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UNEMPLOYMENT AND ITS LASTING SOLUTIONS

by with No Comment Career Developmenmt

An extract from Gospel Akano article

2023 marks five years of unemployment for James, a 1st class graduate of philosophy from Obafemi Awolowo University.

This was unfortunate for James as against his thought that with his 1st class grade alone, he should get a good job quickly in one of the blue chip companies.

Meanwhile, James’ closest friend in the university, Mary who studied the same course and graduated the same year but with a low grade of second class lower (2.2) is now a senior manager in one of the multinationals in Lagos, Nigeria.

Aside from that, she now has a Consulting business that she runs by the side. One could have thought that Mary was born with a silver spoon or has some big connections. However, she has no connection or rich background. 

The secret is when they were in the university, and having discovered she was not having great scores, she started to add value, competence, and skills to herself. She would always be found in different employability and entrepreneurship programmes and volunteering on campus.

She finished her Project Management Professional and HR Professional before graduation.

In fact, she enrolled herself in a computer training class to learn basic computer skills in MS Word, Excel, and all. She paid N5,000 to learn how to use LinkedIn. She acquired communication, presentation, teamwork, and networking skills.

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All these are what she had in her CV and these always impressed recruiters and gave her an edge over the 1st-class applicants who have less of all these skills, certifications, competence, and professionalism.

At present, Mary is enrolled in her Master’s programme even though it was difficult for her to combine this with her itinerary. Now, she has equipped herself enough. 

Realistically, there is a high level of 33.3% unemployment rate in Nigeria according to the National Bureau of Statistics; KPMG says: it is going to increase to 40.6%. However, for the few jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities available, how prepared are the youths to take them?

Actually, if governments have disappointed us enough by not providing jobs and lacking an enabling environment for job creation, and businesses to thrive, why don’t the youths take our destinies into our own hands, without waiting for governments that care less about us? What youths can do here is VOTE RIGHTLY.

Just, like James, there are many brilliant people but without skills, and competence, brilliance will be useless in this age. Hence, just like Mary, youths should add competence and skills to themselves. Nothing stops us from going to school, having good grades, enrolling for professional courses, learning digital, STEM skills, entrepreneurship, vocational, communication, networking, teamwork, Linkedin, and problem-solving skills. Udemy, Coursera, Linkedin Skills, Google Digital Skill programme, Hubspot, Facebook Blueprint courses are available virtually free. Volunteering, internships and learning storytelling, project management, grant application, and how to access global opportunities are there to help gain employment. These involve sacrifice though. However, it’s rewarding. All these give us an edge in the marketplace. Just do it.

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THE DILEMMA OF LEADERSHIP: SEQUEL TO RISE OF 100 LEADERS, OAU.

by with No Comment Career DevelopmenmtPersonal Development

Everywhere Racheal went, she was hailed as a natural-born leader endowed with exceptional skills. It seemed destiny had carved out a path for her, placing her in leadership positions at a remarkably young age—in the classroom, during practical sessions, at church, or wherever her presence was required.

Despite her introverted nature, Racheal mastered the art of adaptation, seamlessly blending into any environment she found herself in. She may not have sought the spotlight, but the unmistakable essence of leadership always gravitated toward her. With time, she honed her leadership abilities, immersing herself in the realm and leveraging her strengths while actively working on her weaknesses.

Diligence, commitment, excellence, loyalty, integrity, and other leadership qualities determined Racheal’s guiding principles. However, a quandary plagued her mind.

Racheal had fallen ill with the flu, bedridden for three grueling days. Yet, she couldn’t help but shoulder the burden of completing all the assigned tasks. During this period, she realized how much she had neglected to delegate responsibilities to her team in a manner that would allow progress to continue in her absence. This dilemma could aptly be termed the crucial concept of “knowledge transference.”

Embarking on the journey of knowledge transfer, we uncover the unique art of sharing wisdom, skills, and insights from one entity to another. It’s a profound exchange that captures the essence of growth and development, meticulously capturing, organizing, and transferring the keys to success.

Consider this intriguing scenario: The Rise of 100 Leaders, fueled by an insatiable thirst for progress, tactfully unveiled a fascinating leadership predicament, knowledge transfer, and management. By combining close-knit group interactions with well-equipped coaches and engaging classroom activities, every participant discovered their voice and felt renewed excitement and enthusiasm.

But amidst this captivating narrative, let’s delve into a few tantalizing thoughts:

  1. How can the invaluable knowledge acquired in this transformative training cascade across the leadership realm, nurturing a new breed of exemplary visionaries through an unwavering commitment to quality?
  2. What extraordinary processes can a leader craft within their organization or team, ensuring the continuous flow of projects and tasks even in their absence, fostering a legacy of excellence?
  3. In the labyrinth of leadership, how does a true leader foster trust among their team and deftly navigate the delicate path of knowledge transfer, fostering an environment of growth and collaboration?
  4. Unlocking the secrets to effective knowledge transfer: a quest that demands ingenuity, strategy, and unwavering dedication. How can we traverse this treacherous terrain to extract the full potential of shared wisdom, maximizing its impact?

YTOP RISE OF 100 LEADERS WEEK 7-9

by with No Comment Career DevelopmenmtPersonal Development

The Rise of 100 Leaders, Week 7 commenced with Mr. Ekundayo Damilare a recap of past learnings and how the practical applications of collaboration, teamwork, idea generation, talent management, and much more were taught by the previous coaches. All participants were encouraged to discuss how they could have implemented the concepts in their day-to-day activities. To add a touch of interest and interaction, Mr. Ekundayo Oluwadamilare posed a quiz question that targeted recognizing and harnessing opportunities and the importance of effective resource management.

Weeks 7 to 9 covered the topics of Success, Self-Pitching, Branding, Business Opportunity and reality, and Corporate and Enterprise Leadership. As these topics were vital for every youth in the labor market, they were extensively discussed by every invited coach.

There are many definitions of success, yet being successful has been attributed to different characteristics and attributes. During the class, which was anchored by Miss Ogooluwa Oseni, all participants could reimagine the many definitions of success and see new perspectives on what success means. As a successful entrepreneur, she could practically explain what success meant, the ups and downs, the strengths and weaknesses,  and everything encompassing success as a term and lifestyle.

Branding, a unique topic that is an essential part of every individual and business owner, was carefully dissected by Mister Cornelius Ilori. Everyone is a brand and has a name, but how do you effectively pitch yourself as a brand.

Whether it’s an interview or a business meeting, research says you have 45 seconds to interest your listener or lose interest in you. That is why it is very essential to develop your brand and know how to pitch yourself. Your brand is your identity. Your identity determines what kind of value outsiders will place on you. Develop your brand, develop your identity, and increase your value.

Participants were encouraged to evaluate how they had branded themselves so far and the figurative identity of branding. Social media being an effective tool for branding was included. They were guided on how to use this tool to develop their brands, such as using a uniform name on all social media, using professional pictures,  posting value-rich content, and so much more. The Business Opportunity and Corporate and Enterprise Leadership classes were anchored by Miss Falolu Taiwo and Mister Ekundayo Oluwadamilare. The uniqueness of this class is that both Coaches are proven record-breakers in the business world. Having developed their brand as business entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector,  they were the right mentors for this class. Both coaches used practical approaches to upskill all participants through this session, which included sharing life experiences, using analysis of different mega organizations, highlighting distinct and unique attributes of leading figures in the business world, and even enlightening the participants about the business model canva that can be used to pitch the business more effectively to any investor.

As the session ended, the participants were encouraged to conduct a SWOT analysis, identify ways to improve their weaknesses and complement them with their strengths. They were also encouraged to expand their abilities as potential leaders.

With this, we drew the curtain close to the coaching session of the Rise of 100 Leaders, Obafemi Awolowo University. The lectures were enlightening in every sense of the word. Every participant was engaged in networking and even grouped to improve communication,  teamwork, accountability, and leadership. As some participants had their brands, creating a unique identity became easy as they could practice all they had learned. The program also became an opportunity to showcase its brand, and it was effectively supported by everyone who attended. The effect of the teaching throughout the eight-week program is evident on social media, with a noticeable improvement in response rate across all social networks, culminating in increased participant engagement.

At YTOP Global, we do not believe in just giving back; we restore value by giving back to society. We are committed to the success of our program participants and aim to help them achieve their dreams.

YTOP RISE OF 100 LEADERS WEEK 4-6

by with No Comment Career DevelopmenmtPersonal Development

As we rolled into the fourth week of “Rise of 100 Leaders in OAU”, all leaders practiced what had been taught in the practical communication class. An excerpt from the class extending greetings to each other even if the meeting hadn’t begun or there were some delays. The participants took up this responsibility to chat before the session. Furthermore, they discussed the day’s topic and shared their perceptions as potential leaders. Each participant also gave briefings on the highlights of the last session.

Idea generation is a process. Whatever idea you have was conceived before going through a process of actualization. The Process of Idea Generation was anchored by Miss Marvelous Ojo and Mr. Ekundayo Oluwadamilare. The participants were taken through the steps of idea generation and actualization, including conceiving, ideation, brainstorming, research, planning, skill-mapping, sourcing, and materializing your idea. Every idea is considered valid and insignificant, so writing your idea is advised. A common issue many individuals face is the fear that someone else has developed their ideas or they may get stolen. The anchor coach helped all participants understand the uniqueness of each idea regardless of how many people might have conceived the same idea. Your ideas may be the same, but your uniqueness is determined by how you carry out your conceived idea. During the session, participants were asked to look at their environment, identify a problem they would love to solve, and evaluate which phase of life they belong to according to the stages discussed

The subsequent classes were focused on the growth, development, and management of talent. Anchored by Miss Mercy-Praise Ninan and ,Mister Dotun Olaniji, the participants were enlightened on how to develop and harness their abilities to fulfill individual life’s purpose. They were also put through technical skills on how to identify their talents, put their talents to work, develop their skills, and increase their abilities beyond their current talents.

We close the coaching session for the Rise of 100 Leaders, Obafemi Awolowo University. In forthcoming weeks, participants will have exclusive sessions with leading executives of mega enterprises and leadership experts in the field.

WHAT PERSEVERANCE IS ALL ABOUT

by with 4 Comments Career Developmenmt

Each of us thrives on achievement, and in doing so, we frequently overlook the challenges that lie ahead. We pen down our goals and want to fulfill them immediately, but we are only human, so we may fall short. Failure at the start might cause frustration and damage your self-confidence. You may be tempted to abandon your ambitions because you do not believe you will ever achieve your goals.

Despite common opinion, success is not a one-way street or a straight line. It’s a winding road with many ups and downs, and you should proceed with caution. You may trip or become disoriented. If you keep going, however, you will eventually arrive at your target. In other words, Persevere.

Perseverance is defined as sticking to a plan of action despite obstacles, without succumbing to discouragement, opposition, or previous failure. It means sticking to your goals and not giving up no matter the obstacle, you have to face it.

Perseverance is a characteristic that is required to instill one of the most important soft skills in the development of individuals: interpersonal relationships. This quality enhances basic communication abilities. Distinct people have different characteristics, personalities, attitudes, and ideas in the world. Some people are calm and composed, while others are impatient and irritable; dealing with them all requires effort. You can’t expect everyone to be on your side and agree with you, so you’ll have to be patient.

IMPORTANCE OF PERSEVERANCE

Perseverance is crucial as well as important, its sole aim is to make you succeed if you are persistent and ready for change. It will push you to a limit and you will learn things from it.

  1. Employers reward endurance in their employees because they require people who can work through difficult situations while remaining calm.
  2. Success requires perseverance. Never give up if you want to succeed. There is no one-way street to success. It’s a journey; you succeed at times and fail at others. Your failure may break your hope and confidence, but it will not prevent you from succeeding. You may figure it out in various ways; you may need to take a step back at times, but never give up. You must maintain a positive attitude even if you do not believe you are advancing or thriving as you would like. When presented with a challenge, keep your eyes on your goals and recall why you started and how you got through difficult times in the first place.
  3. Perseverance boosts your motivation, leads to amazing discoveries, and broadens your understanding of your aims and ambitions. Your efforts will undoubtedly pay off. Quitters are never winners, and winners are never quitters.
  1. Mastery comes through perseverance. The more you try and pursue something, the better you will get at it. Over time, your efforts can lead to mastery. To obtain quality, you must make use of the resources available to you.
  2. Perseverance is a quality that promotes progress. One who perseveres develops essential attributes as a result of their abilities. Giving up is our greatest weakness. The most guaranteed way to succeed is to give it another shot.

FIVE REAL-LIFE PERSEVERANCE EXAMPLES

1. Muhammad Ali

Everyone is aware of the fantastic Muhammad Ali, When preparing for battles, he would push himself to the limit and refuse to give up when things got tough. This distinguishing feature is what made him a boxing legend.

2. J. K. Rowling

The bestselling author of the Harry Potter series, struggled to finish her first draft. Her novel was rejected by a number of agents once it was finished. She did not, however, quit up. She eventually found someone who would take her on. Her agent quickly found a publisher, and her works went on to become international bestsellers that have been adapted into a number of blockbuster films. She is now one of the world’s wealthiest women.

3. Albert Einstein

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Although Albert Einstein’s name is now almost solely connected with genius, he was not considered a promising scholar when he was young. His parents and school began to believe he was mentally challenged and socially uncomfortable because he did not speak until he was four years old and did not read until he was seven. After being expelled from school, Einstein was denied admission to Zurich Polytechnic School.

4. Walt Disney

For nearly a century, Walt Disney has amused children all around the world and built a multibillion-dollar marketing empire. Mr. Disney’s first employment at the Kansas City Star was terminated because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Years later, with the purchase of parent company ABC, the Walt Disney Company acquired the Kansas City Star in an ironic turn of events.

5. Thomas Edison

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The innovator, who was considered unteachable as a child, revolutionized the world with his development of the electric light-bulb. Edison explored nearly 1,000 ways he couldn’t make a light bulb before this tremendous achievement.

BENEFITS OF PERSEVERANCE

In the end a lot is gained from perseverance, it will not let you down if you use it wisely.

  1. Perseverance helps you to be patient. Patience is not a skill, it is developed, perseverance helps you to develop patience.  It makes you trustworthy because people will be able to depend on you to hold your forte when in troubling circumstances. Perseverance increases your value. It builds up your self worth. Perseverance is a result of our habits. The more you overcome your fears and challenges the more resilient you become. When the world tells you to quit, hope whispers to keep trying one more time.

 

  1. Perseverance helps to mitigate crisis, it teaches you to focus on the solution to a crisis and not the problem. Perseverance takes you out of your comfort zone , helps you to focus on your goals.

 

Perseverance helps you to face your fears and build up your courage. It increases hope for a better tomorrow and strength in you.

FIVE BOOKS ON PERSEVERANCE

Widen your knowledge about perseverance as it will help in helping you control it and use it to your fullest potential. 

1. Finding Chika by Mitch Albom

The Liars’ Club and The Art of Memoir author Mary Karr Tuesdays by the #1 New York Times bestselling author Mitch Albom’s most personal story to date, Morrie, is an intimate and heartwarming memoir about what it means to be a family and the young Haitian orphan whose short life changed his heart forever

2. Drop the Ball by Tiffany Dufu

A daring and inspiring memoir and manifesto from a well-known voice in the women’s leadership movement that teaches women how to cultivate the one skill they really need to thrive: the ability to let go.

3. Mindset by Carol Dweck

Dweck discusses the fundamental difference between development and fixed mindsets in simple terms. These beliefs have far-reaching repercussions. She, too, builds her arguments on sound research while demonstrating how we may change our beliefs.

4. 30 Devotions for Faith that Moves Mountains by Unknown

It could mean one thing to you and another to your friend, colleague, or family member, depending on your current circumstances. You may not be going through any difficulties right now, but rest assured, they will come. If there is one universal truth, it is that life is unconcerned about who you are. It causes suffering to everyone.

5. Kaizen by Sarah Harvey

This is a great book that discusses how the Japanese approach to improvement is steady and incremental.

It delves into the philosophy’s cultural roots before demonstrating how we might apply it to our own lives.

TIPS TO PERSEVERING

You might lose hope while trying to achieve your goals, therefore in persevering;

  1. You need to be self disciplined.
  2. You need to believe in yourself.
  3. Have a strong mindset towards success and be optimistic.
  4. You need to develop a growth mindset.
  5. Think about your goals and remember how you pulled through trying times from the onset.

Polishing and improving yourself as an individual takes time and effort, so you require perseverance to do so. So while you might feel lost and want to give up, you have to remember that it is all for a good course. Remain focused and you will surely achieve.

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5 KEYS TO GETTING BETTER IN YOUR TALENT DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY

by with 20 Comments Career Developmenmt

Talent development is a big deal and talents are natural gifts within every human given to make life easier and foster collaboration.

For example, if you are talented in writing and another person has a talent in music, you can easily write songs for the singer. In essence, talents are not meant to serve as a source of competition but a source of complementing each other and getting better as we collaborate for change.

Talent is like an ore that has to be discovered, mined and refined before it is fit for use. And the more refined metal is, the greater purpose it can serve. This also applies to your talents.

YTOP COMMUNITY DEVELOPEMENT PROGRAM

As much as talent discovery is essential, it is only through talent development that you can make your gift more useful.

So the question is, how do you develop your talents?

1. Identify people who have similar talents as you do and try to know their history: it is easy to get carried away by the prowess of writers like Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka and to fall in love with Simi’s voice and Chike’s talent. But there is a history behind beautiful talents. There are moments of practice and conscious learning that everybody does not know about. You should find out about this and not just love your role models, learn their history.


2. Do thorough research on what it takes to be a master in your talent and draw out a plan on how to achieve it: the best way to describe this is knowing where you are going, identifying what you need to do to get there and give it all it takes to reach that goal. No journey is easy but when you know what to do at every junction, the journey is easier.

3. Understand the place of time in talent development: like the old saying goes “Rome was not built in a day.” You might not have to go through the tough times others went through, you may have learned about the pitfalls to avoid and the things you need to do but understand that time is an essential factor in talent development. It might take you 6 years to become a better writer while another person will start publishing books after 6 months of conscious learning and practice. So before you compare yourself with others, identify what they are doing differently, and give yourself time. No need to rush.

YTOP GLOBAL AT ST PETER'S AFRICAN CHURCH GOVERNEMENT MIDDLE SCHOOL

4. Understand that you are unique: there’s a saying that “life is a race and you should focus on your lane”. Avoid unhealthy competition with others. You are built differently, your personality, environment, background and many other factors are different. This is why you shouldn’t beat yourself down because someone who is your age is doing ‘better. That will be unhealthy competition. The best competition on your journey of talent development is who you were yesterday versus who you are today. Do a consistent evaluation of your capabilities periodically and see how you are improving and what you need to do better. At the end of the day, what matters in your talent development journey is you getting better at what you do every day.

5. Relax, make new friends and enjoy life: as much as you want to focus on your talent development, you should understand that the essence of life is living. Avoid the urge to become a workaholic. Take time to play, relax, attend events, read a novel or see a movie. These relaxing activities help your brain rest and can also help improve your thinking skills as you have conversations with people and analyze what you read or see.

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