Like 'white palp' from a 'black pot'?

Can anything good come out of Africa and most especially, Nigeria?

Above question seems like a ‘zillion dollar question’ but the answer depends on the perspective with which the ‘responder’ looks at it. Africa had been home to frontiers of pre-historic culture, philosophies, ‘spiritual crafts’, science, and technologies to mention but few. Inability to document/archive ‘significant trails’ have robbed the world of harvests accruable from the ‘seeds of documentation’. In modern era, we have churned out tonnes of amazing entertainers, athletes, sport personalities and superlative leaders like Nelson Mandela of South Africa.

Now, Sir Babs Omotowa is not an obscured personality but an incredible shining light amongst leaders in the corporate world on the global stage. Having held many strategic senior leadership positions in Shell (a foremost global energy brand) and Nigeria LNG Ltd (ex-NLNG MD/CEO) before his retirement, he has recently penned down his experience demonstrating courage and integrity in doing so. This pacesetting feat is a welcomed development and is worth replicating by other leaders across different strata of Africa’s corporate space/entities. Africa (and Nigeria especially) is in dire need of quantum of worthy role models to emulate.

I have just finished reading his book, “From Storeroom to Boardroom - How integrity and courage shape global business” over the last three (3) days and could not hold back in sharing some notable lessons gleaned therefrom. It’s for me a book full of learnings and reflections. Therefore, this leadership GOT BORN series is dedicated to unveiling ten (10) of the quotable lessons from Chapter one of the book. Let me have your comments or/and feedback in the comment section below.

G.O.T B.O.R.N. is the acronym for “‘Group Of Ten’ ‘Blocks Of Refreshing Nuggets’”.

1. “I learnt that one should not act on impulse but rather reflect on the consequences, to decide on options”.

2. “…past successes were no guarantee of future success…..I came to understand the impact of the people one associates, and the influence they can have on one’s performance, goals and ambitions”.

3. “I learnt that focusing on excellence and personal development were key to advancement….education is worth more than any material inheritance parents could bequeath to their children.”

4. “Without a solid parenting foundation, it is important to identify in society those considered role models and reach out for mentorship.”

5. “Parental values and senior examples are crucial in the development of children and the younger generation. As a result, it is vital that parents espouse worthy values and examples of good behaviour.”

6. “I learnt that to stand a chance, merely desiring a good outcome did not suffice. One needs hard work, perseverance and excellence in order to achieve and be successful in one’s set goals.”

7. “Surviving today is always important in order to thrive tomorrow.”

8. “One cannot appreciate the good without enduring the bad, as without darkness one may not appreciate light. Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.”

9. “I consider teaching to be the most fulfilling job that I have ever done because it led to the transformation of people …. nurturing others to succeed by sharing knowledge and experience can bring joy.”

10. “The virtues of contentment have stayed with me throughout life – for example, the last car that I personally owned as a Director at Shell Nigeria, was a small Kia Picanto. Contentment makes it easy to be honest.”