My February RoundUp

Welcome to March!

The love month went by pretty fast. Hope you enjoyed every bit of it.

I had the opportunity to do a few things I really love and I thought to share with you.

February stretched me but also came with new opportunities, some didn't turn out as I wanted, however, they contained lessons I don't take for granted.

Facilitator and Trainer

It seemed February's goal was to have me do something actively about young Nigerian graduates and their soft skills. I had a series of conversations with my employer friends on the struggle they were facing hiring or those who had hired and their employees were not performing up to expectation especially in the areas of self-leadership and taking initiative. I took up the opportunity to train 40 young professionals who worked as Collection Agents with an outsourcing company on Business Ethics, Self-Leadership and Growth Mindset. As the company was growing, they were finding it difficult to adapt to new structures and find their place.

We had conversations and I also used role play and games to help drive home the points on each of these themes. It was really great seeing the aha moments and those who came to see me for one-on-one sessions, nothing like experience people take lessons to heart and committing to doing something about it. They are better for it and so is the company.

I left them with these parting words from an unknown author - "Every job, is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with EXCELLENCE"

French Streak

Part of my 2019 Personal Development Plan is to finally learn a new language. I started learning with Duolingo in January. I missed a few days, however, I was able to maintain a full month streak in February. Currently on a 39 day streak. I have learnt a lot of new words (542) and practiced them in sentences, some of my favourite ones are:

"Boulangerie" which means bakery; "Enchante" (missing sign on the e) - means nice to meet you; "Etudier" - to study; "Confiture" - jam; "Apprendre" and "Comprendre" - to learn and to understand. See my summary below.

Learning French with Duolingo has helped boost my memory and my self-awareness. I also realised that by joining the weekly league I have been able to stay committed.

We all need our own tribe and communities on our journey towards achieving set goals. Don't Isolate Yourself.

Book Review

Almost everyone has read more books on their "New Year Resolutions" right? I planned to read a variety of books this year. To confess I have not completed my February book. It's quite a big one (600+ pages), however, I must confess it is one of the best books I have read. Its sheer honesty, transparency, depth and relevance to the political and economic climate of Nigeria where I reside and where I am from, had me underlining and making notes on almost all pages. I will continue reading it as part of my reading list for the month of March, I can't wait to share more discoveries with you.

This book has given me hope that with the right leadership, clarity of purpose and sheer determination, a country that invests in its people and rewards diligence can truly come from "Third World to First". LKY has left an indelible mark on my heart and renewed my patriotic spirit.

This book is one I would recommend to all political office holders, aspirants and anyone who wants to do great things with little resources.

Steering for Greatness Foundation

On the work front, the team and I got our hands busy with a few new programs. On Instagram we launched the "Teen Mentor Showcase" where we have had five lovely guests share with us on different topics - Conversations with Money, Go Global with Opportunities, Speak Like a Pro and Know your rights and responsibilities as a citizen.

In trying new things, there are bound to be challenges. Teen Mentor Showcase wasn't without its own. Despite our fine line up of guests, internet connection disrupted some of the days. However, as people who love to design think and reinvent, we came up with the option of pre-recording. You can make it a date with us in March, Wednesdays by 5pm on Instagram and Facebook. Do follow -@steeringforgreatness on IG or www.facebook.com/steer.to.greatness on Facebook.

The last day of February saw us launch the Phase two of the Future Readiness Tour. It was a really beautiful time. The next generation are hungry to learn beyond academics, they want to be inspired, it was a privilege to have conversations on the future of work and building their dreams from the ground up.

We ended the event with a beautiful selfie.

Steering for Greatness is also relaunching her website and it has been a thrill working with the team on redesigning it to be effective and endearing to the groups we serve - teenagers, teachers, parents, donors, volunteers and partners. Look out for more information on the website launch on my page. I would love your feedback on the site.

Valentine's Day

What is February without a lovely Valentine right? Well I had an unusual Valentine's Day, unlike last year where I spent it mostly stuck in traffic, I was able to narrowly avoid the traffic. I finally picked up a donation of 200 books which we are giving out on our Future Readiness Tour - Building a Conscious Career. After work, my team and I stopped by the mall to have a lovely team bonding dinner of Chinese food, some window shopping and of course pictures (insert the applicable smiley).

February went by pretty fast and I told my colleague today can't be Friday...which means it is 17 days to LETi.Lab PreVarsity! This program endears my heart and you can read about it here - bit.ly/letilab. Registration is still on, so please help spread the word.

I still have more February gists, but this is gradually becoming a book. So I'll stop here.

I would love to hear from you, how was the second month and hope you are smashing your goals!

P.S. If you are looking for a facilitator or speaker, do reach out, I would be glad to do it and my fees are affordable (for now...hehe...before I become "tres cher" like my mentors, reach out to me now).