we see life, our attitude and all we do is a function of our understanding of the above, though our individual experiences and mannerisms cannot be identical, our paths of faith are. I will summarize these thoughts without a stepwise pattern.

A cardinal issue is our view of God and our relationship with Him, a father or a God? A son or a servant, a dependant or an Heir: My association with Christ and His works: a finished work or a partial work. My understanding of the death and resurrection of Christ, is it just for salvation? What is the nature of that salvation? : Forgiveness of sin or power over sin, or both?

My interaction with evil forces: my battle or a finished battle? My position in Christ: the Power in that position. These perspectives and understanding matter a great deal and I would just stress one; victory over sin. For young people this is a prerequisite for birthing the purposes of God on planet earth. It really doesn’t take a special unction, it is an endowment on all born again believers, you have the power over sin! Yes you do (Rom 5:17, John 8:12). yet if you should sin, God will forgive. The issue most young people have is that we forget that the blessed man of Psalm 1 will not do some things for him to do some things and that every statement in the Bible is assessed by faith (they are spiritual).

The place of God in everyday life: God is the God of the whole universe. More importantly He is not just the God of the whole; He is also the God of the individual parts! So He understands commerce, I.T, pharmacy, medicine, quantum physics and Mechanics more than anyone. His influences is not out of those realms. They are everyday issues, in the Hall of Faith (Heb 11) all the men mentioned there were interacting with everyday issues as you and I. I said that because we often limit His influence to “spiritual” stuffs forgetting that all the parables of Christ were about everyday stuffs.

To bring the above point home, do we believe that it is God that ministers the advances in commerce, I.T, business, Medicine, Agric, etc to the hearts of man! A popular Scientist was quoted as always reciting these words as he entered his laboratory; “Lord open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things out of thy word”! Next time you look at the sun, remember it is made by the Word and the maker could minister the seed for the next alternative energy solution. God is not archaic! He is on the cyber and more!

All things are made by the Word! All! Everything we see, both the good and the bad are all provided for within the plan of God, He may not have been the one behind the death of that loved one but His plan provides for that eventuality! The day Bill Gates conceived Microsoft it was at the impulse of God, He knew I would be writing this from Windows Vista Home Basic service pack 1! In God’s kingdom there are not only sons, there are hired servants as well (Luke 15:17) and all are for Him. He is good to all! His sons have special privileges but He won’t force them to take it, He respects growth and will not give a man’s inheritance to a child for He had better the child be poor than lose him (He is Love). So if you are wondering why “not-so-good” people are thriving remember that our father is just and loving and in His plan He uses everybody; servants, hired servants, sons and children.

He is spiritual yet He makes the physical, the spiritual makes the Physical and he detests individuals that walk by the physical (unbelief). His blessings are spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Eph 1:3), they are not physical cars and houses. He doesn’t give wealth per say; He gives the power to make wealth.
He has given the earth to man and He respects His ordinances. Man must pray “thy will be done on earth” or it won’t, and man can only pray what has been revealed to him. So man’s greatest assets are the Words spoken to him, your greatest asset in Life are the Words of God in your heart, that dream that is burning holes in your heart, put them in a ledger. When the time comes they will speak. In the father’s agenda there are always intervals between the promise (the passion/seed) He has ministered and the fulfillment, once you have received such a ministration the next thing is processes.

Words are the only things that have equal significance in both the physical and spiritual realms, they bear the power of life and death and they are products of the heart, God knew and is much bothered with my heart. He knows that left to itself the hear would stray so He commands me to meditate on His words, He tells me to speak it and not allow it depart from my mouth for only then can I really prosper. He informed David to remind me that since 24hours is all I have I must not walk with, reside with or take the advice of certain folks before I can handle the word.(Psalm 1).
The primary prerequisite he demanded from those that walked with Him were independence, it takes an independent man devoid of emotional clutches (they owe me mindset) to walk with the Father. No one owes you anything! Depend solely on God, our continued dependence on individuals, connections and manipulations is the reason there are no difference in the lives of citizens of the kingdom and common folks. I must be independent of friends and general consensus, following the Father most time is an invitation to controversy but if you follow Him long enough those same people will chant your praises. Fans are a dime a dozen, they come and go; don’t take them to heart.
Only people of Faith can please Him, when you step out on faith keep stepping. It is like walking on solid water, if you doubt the water will melt! The faith walk has this inbuilt correction mechanism that provides a sinking feeling anytime one considers the odds (Mat 14:30) but thank God for His ability to rescue even in moments of doubt. When He communicates specific promises to you He calls you to process, His training is painful, He is never in a hurry, He understands how weak you are and why proper work must be done to enlarge your depth else you flow with the tide!
In the process, be faithful with everyday issues. It is a kingdom, the King makes provisions for His subjects and He knows you need most of those things on your prayer list! But you must seek the Kingdom first and its righteousness. Its righteousness implies the way things are done in the kingdom. The Kingdom of God is not limited to heaven (as a location). It is the counsel of God; the operating system of heaven! (You can read up the parables on the kingdom).
In the Kingdom, it is an Agrarian economy; seed time and harvest time. Things start small in the kingdom-mustard seed; there are no “rich men” there! You lose “mine” mentality, there is plenty there too. In the kingdom it is capitalism: you trade the talents well, you get more yet the Lord owns all. For God to trust you with a billion dollars He will first be sure your heart can handle it and that you won’t bank it! The question is can you stand to be blessed? To be blessed is not easy, believe me!

In the kingdom of God the perception of it is by being “born again”. The experience of it is by being “born of the Spirit and the Word”, (John 3:3-5) folks can be born again without being born of water (The Word) and of the Spirit. Outside of the Kingdom there will be gnashing of teeth, walking in the ways of the Kingdom and the revealed will of the King is righteousness (getting saved is the baseline righteousness!(2 Cor5:21 KJV). It will guarantee peace (Peace is the umpire of the will of God), and then Joy in the Holy Ghost.

There is the trio of anxiety, offence and profanity. They will kill the anointing quickly; the Word of Faith is established on”The finished work of the Cross” therefore it does not permit anxiety over any issue. Anxiety says I am not sure He can handle it, Also you cannot be offended and be anointed at the same time, thus Faith (the currency of this kingdom) works by confident love. Love says I choose to treat you kindly because I can afford to! That is it; I can afford to love anyone! I am a child of the King! The King is apt to forgive, He expects same. The King cannot stand profane individuals, He is the King remember and His scepter is that of righteousness.

In the Kingdom of God, Sons pray. It is the only means of bringing the power of the kingdom to bear in any situation! The prayer of a righteous man avails much since the blessings are spiritual. It is only in the Place of Prayers that a righteous man can make tremendous power available, he must speak the revealed will or he will not form them on this side of the divide. This is not a bless-me club! i.e. calling forth cars and airplanes! There is a place for that if that is the Word communicated to your Spirit (James 4:3), but it is more of calling forth the virtues and characters that are in you (Isa 12:3), the will of God on planet earth, creative ways of solving problems, Africa is in dire need of Kingdom children. It includes devising ways to be a blessing to nations (Gen 12:3), the open secret in the Kingdom is that if you pursue being a blessing, you cannot lack, even when you try!

In the kingdom, though children are all over the place and are coheirs they are not much different from servants! (Gal 4:1,7). The truth is that the King is seeking for Sons and if you listen attentively, one of the common words your spirit ministers is “grow up, grow up”. When sons refuse to grow, they will work, be taught and be under the tutelage of servants! I have long refused that option.
All the revealed will of God calls one into a process (righteousness)
(2Pe 1:4) “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

We see this in the life of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David and Daniel. The process is often a wilderness but it is in those wilderness that King materials are made. There we lose our diapers and all childish tendencies, there our Heart is tested (our selfishness, abiding faith, dependence, forgiveness). On passing the exam we reign with the King in Life (this one here! Rom 5:17), the King said we already have Grace to pass.

In the Word of Faith, the Word of God is really a picture. If you continue looking at it you will line up with it. (James 1: 23=25, 2 Cor 3:18)

Dear, if you read this article up to this point then it was written for you, please I would like to hear from you.
We are still very much interacting with the promises of God for our lives. For more thoughts please visit www.nelsontalks.blogspot.com

”All things are made by the Word”

FAITH AND I

FAITH AND I

One thing about writing these articles is that I’m really describing my heart’s convictions as I stride in the garden of life, it is like a walk in a park. One observes and mentally notes some things, some are noted as irrelevant and others subjects of great interest, I commit them to paper with the hope that someone might benefit from the thoughts of a young man. Below are my fresh thoughts on the subject of Faith.

1.       Faith is not Christian, neither is it Hebrew

2.       It comes by hearing the word of God and God speaks to heathens too

3.       Faith is a visible posture, attitude or action brought about by one’s belief in God’s word in his or her heart (the invisible).

Rahab the Harlot, the widow of Zeraphath, The centurion of Great faith and the woman from Canaan who asked for the crumbs from the master’s table were all recorded to have been people of immense faith. They all were however not partakers of the commonwealth of Israel.

The Bill Gates of this world and the Zuckerbergs of our time did what many of us in Africa have refused to do; they believed the testimony of their hearts (most of us will never hear the thunder of God’s voice but every day we hear His inward witness). Another misfortune is that we are quick to limit these witnesses to “spiritual” realities. I’ve found God’s directions to be amply variegated, especially in enterprise development and innovation; He is the source of immense innovation. (He is the eternal novelty).

The word Of God is not limited to the written scriptures, it includes the voice that told Paul that a certain man was ready to be healed (Acts 14:9); He saw the man’s faith! Really the Word of God often comes as pictures in our hearts, like knowings in the spirit (see my last note on “The Conscience, the Mind and the Arena”. There are 4 postures to this word:

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER: SEASON 8 OF LUKE THE PHYSICIANS TALE

1.       Lack of understanding (ep¹ 12): wayside word, because it wasn’t mixed with Faith²

2.       Lack of depth (ep¹ 13): it takes a strong conviction to go with the word and a major source of low-level conviction is low level personal mental dedication to the truths/value of God’s word. it takes independence of will to follow God’s word (break ties).

3.       Cares of these word/deceitfulness of riches (ep¹ 14): “what shall I eat?”, “I don’t have the means”, Inability to defer gratifications. Note that the thorns were there before the word came.

4.       A noble, good and patient heart (ep¹ 15): The good soil. The Word has a way of requiring patience and a kingly mannerism. Strife will not achieve it.

THE TREASURE AND THE GATE

In His letter, Mr. Peter Simon the ex small scale fishing entrepreneur called the Word; “exceedingly great and precious promises”³ . Bill Gates thought them precious enough to leave Harvard. If it is a treasure then the Heart needs a lock! Guarding the heart is our greatest challenge as our world is pretty noisy. It is easy to fill it up with irrelevant issues and miss the treasure. In the Kingdom the ministry of internal affairs is the greatest ministry. Learn to study silence (of the heart and mind).

PROCESSING THE WORD

The seed is not fast food! Its speed is very variable, it is a function of the nature of the seed and the condition of the soil. However it will change you, it certainly changed me and a lot of other folks.

1.       It will make you a stranger⁴, please stay that way.

2.       It makes God’s people priests and Kings⁵

In everything I do, I’m beginning to learn not to believe the system and I urge you not to do the same. Don’t be quick to line up with general consensus on any issue and please don’t believe the lie about Africa and Nigeria (Madiba didn’t), don’t believe the business models (it is failing and W.Buffet didn’t either). You can even be skeptical about our educational system (R. Kiyosaki has changed that forever), judge everything by the Word and the judge the Word in your spirit by the written one for they must cohere.

“Now, the parable is this, The seed is the Word of God.” Luke 8:11

Thanks

Okwonna Nelson

nnamdiokwonna@yahoo.com

¹ episode, ²Hebrew 4:2, ³2^nd Peter 1:4, ⁴ Hebrews 11:13, ⁵ Rev 1:6, 1Peter 2:9.

THE CONSCIENCE, THE MIND AND THE INNOVATION ARENA

“We hold these truths to be self-evident……………………….” Thomas Jefferson in the United States declaration of Independence

When Thomas Jefferson made the above statement, America and indeed the greater part of the world were ushered into a dimension of living based on the mental awareness and agreement with an unwritten code of ethics based solely on a man’s conscience.

“………….we hold these “truths” to be self-evident,” Many years down the line, some new generation of Americans have unwittingly disagreed on the existence of “truths” (the concept of “no absolute truth” which has given birth to the pleasure-without-limits scenes and lyrics we get in the media) not to mention that they are self-evident.

I would like to explore a little on the distance between “truth” and “The Mind”, Obviously by Thomas Jefferson thinking some things are just the right thing to do (conscience) and his mind agreed with it (self-evident). When we talk of evidence, we imply reason (the mind). The declaration of Independence and the self-evidencing truths proclaimed therein for centuries created a moral framework for life in America as it brought God to the equation (“…………….endowed by the creator to certain inalienable rights”). Thus with regard to morals, individuals can mentally assent to and appreciate certain virtues simply because they are right (a qualitative term qualified by the conscience).

Note that “we” hold it to be self-evident, truths are not self evident by themselves till we hold it!

NOT LIMITED BUT INEXTRICABLY LINKED

However it is not only morals that are self-evident, to appreciate this I would like to emphasize that there is an interval between a man’s awareness of truth (conscience) and the period it becomes self evident. Today it is a self-evident truth that metals can fly in the air faster than the speed of sound, but at a certain time it existed as“awareness” in the mind of the Wright brothers and some other folks. Microsoft is an evidenced truth which initially was just an “awareness” till someone evidenced it. I know that innovations comes first as an “awareness” akin to moral awareness of truth without rational or scientific backing, the individual interacts with this “awareness” of which he is inept at explaining but convinced none the less. That interval is the arena of faith.

To mentally conceptualize and bring about a practical demonstration of a man’s awareness, his mind must be involved. For centuries America demonstrated that the moral values embedded in the “self-evidencing truths” can make a nation great. Businesses were built based on those truths and before our very eyes we are seeing the destruction that has arisen because those truths have begun to appear “non-evident”.

I must say then that the conscience is not limited to morals alone but also includes innovation and both can be brought to practical demonstration in a mind that has retained the knowledge of God without which the truths would be hard to evidence!

AFRICA

In Africa, as the Agent of Change intercedes for a Nation’s plight in prayers. He or She invariably would become exposed to certain “awareness of truth”, by this I mean of certain things which have to be and are right. My responsibility and our leader’s failings are to evidence these truths, a failing largely due to the inability to retain God in a man’s knowledge.

The reason why we are yet to eradicate HIV/AIDS and Malaria is simply because we are expecting folks who have lost the essential ingredient to produce the results. Note that one can exercise faith without knowing God (this has been the domain of science) but then the ones that has a claim on God ought to bring about more practical demonstration of his faith.

In conclusion, as we become “aware” (conscience not limited to morals) of certain things that ought to be, let us not separate the mind from it. The question “How shall these things be” in my own opinion is one of the most scientific questions and it was made by Mary the mother of Jesus, she got an answer that a mind could relate to and you and I today provide evidence to her awareness and response.

“…………..now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience and from sincere faith”

Nigeria, Africa is waiting for you to make certain truths self-evident.

Thanks

Okwonna Nelson

nnamdiokwonna@yahoo.com

my gr8 friend

“Ideas Change Nations”, Leke Alder: A Man of Many Parts

Leke Alder

Ayodeji Jeremiah & Victoria Tandoh

He is resourceful and innovative. A man of small stature but big dreams and ambitions. His name naturally evokes thoughts on branding, strategy and creativity. A widely travelled man, his reception is an exhibition gallery of photographs of the many and far flung places he has been to. Leke Alder is a writer, a lawyer, a photographer, a painter, an architect, a brand and business consultant, a designer… “I’m what you can call a polymath: a multi-talented person. I paint, I draw cartoons, I design furniture, cloths and interiors, I write computer programs and I do so many other things.”

“I’m Leke Alder. I read law in school, but now I work as a consultant, a brand and business consultant. I’m a very simple person; I’m fortunate in life; God has been very kind to me and that mercy and grace is what has carried me thus far. I don’t ever want to forget that.” Leke, an only child of his parents studied law at the then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University graduating in 1985 and was called to the Bar in 1986.

“I served in Bauchi, but I had facial paralysis so I had to come back to Lagos. I stayed six months in Bauchi and then completed my service year in Lagos.” Leke worked briefly in a law firm, Wole Lofun and company, “he was a Christian gentle man. That was during Youth Service and briefly after Youth Service; I worked there for about two years before leaving to start my entrepreneurial pursuit.”

“People often ask me what it feels like to be an only child. Sincerely, I don’t know. I grew up alone so I don’t know what it feels like to have brothers and sisters.” Asked if his being an only child might be a reason for his being so creative, “I’m not sure …because there are many other people that are creative who have brothers and sisters.”

Leke was born in Lagos. His family comes from Lagos and Abeokuta in Ogun State. “I also understand that some Alders come from Warri. There’s an Alder town in Warri, but I’m not from that part of the country.” Before proceeding to the University of Ife, Leke had his secondary school education at Igbobi College. “I schooled in Igbobi College and Kings College. I attended Igbobi College first. Every Alder had to go to Igbobi College. You just had to go there because there are generations of Alders that have schooled there before. Before I was born, my father also decided that I would go there.”

Did he start his entrepreneurial pursuit with the name Adler Consulting? “That’s like ascribing omnipotence to me! A vision is a progressive thing. It is revealed to you from stage to stage, as you display faithfulness. I had registered a company called Leke Alder and company as a young man during Youth Service. Every lawyer registers a company because every lawyer thinks he’s going to own his own law firm. But I never practiced law in my firm. We were doing something I call Visual Identity Design. Then I was advising people on marketing and marketing strategies. It just kept on growing. It wasn’t as if I had an extraordinary vision of what this company is right now. If God had shown it to me then, I probably would have fainted. It’s just progressing as we move along. It had to be from stage to stage because my faith as a young man could not have carried what I’m dealing with right now.”

Law, branding and visual editing are worlds apart, how did he get to put all these together? “There were bridges in-between. As a young man in the University- at about 18 or so, I held an exhibition. It was so large that it turned out to be larger than the Departmental exhibition itself. Over two thousand people came for the exhibition. That’s one of the things I think led me into this creativity field. It just kept progressing from there. Before I left the University, I had a registered a Greeting Cards company. I remember we printed some cards in the UK. After that, I formed another company called Peculiar Cards, and we did a series of religious greeting cards, which turned out to be very successful. But I felt limited so I left that and started literarily on my own. People would come to me for business advice and I would give the advice and they would make huge sums of money out of it. Along the way, people started paying me commensurate out of their profit. That was the progression. I never really had a vision for this company.”

Alder introduced branding to Nigeria because “we were passionate about our country. I remember I took a group of people to Moor House hotel in Ikoyi and I locked all of us in there and said, ‘We’re not going to leave here until we come up with a blueprint to solve Nigeria’s image problem.’ That was what eventually led to the Heart of Africa project. We started this in the year 2000, but in order to get to that stage where the whole nation will buy into the concept of branding, we had to do publications. We started what we call Brand Research in Nigeria. We published the Alder Brand Reporting, in which we rated all the banks according to their brand standards. This was an extremely innovative thing in those days because nobody had even heard the word branding at that time. We decided to lay the foundation and that was how society came to know us as a branding company. From there, we started liaising with external bodies and external institutions in order to elevate the country. For example, we went to Cranfield University in London and asked them to do a case study on Guaranty Trust Bank. It wasn’t on a profit basis. It was just something we felt needed to be done because Cranfield was a centre of dissolution of case studies in Western Europe. I worked together with Ambassador Bolade Osinowo and we did this branding thing in London. We formed an NGO in London to promote Nigeria’s image amongst professionals, and all the while we were spending our own money. We were also taking senior Nigerian Executives, up to CEO level to London. We organised an annual brand seminar called Mind The Gap. It was a program where CEOs, General Managers and Company Executives would be trained by Professors from Western Universities: Cranfield University, London School of Economics and so on. We had speakers from all over the world. Finally, we brought the concept down to Nigeria to train civil servants and those who couldn’t afford to go to London. We were able to train two thousand civil servants free. We also instituted what we call the Alder Prize, which was half a million naira, to anybody who had an idea of how to move the nation forward. Students from the University of Benin won that prize, and the Federal Government gave them the prize. The love of my county and the passion to make a difference in the environment is what has led to all these initiatives, and it has been one door opening to another. It’s not because we were gifted extraordinarily; it has just been one thing leading to another.”

Apart from Alder Consulting, Leke Alder is involved in many other pursuits. “There are so many of them. Don’t forget that I’m also an author. I spent eight months last year writing about fourteen books and they’re all doing well. They are a commercial success. We refused to launch any of the books because that’s not the way we work. And like every other thing we did, we started small, and because we wanted to achieve some level of excellence, we had to print some of those books abroad. We just wanted to access the technology there. The books also kept multiplying so we had to register another company to handle that separately from our consulting business, and it’s been doing well. It is called Leke Alder International. It’s just focuses on the Leke Alder brand and it has nothing to do with Alder Consulting because they are two different things. They have different brand values. We’ve published fourteen books now; we’re due to release another three very soon. We have a notebook line, a greeting card line and we’re also introducing other products. We’ve literarily created the Alder Brand as a separate entity from Alder Consulting. I get emails every day from thousands of people who have read through my books. It took a lot of research to write some of those books and they have helped thousands upon thousands of people, and now when I go out, I think I’ve lost my visual virginity. But they’ve all become so successful.”

How has the reception been to the idea of using branding to help the country? “It’s been fantastic! Look at the changes that have been taking place because of the power of a single idea. First of all, almost all the banks have changed their corporate identities, if not all. Second, branding is now being studied in the universities. Third, we now have Brand Managers in companies, not just Corporate Affairs Manager. Fourth, new magazines have now crept up that are totally focused on branding. Five, every major newspaper has a column dedicated to branding. Six, Nigerian brands are now being exported all over the world. Seven, the standard of our products have significantly risen because of an understanding of what branding is all about. Eight, we are now even able to talk about branding as a national phenomenon. Nine, because of the work on Heart of Africa, Nigeria became an investment proposition in the eyes of the Western World. The bad image that we had during the Abacha years is gone. Because of the enormous work we also did, issues of 419, kidnapping and prostitution have really reduced. So what we have is an extremely silent revolution. Even the advertising agencies now say that they are brand consultants, all because of a simple idea. Ideas change nations.”

Are there other people who are trying to do exactly what he is doing, and is Alder Consulting facing any form of competition in the business? “First of all, the fact that you’re being copied is a good compliment. Our approach was not to become the only masquerade in the market place. Our approach was to stimulate the environment and improve Nigeria’s economy. We started as an economic proposition. In fact, it was incorporated into the NEEDS document, under Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala. In terms of competitive scenario, we’ve never seen ourselves as competing with anybody. We just focus on the race. The purpose of our organisation is to use the power of ideas to transform society; we want to raise future generations of Nigerians who will have a passion for excellence. We want to help our clients’ develop their businesses. That’s all we focus on. We never use side mirrors or rear view mirrors. Our organisation is so unique. What we do is completely different. Our approach to work, our recruitment system, our culture; everything is completely different. We receive close to six thousand applications every six months in this company, and we never do any form of advertising or marketing. We don’t even have a signboard outside the office building. The secret of our success: One good job! That will make you recommend us to the next person. We are totally dependent on the quality of the jobs we do, and all the clients we have, whether local or international, have been gotten through the power of one good job. One of the reasons our clients come to us is that we’re not business touts. Our office environment is very quiet and very serene. CEOs and government ministers must feel free to walk in here without being embarrassed. We’re a gentleman company.”

Alder’s concept of leadership is Davidic: heart and skill. “You must develop skills to mange people, but that skill must be motivated by a good heart. We lead by example in this company. We have no titles so you will not see anyone with a title on his or her business card; we just lead by example. For us, there is no separation between work and life. We say that our work is a progression of our life. We don’t have any 9am to 5pm lifestyle; it’s a 24 hour life. We don’t, for example, reward hardwork in this company because we always work hard. I also believe that that term is an oxymoron because there’s no easy work. Work, by its very nature, is supposed to be hard. But there are things we reward: faithfulness and loyalty. Whatever we do must sing excellence. If it’s not excellent, it will never get out, and if it’s not excellent, it’s not us.”

“The greatest challenge in Nigeria is our thought system. Our political system has a particular thought system that discourages excellence. It takes a lot to go against that norm. When you believe in meritocracy; when you believe in values, you won’t subscribe to certain things. There is that spirit that discourages too many good people from being in the position of power, and power flows down. The Charis of leadership always flows down. For example, there was a time in this country when we had a leader who used what could be termed 419 as an instrument of leadership. What happened was that 419 just rose statistically in the country. And when we had a leader who was violent, the rate of violence also rose within the country. So it’s so important that people who are good for the country get to the position of power so that they can positively influence the politic and it will definitely take place in our lifetime!

Why won’t he want to take up any political office himself? “In the previous disposition, my job was to empower Government with ideas that could transform the country. We worked with quite a number of ministers, and you will never believe the extent to which our ideas worked. I cannot begin to enumerate them. Whatever I feel is right for me to do in order to transform this society, I will do. But I’m not going to make the mistake of doing what Shakespeare describes as rotten ambition. It’s not about me; it’s about where I am best equipped to transform the society. Right now, I am transforming society by trying to raise a new generation through my publications and my lectures, both in Nigeria and abroad. You’ll be shocked how effective those speeches have proven to be. That’s the first stage. If I do feel that I need to take a political office, I will take it.”

Has the current global financial crisis affected branding companies also? “Don’t forget that what we do here is based on ideas. So in any clime, we will always be relevant because during financial crisis, the question people ask Alder Consulting is, “How do we drive ourselves forward?” We are not a branding company, we are an Ideas Organisation. Branding is just one of the ideas we throw out there, and because we are very good at what we do, the power of that single idea just took on a life of its own; but a lot of the work that we do here never manifest as branding. People consult us for what we have upstairs. Any time you have to ask yourself “How?” or “What?” you can come to us. We only answer two questions: How? and What?”

On his wife and children, “I don’t like to bring my family into the public arena. I’m a very private person, and already my life is getting too public. I want my children to grow up absolutely normal. I don’t want them to have all these chips on their shoulders. I also don’t want them to carry what I call a name burden, where people begin to have huge expectations from them because they bear the name, Alder. They’re too young to begin to experience all that. I also believe that everybody has a program with God. This is my life; they have their lives and I expect them to find out their own purpose. Nobody chose my path in life for me, and I’ve made up my mind I will not choose for my children. I will only train them properly, and if they make mistakes, I’ll correct them. But my love for them will remain absolutely constant.”

Leke Alder, a Christian is the author of Life as I see it; Conversations of a 21st Century Saint; Grim White Green; Brandit!; 080808; My Boss is Demanding; Pilgrimage and The Great Alchemy.