‘How journalists can create wealth’ — John Momoh
Vision
John Momoh urged participants to take a positive approach as vision is essential for survival. He says, "Vision is spawned by faith, sustained by hope, sparked by imagination and strengthened by God’s word. It is greater than sight, deeper than a dream, broader than an idea. It encompasses things outside the realm of the predictable, the safe and the expected…If God has given you a vision, pursue it with all you have got."
He drew an example from the story of Channels Television: "When Channels was established in 1992, the idea was to provide production services to television producers based overseas. But the vision I had was clear, to own and operate a television station that would become a leader in the whole world. So when the opportunity came knocking in 1993 dressed up in colours of deregulation, I seized the day.
Said he: Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes up in overalls and looks like work. Look within you "You have to make the most of every opportunity and it does not matter how old you are. Indeed, there’s no magic age at which excellence emerges, or quality suddenly appears. You are never too young and never too old."
He cited the examples of some people: "Thomas Jefferson was 33 when he drafted America’s declaration of Independence and Yakubu Gowon who was 34 when he became Nigeria’s head of state.
He also cited examples of those who were disadvantaged but became prominent: "Many great people began life in the poorest and most humble of homes, with little education and no advantages or disabilities. Examples are Julius Caesar who was an epileptic, Beethoven was deaf, Charles Dickens was lame and Plato was a hunch back. He said these great men overcame severe setbacks and became successful because they had an inner dream that lit a fire which could not be extinguished.
Experience
Emphasising the importance of experience, Momoh said "A person with experience learns that people buy into the leader before they buy into the vision. John Momoh added that people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.
If people do not believe in their leader, anything will hinder them from following. If people believe in their leader, nothing will stop them." Look around you. He continue: "A good idea becomes great when the people are ready. The individual who is so impatient with people will be defective in leadership. The evidence of strength lies not in streaking ahead but in adapting your stride to the slower pace of others while not forfeiting your lead. The big picture This separates leaders from managers. Leaders are concerned with the organisation’s basic purpose- why it exists and what it should achieve. They are not preoccupied with the how to or the nuts and bolts aspect of the operation. What does God expect of you? Every golden era in human history proceeds from the devotion and righteous position of some single individual.
There are no bona-fide mass movements. Instead, there is only one man who knows his God and knows where he is going. God’s gift to you is your potential. Your gift back to God is what you do with your potential. So you must use what God has given you. Stop praying for oak trees while acorns are lying all around you.
"Your ideas are the tiny acorns from which great oaks grow.
"Bigger is not necessarily better, unless it is having a bigger purpose than the one you have got. You have to balance faith with works, and good Christianity with good credit. Some things God will do for you, other things he expects you to do for yourself. In the wilderness, he fed his people manna from heaven, but when they reached the promised land, they had to go out and work for it.
Resources
He noted that people were the best resources of a leader, said he: "A vision should be greater than the person who has it. Its accomplishment must be the result of many people bringing many resources to the job. People are the principal asset of any company, whether it makes things to sell, sell things made by other people or supplies intangible services. Nothing moves until your people can make it move. Studies have shown that the average executive spends three-fourths of his working time dealing with people. The largest single cost in most businesses is people.
The largest most available asset any company has is its people."
Priorities
Momoh stressed that the ability to prioritise and work toward a stated goal are essential to a leader’s success. He said things should be done in order of importance and the secret to rising and not falling is integrity.
Staff development
As people are important for the accomplishment of a vision, he said, he said. "The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. Outing Niccolo Machiavelli, "The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is look at the men he has around him. Leaders who continue to grow personally and bring growth to their organisations will influence many and develop a successful team around them. The better the players, the better the leader.
Few people are successful unless a lot of people want them to be.
So, a great leader develops a team of people who increase production. He quoted the Chinese proverb, "If you are planning for centuries, grow men." Self discipline He said, "All great men first conquered themselves before conquering others or winning other victories. Self-discipline is the price tag for leadership. It means taking control of yourself. All great leaders understood that their number one responsibility was first for their own discipline and personal growth. If they could not lead themselves, they could not lead others. He also stressed the need never to quit and to follow God’s guidance. He said, "God has promised to guide those who trust him along unfamiliar paths and to help in the most difficult of circumstances." Lucky Clement-Okobooh, managing director, chief executive officer, Financial Standard described wealth as the number of months or years one can sustain a desired lifestyle if the person stops working now. Therefore wealth is determined by monthly expenses, lifestyle, liquid assets and monthly passive income. Wealth is measured by how much time you have to do what you really
del.icio.us |
Digg
Email to a friend
Print version
Plain text
Comments ( posted):
Post your comment