₦airaland Forum

A lot of people are fighting unnecessary battles at the work place just to be promoted. You actually don’t need to.

It is easier to be promoted when you apply wisdom in your quest. Fighting for promotion and lobbying with office politics is a testament that you are either not qualified for the promotion or that you need a better strategy, orchestrated by wisdom.

This morning while I was listening to a preacher on the subject of wisdom; he quoted a scripture;

“Exalt her, and she shall promote thee, she shall bring you to honor when thou dost embrace her” – Prov. 4:8

Years ago when I still worked for a company that manufactured biscuits, I was in the production unit as a factory worker, but the hunger to move higher which is normal in every human was there.

I never mentioned it to anyone, never envied anyone else’s role, never lobbied for it or let it bother me for a second. I just did my job and looked out for opportunity.

Knowing that opportunities will be limited, I decide to create one myself from a place of genuineness.

Out of this genuine concern, I noticed that the management was complaining that the factory generated more biscuits wastes than the approved level.

Biscuits wastes are biscuits that didn’t form properly, overly baked or just fell below approved Quality Assurance parameters like color e.t.c.
Some were ground with a machine and reused for production, while the excess were bagged and sold off to animal feed manufacturers.

I began to think of how these wastes can be better utilized, rebranded, repackaged and sold as a special kind of biscuits – ground biscuits.

I had noticed some kids loved crushing their biscuits before eating it. All needed here was a change of mindset, and communicate same mindset to the would-be buyers. Make it look like it could be more enjoyable eating crushed biscuits, and they won’t know they are ‘wastes’.
I started writing a proposal to that effect, finished it, and used a spiral binder on it. I even designed an idea of how the packaging wrapper will look.

In fact, one of the best relationships I have till date is with the mother of the young girl I used on the wrapper.

I had seen her in my street, followed her to her house and met her mother. I told her Mum what I wanted to do and she consented to me using her daughter’s picture.

When I finished all these work, I took the proposal and the designs to the Marketing Manager of the company then, because I believe she was in the best position to get the grip of it first.

I had expected her to go through it, reach out to me to ask one or two questions, fine-tune it and table it to the management, but I never had anything from her, and that was it.

But the biscuit waste was still a genuine concern to me and the company; I hoped for a process improvement or at least a profitable situational management. I was only able to suggest on the later.

One fateful day during a town hall meeting where management and staff discussed general issues pertaining to the company, I felt it was opportunity to talk about this.

It was a full hall because the factory had to be shut down just for this meeting. I wasn’t going to say this to get promoted, it was from a place of genuine concern because I understand that a company prospers as much as the people who work therein.

When it was time for the contributions to come from the floor, I signaled by raising my hand and I was beckoned to come out and have my say.

I tabled the waste to biscuit re-orientation strategy. I mentioned the need for paradigm shift – the realization that because a biscuit is broken or crushed doesn’t mean it’s no longer biscuit, it’s simply crushed biscuit, still crunchy and tasty.

The bulk of the job was to convince kids and adults who eat biscuit that they can still enjoy their biscuit crushed.

In fact, while I talked about this, I mentioned the possibility of caking the crushed biscuits ‘wastes’ and giving it an amazing packaging.
Because it was a brief meeting, my submissions were straight to the point. And the meeting ended.

Everyone started going back to their duty posts – factory workers, admin staff, everyone including me. I was walking back to my mixing section in the factory.

Then I heard a husky voice right behind me. “Hi Emeka”.

I turned and it was Benedict Mahlangu. Benedict Mahlangu was the MD of the company at that time and he also shuffled that with some roles at Dangote. He was present at the meeting.

He said, “I’ll like you to come to my office and tell me more about what you were saying at the meeting” I couldn’t believe that. I just replied, “Okay Sir”.

I went to his office the next day, and that automatically ended my sojourn inside the factory. He promoted me.

I started working directly under a group financial officer. This officer was stationed at Dangote while I was seated in the production manager’s office, and my job was to collate all production data on a daily and send to her.

This was more of a mental/intellectual responsibility. Reports I share with the officer are what she worked with on the group level.

That means I must ensure the accuracy of the report by liaising with clerks, managers and even factory workers to ensure a presentable report.

Well, it’s been up and forward only ever since.

For some reason, I didn’t see that idea come to fruition in that company.

But the concepts I maintain still; that a paradigm shift could be all you need to see gold in waste. Manufacturing houses must be very conscious of this fact in order to maximize their resources.

Back to the reason why I am sharing this story in the first place, wisdom is all you need to be exalted at the work place.

Stop fighting for promotion, it will wear you out and may still never get to you.

Here is the template that can guarantee you are promoted at work;

1. Be genuinely interested in the affairs of your organization. You have to understand that the company’s success will translate to your success in some way. As simple as this sounds, not all employees are genuinely interested in the affairs of the company they work for. Just pay them, that’s all.

2. Look out for ways you can add more value to the company. The more value you are able to add, the more compensation you are going to get. If it doesn’t come from the present company, it will come from subsequent companies you will work for. It is true.

3. Talk about the values you can bring and show it. If you don’t say it, nobody hears it. You may encounter blockades and office politics but don’t relent in seizing opportunities to talk about a value proposition you think the company can benefit from.

4[b]. Be prayerful. Yes, pray.[/b]

Don’t fight or bicker over what wisdom can get you.

Congratulations in advance and cheers to your promotion.

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