Stop playing the blame game

“It is the act of an ill-instructed man to blame others for his own bad condition; it is the act of one who has begun to be instructed, to lay the blame on himself; and of one whose instruction is completed, neither to blame another, nor himself” Epictetus, The Enchiridion.

I have this uncle who blames everything on everybody and every living creature. He takes every opportunity to blame his wife, children, siblings and everything in sight for his woes. He has been imprisoned thrice in his lifetime and still less than fifty years old. He has been placed in police counter-backs not less than a one hundred times. If the Guinness World Book of Records recognized such feats, this uncle I’m referring to would be considered a superstar.

He has been embarrassed times without number in the presence of his wife and kids by all kinds of people, young and old, for duping them of huge sums of money under the pretense of providing them accommodation. This man is only fourty-five years of age, with one wife and four children, the oldest being seventeen years of age and the youngest only two.

He is a lover of alcohol, an addict actually. He gives his relatives sleepless nights from raining curses, insults and everything in-between. If you lived six houses away, you could hear his voice, swearing by heaven and earth; by his dead parents and by every single thing in sight. This daily act of his continues till past midnight. He blames everybody and everything including mosquitoes for only God knows why. This is the posture and attitude of many of us.

We are not ready to confront our fears for fear of failure, but are quick to blame everything and everybody. We try very hard to hide our inefficiencies by being loud and blame our shortfalls on others, including unseen spirits. Many ladies today blame their failed relationships on men and vice versa, without spending time to identify the cracks in their virtues leading to the often avoidable separations. You spend to the last dowry the resources of all the men you have dated, yet do not understand why your relationships do not last. An inflated ego clouds one’s perception of his true state.

We are quick to blame others for our woes, an action which is often an attempt to hide our insecurities and silent hidden fears. Fear eats up its victims from the inside and prevents him from pursuing those things that matter most. The good news however is that we can be liberated if we begin to believe that change is first and foremost internal before it reflects externally.

For instance, you can never overcome your fear of meeting people if you think that everybody you meet thinks ill of you. You will never be able to able to succeed in business if you continue to blame the woes of the economy on the rich while holding on to the perception that all successful people attained it through spiritual and or dishonest means (a notion widely held among many people in many parts of Africa). Success is the result of a combination of factors including hard work, identifying and grabbing opportunities, persistence and consistence among others.

Even in the game of sports, some people blame their team’s loss on the referee, the weather, even unseen forces et cetera. How pathetic!

A Chinese proverb says ‘the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is now’. My friend, forget the bullshit and crap excuses lazy people preach all over the place, rather, push your ambitions forward by taking a step today. Leave the naysayers behind, those who complain never amount to nothing. Those who blame everything on everybody are not ready to take on the world, as all they are doing actually is to scamper around nothing.

Stay focused, take the bull by the horn, be honest with yourself and let go all the distractions in your mind, pursue the things that matter most to you with all innermost desire.

Remember, victory may be like a hesitant woman but with persistence, you will woo her to your side. Make it happen! Refuse to die!!!

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Tema Youth to challenge the status quo at TYES15

TEMA YOUTH EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT 15 is by far the biggest motivational and inspirational gathering in Tema. It brings together youth from all over the city and beyond, equip and empower them to succeed. Only in the second year the maiden edition saw over hundred young people from schools, churches and social clubs as participants; some of who are doing well in different spheres of life currently.

This year's edition under the theme "CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO" is aimed at helping the youth to explore career opportunities and reduce unemployment in the city. It is also aimed at challenging young people to take full responsibility for their growth and development.
With confirmation of participation from schools, churches and individuals on the rise daily it is of no doubt that this edition is going to be bigger and better. It has attracted support from prominent individuals in the city most especially Hon. ISAAC ASHAI ODAMTTEM; METROPOLITAN CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF TEMA.

Some topics to be treated include career excellence, leadership, entrepreneurship, starting right, financial management, social capital and personal development. Speakers include Conrad Kakraba, Jeremiah Buabeng, Benjamin Ashitey Amarh, Cephas Adjei Mensah, Davis Kwabena Borti and Joseph Bright Tay(host).

We can't afford to perform below the bar, we are challenging the status quo to transform Tema, Ghana and Africa at large.

Date: 10th October, 2015
Venue: Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Emmanuel Congregation, Tema New Town.
Time: 10 AM.
TYES15...... challenging the status quo.
Come one, come all to be inspired and empowered to succeed. See you there!!!!!

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Capability the engine

If you are not new to my ramblings about performance, then you probably already know what role occupation plays in the quest for maximization of existence or peak performance for that matter. In uptimetrics, we describe it as the vehicle that must transport the agent to the set destination. From a practical viewpoint, destination is the goal a person sets for their existence (it is the ultimate determinant of a maximized existence). It answers the question; what one thing must you achieve for you to say you have given your best in life.

The description of occupation as a vehicle automatically proposes the need for an engine; a vehicle cannot move without a source of energy. That engine is capability. Capability for our purposes can be said to have four main cylinders—Talent, Skill, Interest and Traits. It is when these cylinders are well aligned and are all firing at their full capacities that the vehicle moves at full power. The importance of firing at full power is based on the premise that time is the only known unit for measuring existence and maximization of existence relies heavily on its optimum use.  

What you do + Quality(quality+quantity) of what you do / the length of Time in which you do it =Performance

Ok don’t let the math frighten you. I am not good at it ether. This simply means you have given it your best possible shot. The extension of this formula is the comparison to the best in the field but I shall desist from exploring that since that discussion is beyond the scope of this article. I am actually avoiding the Ecclesiastes 9:11 fanatics…for now. ;)

As a general rule however, the faster the vehicle the more likely it is for the goal to be reached and the less the time this is likely to be done in. Since one does not have the luxury of eternity, at least in this existence as we know it, it counts that you take the time factor into consideration and this depends directly on the power of your engine—capability. What can you do in a day? Not many of us have answered that question but a careful analysis will reveal that it is that simple answer, too often very hard to produce that will shape your whole existence.

Anyway, as you may already know, a well-oiled, well-functioning engine is critical for overall performance. Yet it is not the only determinant. It must be steered in the right direction and stopped when necessary. These two elements ensure that the capability engine remains an asset. A high performance vehicle is a death-trap without a good breaking and control system. There is an axiom for this; Great power must come with great responsibility. But that’s not the end of the story; there are also matters regarding weights or baggage (how much you are carrying along) which must be shed so the power of the engine is allowed to be what it really is. 

For a deeper understanding you need to read my theoretical foundation of peak performance which unfortunately is being rewritten at the moment—sorry. Stick around long enough and I might just give you a copy. In the meantime, spend some time thinking about your engine and how it is influencing your vehicle towards the possibility of maximizing your existence. #spidup

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Dimensions of GOOD

Many are the thinkers who have treated good as an idea. The conclusions have not always been the same (You know how philosophers are). This is strange given the fact that good is an idea we deal with in every day activity—it is also what we all claim we represent. The consensus appears to be that; it is relative and only determined by the context of particular circumstances. What may be good for the goose may not be good for the gander after all. And what may be good today may not be good tomorrow. But don’t let me rock the boat too hard.

Think about this for a second; a person seeking justice will be very quick to point out that what is good for the goose is good for the gander and he may be right. But he will say so only because it helps his cause—it preserves his existence in one way or another. A person who is actually in the wrong, will refer to a judgement in his favour as good—it helps his cause. So in a typical scenario of opposing forces, there might be different definitions of what is good as it will be dependent on the cause it helps (in Plus-Thinking, we explore this notion in more detail). This may perhaps be the reason utilitarians turned to the idea of the general good i.e. that which promotes the larger cause of society though at the expense of one of its sub-components. This means a sacrifice of the individual for the larger good (perhaps that rings a bell).

While I personally like the idea of the general good, many of the scenarios that result from it are nothing short of petrifying. But I am digressing again aren’t I; the point of this article is to find a more humanly digestible understanding that can be applied in your daily activities as you map your way to high performance in your occupation and larger existence.

There are two levels to good which must be complied with if your output is to qualify as good. First is your very person; a good person is likely to produce a good product. This is based on the presumption that, a good person has good intentions and therefore creates good products. A beneficiary will describe your output as good because it helps their cause. But the question that arises is; is their cause good? The answer to that will be a resounding yes if we presume that the beneficiary is a good person who has good intentions. So that the goodness of the product is not simply because it serves a purpose well but more because the purpose it serves is good. We have seen that the larger good—the good that benefits the larger society is the ultimate good that must be aspired to. So that if the product meets the needs of the larger society is some way, it will be because it was put in place by a good person who by our understanding is good only because he has the needs of the larger society at heart even at the expense of his comfort.

Now, let’s not get carried away with the utilitarian thinking of which I am not exactly an aficionado by any stretch of the imagination. I am more the God kind of guy who, instead of saying larger good, will be happier placing God (the repository of all good) in the center of things much to the displeasure of one Richard Dawkins. If God is the repository of all goodness, then we must see how complying with his interest is what makes a good person who of necessity will put out a product that must meet the God standard. In effect, the single goodness of God when accepted makes a good person who puts out a good product that meets the need of the larger society.

We have seen from our research at the CSD that the high performing individual is a certain kind of personality with specific character traits (I shall treat this thought in more detail in a coming paper) which is akin to those proposed by scripture. Indeed we are yet to encounter any religion or spiritual path for that matter; that does not advocate goodness as the best way to exist. They all seek to develop devotees into such a personality. This substantiates the fact that any maximization of existence must begin with goodness and that the degree of goodness in that order determines the extent of the maximization of existence.

The high performing individual is a good guy. The better you are as a person the better your output and the better your life will be—all things being equal. It will be difficult to describe something as best without first passing it through the good stage. Be good at what you do but also do it for a good reason because you are a good person. After good comes better and best #spidup

If you Know anyone who is good at what they do, nominate them for the SPiD-UP high performance recognition program and we will reward them on your behalf.

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A clandestine mission

I am a regular guest on interview panels. Not because I am an HR expert of any kind or am I? My mission on these panels is more of the clandestine kind. Recently I was guest on one of such panels when a young lady walked in. She and the job on offer were more like plug and socket if you like— the perfect fit. I have not seen that in a long time and I began to wonder if the hand of God was at work in this young lady’s life. Well I could not think of a better explanation for such a mystery.

First of all, only seven out of the twenty applicants showed up on time… (Well you have to make room for the African mean time AMT) so no surprises there. Three were badly dressed rendering useless the host’s effort to impress them by choosing a three star hotel’s conference room complete with all the goodies—I did enjoy the earl grey tea.  Somehow the “you never get another chance to make a first impression” message has not reached some. More work to do motivational speakers.

With a guy like me on the panel, the gate just gets much narrower. Not that I ask the most questions, sometimes I never say anything at all as I feed off the question of the well… experts. My mission is to identify the performance conscious and the most purposeful people among the lot. And when I do ask a question, it will be trying to find the connection between the job being applied for, the applicants own life aspiration and their understanding of how the job in question can help them achieve their life goals.

Making performance consciousness and purposefulness the key, everything else kind of falls in place. You see, a person will place great importance on the task or event at hand only if they see how their larger existence depends on it. Such persons will treat the job with great importance and give their best, not because they like the job but because they see it as an opportunity to get what they really want and everyone wants something. One applicant was honest when she said;

“I need this job because it will help me pay my way through school and feed my self until I can get the job I really want”.

No! That’s not a slap in the face, it smells of purposefulness and integrity—the two are often allies and find a resting place among the many traits of the performance conscious individual. So what’s my point? Too many people have misaligned the life aspiration and the current objectives. Most are not even sure where they are on their timeline and this for me indicates purposelessness which disqualifies the individual as performance conscious. Since there are no businesses out there that do not want high performance, this is increasingly becoming a matter of concern. 

As we know, high performing individuals make high performing organization and the latter in turn make high performing nation and this is how we can make a high performing continent. Only two persons qualified for the job from my performance consciousness and purposefulness point of view. To learn more about performance consciousness and purposefulness, you are already in the right place. Attend a SPiD-UP® workshop, read a book or keep snooping around this website and your life will never be the same. Have a high performance day.

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Team SPiD-UP at Rebrand15

BKC Consulting with his #TeamBKC took the event a notch up this year and I was glad to have been among the audience.  I have missed previous editions but this time I decided I needed some lessons in branding. Sometimes you think you know something until you meet the people who actually know it. The experience was a very good one for me and most likely for everyone who was there.

In attendance was the peerless Okyeame Kwame who spoke to the audience on the topic online branding. Now you will think this surprising if you haven’t met Okyeame Kwame. Together with his wife they run a branding company called firm bridges. This chap knows something about almost everything and branding is certainly one of his strengths. In fact my discussions with him led to some major adjustment to the SPiD-UP® brand. That’s the depth of Okyeame Kwame and he appears to have that effect on most people he meets.

Linda Narh (from an unnamed bank) who spoke on corporate branding and rebranding was more on point than one can be imagine as she walked the crowed through some of the key concepts before answering questions even beyond the topic under discussion. Then there was ML Brookshire who side-stepped the consumer branding topic that she was to speak on to give us a life transforming rendition of her life story. This is a story everyone must hear and we are currently pulling all strings to get an interview with her for your benefit.

BKC was at his personal best on the topic; reputation management and personal branding as the likes of Scofray Nana Yeboah, Emmanuel Woyome, Jeremiah Buabeng, Ekow Mensah, Dennis Gawuga, Slorm Alfred Betepe and Benjamin Gregory Aggrey featured in discussions on career and branding respectively. If I were you, I will be at the next rebrand which if my math is correct, will be christened Rebrand16 and more than likely be held at the Airport West hotel with more powerful topics and personalities. See you then!

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CXC finally releases Street Smart Selling

The Customer Experience Consortium (CXC), a business consultancy specialising in the training of sales and customer service staff is organising yet another exciting training seminar for businesses all over the country.

The STREET SMART SELLING SEMINAR (LEVELS 1 & 2) is facilitated by renowned sales and service coach, J. N. Halm, the author of the very popular “CUSTOMER ROMANCE” book, supported a cast of seasoned trainers and consultants. It is a must-attend for all sales and marketing professionals who seek to master the art of selling.

This training seminar will empower sales and marketing staff with the necessary strategies, skills and techniques to better sell their products and/or services.

After this seminar, you will close more deals and make more money!  

Some of the modules to be treated include:

• The Service-Dominant Selling Approach: What is it?
• Service-Dominant Selling and the Performance Theory
• Mastering the Sales Process
• Smart Prospecting Strategies that get great results
• Presenting Solutions: How to Tell a Good Story
• Closing Deals as a Service-Dominant Seller

Further Details:

Fees: GH¢ 199.99 for One Level  GH¢ 350.00 for Both Levels
 (Includes TUITION, CERTIFICATE, COURSE MATERIALS, LUNCH, etc.) (Special discounts for group registration)

Venue: Sunlodge Hotel, Tesano - Accra                    
 Date: 19^th September and 26^th September, 2015                   
Time: 9:00am-3:00pm                                    Call: 020 758 5171 / 030 3939453

                                                                           

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