HOW TO BE RELEVANT IN THE CHANGING JOB MARKET

If you want to be relevant, keep learning.

I was privileged to have learned from the experiences of three African entrepreneurs and leaders, particularly from their personal transformation stories that revealed what made them relevant. They are Okyeame Kwame a Ghanaian multiple award-winning Musician; Wilson Anku a Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs (HEA) professional; and Omane Osei Poku the founder of CLIQAfrica.

Key lessons from the experiences of these great minds are gems worth sharing, especially with anyone who wishes and is making an active change in their community. I will summarize them in four action points, namely:

• Identify a problem and present a solution to it;
• Do not set your mind on money;
• Leadership and relevance requires preparation;
• Believe in your dreams; be adventurous yet focused.

1. Identify a problem and present a solution to it

The world is filled with problems and if you flip a stone or turn a table here or there, you will find a problem. As leaders and agents of change, we have only to identify one of these problems facing our world and communities and present solutions to these problems.

Okyeame Kwame narrates his journey to transformation and relevance as one that began from an egotistical premise; wanting to be heard, so he began singing. When he was heard, he wanted to be felt and later, to be seen and believed. He used music through all these stages, but it wasn’t enough.?He then realized that to be relevant and to make a meaningful impact, he had to render a service. Not wandering too far off, he used what he already had, his musical talent. He did it for his audience by raising their minds to lyrics that addressed their societal problems. He gave hope to the hopeless, inspired and empowered some, challenged others and the status-quo, and shared his vision of a better world. Often, he would identify a struggling social entrepreneurial endeavour that could affect change and he’ll brand it using music and bring his following onto that endeavour.

Wilson Anku on the other hand learned earlier in life that leadership is functional and wherever he is, he is leading in that area. In his daily dealing with people, he identified their problems and presented a solution. He also learned that as a leader, you have failed if all you do is project yourself; you need to bring people along toward achieving their worth and value. He does this daily in every place he finds himself. Where ever you are, always seek the chance to deliver and add value.

"The greatest contribution of a leader is to make other leaders." – Simon Sinek

Omane Osei Poku founded CLIQAfrica after identifying that a good number of businesses and organizations in his community lacked an online presence and visibility. He marked out these businesses and presented them with the opportunity to be online, marketing and branding them through SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) solutions. He couldn’t do the job alone. He employed others and reduced unemployment. He stayed on top by attracting and recruiting the best talent in his community who had been Google-certified. Setting the standard, he not only encouraged interested parties but motivated them to be relevant by working hard at being good at what they say they can do before seeking out a job.

If you don’t have a skill, learn one.

2. Do not set your mind on money

It is true that when we are faced with certain problems, we quickly relate this to finances; if only I had money, I will solve this or that problem. Finances are a problem across every sector. Even successful businesses, organizations, and individuals face the existential problem of finances. Budgets are always tight and finances are hard to come by. How do they manage it?

“Money is the by-product of a job well done.” – Okyeame Kwame

It would be worth noting and reminding ourselves daily that money is the by-product of a job well done. As above, identify a problem and set out to solve the problem. It is not going to be easy. No one said it would. If it was, everyone will be doing it. That is what sets leaders apart from the rest and makes us relevant. In the development phase, don’t copy blindly; let it be context specific. And lastly do not set out to be a social entrepreneur or a leader for its sake, if not when you achieve the goal what next? You will become bored and thus feel like a failure. Be open-minded and keep learning using your potential to solve more problems and the money will follow as a result. When you make the money use it to create more solutions. That is how it is managed.

3. Leadership and relevance requires preparation

While some think leaders are born, and not discarding the fact that some people have a natural affinity, it is largely learned and we can learn it. Nonetheless, it requires preparation. Anyone who wants to lead needs to prepare. No one will give you an opportunity because it is vacant or because you asked for it. They’ll give it to you because you prepared for it.

You’ll be given an opportunity because you prepared for it.

Often, when we refer to relevance and leadership our minds tend to wander towards high offices and positions. However, at the grassroots when people need clear directions, they often turn to someone whom they know would help and if you make it your business to help, guide, or inspire others, that is being relevant and it it is leadership. Small acts you do not consider such as reading a friend's essay, correcting it, and encouraging them to make it better or sharing opportunities of further education, fellowships, training, and free resources, and guiding them?towards preparing for these opportunities – even if you have or haven’t done it yourself – is leading and it makes you relevant. It could be supporting a victim of violence or gathering people for a neighbourhood clean-up and you name the rest. You are adding value to these people and living a vision of a better world, no matter how small or great the act is.

It is not the difference, but the value of the difference that matters.

You mustn’t influence the change directly, it can be done indirectly, and oftentimes, great leaders do so from the background. Some did it behind prison bars – and you guessed right – Nelson Mandela did. Some inspired change with their voices through spellbinding and inspirational speeches – again you guessed right – Barrack Obama, and the likes of Churchill, and Lincoln did. Some inspired change through genuine appreciation – Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller did. Why look further? Back at home, our fathers and mothers lead us from the background and are partly responsible for how we act and behave. We learned by copying them and I bet they didn’t know we were watching and learning. And they are relevant.

Overall, to be a relevant transformative ethical leader and agents of change, we need to prepare ourselves for the opportunities. This requires that we keep learning and honing our skills to remain relevant in the changing fortunes of time in whatever sphere. This does not mean formal education as such, but refining skills that are valuable and applicable through continuous learning and action through practice.

4. Believe in your dreams; be adventurous yet focused

Bear in mind that your convictions and beliefs will be tested in the furnace of trials – all great men and women were forged in these fires. You will encounter people who mean well and those who don’t, some who want to deter you from your dreams and leave you at the dregs. Be ready to be measured as foolish, catcalled, and branded a failure. Most people with an idea were never believed at the get-go. They however remained focused and resolute. As it is in science with experiment after experiment failing, they forged on until they had their Eureka moment. After that singular moment in time, they were never in the same waters again.

Great persons are forged in the fires of trial.

Learn from your experiences particularly your failures for you will fail many times. Sometimes business ideas and marketing strategy after another will fail, but ultimately, you get one right.?Try new outcomes and ventures with your mind focused on your dreams. Ideas have no respect for status, identity age, race, ethnicity, religion, or creed. Ideas only respect the fact they are relevant and transformative and if you want to be relevant inscribe these words on your heart and weave them around your mind.

Ideas have no respect for status, identity, age, race, ethnicity, religion, or creed.

What are your tips to remain relevant?

What criticisms, innovations, or further suggestions have you?