Does your company have an arrangement in place to “mould” your new intakes into the kinds of employees you need them to be? If YES, what about your older and more experienced hands already in the system? What arrangement do you have in place for them?
How does your company treat older hands (especially those with lower qualifications), compared to new, often younger intakes?
Decision makers in companies can sometimes get carried away. As some employees age out, if they do not become “high-flyers” or super-achievers, they tend to get forgotten by those who run the company.
1. Neglecting Older Hands Can Often Backfire On Your Company!
That’s the truth – and it can happen quite subtly, until the damage has gone far, before you notice.
I say this as one who had to relate, as a bright-eyed new intake in a large corporation, with many much older hands. They felt they’d been sidelined, career-wise, and did not hide their frustration, or resentment. In the end, it affected their commitment to their jobs, and to coaching new intakes.
See how it can backfire…? And that’s just one example. I highlight others further down.
This is why I believe experienced managers – the older hands who’ve been on the job a while – need to be given incentives to stay committed to their jobs. Recognition, coupled with well planned training and development opportunities can often go a long way in this regard.
We must remember that – unlike the new entrants – older hands would have achieved some successes, but possibly reached a point where no foreseeable opportunities exist for further upward advancement.
This could naturally cause them to simply stop pushing themselves to perform optimally.
If they get passed over by way of attention, for new and bright eyed intakes to the company, the chances of the above happening greatly increase.
Your company needs a team – a well oiled team, to perform well. You therefore want ALL members to continually pitch in with their best efforts. Be they new, old; experienced or inexperienced.
To achieve the above, you must promote the “growth and nourishment” of your older and more experienced employees, alongside you fresh recruits arriving gleaming credentials, and youthful energy.
2. Older & Experienced Managers When Unhappy, May Choose Not to Share ALL They Know
Some decision makers forget this: Your young, smart recruits will often need to understudy the older hands they meet on the job. If the latter are not happy, that relationship may not go as well as you’d like.
Experienced managers offer a rich pool of talent, creativity and contribution, which if properly harnessed could be used to win the company’s battle for survival and success.
The older employees could conveniently “forget” to share powerful experience based wisdom they’ve acquired over the years. Your new “stars” would thus be faced with the need to re-invent the wheel!
3. They Could Even Make Your New/Younger Employer Unhappy…and Ineffective!
It could be worse: Older and experienced employees can often heavily influence the climate of opinion in an organisation. They are the ones who have seen it all, been there while it all happened, and will usually have a lot to tell the newer managers about what works and what does not.
In fact, by virtue of their relative age and experience advantage, even when they occupy low formal positions in the company, they can often end up playing informal leadership roles.
By implication therefore, an organisation unfortunate enough to have disgruntled older employees in her ranks, could find it rather difficult to effectively implement a new strategy or initiative.
The dangers could in fact be more, if you fail to create conditions enabling for your experienced employees to improve themselves, and become more open minded to better methods.
For instance, they could isolate (perhaps even “emotionally crush”) your newer/younger employees!
What You Can Do
Fortunately, with good leadership and guidance, coupled with the regular implementation of training and development initiatives, you can keep the loyalty of your older hands.
Simply create a culture in which they constantly feel valued and respected. Actively recognise and acknowledge them for all they have done in the past, and for roles they still play.
Involve them in areas you know they can make useful contributions, and support initiatives and ideas they originate. No sentiments of course. What you accept must be those that truly add tangible value.
As often as practical, organise well structured training and development sessions for them, to enhance their ability to function as workplace coaches, towards sharing what they know with others.
Do the above, and more where possible.
Then watch them motivate, develop and control themselves to cooperate with new people you bring in, towards achieving the company’s valued goals.
The above title states the obvious. But the way (people I call) “workplace complainers” act, one would think otherwise! What would you think of a secretary who grumbles when asked by the boss, to retrieve important files from the archives, for an urgent meeting? Or the employee who complains that s/he’s being given too much work to do by superiors? I would call such people LAZY and IRRESPONSIBLE!
If That Sounds Harsh, Believe Me When I Say It’s Not
I once observed an employee working in the foreign office of an organization I visited. Each time the boss called her, she came in with a frown on her face.
And as soon as he told her what he wanted done, she would complain about how doing that would take time/effort, and leave with the frown still intact.
This is a job that earns her a salary compatible with what top executives in some local organizations earn back in her home country. She also earns allowances. And that is in addition to free accommodation, plus others benefits on top of her salary. In fact, many of her peers don’t earn anything close to what she gets.
Yet, she acted irritated and impatient most times I saw her during my visits to the office. It was disappointing to see a grown up act that way towards a job she was being handsomely PAID to do.
The fact remains that once you accept an offer of employment, by appending your signature to the letter, it means you agree to abide by the terms of employment.
Results-focused employers rightfully expect employees to do what is required of them.
But employees who complain about work are often too focused on what they lack, and forget to be grateful for what they already have. They forget that many people who have similar (sometimes superior) qualifications and abilities to theirs, walk the streets daily, without jobs!
Adding REAL Value at Work, Without Complaining, Guarantees Your Career Success (A True Story)
In 1994, I worked for 6 months as a Trainee Sales Coordinator in an indigenous wine manufacturing company. I endeared myself to the owner through my obvious passion for getting involved in making things work.
I developed close friendships with colleagues in the laboratory section, to better understand the quality controls e.g. how they determined sugar and alcohol content in the finished products. In the process I learnt how to use the refractometer to determine “brix” – a scale of measurement used to determine sugar content.
Over time, colleagues knew they could depend on me to help if/when the need arose. When I told the boss I’d been offered employment in Guinness, he gave me a glowing reference letter, even though he knew it meant I was leaving.
When In a Team, It Is Rarely Wise to Say: “But that’s not my job!”
When you work in an organization, you become part of the team.
As a manager in Guinness, I would often go out of my way to fill in for colleagues, or to support them – anytime I saw fit – to ensure work progressed as needed.
No matter who it was (or where), as long as I saw a possibility of things going wrong if I failed to intervene, I would still go ahead and help out. What’s more, I never made a big deal about it e.g. by claiming I was overworked etc.
As far as I was concerned, it was always part of the job. I believed I had an obligation to do my best to ensure the company’s interests progressed at all times.
It is my strong conviction that every team member…every employee…who acts this way WILL always enjoy rapid career advancement in a well managed company.
Do Your Job, Plus More…and Others Will Develop Unshakeable Trust & Confidence in YOU!
I still recall a senior manager, and mentor of mine, making the following statement to me:
“Tayo, people say you’re the kind of person they can give a job to do and go to sleep.”
He said so, a few days after the send forth party for me, following my voluntary resignation to start my own business. That was in December 2001.
And he was not the only one who’d expressed such sentiments.
I’d heard it many times during my career. It explained why decision makers repeatedly awarded me high profile career advancement opportunities, ahead of even senior colleagues.
All that happened because I consistently did my work, and helped do others that needed to be done, without complaining, resulting in benefits to the company.
There is no reason for you to NOT do the same. You have nothing to lose, since you already earn a salary, and so much more to gain. It’s just simple common sense!
Do you have an idea you are convinced can benefit the company you serve? In this write-up, I argue (based on my achievements as a high performing employee in Guinness Nigeria), that you owe yourself, and the company, a duty to ensure you get heard. As was my experience, you may even have to bypass immediate seniors to get results!
What If No One Seems Ready to Listen to You? (My True Story)
Most successful companies are known for enabling employees at all levels to contribute ideas towards achieving the organizational goals.
As an employee, when you see your ideas get formally adopted, with recognition given to YOU, that’s likely to inspire you to do more. And the company benefits even more!
Sometimes however, decision makers you meet may be so busy that granting you face-to-face audience may prove difficult for them. Or it could be that your immediate seniors you approach with your idea may not see what you see.
I share my true story below, to give you practical insights you can use.
As a young manager in my mid to late twenties in Guinness Nigeria, between 1995 (when I was 25) to 1999, I quickly built a reputation for being innovative. I often saw possibilities others did not.
I started by developing custom automated spreadsheet applications to replace manual data handling and report generation systems in the brewing department. As word spread about how paper work took less time and effort to do, I found myself repeatedly courted (mostly informally), to help other departments put similar tools in place.
Over time, I noticed that despite great improvements in our operational output, one KPI (Key Performance Indicator) generated by my auto-spreadsheet was under-reporting our actual achieved performance. A closer look revealed the formula was faulty.
It was obvious, but I still doubted I was right. Others were at least 5 years older than I was on the job. My boss possessed qualifications I could only dreamed of at the time!
All of this made me feel I had to be wrong.
“How could they all not have seen this computation error?” I wondered.
They Listened, But Really Could Not See What I Was Seeing
I tried bringing it up with a few senior colleagues I came across. They patiently heard me out, but eventually noted that the formula I faulted had been in use for years. And reports had been prepared during that time with no one finding any fault with it.
I knew I could not blame them for failing to see what I was seeing.
They often saw the KPI figures once a week, or four times in a month. In contrast, I’d taken advantage of my spreadsheet application, to trend the reported KPIs backwards for over 12 months, and then plotted charts comparing the trend with other related KPIs.
It was the distinct contradiction I noticed between that particular KPI, and the others on the SAME process, that convinced me something was wrong with its computation.
I studied the structure of the formula, and tried modifications, until I got one that worked right. Plotting the modified KPI, the positive correlation was instantly obvious.
And that basically cemented my conviction. I knew we needed to change the formula!
Getting No Support from My Immediate Seniors, I Chose to Go Higher
If you have nagging conviction that won’t go away, you owe others a duty to act on it.
When I saw that bringing up the issue with others only earned non-committal responses, I decided to write a formal paper on it, and send to top management.
Initially, I felt addressing it to my boss would be adequate. But it occurred to me that he was likely to ask the opinion of my senior colleagues. I already knew that would do little good.
Being keen to get a change, I addressed my paper to the Brewery Manager (BM), copying my boss. In it, I briefly highlighted the KPI formula error, and proposed the modified version I’d derived, for use,
Within 24 Hours I Got a Response – and a Solution!
24 hours after I dropped off my one page paper, I got called in by my boss.
Looking sternly at me he asked “Why did you send this directly to the BM, without first checking with me?”. In his hand was the copy from the BM, on which the latter had scribbled a note to my boss: “Discuss this with Tayo, and let me know.”
I immediately apologized for not coming first to him, and explained my reasons. He nodded, then asked me how I arrived at my deductions. In the end, he instructed me to modify the formula in the spreadsheet as I’d proposed, and to inform others.
That was a great confidence booster.
Some months later, I derived a completely new weighted average KPI to complement existing ones.
This time around, I addressed my paper to my boss, who took it to the expatriate brewery head. The latter sent it to the headquarters with his full endorsement.
This second initiative got me even more recognition than the first.
Less than a year later, I got nominated for the first of many secondments to higher positions. I had no doubts that my “contributions” influenced those nominations.
You can also achieve similar results using the above ideas.
This article is based on a real-life Facebook chat session I recently had with a prospect. It will benefit YOU:
(a). If your work involves managing salaries/payroll – because it answers questions about using Excel automation to make your work easier and less time consuming.
(b) If as a website owner you want an insider understanding of how you can handle enquiries that result from use of a Web Marketing System. I’ve written in the past about how having a Web Marketing System can help you generate pre-qualified sales leads (i.e. people looking for solutions you offer come looking for you) – even while you sleep.
The enquirer apparently came across write-ups I’d done on the subject (like this PDF). Then he sent me a Facebook friend request, and initiated an impromptu chat within a few hours after I accepted his request. In essence, the WMS enables you present yourself in a way that boosts your credibility. In the long run, that will lead to sales.
The Chat Begins
Prospect: Got some good stuff about you through the internet and am happy that I can chat with you now
Tayo Solagbade (Me): That’s good to know. Please to be able to chat with you as well
Prospect: but I have some questions. Your post about how to use excel to generate payslip fascinates me
Tayo Solagbade (Me): It’s a post that’s based on real life applications I built that have been used by my clients since 2007 – including 2 hospitals that have over 100 staff
Prospect: I maintain payroll of about three thousand five hundred staff, can I generate payslip for these at a go?
Tayo Solagbade (Me): I offer customization of my applications to suit their unique needs
Prospect: I maintain payroll of about three thousand five hundred staff, can I generate payslip for these at a go?
Tayo Solagbade: You seem to have repeated your question. But I’ll rephrase mine. I use VBA code to make the preparation of pay slips dynamic. So, in the advanced version of my apps, it would not matter what number of people you have. As long as they are in the app’s records table, it will pick them one after the other and feed them to the print0ready payslip interface. Indeed, if you wish, the application can be further extended to generate PDF files stored in a predetermined location where you can go late to print selectively.
Prospect: Ok. But can data from excel be uploaded into your apps records table?
Tayo Solagbade (Me):Yes.
Prospect: Pls, how long will you take to teach me how to
Tayo Solagbade (Me): How to do do what?
Prospect: How to use VBA code to generate pay slips for the three thousand, five hundred staff
Tayo Solagbade (Me): You have to buy my app – and order a customization. Except you want me to teach you how to build YOUR own app using Excel-VB. The latter will take more time, depending on your current level of expertise in the use of Excel. I have a method for establishing that.
As a rule, I prefer working with people who have an advanced knowledge of MS Excel, and have at least done a little Macro recording based automation. It;s not easy – but those who apply themselves can learn.
If you want a quick solution, with minimal trial and error, I suggest you order a customized version of my existing app.
Prospect: Pls, how much will it cost me to buy your application and order a customization or what will it cost me to learn how to build my own app using excel VBA?
Tayo Solagbade (Me): One moment. Just trying to find a generic email I normally send to enquirers
Prospect: Okay
Tayo Solagbade (Me): Decided to do short note at the start – the email comes AFTER it. I’m late for an appointment at the Nigerian embassy. Will have to log off the laptop. But I’ll still be able to respond to you via my Blackberry. It may take longer though.
Just ignore the name in the message.
Regarding the fees:
Option 1: You asked “how much will it cost me to buy your application and order a customization”
The advanced Excel-VB driven Payslip Generator sells for N50K as is (I just add your company name, logo, and help you transfer your records from your Excel file into the app – at NO CHARGE).
Depending on what you want application to do, the fee for customization starts from N50k It can go as far as N250K – based on past projects I’ve had to work on for clients – including a National Primary Health Care Database (NPHCDA) project that lasted from 2008 till 2012.
It handles over 50,000 records of medical facilities/personnel – including picture displays.
Option 2: Or what will it cost me to learn how to build my own app using excel VBA?
Coaching on Excel-VB solutions development starts from N100k – depending on what you will be taught.
I go about it by offering 2 aspects:
a. Theoretical coaching – on the basics and language. It comes with plenty of reading and practical exercises, designed to help you get a firm grasp of the important concepts – especially worksheet design logic and use of VBA to eliminate routine and repetitive tasks
b. Field Project– you will tell me a specific application you want to build from scratch that will be useful to you. I will then guide YOU to build it over time. You will let me see stages of your work progress, and I will give you feedback and pointers.
Until the final app is born. If need be, I’ll help you tweak it to function better or look “prettier”. Whatever I do, I’ll explain why, and how you can do it yourself.
After the training ends, I become available to you for an additional 6 months – via email, phone/Skype – at no extra charge, to help you hone your skills.
Duration will depend on you. But standard duration is 2 months – and you set the pace. We meet for 48 hours over those 2 months – be it online or in person. In between meetings, you’ll be doing LOTs of small exercises to help you master aspects of Excel-VB programming. It WILL be challenging. But if you’re anything like me, you’ll enjoy it and you’ll learn.
Got to go. Will respond by smart phone if you have more questions
Below is the generic email with some links…(it gives details of what you also get when you pay)
=============
Hi Prakash,
In your message, you mentioned being a Training Manager and you requested to download the tutorials offered on my website – which were delivered to you via autoresponse.
I’ve recently decided to offer on demand one-on-one coaching in Excel VB driven software development to interested persons online.
How It Works
You tell me what you want to learn or be able to do with MS Excel. I’ll give you my insights and opinion to complement your expressed needs.
Then if we agree to go forward, I’ll produce easy to follow custom PDF guides and video tutorials for you, that you’ll be able to use repeatedly. And I’ll also be available via email and Skype phone/ chat to provide any support you need as you carry out practical exercises I’ll give you.
Everything I teach you will be based on the real life experience and knowledge I’ve gained from developing custom Excel software for users and clients for well over 15 years.
##Testimonial from a buyer of my Excel software##
Here’s a testimonial from a recent buyer after I sent him the new free upgrade version of my popular Ration Formulator:
=Starts=
“Hi Tayo,
Thanks for the updates. I have used it with satisfaction and transferred all my data to this 2013 version.
We are getting more and more familiar with it.
Its flexibility allows to adapt the results to our needs and possibilities. I am amazed.”
If this Excel Software Development Coaching Offer is something that interests you, and you’d like to take it further, just reply to this email stating your specific interests or needs, and any questions you have.
(NB: I’ve included below, links to videos and detail pages showing examples of the kind of applications I can teach you to build.)
2. Custom Automated Hospital Financial Records Manager
You can also learn to build a highly sophisticated application with automated charting and advanced modeless data entry forms like the one in this application I built for a large hospital here in Lagos.
There are 2 detailed videos on that page that show features and functions you can learn to incorporate into your own Excel software.
The Facebook Chat Then Ends…
Tayo Solagbade (Me):Am off
Prospect: Thanks sir, I’ll get back to you in due time.
Final Words
Like I said at the start of this piece, you may not close every sales opportunity the WMS brings to you. But over time, if you diligently work to “converse effectively” with such prospects, you WILL close more sales.
NB: Let me start by saying this post is being made for information purposes only. And it applies specifically to the period between Monday 15th July 2013 to Saturday 20th July 2013.
In case anyone’s experienced difficulties accessing articles/content on my blog in the last few days…hostgator has now confirmed they’ve completed the migration of all customer accounts:
” onto brand new, more powerful hardware which will include the latest versions of cPanel and CentOS.”
Alert email notice announcing start of upgrade
Screenshot of email notice announcing start of my hosting account migration
In response to my enquiry, they’d replied thus:
“…there may be some performance issues for the server since the migration process will have an impact on the communications performance of both systems. This effect should be temporary.”
The screenshot below shows their email notice that the upgrade has been successfully completed for my account.
Screenshot of email notice announcing successful migration
“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they’re capable of being” – Johann Von Goethe
What you’re about to read is based on a true story. People usually start at the bottom to climb the corporate ladder to the top. Many new recruits have risen to become CEOs or top executives in the companies they work for. As new entrants, they had to be trained by people who would later become their subordinates.
That’s a fact of life.
In the military, a drill sergeant puts recruits through weeks of gruelling exercises. During this period he is their boss. But he ends up becoming a subordinate to those who survive, to graduate as “officers”!
A Reversal In Your Status Is No License to Mis-treat Those You’ve Surpassed
When a reversal of roles/status happens, interesting changes in the behaviour of people can occur. I’ve seen persons who turned round to victimize a former superior, saying s/he was too harsh on them.
Some people also look down on those they feel have lower status, position or authority to theirs.
Smart managers however know better than to treat their subordinates without consideration. Not even if such persons mis-treated them in the past, when their roles were reversed.
A Manager Dis-respects His Subordinates and Pays a Steep Price (True Story)
Some years ago, a set of graduate trainees recruited into a large manufacturing company underwent a company wide induction. As is the normal practice in most organisations, guidance and tutelage was given by people who later became their reports.
One trainee line manager was taken through the workings of factory plants by shop floor operatives. But he later became a thorn in their flesh, upon being confirmed as a full fledged manager…and their boss.
For this individual, it seemed having to learn from his future subordinates, was so damaging to his ego that he needed to erase the memory, by asserting himself at every opportunity.
So he frequently screamed instructions at the – mostly much older – men. And he rarely cut them any slack if they made mistakes or needed favours e.g. to attend to family matters.
Many got randomly served query letters anytime they worked the same shift with him, if he felt the output was not good enough. As a result, during end of year appraisal interviews, the men generally prayed not to have him chosen to assess their performance. Those who did rarely fared well.
Over the years, a silent resentment grew amongst the men towards this particular individual.
One night shift, an important machine on the production line stopped working. The operators called on the manager, claiming they did not know what the fault was.
From 11p.m till the close of that shift at 6a.m, this young man sweated trying to get the technicians to find the fault with the plant.
All to no avail. He was forced to write a handover saying the machine needed major engineering repairs. No work was done on his shift. He left for home feeling dejected.
Amazingly, 5 minutes after the next shift resumed, the resuming operators had the machine working!
When asked, he said he could find nothing wrong with it.
Your guess is as good as mine, as to what happened during that night shift…
Morale: Your Subordinates Can Make You Rise or Fall
That young manager could have had a better night shift, if he enjoyed the goodwill of his subordinates.
That is something that helps many managers look good on their jobs. It’s rarely that they know-it-all.
Back in Guinness, I had a habit of spending considerable time with factory shop floor operatives who reported to me, when I was a shift brewer. I always stopped to share jokes, ask after their families etc.
Even after I got promoted, and elevated to acting as a departmental head, I never gave up the habit.
Interestingly, some of my colleagues found reason to challenge me for associating that closely with shop floor level operatives in the company. They argued that as a manager, I needed to distance myself a bit from them, to avoid losing the necessary respect that would ensure I could control them.
But I ignored them. What I was doing was not acting. It was a natural thing with me. And if anything, rather than make me lose the respect of these men, I found that we actually bonded more!
A former expatriate boss – who was then Technical manager (and would later influence my promotion into higher positions lent credence to this assertion. He once wrote in a feedback form, that I had the loyalty of the men I worked with, and that my shift always delivered results.
And he was right. The relationship I shared with those men was a true friendship. These men often tried to discourage me from going on my inspection rounds while on night shift.
According to one of the shift leaders, when working with me, the men were always prepared to put in their best to make me look good. They felt they owed me a good outing any time I ran with them.
They’d say “Baba, look we will work for you. You need not nbother comeing to check on us!”
Of course, being a responsible manager, I never accepted to do that. However, I rarely had reason to think doubt their commitment either. Whenever we had problems on the shift, my heart always swelled with gratitude, to see them displaying just as much interest as I had in getting them resolved.
And if we failed, some actually felt so bad, they would come to apologise personally to me!
Final Words
You must understand that these men were mostly twice as old as I was. Most joined the company before I was even born! What’s more, I had been opportune, by virtue of my relationship with some, to meet their kids – who were about my age, and university graduates too.
Yet, they still maintained the respect they had for me.
That proves one thing: Respect is earned. And it is reciprocal. Treating people with respect will earn you their respect. In addition, it will bring out the best in them, and make them committed to helping you achieve YOUR goals!
So, no matter what anyone tells you, know this: The safest, and most reliable way to move up the corporate ladder (and stay there) is to treat your subordinates with respect at all times.
In some parts of the world, some people get accorded authority status based on unproven wealth they display – and rarely little else. I grew up in a society where it happened (happens!)…a lot. However, authentic expert authority is not achieved by “showing money”. It comes via demonstrating verifiable, value-adding competence. This article provides insights you can use.
What Does It Mean to Be Called an Expert Authority?
An Expert Authority is one who has – by his/her achievements/contributions in a particular field(s) – demonstrated that s/he is a value-adding leader in thought and/or action.
Typically s/he has over a period of time made significant impact on stakeholders in that field. They would formally acknowledge his/her competence, and readily make reference to him/her as a result.
This can be in professional fields, and also in everyday social life.
I’ll start by giving a “non-sensitive” example.
Nelson Mandela is widely recognized as Human Rights icon. His lifetime achievements – including many ideas and thoughts he has expressed – have made the lives of millions better, earning him countless awards.
Mandela is therefore an Authentic Expert Authority on Human Rights.
Anybody Can Show Money – That Will Not Necessarily Confirm Expert Authority Status!
If no means exists to verify them, anyone can make any claims s/he likes – and we would be incapable of checking to determine if it’s the truth or not.
In this regard, developed societies (where personal records dating back to your ancestors can be reliably traced) have an edge over less developed societies.
In such places, people know they can get found out if they make false claims. So they do it less blatantly. But some daring characters still do it
Now, like I said at the start, in certain societies, some “clever” persons cut corners by “buying” authority status. This is typically done by giving monetary and other rewards to “corruptible” key players and stakeholders.
As a result, they get accorded formal attention/recognition despite having limited (sometimes no!) pedigree, and offering little useful value.
Here’s a potentially “sensitive” example…:-)
Imagine a person convicted of looting public funds while in office, a year ago, being given an award on Human Rights in the same country(or indeed elsewhere)?
That’s absurd. But it has happened…many times, in certain societies.
An award confers authority status on the recipient. S/he is assumed by others as being an embodiment of the values and ideals on which the award is based.
One would therefore naturally expect whatever s/he has done (and will do) to be consistent with what the award is about.
A dishonest – and unrepentant – former office holder, conferred with an award meant for persons who protect people’s rights from abuse? That’s not authentic authority status!
Like I said, money can buy it in some places.
But where things work, that’s rarely possible.
Final Words: To Establish Authentic Expert Authority Status – Prove Yourself Worthy
As an expert in your chosen field, the best way to establish yourself as an authority is to record achievements that make it obvious that YOU ARE!
It does not matter what field you’re in. Start by getting necessary preparation.
Mandela did not need to attend Human Rights school (if anything like that exists). Instead he set a real goal for himself to change the lot of real people.
Then he went out to make it happen. And he put every fiber of his being into doing so.
It took him time, but he eventually made it.
It was however in the course of doing it, that he recorded many achievements, attracting recognition – that eventually won him “Expert Authority” status.
Just as this works in the non-professional field, so it does also for professionals in various areas of endeavors – be it paid employment or business/entrepreneurship.
That includes lawyers, doctors, and experts in all other areas of interest and focus.
To establish authentic authority status amongst your peers, simply record achievements – via your contributions – that show you are indeed worthy.
So, even if you’re in a place where it’s possible to “buy it”, you now know better
A research team has developed a “self-repairing artificial leaf” that produces electricity from dirty water. This is a milestone achievement, in the drive for sustainable energy. Forward thinking governments of developing countries may find it useful to explore adopting this new technology.
This is a major advancement in efforts to develop alternative – and sustainable – energy sources. It has been featured in the “ACS journal Accounts of Chemical Research”. The research was funded by USA’s National Science Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Department of Energy.
How It Works
This artificial leaf works by mimicking the process of photosynthesis carried out in nature by green plants – which convert water and sunlight into energy and oxygen.
However it does not use the same complex chemical process. It is just a thin slab of silicon (referred to as a “sunlight collector”), coated with catalyst films on either side. The two films generate oxygen and hydrogen gas (on opposite sides).
When placed in water, under sunlight, the catalysts in the device break the water into its hydrogen and oxygen components. As the gases bubble to the surface, they can be easily collected for use as fuel to produce electricity in fuel cells. This is the simple principle on which this innovative device works.
The Relatively inexpensive compounds used to make the catalysts on both sides of the leaf (nickel-molybdenum-zinc generating hydrogen on one side, and cobalt film generating oxygen on the other) are said to be abundant in nature.
That eliminates the potential problem of replenishment as the devise needs to be mass produced.
Potential Applications – Individual homes in Off-Grid Locations
The research team leader is Daniel G. Nocera, Ph.D. (Harvard University’s Patterson Rockwood Professor of Energy). He has suggested that individual homes lacking access to power grids/generating plants would benefit from using this inexpensive alternative.
With less than a quart of drinking water, he explained that the artificial leaf would provide about 100 watts of electricity for an entire day.
The improved version of the leaf was reported in New Orleans on Apr. 8, 2013 (during the “Kavli Foundation Innovations in Chemistry Lecture” at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society).
It has been re-designed to utilise dirty or impure, bacteria-contaminated water readily found in nature. The scientists found a way to make the leaf self-healing. Basically, the catalysts now fall apart in a manner that prevents bacteria’s access to smooth surface they need to establish their bio film. “Then the catalyst can heal and re-assemble” said Nocera.
In earlier versions of the leaf, this had not been possible. As a result electricity production got shut down as the bacteria eventually formed their bio film across the smooth surface of the leaf.
This new self-healing property represents a major advancement – especially for the needs of developing societies. There, access to clean and pure water remains an even greater challenge.
Personalized, Fast-Food Energy: A Cheap Energy Generator, Adapted to Tough Local Conditions
Millions of people around the world still lack access to basic power supply via their country’s power grid.
They will benefit from a portable, inexpensive solution like this self-repairing artificial leaf energy generating device.
Nocera stated that “It’s kind of like providing ‘fast-food energy,'” and he pointed out that his team plans to produce lots of inexpensive units that will trade a bit of efficiency for functionality. They will be aimed at getting the job done.
He used the analogy of the transition from “huge mainframe computers to a personal laptop” noting that “This is personalized energy.”
The artificial leaf offers superior benefits to existing alternative energy solutions.
For instance, solar panels are expensive, and can only generate energy when the sun is out. In contrast, the leaf’s hydrogen and oxygen can be stored and used at night.
As Nocera points out, many complicated and expensive alternative energy devices are being developed.
But that is making it difficult for them to get widely adopted on a large scale. A less expensive and simple system that works like the artificial leaf, therefore stands a much better chance of getting widespread usage.
He revealed that the team has plans to further integrate the device, with technologies used to convert hydrogen into liquid fuel, for running portable electric generators or indeed cars.
Final Words: Developing Countries Stand to Beneift The Most
Leaders of developing nations – especially those in Africa, should seriously consider cutting back on money they keep sinking into space projects, and similar “abstract” pursuits.
They would be better off exploring ways to collaborate with Nocera and his team, to get the research solutions working for their rural populations.
Doing so will translate to an immediate improvement in the quality of life enjoyed by their people!
Less than 24 hours ago, I saw one of my most widely read and referenced farm business ideas articles (titled “Producing Good Catfish is Important, But Finding Good Buyers is Imperative!”) subjected to a more malicious level of abuse than I’ve ever seen. Naughty people periodically use other writers’ works without giving credit. When found out, many quickly make amends.I’ve experienced this with some of my articles. But yesterday’s was a new experience!
Before I tell you what happened, let me provide some background.
I’ve Been Writing on Farm Business for Over a Decade
Yesterday 3rd July 2013, was my brother’s birthday. At about 10.38 a.m I arrived in a client’s office in Cotonou, for a Web Marketing Systems development project review meeting.
But just before we started, I pleaded his indulgence to let me call my brother in Abuja, Nigeria, to wish him happy birthday.
Developing Solutions Of Different Kinds to Help Farmers
The challenge many farmers face in finding buyers for their market ready farm products –especially livestock and perishables – has always intrigued me.
For years while in Nigeria, I actively interacted with many farm owners to get an idea of unique challenges they faced, and solutions that could be evolved.
My Feed Formulation Handbook was meant to help farmers acquire the know-how to compound their own rations for their animals. This was in light of the compromised integrity of commercial livestock feed that some found themselves buying.
I got feedback from buyers who expressed the desire avoid manually doing the Pearson square computation for feed formulation.
The Menace of Content Thieves and Intellectual Property Abusers
In 2009, I wrote the above mentioned article, that attracted serious attention and interest locally and internationally. Various blogs, and websites linked to, or referenced that article via Ezinearticles.com where I published it.
Many such articles have generated pre-qualified sales leads for me. A good number result(ed) in sales of my products, and services (e.g. consultancy).
But as is common with intellectual works, I have found people using my works picked up from Ezinarticles.com without abiding by the terms.
Content publishers know Ezinearticles.com requires that they retain an author’s byine in any article they choose to republish on their website or newsletter.
That’s where we authors post short “marketing” blurbs containing one or two links leading to relevant pages on our websites. It is the small payoff authors gets for sharing their expert knowledge at no charge.
This is meant to be a symbiotic relationship. Sadly, some people – and I’ve seen this a lot in the farm business “category” – prefer to take without giving.
I’ve periodically found my articles reproduced verbatim from Ezinearticles.com, with ONLY my name retained. My entire byline is removed, including any links I added back to my website.
These people feel my work is good enough to be used on their website, and/or social media pages. But they refuse to let me get what is due to me, preferring instead to use my work to generate benefits for themselves alone.
It’s nothing new. Other authors/writers have similar experiences. We do what we can. Sometimes I’ve succeeded in getting abusers to make changes or simply take my work off their websites. Recently, I simply decided to ignore them.
Discovering a More Malicious Form of Intellectual Property Abuse
However yesterday, I encountered a more malicious dimension of abuse.
To generate sales leads based on my expertise on the subject, I had inserted (in line with a Burt Dubin tip) my mobile phone number in the last paragraph of the article.
That simple gimmick led to many people calling to consult me on how to apply the ideas in the article. Then at a point, those phone enquiries fizzled out. They just stopped coming. I didn’t know what to think.
Eventually I put it down to the reduced search engine visibility of article directories, following Google’s repeated algorithm changes.
Then yesterday afternoon, I saw that article reproduced verbatim on a blog run by a young Nigerian chap. As usual, my name was on it, but my byline was not.
However I got really ticked off when I saw that he’d replaced my phone number with his. Exactly where it appeared in the last paragraph of my article!
Less alert readers would naturally assume that that was my number!
Not believing my eyes, I called the number. Sure enough I found myself speaking to a young guy, who identified himself as the website owner.
I casually enquired about the service he was offering, and he readily asked “Do you need help with marketing your farm produce?”(he did not know it was me i.e. author of the article he’d used).
In other words, just what I aimed to do, he was now doing using my write-up – effectively denying me any benefit from my intellectual creation!
Young People Must Be Taught To Treat Intellectual Property With Respect It Deserves
All over the world we have people who steal content and abuse copyright privileges. But only in Nigeria have I consistently found people doing it so callously, with absolute disregard for the damage they do.
I say this without apology. It’s an indisputable FACT.
They abuse a system that encourages competent experts to offer such valuable works in the Internet space at no cost. Failing to see that their actions threaten the continued willingness of such people to share what they know!
This is why today, I write much fewer farm business articles for article marketing online.
Instead, I offer information products for sale to my subscribers and interested website visitors.
My probing questions soon unsettled my young friend. He said:
“There’s too much noise here. Let me call you back later.”
That was 4p.m yesterday. It’s already 10a.m today. And I know I will not be hearing from him.
However I do intend to get him to do the right thing.
If he does not, I WILL put up links to his website here on my blog, along with his name and phone number. Then I’ll inform his website host and Ezinearticles.com via a formal complaint email.
Next, each week that the abused version of my work remains on his website, I will post about it on my Facebook and Twitter profiles, and share widely.
Keeping Quiet Only Emboldens These Cheats and Other Dishonest Individuals
Saying nothing emboldens people who do these things. I refuse to be a silent victim. Anyone who abuses my work in that manner will have me to deal with, if I find out..
Our young people must be taught to develop serious respect for intellectual property.
Many learnt not to do so, from what they saw some irresponsible adults do.
The onus is on us to help them realize that they have within them the capacity, and capability, to produce original ideas and writing.
That will make them discover it’s a more dignifying and fulfilling approach.
This article is not for anyone hoping to quietly work for a regular salary, without making a fuss, till they leave. I’ve written it for people looking to make a noticeable impact, and be positively relevant – anywhere they work.
If that describes you, then you’ll hopefully also realize you need to demonstrate the capability to influence others to succeed. This write-up offers ideas you can use.
It Will Not Matter What Level You Start From
I once read that General Collin Powell (former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff in the US government) started out as a floor mopper.
His is just one of many real life examples. It means you can get to any position you want in an organisation, no matter where you start from…IF you do what it takes.
Even if you are just a Graduate Management Trainee, you already have within you, the capacity to occupy the highest position available. Just be prepared to do the work.
Understand That a Manager Will Not Necessarily Be a True Leader
People sometimes fail to realize these two roles are not the same. Many managers do not act as true leaders for those they are in charge of.
They can, but not many do.
And that can have a direct impact on how far that team, or the organization they preside over, goes towards its goal.
To me, a manager is primarily concerned with overseeing a pre-existing state of affairs. Most of the work about how things should happen would already have been done. Hers would primarily be to keep things going the way they have been designed to run.
S/he will typically ensure conformance or adherence by all who report to him/her. Every now and then s/he will apply initiative in dealing with unforeseen developments.
In contrast, a true leader in an organisation will be a manager, who goes a step further to actively influence change, and develop new initiatives to achieve the company’s goals.
Typically, s/he would display a tendency to identify weaknesses in the existing system, and propose viable practical solutions or alternatives. And s/he will often actively lead the process of exploring the implementation of such ideas – even if initiated by others.
Where a true leader is present in an organisation, stagnation will be very rarely found!
2 Important Facts About True Leaders In Organizations
It is my considered opinion (based on my experiences, and studies, on this subject) that:
(1). Firstly, true leaders are rarely appointed as, or made into, leaders. It’s not a formal role. Instead they become leaders – by using exposure and experiences provided in the organization, to develop that ability. It’s often a self-driven process.
Smart decision makers will regularly identify such persons, and put them in roles where they can be more useful to the company.
(2). Secondly, true leaders can show up at any level in the company. And I mean any level.
Wise decision makers will let these 2 facts guide their search. Otherwise valuable employee talent will be allowed to go to waste, because they fail to look well enough to discover it!
As an employee, use the above insights to guide your development of true leadership ability.
Organizations Are Looking for Leaders Who Understand Management
“Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the art of management says is possible” – General Collin Powell
Think about any successful organization you know. They are often headed and run by people who demonstrate a high aptitude not just for management, but for leadership.
Companies prefer putting such people at the helm, because they want to reach their ultimate goals. True leaders are better equipped to see the big picture, visualize, and then act!
Collin Powell’s Rules for Picking People (an 18 Lesson Primer that I originally came across as a Power Point presentation) can help you. It contains short but insightful descriptions of attributes you need to be a good leader.
Google “Collin Powell’s Rules for Picking People”, then download and read it.
To get you started, here’s an excerpt of Lesson 13, in which Powell gives advice to persons looking to recruit (and it also applies to decision makers who decide promotion):
“Look for intelligence and judgment, and most critically a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego, and the drive to get things done.
Do You Already Have The Above Leadership Attributes In Ample Quantities?
If no, you may want to get started doing something to develop them.
When I read General Powell’s presentation as a 27 year old brewer/manager in Guinness Nigeria (Benin Brewery), back in early 1997, that’s exactly what I did.
And by the first quarter of the next year (1998), I found myself getting nominated to play different roles at levels of management well above my position at the time.
And some – including an eventual promotion, followed by secondments to even more senior positions – came in record time. Less than 6 years (My first 18 months from October 1994, were as Graduate Trainee). Most people took much longer to get that far.
The only thing that made a difference in my case was that I had a plan – based on something I learned by reading, and which I went on to diligently apply till I succeeded.
If you adopt a similar strategy, you’re bound to succeed more.
…a multi-disciplinary blog for people passionate about reaching their goals!
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