BANJI TITLES

One factor so vital

Here lies the missing link in motivational talks. Success is possible; breakthrough isn't an illusion; if only the large be-your-own-boss audiences are told that there is a vital factor that motivational speaking cannot guarantee or assure in every business success.  Work hard,  and make good grades, our parents would tell us; in it, they say, lies a glorious future. When that failed,  motivational speakers were quick to remind us that it was  because we were merely working hard, at the expense of working smart. What a seminal diagnosis! That went viral and governed our thought space for a while. 

Reading through interviews, speeches and essays on some of the world's highfliers, I observed carefully that their success stories aren't void of a vital force under varying nomenclatures. I therefore came to the conclusion that there is really  no substitute to it. Some call it luck. For some, it is the G-factor. Others wouldn't mind attributing their success to sheer Providence. Call it any name you want to call it, it is important to acknowledge that hardwork can weary anyone out if this vital force is neglected.

It was Klopp, the energetic, media-friendly Liverpool tactician  that alluded their unbeaten run in the league before their narrow defeat at the Etihad Stadium last week Thursday to this  force that first  took me by surprise. (I later observed in his previous interviews he had also acknowledged the rile it plays in sports). Then I saw Jose Mourinho's interview in the New Telegraph, and Tony Elumelu's reminder of the necessity of this force, and how it played out in making him who he is today. 

The LP manager says of the first tie between his team and Manchester City, "Last meeting, Liverpool (henceforth, LP) was lucky not to have lost when Riyad Mahrez blazed his late penalty over the bar."

He went on to say,

"You can't go unbeaten so far if you don't have luck."

It was the same position he held in LP 2-0 win over Fulham in November 2018.

One coach that seems to corroborate Kloop's  belief is the outspoken Jose Mourinho. He says of LP, "Of course, they are very confident about themselves," said Mourinho. "They are top of the league, they have this feeling of - I know that feeling well - the feeling of the "lucky ones" where everything goes in your direction. 

But Mourinho also pointed out that such examples of good luck are often an important part of a trophy-winning team.

 

It was mindblowing when Billionaire Tony Elumelu shared his success story, bringing this factor to the fore. 

In business the role luck plays in success and personal achievement is rarely discussed. If luck is mentioned, it is done with slight condescension, and usually dismissed as a product of hard work, not deserving significant attention. While hard work is paramount – and I have written extensively about the importance of working hard – history and my own experiences show that there is often a large element of success that hard work alone can not explain. It is simply not true that "you make your own luck."

I started my career as a salesman, a copier salesman to be specific, young, hungry, and hardworking, but the reality was that I was just one of thousands of young Nigerian graduates, all eager to succeed. How did I get from there to where I am now? Of course, hard work, resilience, a long-term vision – but also luck.

A year later after earning my Master's degree in Economics from the University of Lagos, I applied to join a new generation bank, Allstates Trust Bank. The bank's one-page newspaper advertisement demanded a minimum 2:1-degree, but I applied regardless, submitting a cover letter and filled out application with my 2:2-Economics degree.

By a stroke of luck, my application was reviewed by the Chairman/CEO, a painstaking man who carefully read my cover letter and was drawn to the confidence in my words. "I know I may not have met the qualifying criteria for the advertised roles, but I am intelligent, driven, ambitious and I will make the bank proud. My 2:2 degree does not demonstrate the full extent of my intelligence and ability, and I know I can do so much more." He read those words and took a chance on me. Though "unqualified", he decided to throw me a lifeline, an opportunity. 

I was invited to join the shortlist, followed by a long series of interviews and even more tests. At the end of a very rigorous process, I received good news – I had a place as an entry level analyst. Even now, I wonder: What if the Founder had not personally gone through my application? What if my application was rejected at the very beginning? What if I never got the opportunity to work at Allstates Trust Bank?

The story continues: within 12 months at the bank, aged 27, I went from analyst to branch manager – the youngest ever bank branch manager at the time. I was hard working, energetic, creative and prioritised getting things done, but it was also good fortune that my bosses Toyin Akin-Johnson and Ebitimi Banigo took notice, and then, believed in me. They took a chance on me by appointing me as branch manager after an incredibly short time in the bank. They recognised in me the raw materials needed to make a good leader and were prepared to invest in me and my ability. My rise to Branch Manager within a short period is a great story but I know in my heart, I was lucky, as well as deserving.

Perhaps the be-your-own-boss proponents had better be reminded that, give everything, try all they know, apply all the principles, if this cutting edge; call it the advantage, if you like, is lacking, success will be heard and told, but far from being experienced. 

It's happy new year to all our readers.