Creating Jobs from Work

'There are no jobs joo!'

'Ah ah, I've filled hundreds of applications and haven't heard anything. Again I say there are no jobs!'

This is the major line being used in the ever popular conversation on job hunting in Nigeria and many other countries I would imagine. On the one hand we have those who say, 'The economy is doomed.' 'Young people are coming out of school faster than the government can generate jobs for them.' 'It's not fair.' 'What are the poor children supposed to do?' 

Then you have the equally important group who say work and jobs are not too far apart. 'There might be no jobs but we are overrun by work being left undone!!'

My take is - Its a catch 22......

Who Created Your Job?

Following the TED talk from my last post, The Rich and Job Creation, I got to thinking....

The assumption on job creation is that somehow the super rich have all the answers. That the rich owe it to the rest of the population to create opportunities for others to take advantage of. In the African context however, how many jobs can Aliko Dangote create? He is a tremendously rich industrialist no doubt, but in relation to the 160 million (and counting) people in Nigeria, exactly how much of an impact would a single man have on the bottom line? Okay, lets play fair. If all the super rich individuals in Nigeria were put together, how many jobs would they create? So going by the Forbes List, the likes of Mike Adenuga, Jim Ovia, Folorunsho Alakija and the six other juggernauts could drum up a good number of jobs. A really good number. But not nearly enough.......

The Rich and Job Creation

This youtube link of a TED presentation was sent to me on twitter and I was intrigued because it said to have been banned. Now I understand why. Please continue....

5 Reasons Why The Employed Should Be (Very, Very) Worried.

“Dear All, Following d current restructuring in (identity withheld) Bank, we regret 2 inform u dt ur service is no longer required. Pls note dt ur letter will be sent 2u soon.”

This is an excerpt of a post I came across on one of the blogs I follow. It was a text message sent to now ex-bank workers who had until the time of receiving it, been full time employees of one of the commercial banks in Nigeria. Unless you have been living under a rock you would have heard of the current financial 'restructuring' that has been going on in Nigeria. A few mergers and acquisitions have also taken center stage and as usual, the 'grass' is suffering.

Woman! Stop trying to be a Man! You're terrible at it!!!

Ok so I am sick and tired of seeing these fierce looking, masculine pretending women trying to play the part of stern, officious, worker. There is a reason why your anatomy and your mind is designed and wired the way it is. Stop trying to mess with the Designer's plan. You will never win, because the Designer does not answer to you. You are a woman. Deal with it!

Like I said in a previous post, my newest goldmine is ForbesWoman on Forbes.com. This is what a contributor sent in and it really rings true even with us thousands of miles away.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/worldviews/2012/01/27/the-next-generation-of-female-leaders-will-emerge-at-a-faster-pace-when-women-stop-trying-to-act-like-men/

Do you think otherwise? Let's share!

Be an Expert!

Many people feel that lightening needs to strike and a few rays of light settle on your head to finally say you are knowledgeable or an expert in something. I used to think this way and now that I look back I am convinced that our pattern of thought is way out of context. That is why we have mediocres running things and those with the knowledge waiting to be called up and given a 21 gun salute! 

Erm, people! Mark my words, it will never happen. You will sit there waiting with all your fancy English and nicely framed certificates for a very, very long time. Chances are your wait will not only be long but will also be excruciatingly painful because you will wake up every morning knowing you could have done a much better job. Its not enough to know it, you've got to be visible so people will know you know it and give you a chance to apply it! There is no other way!

Who is an expert? Lets not get too technical, in simple terms, he/she just knows a little or a lot more about a subject matter/skill than the average person. What therefore differentiates an expert from a generalist is knowledge and time. If you invest quality time into gaining quality insight into whatever field you are looking to specialise in, then this article is a must read.

People argue that leaders are born, not made. Its either you have it or you don't. I have my reservations about that but then again we all have a right to our opinions. This will be a great resource even as I continue the 'Home Businesses on a Tight Budget' Series. I hope it helps!

Yea, its still from my rave of the moment Forbes.com....

http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2012/01/27/experts-rule-15-ways-to-establish-authority-in-your-field/

Want to make your mark as a woman, read this! If not, keep moving....

Every woman who is a leader or wants to be in a leadership position in the near future needs to watch this. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to pick the brains of females in control. I am not talking small fry, I am talking the top 'dogs' of multimillion dollar, blue chip companies. I felt like hugging these women and giving them a huge bouquet of the most beautiful roses I could find. I know I am from a different part of the world and some of you might shut this down before you even look at it and say ’how does this one concern me?’. Humour me!

Home Businesses on a Tight Budget - Part 2

I tried hard to encompass as many sectors as possible in my research. Many people only envision vocational services when they think of working from home or earning additional income. There is also the 'knowledge-based' market which is growing in popularity everyday. Developed countries got a hang of it many moons ago but in some part of the world, it's just catching on.

So option number two for aspiring home biz owners....................

What do you REALLY want?

Decide what you want early and save yourself the heartache.

Do you want a quick hit, truckloads of money right now!? Or do you want to make enough to keep you in the game long enough to know how to make, maintain and grow the big bucks? What you decide will govern how you do everything in your business, I mean every single thing.

Image courtesy:http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2026

I have seen it happen time and time again, business owners, who go in search of the Golden Fleece, hit it big and became overnight superstars. That’s great but is that really what you want? Do you want to come into so much money all at once and drive yourself crazy with all the things you can buy, ride the wave while it lasts and run into a hole when the gig is up? Seriously, is that really what you want? You increase the lifestyle tastes of your family and then when the money wave dies down you are running from pillar to post, getting into deals you ordinarily wouldn’t dream of in your right mind.