₦airaland Forum

This is a relatively long post, but I promise you it will be worth every second you spend reading it.

Here is the story. I love Babatunde Fashola. Wait, I meant Minister Babatunde Raji Fashola! I admire the many qualities he radiates – Excellence, Hardwork, and Ingenuity, to mention but a few of the traits that have seen him grow from Chief of Staff, to Governor, and to a Super Federal Minister in 12years.

Here, see what Professor Wole Soyinka had to say about him:
"I mentally call him a Mechanic. He approaches things in a very clinical mechanized fashion. In other words, he diagnoses the problem and then goes at it like a skilled Mechanic, looking at the pieces. The ones which work, he puts back and those that don't work, he sets out to completely eliminate or transform them. And he does it ruthlessly because he is not a politician."

Mr Fashola is a superstar among stars.

You see, the good thing about success is that it can be repeated - by watching and learning from those that have excelled in an area. This is why people have mentors and read biographies. This was why I researched and wrote this post.

I wanted to see the career success ingredients we can learn from Fashola’s success story. These are the top 3 factors I found:

1. HARD WORK
I bet you are not surprised to see this. It’s possible you are even tired of hearing it. But it’s true. Hard work is a life principle one must obey to be successful. It is the baseline of great achievements.

In trying to back up the stories I have heard about Mr Fashola’s attitude to work, I googled “Governor Fashola’s work ethic”. In the 2nd result, I found this robust statement that captures the essence of this post by former Governor and Senator; Bola Ahmed Tinubu:
"He served as my trusted chief of staff, PERFORMING EXCELLENTLY IN THAT ROLE. Due to his leadership qualities and DILIGENT WORK ETHIC, I endorsed him for governor notwithstanding the stiff and vocal opposition of many. I am not ashamed of backing him. I believe the progress the state made his administration has more than vindicated my endorsement."

Indeed, hard work pays.

I have found that 3 major things happen when you work hard at anything:
* Your knowledge in that area will increase.
* Because you know more, you will deliver more and better results.
* Because you know more and now deliver great results, your confidence level will soar when it comes to that field.
These 3 processes are why we have specialists, thought leaders and consultants.

I tell you a story. I once heard Mr Fela Durotoye extol the virtues of hard work at a conference I attended in May 2014. He cited an example of him having the keys to the office in his early days at a consulting firm in Lagos because he was always the first person to get to the office and also one of the last to leave. According to him, he worked so hard at that firm that when he wanted to quit some years later to start his own private practice, the company’s management did not want him to go.

You see, what this story shows us is that he had increased his knowledge in the field through hard work which in turn drove up his confidence to a level where he was ready to stand on his own.

Nothing great comes by casual effort. Maybe a few good things, but the great ones always require discipline, dedication, diligence and tenacity – all components of hard work.

2. FOCUS ON DELIVERING RESULTS
As Governor, Mr Fashola made some decisions that seemed unpopular at the time. Looking backwards, we see that those decisions paid off. The results from these decisions are additions to his resume and they attest to his quality as a leader.

Results act as the fuel that grows a career. The bigger your results, the faster and higher your career will grow. In some situations, the “people you know” and “luck” may not be sufficient for you to move ahead in life; but always, and always, results will speak for you.

Did you observe this in the Senator Tinubu’s comment on Mr Fashola in the screenshot in point 1? See it below again:
"...I endorsed him for governor notwithstanding the stiff and vocal opposition of many. I am not ashamed of backing him. I believe the progress the state made his administration has more than vindicated my endorsement."

To grow any career, it must be laden with results, accomplishments and trophies. When you have results; employers will find you even without applying. See how this principle is reflected in this statement by Mr Fashola himself:

"I cannot conclude without responding to the crusade of CACOL and their ilk, seeking my prosecution on allegations that have no proof and writing "pre-emptive" letters to the presidency. In case they are unaware, I AM NOT LOOKING FOR A JOB. I expect them to know that allegations of wrong doing are not resolved without evidence, neither are they resolved in press conferences.
I have served my state, and by extension, my country for Twelve and half years and I did so with my heart. I am taking the rest that I believe I have earned. For those who still wish to remain in the mud, they should look in the mirror. For those who wish to throw mud at me, they should look at their own hands. AS FOR ME, I HAVE MOVED ON. MY JOB IS DONE."

Outlining one's accomplishments is the reason for resumes. I don't know why we’ve adopted the word “resume” for job applications, but I suggest it be renamed Result Sheet.

A title like Result Sheet informs you to focus on what you’ve done in the past and not on overrated details like:

Your state of origin
Hobbies (I bet you 9 out 10 CVs will have - reading, travelling and listening to music).
Why should you focus on results you might ask? The reason is simple, an employer will want to give you a job because of the things you’ve done in the past. It is not your “experience” but the results produced during that experience that matter to employers.

You might ask again why are employers fixated on results? It is simply because they want to succeed. When recruiters see a resume laden with results, they are readily thinking:

If this person has done it for company A, then s/he can do it for me too.
This is how it works!

I'm sure President Buhari must have thought "If Fashola can do it for Lagos, then he can do it for Nigeria".

Result is why you work hard. When you work hard, you will get good results and your results will in turn sell you. People might not like your gut, tribe or look, but they sure will be in love with your results.

No one argues with results. No one!

3. KEEP LEARNING
I put this last because I wanted to reward those who will read this post till the end. So clap for yourself for making it this far. You are hardworking. *smiles*

Since knowledge is what we put to use at work, it follows that the more you know, the more you can do. The ability to learn, relearn and to keep at it, is the most important attitude or skill one can have in life. Knowledge empowers you. It enables you to achieve more.

See Mr Fashola in one of the attached images. Tell me, how many books did you count? I counted 17.

The need to keep learning is even more relevant today than ever before. The spectrum of knowledge changes way faster today than we’ve ever seen in human history. To grow a career now, one must develop a consciousness to keep learning.

I give you an example:

I studied Geography in the University and ideally, this is supposed to be what I'm trained for and will be using to work today. But this is not the case.

What I'm doing today has nothing to do with Geography. To be sincere, I can’t even remember some of the things I learnt back in OAU and I was good at Geography. Heck, I graduated with a 2.1! But really, all those count for nothing when it comes to the knowledge I put to the work I'm doing today.

I have been at Insidify.com for 2 years and some months and each year, I have had to learn to stay relevant. What I did when I first joined the team here in 2013 is different from what I did in 2014. Even more, what I was doing between January & May 2015 is different from what I do now. If what I knew a year ago is what I’m bringing to the table today, let’s just say I will be out of a job. To grow our career, you and I have to keep learning. And fast.

I'd show you something else. I looked at the 4 longest serving people at Insidify.com and I see that they have all had to learn something asides what they trained for: (Check attached image).

You can see the difference in what was trained for and what these guys do now. They’ll even need to keep learning to keep their jobs.

I’d also chip in that your University grade shouldn't be a barrier to your success in life. Fashola finished with a 2:2 and he has outperformed a lot of his peers with better grades. Grade is not always an indicator of how successful you would be and having a defeatist mindset is the first thing that can kill one's career.

Always remember that consistent learning keeps you relevant. You will be able to produce more result and your career will grow. This is important because knowledge is what people pay for. Why you pay your tailor is because he knows how to make a great shirt, not because of his name or where he came from.
Looking at the Mr Fashola’s example, we know that the knowledge he needed to be a Chief of Staff was different from what he required to be a Governor. Presently, he’ll need to acquire some new knowledge to function in his new role as a super minister.

The Key takeaways of this post:
* Keep Learning: This is the fuel that drives growth. This is how you stay relevant. Read more books and useful blogs, watch more videos, go for more trainings, etc.
* Work Hard: More than others in your chosen path. Go the extra mile. Stay an extra hour if you have to. The results will show it.
* Focus on Results: Ignore the noise and discouragement and ensure your hard work produces results.

My last words to you will be: choose a path, learn the ropes, and work hard at it so that you can produce the results that no one can argue with. This way, you will watch your career soar – like Minister Fashola’s.

I certainly have not covered all the ingredients required for sustained career growth. Let me know what I missed in the comment section and please gift this essay to your friends by sharing on social media.

Thanks.

Buari Kehinde Via Insidify.com

Hon. Minister would be better

Let me also add don't b afraid to brown nose when its absolutely necessary or else us b thrown to d dogs at first opportunity. talking from experience here

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mima247:
Let me also add don't b afraid to brown nose when its absolutely necessary or else us b thrown to d dogs at first opportunity. talking from experience here

And by brown nose u mean?