Dedication For Olajumoke Awogbade, nee Madarikan, (1960-1999), the best em lo!

er " e#er had$ %our leadershi st!le, &ounsel at sta'' meetings and big sister dis osition hel ed me realise " &ould ne#er be a boss( Appreciation Man! thanks to )oroth!, Anana, *ord and Ajogu 'or understanding and bearing with m! e&uliar solitar! habits, es e&iall! when " withdraw to read or write$ +as! ("srael), thanks 'or !our &omments whi&h " ha#e ,uoted in se&tions o' this book$ Authorhouse$$$thanks 'or making it ha en(

BREAKING THE BONDAGE OF EMPLOYMENT

a biblical perspective on wealth creation Introduction -his book is all about ma.imising !our /od-gi#en otentials and natural endowments 'or !our o timum rodu&ti#it! and ros erit!$ "t is written rimaril! 'rom a 0udeo- 1hristian ers e&ti#e, howe#er all readers would 'ind the rin&i les enun&iated here rele#ant to their li'egoals$ -he rin&i le o' wealth trans'er is one that is seen through out the bible$ "n a nutshell, it states that the wealth o' the heathens would be gi#en to the righteous$ "t began with /od2s romise to gi#e the land o' 1anaan to Abraham$

Now the Lord said to Abram: Get out of your country, and from your fathers house, to a land that I will show you !hen Abram too" #arai his wife and Lot his brothers son, and all the possessions that they had $athered, and the people whom they had ac%uired in &aran, and they departed to $o to the land of 'anaan #o they came to the land of 'anaan ( )Gen *+:* , -.$ Also, And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: Lift your eyes now and loo" from the place where you are/ northward, southward, eastward and westward0 for all the land which you see I $i1e to you and your descendants fore1er Arise, wal" in the land throu$h its len$th and its width, for I $i1e it to you ( )Gen *2:*34*- , *5.$ -hus, Abraham be&ame the 'irst bene'i&iar! o' the romise o' wealth trans'er$ -he 'irst h!si&al mani'estation o' this romise was when the wealth o' +g! t was trans'erred to "srael on the e#e o' "srael2s de arture 'rom sla#er! in +g! t$ Now the children of Israel had done accordin$ to the word of 6oses, and they had as"ed from the 7$yptians articles of sil1er, articles of $old, and clothin$ And the Lord had $i1en the people fa1our in the si$ht of the 7$yptians, so they $ranted them what they re%uested !hus they plundered the 7$yptians ( )78 *+:2-429.$ -herea'ter, man! o' the ins ired #erses o' the 3salms allude to this rin&i le$ "t is seen in +&&lesiastes, but to the sinner &e $i1es the wor" of $atherin$ and collectin$, that he may $i1e it to him who is $ood before God ( )7ccl +:+9b.$ -his rin&i le is stated without e,ui#o&ation "n "saiah 6045-667 it is also reiterated in &ha ter 6146, :ou shall eat the riches of the Gentiles and in their $lory you shall boast ( )Is 9*:9b.$

-his rin&i le has be&ome 'oundational in man! o' the &ontem orar! tea&hings on wealth &reation in the &hur&h toda!$ -rue, there were bibli&al instan&es in whi&h, b! some a&ts o' /od2s so#ereignt!, the wealth o' the heathens were literall! handed o#er to /od2s eo le$ !hen the people went out and plundered the camp of the #yrians #o a seah of fine flour was sold for a she"el, and two seahs of barley for a she"el, accordin$ to the word of the Lord ( )+ ;in$s 5:*9.$ 8owe#er, " belie#e that there are other wa!s b! whi&h this &an be a&hie#ed toda!$ One o' su&h wa!s is 'or the righteous to take ad#antage o' the world2s e&onomi& s!stem (whi&h we know is now in the 'irm &ontrol o' the god o' this world with the heathens as his administrators) and ro'it 'rom it b! de lo!ing their otentials and endowments ro'itabl!$ For too long the saints o' /od ha#e been &ontent to be 9the hewers o' wood and drawers o' water: 'or the lords o' the world2s e&onomi& s!stem$ "t is time 'or us to ste into the market la&e as ke! la!ers in the e&onom! o' the nations o' the world$ For so long our skills and strengths7 diligen&e and 'aith'ulness ha#e built the business em ires o' this world$ "t is time 'or us to build godl! business em ires to the glor! o' /od$ I firmly believe that this kind of wealth creation and distribution cannot happen when you are in someone elses employment. -he ur ose o' wealth-trans'er is &learl! stated in the bible, /od2s word$ /od told Abraham4 <I will bless thee, and ma"e thy name $reat0 and thou shalt be a blessin$ ( )Gen *+:+.$ ;ealth in the hands o' the righteous does mu&h good to the world$ -he righteous show&ase /od2s intention 'or ros erit! b!4

+nhan&ing the ,ualit! o' li'e and li#ing4 !he labor of the ri$hteous leads to life, the wa$es of the wic"ed to sin ( )=ro1 *>:*9. <eing &onsiderate and humane em lo!ers o' labour4 A ri$hteous man re$ards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wic"ed are cruel ( )=ro1 *+:*>.$ <eing generous in the redistribution o' wealth4 the ri$hteous $i1es and does not spare ( )=ro1 +*:+9b. 3ro#oking jo! and wides read &elebration as a result o' their &ondu&t4 ?hen the ri$hteous are in authority, the people re@oice0 but when a wic"ed man rules, the people $roan ( )=ro1 +A:+. 1ham ioning so&ial justi&e, e,uit! and the &ause o' the oor4 !he ri$hteous considers the cause of the poor, but the wic"ed does not understand such "nowled$e ( )=ro1 +A:5.$

;hen the righteous &ome into wealth, the world would witness an age o' so&ial res onsibilit! on su&h le#el and s&ale ne#er be'ore enjo!ed$ -his kind o' wealth is 'or sons, not &hildren, as &hildren would &onsume the wealth on their lusts and destro! themsel#es in the ro&ess$ M! ur ose in this book is to show !ou /od2s mind &on&erning !our role in the &reation o' kingdom wealth 'or kingdom business$ " would hel !ou to dis&o#er how !ou &an translate !our otentials and skills to raw wealth$ %ou will be ama=ed at the ossibilities a#ailable to !ou and angr! that !ou ha#e waited so long to take ad#antage o' them( <ra&e !oursel' and &ome with me on a mission to destro! the !oke o' a &ertain taskmaster &alled aid em lo!ment$

'&A=!7B CN7

The origin of paid employment...

A hundred years ago, about 90 percent of our ancestors were entrepreneurs. Now the number is between 10 and 20 percent. 4Bobert G Allen "n the beginning, /od &reated Adam and ga#e him a job to do$ Adam was, essentiall!, sel'-em lo!ed e#en though he had to re ort to /od$ " belie#e that this is /od2s master lan 'or us e#en toda!>9do !our thing as a steward o' the talents that " ha#e gi#en to !ou and, some da!, !ou will gi#e a&&ount to me$: -he sons o' Adam, as the! grew u , also went their se arate wa!s to establish their own businesses, ea&h o' them engaging in e&onomi& ursuits that best suited their natural in&linations$ -here is no indi&ation that the! were working 'or their 'ather nor were the! working 'or ea&h other$ Now Abel was a "eeper of sheep, but 'ain was a tiller of the $round ( )Gen 3:+.$ +a&h worked 'or himsel' 'or the good o' all and rendered a&&ount to /od indi#iduall!$ ;hile Abel2s a&&ount was &ommended, 1ain2s was thrown out with a rebuke$ "n more re&ent times, we see this attern at la! in man! &ommunities$ Families were usuall! known b! the trade the! engaged in$ ?o strong was this asso&iation that 'amilies were literall! &alled b! their trades$ 8en&e there were 'amil! names like 1ar enter, ?mith, <arber, Maishai, Onigbanjo, et&$ 1hildren born into these 'amilies learnt the trade as the! grew u and trade se&rets were 'reel! shared with members o' the 'amil!$ At maturit!, the! bran&hed o'' to start their own businesses$

-he! engaged in the same business as their arents but here the! were the managers o' their own enter rises and masters o' their own destinies$ -he ambition and ride o' most 'athers was to raise &hildren who will not onl! take to the 'amil! trade, but er'orm better than the! themsel#es e#er did$ -o 'urther illustrate this oint, we 'ind that members o' the &ommunities in most o' our earlier so&ieties were either agrarian or artisan in their e&onomi& endea#ours$ All who were born into these &ommunities de#elo ed a means o' li#elihood that deri#ed 'rom this basi& ba&kground$ @obod! had to work 'or the other as ser#i&es and rodu&ts were &om lementar! and transa&tions assumed a barter-like dimension$ -his attern o' work &ontinued as eo le multi lied on the 'a&e o' the earth until the e''e&ts o' sin made man to de#iate 'rom this di#ine lan$ -here literall! was nothing like unem lo!ment$ Anem lo!ment as we know it toda! is a 'all-out o' the de enden&! s!ndrome &reated b! the henomenon &alled aid em lo!ment --one erson2s labour engaged b! another on a 'airl! &ontinuous basis 'or remuneration$ 1on,uest, o#ert!, greed and la=iness 'or&ed eo le to work 'or others$ "t would be hel 'ul to brie'l! e.amine the reasons wh! eo le mo#ed awa! 'rom this s!stem and began to work 'or others$ -he! ha#e been stated earlier as conquest, po erty, fear and !a"iness$ Conquest "n re#ious ages wars were o'ten 'ought as a means o' either reser#ing territorial integrit! or e. anding some &ountr!2s territorial 'rontiers$ -hese, o' &ourse, were not the onl! reasons wh! wars were 'ought$ "ssues o' er&ei#ed slight, honour, &hi#alr!, greed or mere boredom ro#oked wars$ "n war, intimidation, &oer&ion and #iolen&e are the means o' obtaining the submission o' a eo le to another$ -he human s irit, being naturall! 'ree, resents an! 'orm o' domination$ 8en&e, all through the histor! o' man, eo le ha#e alwa!s resisted an! 'orm o' &on,uest or in#oluntar! submission to their 'ellow man$ As with most en&ounters in li'e, there were losers and there were winners (thank /od 'or the &ontem orar! hiloso h! o' win-win

out&omes()$ "n wars, the losers were subjugated and be&ame the sla#es o' their &on,uerors who immediatel! engaged them in all kinds o' menial tasks with a #iew to debase them and erode their sel'-esteem$ -he &on,uered were stri ed o' all #estiges o' human dignit! to the oint where the! do not e#en &ontem late rebellion against their o ressors$ A good &ase in oint was that o' "srael in +g! t$ -he +g! tian 3haraoh a&knowledged the numeri&al and h!si&al su eriorit! o' the 8ebrews, a oint he raised when ro osing their ensla#ement to his eo le$ Now there arose a new "in$ o1er 7$ypt, who did not "now Doseph And he said to his people, Loo", the people of the children of Israel are more and mi$htier than we0 come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the e1ent of war, that they also @oin our enemies and fi$ht a$ainst us, and so $o up out of the land !herefore they set tas"masters o1er them to afflict them with their burdens And they built for =haraoh supply cities, =ithom and Baamses ( )78 *:E4**. %et, "srael would not li't a 'inger against +g! t be&ause their ser#itude had totall! emas&ulated them and the! &ould not imagine an u rising against 3haraoh$ +#en Moses2 attem t at armed rebellion attra&ted, not su ort, but, derision$ "n &on,uest, the &on,uered were usuall! &harged with the res onsibilit! o' &reating wealth 'or their &on,uerors$ And they built for =haraoh supply cities, =ithom and Baamses ( )78 *:**b.$ -his was done b! &oer&ing the &on,uered into the rodu&tion ro&esses o' their masters2 e&onomies$ -he! be&ame the labourers, 'armers, miners, she erds, and et&etera o' their masters$ -he! &ontributed to their masters2 ros erit! without bene'itting 'rom the ros erit! themsel#es$ -he onl! thing the! o'ten got was 'ood, su''i&ient to kee them ali#e to &ontinue to enri&h their masters$ -he! were a&&ommodated in the basest o' la&es and treated with utmost &ontem t while the! ke t labouring to in&rease the wealth o' the em ires in whi&h the! were not stakeholders$ "t is ertinent to note that this was the general ra&ti&e at the time$ 8owe#er, e.&e tions did o&&ur where some sla#es were well treated b! their masters and e#en be&ame res e&table members o' the &ommunit!$

*ike Aeso , the /reek sla#e, who later gained 'ame 'or his i,uant and ith! 'ables$ -his was the e.&e tion rather than the rule$

Poverty 3o#ert! in itsel' is a #ile bondage$ "t is a state o' la&k and s&ar&it! so intense that an! ho e o' a better tomorrow is usuall! non-e.istent$ One o' the man! &onse,uen&es o' o#ert! is a la&k o' sel'-esteem and the attendant loss o' human dignit!$ ;hen a erson is held in this #i&e, it re,uires nothing less than the gra&e o' /od 'or the erson not to do anything 'or a morsel o' bread$ "t is not un&ommon 'or eo le in the throes o' o#ert! to sell themsel#es, both 'igurati#el! and in realit!$ ?ome sell their bodies in the #ile and ine.&usable trade o' rostitution while others sell themsel#es through indebtedness$ And the borrower is ser1ant to the lender ( )=ro1 ++:5. -here are !et some who o''er themsel#es as bond ser#ants to others in order to be able to rose&ute the business o' li#ing$ " would like to illustrate this with two e.am les 'rom the bible$ -he 'irst illustration is 'ound in 6 Bings C41-D, where we are enthralled b! the stor! o' the mira&ulous su l! o' oil 'or the widow and her &hildren$ A certain woman of the wi1es of the sons of the prophets cried to 7lisha, sayin$, your ser1ant my husband is dead, and you "now that your ser1ant feared the Lord And the creditor is comin$ to ta"e my two sons to be his sla1es ( )+ ;in$s 3:*. <ut how did the! get to the oint where the &reditor was threatening to herd o'' the widow2s sons as sla#esE "n one word$$$ o#ert!$ -he bible e. lains that the 'ather o' the home, a student- ro het who 'eared /od, had been 'or&ed b! o#ert! to go a-borrowing in order to meet the needs o' his 'amil!$ As usuall! ha ens, it is easier to borrow than it is to a! ba&k$ 1reditors o'ten e.a&t high 'ees 'or their ser#i&es$ -his, erha s, was the &ase and the man o' the house &ould not a! ba&k the debt until he died$ "n order to re&o#er the debt owed him, the &reditor hit on the

ingenious idea o' taking his debtor2s sons as suret! until the debt was aid o''$ Make no mistake here, he was not about to kee them in his house, 'eeding them 'at while the! or their oor mother tried to 'igure out how to a! o'' the debt$ @o su&h lu&k( 8e was going to ut them to 'or&ed labour on his estate until su&h a time when he would &onsider the debt 'ull! aid-&a ital and a&&rued interest and all$ -he ho e o' su&h a ha ! ending was as remote as ho ing to 'ill a dr! well with water using a tea s oon( "t was this ros e&t that rom ted the des erate widow to hold the ro het +lisha &a ti#e and nothing less than a mira&le &ould ha#e sol#ed her roblem$ -hings ha#en2t &hanged mu&h toda!$ 1reditors are still as mean toda! as the! were then and a#ari&e is not getting an! better$ Man! 'ind themsel#es herded o'' to work in order to a! their wa!s out o' debt> whether inherited or sel'-in'li&ted$ M! 'riend, "srael A!e, a law!er, notes that4 9under the &ultural &onte.t o' the da!, an! situation that resulted in the labour o' a man ending in the house o' another was e,ui#alent to sla#er!$ -he widow2s sons were about to be &ons&ri ted into the &reditor2s labour 'or&e$ 0ewish law demanded that he aid them wages$ -here'ore, the bo!s were about to be Fem lo!ed2, howbeit 'or&ibl!$ "t was aid em lo!ment the widow de&ried$ For the 0ews regarded aid em lo!ment as sla#er!$: -he se&ond illustration is that o' some eo le who willingl! &ommit themsel#es to a 'uture o' ser#itude e#en when the! were gi#en the o tion o' 'reedom$ "n +.$6141-6 and )et$ 154 16-1D there is the &ase o' the erson who is sold as a ser#ant be&ause o' o#ert! or indebtedness$ /od2s *aw sa!s this erson should be set 'ree at the end o' si. !ears$ "n the se#enth !ear the master is re,uired to settle this erson 9liberall!: so that this erson need not be again in the situation that o&&asioned ser#itude in the 'irst la&e$ @ow, here is the &urious thing>some 'ellow would reje&t the o''ered 'reedom and the liberal settlement( ;hen all entreaties to lea#e 'ail, /od has a harsh re&ommendation4 ier&e his ear through with an awl, inning his ear to !our door thus making him !our ser#ant 'ore#er( Now these are the @ud$ments which you shall set before them: If you buy a &ebrew ser1ant, he shall ser1e si8 years0 and in the

se1enth he shall $o out free and pay nothin$ If he comes in by himself, he shall $o out by himself0 if he comes in married, then his wife shall $o out with him If his master has $i1en him a wife, and she has borne him sons or dau$hters, the wife and her children shall be her masters, and he shall $o out by himself Fut if the ser1ant plainly says, I lo1e my master, my wife, and my children0 I will not $o out free, then his master shall brin$ him to the @ud$es &e shall also brin$ him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl0 and he shall ser1e him fore1er ( )78 +*:*49. -his is reiterated in )euteronom! as 'ollows4 If your brother, a &ebrew man, or a &ebrew woman, is sold to you and ser1es you si8 years, then in the se1enth year you shall let him $o free from you And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him $o away empty4handed0 you shall supply him liberally from your floc", from your threshin$ floor, and from your winepress Grom what the Lord your God has blessed you with, you shall $i1e to him :ou shall remember that you were a sla1e in the land of 7$ypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you0 therefore I command you this thin$ today And if it happens that he says to you, I will not $o away from you, because he lo1es you and your house, since he prospers with you, then you shall ta"e an awl and thrust it throu$h his ear to the door, and he shall be your ser1ant fore1er Also to your female ser1ant you shall do li"ewise ( )Det *-:*+4*5. ?ome ersons a&tuall! get so used to ser#itude (another name 'or aid em lo!ment() that the! &annot &ontem late an! other li'e besides$ "n more re&ent times, a similar situation la!ed itsel' out in @igeria$ ?e#eral !ears ago, a major oil rodu&ing &om an! was going to la! o'' a good number o' its sta'' with #er! generous se#eran&e a&kages$ Man! o' the sta'' lobbied to sta! on in the &om an!2s em lo!ment, the attra&ti#e se#eran&e a&kage notwithstanding$ ?ome e#en o''ered to a&&e t a &ut in their a! just to sta! on(

One o' the sad 'allouts o' being in aid em lo!ment 'or too long is that, !ou lose !our sel'-&on'iden&e and begin to belie#e that !ou &annot sur#i#e, a art 'rom !our em lo!er$ "ndeed man! die rematurel! as a result o' the 'or&ed se aration between them and the em lo!ment the! had &ome to de end so mu&h on$ Fear -he 'ear o' 'ailing, the 'ear o' being reje&ted, the 'ear o' making a de&ision and standing b! that de&ision, the 'ear o' going it alone, the 'ear o' un&ertain out&omes and a m!riad o' other 'ears make eo le to remain in the 9sa'e ha#en: o' working 'or others$ <ut as Gobert /$ Allen notes4 9;orking 'or someone else, unless !ou own a ie&e o' the ro'it, is not se&urit!$ "t2s just the i!!usion o' se&urit!$: "t is this illusion that !ou should a&tuall! 'ear so that it does not delude !ou till it is too late$ Fear does ha#e torment and this is so real in em lo!ment situations$ +m lo!ees ha#e been known to endure e.treme &ases o' abuse, harassment, de ri#ation, degradation and bla&kmail be&ause the! were a'raid>a'raid o' losing their jobs and the &onse,uen&es o' su&h a ossibilit!$ ?o the! kee working 'or someone else, bound b! their 'ear$ La iness -here ha#e alwa!s been eo le who abhor hard work and la&k the tena&it! to grow their own businesses$ ?u&h ersons o'ten li#e 'or the moment and are more interested in meeting their immediate needs than in building enduring enter rises$ "n order to satis'! their need 'or 'ood es e&iall!, the! o''er their ser#i&es to su&&ess'ul entre reneurs 'or dail! wages or some other 'orm o' remuneration that would enable them to meet those immediate needs$ @aturall!, the su&&ess'ul entre reneur whose business is e. anding would need more hands to attend to the needs o' the business and 'inds read! allies in the grou o' ersons des&ribed abo#e$ <eginning and growing a business re,uires hard work, erse#eran&e, dedi&ation and &ourage$ "t also re,uires the abilit! to see a desired 'uture

and holding on to that #ision$ -hese are &ertainl! be!ond the abilities o' the la=! erson$ <e&ause o' this, the la=! erson is 'or&ed to work 'or others who are able to a! the ri&e o' entre reneurshi $ -his is &on'irmed in 3ro#erbs$ !he hand of the dili$ent will rule, but the laHy will be put to forced labor ( )=ro1 *+: +3. %ou ma! wonder how the la=! erson &o es with the rigours o' work on the job$ "t has been &on'irmed, through se#eral resear&hes that on the a#erage workers s end less than 'i't! er&ent o' their time on rodu&ti#e work$ -he remaining time is s ent merel! going through the motions and utting u a semblan&e o' bus!ness$ -oda! man! em lo!ees s end more time on Fa&ebook, &hat-rooms and other so&ial networking sites than on the job 'or whi&h the! are em lo!ed and aid$ '&A=!7B !?C

The imperative of self-employment

#f you want to become rich, you must wor$ for yourse!f. # don%t $now any mi!!ionaire emp!oyee. 4 Gemi C"e, former staff of 'NN *et us begin this &ha ter b! ondering on the 'ollowing obser#ation b! Gobert /$ Allen in his best selling book, !ultiple "treams of Income4 A hundred years ago, about 90 percent of our ancestors were entrepreneurs. Now the number is between 10 and 20 percent. &y mo ing from the farms to the factories, we dele#ated our freedom to !arge, centra!ised organisations. 'e got soft. 'e !ost our entrepreneuria! s$i!!s. And now that the new paradigm of the wor!d is changing, we% e been forced bac$ to the farm so to spea$( bac$ to indi idua! responsibi!ity $em hasis mine%.

"t is time 'or us to look ba&k and take that whi&h is honourable and rodu&ti#e 'rom our ast$ -he &hanging times do not lea#e us mu&h &hoi&e, an!wa!$ "n this &ha ter, "2d share with !ou si. signi'i&ant reasons wh! !ou need to be sel'-em lo!ed$ -he! are as 'ollows4 It is &ods ori#inal plan "n the book o' /enesis we see the mind o' /od &on&erning labour$ Man was &reated and gi#en the mandate to take &are o' the /arden o' +den$ 8e was not ut under some 9em lo!er:$ ;hen his &hildren &ame along, the! also set out to own their own businesses and this was the general trend 'or a long time$ "ndeed, 'amilies were gi'ted along trade lines4 And Adah bore Dabal &e was the father of those who dwe!! in tents and ha e !i estoc$ &is brothers name was Dubal &e was the father of a!! those who p!ay the harp and f!ute ( )Gen 3:+>4+*, emphasis mine.$ 1onsider also4 and 6eonothai who be$ot Cphrah #eraiah be$ot Doab the father of Ge &arashim, for they were craftsmen ( )* 'hron 3:*3, emphasis mine.$ And4 also Do"im, the men of 'hoHeba, and Doash0 #araph who ruled in 6oab, and Dashubi4Lehem Now the records were ancient )hese were the potters and those who dwell at Netaim and Gederah0 there they dwelt with the "in$ for his wor" ( )* 'hron 3:++4+2, emphasis mine.$ Furthermore, whene#er /od ins ired 8is ro hets to talk about an idealisti& state o' a''airs regarding 8is ur ose 'or humanit! 8e &aused

them to use imager! suggesti#e o' sel'-em lo!ment$ *et us &onsider a &ou le o' s&ri tures4

Fut e1eryone shall sit under his 1ine and under his fi$ tree, and no one shall ma"e them afraid0 for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spo"en ( )6ic 3:3.7 And, In that day, says the Lord of hosts, e1eryone will in1ite his nei$hbour under his 1ine and under his fi$ tree ( )Iech 2:*>.$ -he 'ig and the #ine were e&onomi& trees$ Owning them was like owning !our own means o' rodu&tion and that made !ou sel'su''i&ient, i' not ros erous$ ;hen these s&ri tures there'ore talk about e#er!one being under his own 'ig or #ine and not being a'raid, there is the &lear im li&ation o' sel'-em lo!ment and the attendant se&urit! that &omes with it, among other things$

'he nature of employers Most em lo!ers tend to be un'air in their treatment o' em lo!ees$ -he o#erriding &onsideration is ro'it or, the obno.ious bottom-line, to engage &ontem orar! terminolog!$ -he e''e&t o' this is that the business en#ironment is totall! de#oid o' human kindness$ 3eo le are used as tools, a 'a&tor o' rodu&tion whose needs matter onl! i' the! &ontribute to the ine#itable bottom-line$ 1onse,uentl!, the goals o' business are sub#erted$ " ha#e ne#er &eased to be amused ea&h time " am ri#ileged to be in the training sessions o' m! 'riend, )r$ *emm! Omo!inmi, an e.&e tionall! gi'ted Management

-rainer$ 8e usuall! begins his sessions on *motiona! #nte!!igence with this ,uestion4 9;hat is the goal o' <usinessE: -ime and again, " ha#e heard arti&ulate resentations b! seasoned, well-edu&ated ro'essionals who submit that the sole aim o' an! business is to make ro'it and enri&h the shareholders$ -his usuall! its them against )r$ Omo!inmi, who argues that the goal o' an! business should be to &reate and add #alue to all stakeholders$ -his notion o' gi ing is alien to most business eo le who are more &om'ortable with ta$ing instead$ /od has harsh words 'or all su&h em lo!ers o' labour$ 1onsider the words o' 0ames in the bibli&al book that bears his name4 'ome now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are comin$ upon youJ :our riches are corrupted, and your $arments are moth4eaten :our $old and sil1er are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness a$ainst you and will eat your flesh li"e fire :ou ha1e heaped up treasure in the last days #ndeed the wages of the !abourers who mowed your fie!ds, which you $ept bac$ by fraud, cry out0 and the cries of the reapers ha1e reached the ears of the Lord of #abaoth :ou ha1e li1ed on the earth in pleasure and lu8ury0 you ha1e fattened your hearts as in a day of slau$hter :ou ha1e condemned, you ha1e murdered the @ust0 he does not resist you ( )Dames -: *49 *mphasis mine. -he t! i&al em lo!er takes and takes and takes 'rom the em lo!ee, gi#ing little in return$ And, when there is nothing le't to take, the s ent em lo!ee is tossed aside, like a ie&e o' orange su&ked dr!$ O#er the !ears, " ha#e met man! bitter em lo!ees who were thus dis&arded a'ter the! had gi#en so mu&h to their em lo!ers$ -he! ga#e their !outh7 the! ga#e their time7 the! ga#e their skills7 the! ga#e their goodwill7 and, sometimes, the! ga#e their health, too$ And what did the! get in return 'or theseE Geje&tion and a 'atall! wounded sel'-esteem that lea#es them in&a a&itated 'or the rest o' their li#es$ -he ro'it moti' also makes em lo!ers to withhold workers2 wages 'or an! reason the! &are to ad#an&e$ ;hene#er an!thing threatens the business, the 'irst &asualt! usuall! is the workers2 salar!$ Anderstanding this tenden&! in em lo!ers, /od &learl! instru&ts that em lo!ers should ensure that the! a! their workers rom tl!$

 !he wa$es of him who is hired shall not remain with you all ni$ht until mornin$ ( )Le1 *A:*2b.$ Also, :ou shall not oppress a hired ser1ant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your $ates 7ach day you shall $i1e him his wa$es, and not let the sun $o down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it0 lest he cry out a$ainst you to the lord and it be sin to you ( )Deuteronomy +3: *34*-.$ -he li'e o' the em lo!ee re#ol#es around his a! and, indeed, he &an li#e no li'e without his a!$ -hat is wh! em lo!ers must not dela! in a!ing salaries$ "t is also not un&ommon 'or em lo!ers to &are onl! 'or their businesses to the e.&lusion o' all else, es e&iall! the wel'are o' their em lo!ees$ "t is &ommon la&e to hear em lo!ers ask ob#iousl! troubled em lo!ees to 9hang their roblems at the Fgate2: and get on with the job$ @o e''ort is made to know what ma! be ailing the em lo!ee$ " knew a !oung man who was working so hard as an a&&ountant in a so'tware de#elo ment &om an! that his bod! began to rotest$ +a&h time " saw him " noti&ed he looked tired and this otherwise energeti& and #ibrant !outh was wasting awa!$ 8e asked 'or a 'ew da!s o'' work so he &ould rest, but his boss would hear none o' it, arguing that there was so mu&h to be done$ ;hile working at his desk one da! he &olla sed and was rushed to a hos ital$ 8is distressed wi'e &alled me on the hone to alert me o' the de#elo ment$ " rushed to the hos ital to 'ind him on dri s, 'atigued$ Onl! a'ter this would his &om an! let him take about a week o'' work to re&u erate$ ?ome eo le are not so lu&k!$ -he! die be'ore an! hel &an get to them$ And the job goes on$ (ou will always be underpaid -he dri#e 'or more ro'its naturall! makes most em lo!ers to hold ba&k what the! ha#e made$ -his o'ten leads to a situation where the! attem t

to &ut down on s ending, in&luding s ending on workers2 wages and wel'are$ Most workers " know belie#e that the! are under aid$ -his belie' is usuall! 'uelled b! the realit! o' the &ontributions that the! are making to their em lo!ers2 businesses and the ro'its that their em lo!ers are generating 'rom these e''orts$ For most em lo!ees, what the! earn is grossl! inade,uate in the light o' in'lationar! trends and the 'inan&ial &ommitments that the! ha#e$ @o wonder someone2s &ar sti&ker &heekil! announ&ed4 9M! take home a! &an2t take me home(: Again, " re'er !ou to 0ames4 Indeed the wa$es of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you "ept bac" by fraud, cry out ( )Dames -:3. +m lo!ers hold ba&k, b! 'raud, what the! should ha#e aid to their em lo!ees$ "t is also a 'a&t that !ou are onl! aid a 'ra&tion o' the #alue that !ou &reate 'or !our em lo!er$ -his limits !our otential 'or ersonal wealth &reation$ Again, "srael A!e notes that4 9the a#erage em lo!er a!s about ten er&ent o' their o erating e. enses (O3+H) as wages$ -he most generous &om anies a! about twent!-'i#e er&ent o' their O3+H as salaries$ O3+H is not the turno#er o' an organisation$ "t is art o' its budgetar! allo&ation de#oted to o erating e. enses during a 'is&al !ear$ -! i&all!, the &a ital e. enses (1A3+H) &onstitute the &hunk o' the annual budget$ -his is to hel !ou understand that an em lo!ee ne#er gets a share o' the ro'it and the 'ra&tion o' the e. enses de#oted to hisIher u kee is negligible &om ared to other 'a&tors o' rodu&tion$: " on&e #isited a !oung man at his o''i&e and in the short time " s ent there, it be&ame ob#ious to me that he was the rin&i al wealth &reator o' that &om an!$ As he walked me to m! &ar " said to him, 9do !ou know that !ou are the mainsta! o' this &om an!E: 8e was going to laugh it o'' but " ersisted, 9do !ou know !ou &an a&tuall! do all !ou are doing 'or this &om an! 'or !oursel'E: " dared him to resign and start his own business$ A 'ew months later, he &ame to me to sa! he had resigned$ " ra!ed with him and released him into his destin!$ @ot long a'ter this, he &ame to tell me that he had just &om leted his 'irst job and the ro'it he made was mu&h more than his annual in&ome at his 'ormer

la&e o' work$ ;ithin three months he had bought his 'irst &ar$ About si. months later, he had bought a better &ar$ 8e had been li#ing with his sister and her 'amil!$ ?oon he mo#ed into his own rented three bedroom a artment in a de&ent neighbourhood and, as " write these words, he is now married with a son$ All the things he &ould not do while in his 'ormer em lo!ment, he a&hie#ed within a s a&e o' two !ears o' working 'or himsel' be&ause o' his enhan&ed in&ome$ And the wa! " &aught him looking at his wi'e the other da!$$$J" bet another bab! will soon be on the wa!( %ou &an trul! earn all !ou are &a able o' earning when !ou work 'or !oursel'$ (our full potentials will not be realised " belie#e that ea&h erson is endowed with awesome talents$ " also belie#e that these talents are the means to !our wealth$ ;hen !ou go to work 'or someone else !ou are o'ten em lo!ed on the basis o' one or more o' these talents$ +our emp!oyers wou!d on!y de e!op those ta!ents that are re!e ant to their goa!s. @ow this is an awesome statement be&ause, as long as !ou allow someone else to determine how !ou de#elo !our otentials !ou will ne#er 'ull! realise !our o timum ossibilities$ %ou will s end !our rodu&ti#e !ears im lementing someone else2s agenda 'or !our li'e$ " ha#e en&ountered se#eral em lo!ees whose brilliant ideas were wa#ed awa! with 9that2s not art o' our #ision here(: -hese #isionar! em lo!ees a&tuall! li#e in the torment o' &arr!ing regnan&ies the! &annot birth$ A 'ew o' them had the &ourage to go look 'or another birthing ground, usuall! one o' their own &reation$ -he world is usuall! the better 'or su&h de&isions$ <ill /ates is one su&h erson$ 8e had a brilliant idea that was not a art o' "<M2s m!o i& #ision$ -heir narrow-mindedness would not let them a&&ommodate his #ision$ 8e le't "<M and &reated a birthing ground that has ut Mi&roso't rodu&ts in our hands and re#olutionised the world o' &om uters and "-$ And, b! the wa!, he made some good mone! 'or himsel' on this journe! o' sel'-a&tualisation$

?te#e 1o#e! in&ludes a )K) o' 16 "ns irational 1om anion Films in his great book, 'he )th *abit$ One o' the 'ilms is ,a- . ,a-. "n this 'ilm, " see a oignant de i&tion o' what &an ha en when someone else is allowed to determine how and when !ou de#elo !our otential$ "t also shows that organisations are like a !ramid$ J # was right/a baby gir! has recent!y been added to the fami!y0 -he higher !ou go, the more !ou are &onstrained to abandon !our indi#idualit! and &reati#it! at the wide base and &on'orm to the narrow thinking at the to o' most organisations$ "n the end, !ou shed all !our &reati#it! as !ou grow and onl! retain those skills that are going to gi#e !ou a la&e in someone else2s narrow aradise$ It is &ods ultimate vision for you One o' the indi&es used to des&ribe the e.tent o' the ros erit! that "srael enjo!ed during the reign o' Bing ?olomon, was the 'a&t that the eo le were not &om elled to seek em lo!ment an!where as ea&h was sel'-em lo!ed$ And Dudah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his fi$ tree, from Dan as far as Feersheba, all the days of #olomon ( )I ;in$s 3:+-.$ -his is still a mark o' ros erous nations toda!$ "n their book Future +ealth, ?tan )a#is and 1hristo her Me!er state that the /fastest growing segment of emp!oyment in the 1nited 2tates is se!f( emp!oyment. "s the Anited ?tates a ros erous nation toda!E %ou bet it is( -his imager! o' sel'-relian&e and &ontentment o&&urs again and again whene#er the bible aints a i&ture o' an ideal state o' resent or 'uture e.isten&e (see Mi&ah C4C, Le&h$ M410)$ "n order to a re&iate this imager!, it is ne&essar! to understand the im ortan&e o' the 'ig and the #ine in the &ulture o' the writers o' the bible$

-he rimar! audien&e 'or whi&h the bible was written was largel! made u o' 'armers and she herds$ -he! literall! &ould not sur#i#e without their &ro s or their 'lo&ks$ -he &hie' &ro s were the 'ig and the #ine$ A art 'rom their e&onomi& #alue, the! were also o' immense #alue to the eo le in the numerous other uses to whi&h the lants or their deri#ati#es were ut$ "t is 'rom this ers e&ti#e that we &an a re&iate the resol#e o' the ro het 8abakkuk$ !hou$h the fi$ tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the 1ines0 thou$h the labor of the oli1e may fail, and the fields yield no food0 thou$h the floc" may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herds in the stalls/yet I will re@oice in the Lord, I will @oy in the God of my sal1ation !he Lord God is my stren$th0 &e will ma"e my feet li"e the deers feet, and &e will ma"e me wal" on my hi$h hills ( )&aba""u" 2:*54*A.$ ;hen /od, there'ore, states that e#er! erson would rest under hisIher 'ig and #ine trees, it suggests to me that ea&h erson would be sel'su''i&ient and ha#e no need to labour 'or another$ "' that is the di#ine will 'or us, wh! should we be &ontent with an!thing lessE

Chan#in# 'imes -he e&onomies o' the world ha#e e. erien&ed ro'ound &hanges in the last de&ade$ -hese &hanges ha#e also a''e&ted the wa! business is done around the world$ "n their remarkable book, ,ccelerated Learnin# for the -.st Century, authors 1ollin Gose and Mal&olm 0$ @i&holl gi#e a 'oreboding a&&ount o' global em lo!ment trends$ ;hile, on the one hand, the! a&knowledge the great ad#an&es that humanit! has made in the last two de&ades the! state almost arado.i&all! that 9>we also li#e in an age when jobs a ear to be #anishing at an a&&elerated rate$: +laborating on this, the! re'er to 0erem! Gi'kin2s book, 'he /nd of +ork, 'rom whi&h some o' the 'ollowing sobering i&ture emerges4 "n the A$?$ 1$N million manu'a&turing jobs #anished between 19N1 and 1991, a eriod o' ten !ears$ "n @igeria, o#er one

million jobs were lost in the te.tile industr! alone between 1990 and 6005$ "t was the highest em lo!ing industr! in @igeria$ 3ros ering &om anies seek more e''i&ient wa!s o' doing business$ -his o'ten leads to automation and an in&rease in the use o' &om uter te&hnolog!$ +#er! ste in this dire&tion takes awa! a minimum o' three jobs, sometimes ten times more$ /lobal unem lo!ment is in&reasing$ ;ith a o ulation o' about D6Nmillion, o#er M0O o' +uro e 'a&es un&ertaint! o#er em lo!ment related issues$ "n more re&ent times, 9se&ure: industries like 'inan&ial ser#i&es ha#e o''loaded millions o' em lo!ees into the job market$ "n @igeria, o#er 100, 000 jobs ha#e been lost in this industr! within two !ears$ -he oil P gas industr!, traditionall! an industr! o' &hoi&e in @igeria and man! other arts o' the world, is not le't out in these &hanges$ Man! jobs are being lost in this industr! due to heightened global &onsiderations 'or the en#ironment and the in&reasing re'eren&e 'or non-'ossil based 'uels$ As rogress is made in the sear&h 'or en#ironmentall! 'riendl! alternati#es to 'ossil 'uels more jobs will be eliminated in this industr!$ Also, drilling te&hnolog! is be&oming more so histi&ated re,uiring 'ewer eo le$ "n @igeria, the &hallenges o' the oil P gas industr! ha#e been &om ounded b! resti#e host &ommunities whose demands 'or a better deal 'rom both the 'ederal go#ernment and the oil drilling &om anies ha#e led to #iolen&e and a highl! unstable business en#ironment$ Man! &om anies ha#e had to sus end business in this region leading to sta'' redundan&ies and, ine#itabl!, la!-o''s$ -he abo#e trul! aints a gloom! 'uture 'or the em lo!ed and 'or the em lo!ment seeker$ Organisations and e#en go#ernments want to ha#e less to do with eo le- roblems re'erring to 'o&us instead on their own sur#i#al$ "n a #er! real sense, m! 'riend, !ou are on !our own( 0ob se&urit! is gone out o' the door and indi#idual res onsibilit! is in$ ?o, bra&e !oursel' 'or the &hallenges o' these &hanging times, i&k u the gauntlet and ste into the arena o' those who ha#e de&ided to &hart the

&ourse o' their li#es in this ma=e o' un re&edented global em lo!ment &haos$ Bi&k 'ear into the streets and ste out in 'aith$ %ou ha#e all it takes to su&&eed$ %our &reator did not &reate a sub-standard rodu&t$ @either did 8e &reate an ill-e,ui ed one$ %ou ha#e all it takes to su&&eed$ ;ill !ou gi#e a good a&&ount o' !our &reated &a a&it!E

'&A=!7B 2

How to Break the Bondage

)a$e a 3ob for what it teaches you(for how much it wi!! impro e your s$i!!s, ta!ents, and smarts(rather than for what it pays. And ta$e it for the e-panded set of options it wi!! create. ( #tan Da1is , 'hristopher 6eyer &et the ri#ht 0ob As arado.i&al as this ma! sound gi#en the general theme o' this book, one wa! to break the bondage o' aid em lo!ment is to take the right job$ -he se&ret is in the hrase the right 3ob. -he right job is one whi&h gi#es !ou the o ortunit!4 to de#elo !our talents into skills to be trained in multi le &om eten&ies to a&,uire new skills to build a #aluable network to retain !our health in, and a'ter, !our rodu&ti#e !ears

-here are training rogrammes !ou &annot a''ord, there are tri s !ou ma! ne#er be able to a! 'or, there are a&,uaintan&es !ou would ne#er

make e.&e t !ou work at &ertain jobs$ ;hen !ou get the o ortunit! to ha#e a go at su&h a job, grab it with both hands$ %our take home a! on this job ma! not be mu&h but the bene'its !ou &ome awa! with in the long run is un,uanti'iable$ -his t! e o' a job a&tuall! re ares !ou to manage !our own business when !ou e#entuall! break the bondage o' em lo!ment$ " remember a training session " on&e held 'or the to management o' a 'ederal agen&! in @igeria2s a#iation industr!$ Man! o' the arti&i ants hardl! sat in &lass as the! ke t going out to either take hone &alls or attend to eo le the! had asked to &ome see them at the #enue o' the training$ One arti&i ant was di''erent$ 8e was the 1om an! ?e&retar!I *egal Ad#iser$ 8e ne#er le't the &lass e.&e t during the s&heduled breaks and he ga#e ra t attention to m! sessions$ At the end o' the rogramme he was &hosen to gi#e the #ote o' thanks on behal' o' the &lass and he said something like this, amongst others4 9%ou ma! ha#e noti&ed that " ga#e this &ourse m! ma.imum attention$ -hat is what " do on ea&h &ourse " attend be&ause " know that some da! the! would take 'rom me m! o''i&e, m! o''i&ial &ar and m! o''i&ial residen&e$ <ut one thing the! &annot take awa! 'rom me is what the! ha#e ut in m! head through the #arious training rogrammes " ha#e attended$: 8ow ro heti& he was( ?hortl! a'ter that &ourse man! o' the to management sta'', in&luding him, were &asualties o' a oliti&all! moti#ated retirement e.er&ise$ <ut he is the better 'or it toda! as " meet him now and again ursuing his business and utting to use the things he had learned 'rom se#eral &ourses$ 8e was a man who understood what to look out 'or in a job$ "erve your master well1 <he who waits on his master will be honoured ( )=ro1 +5:*Eb.$ Again this looks like a &ontradi&tion in the light o' m! 'o&us in this book$ 1ontrar! to what some readers ma! begin to think, " am not antiem lo!ment$ " am onl! an ad#o&ate o' a better means o' em lo!ment whi&h is sel'-em lo!ment$ <ut until !ou are able to be sel'-em lo!ed !ou would do well to a! attention to the ne.t words$ ?er#e !our master well$ ;itness the words o' the a ostle, 3aul4

Fondser1ants, obey in all thin$s your masters accordin$ to the flesh, not with eye ser1ice, as men pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearin$ God And whate1er you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, "nowin$ that from the Lord you will recei1e the reward of the inheritance0 for you ser1e the Lord 'hrist Fut he who does wron$ will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality ( )'ol 2:++ K +-. %ou are &learl! enjoined to ser#e !our master (em lo!er) as diligentl! as !ou ser#e the *ord$ "' !ou do this, !ou would re&ei#e a reward 'rom the *ord e#en the Finheritan&e2 Q 'or !ou ser#e 1hrist$ 0a&ob ser#ed *aban in a situation that is e,ui#alent to aid em lo!ment$ -went! two !ears later, /od ga#e 0a&ob his inheritan&e, whi&h is animal husbandr! and geneti& engineering, su&h that s&ien&e has still not &aught u with$ #o Dacob sent and called Bachel and Leah to the field, to his floc", and said unto them, I see your fathers countenance, that it is not fa1ourable toward me as before0 but the God of my father has been with me And you " now that with all my mi$ht I ha1e ser1ed your father :et your father has decei1ed me and chan$ed my wa$es ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me ()Gen 2*:345.$ Furthermore, &onsider these words4 And if you ha1e not been faithful in what is another mans, who will $i1e you what is your ownL( )Lu"e *9:*+.$ As a &hild o' /od, when !ou are gi#en the o ortunit! to ser#e in the 'orm o' aid em lo!ment, !ou should realise that aid em lo!ment is hardl! e#er an end in itsel'$ "t is the la&e o' stewardshi , instru&tion and learning rodu&ti#it!$ %ou ha#e e.am les like 0a&ob, 0ose h, )aniel and e#en )a#id who ser#ed others and were rewarded 'or their ser#i&es$ /i#e !our &urrent job the #er! best o' e''orts and &ommitment !ou &an muster$ %our er'orman&e on this job &ould a&tuall!4

O en u other o ortunities to !ou4 &is lord said to him, well done, $ood and faithful ser1ant0 you were faithful o1er a few thin$s, I will ma"e you ruler o1er many thin$s 7nter into the @oy of your lord ( )6t +-: +*.$ /i#e !ou the ea&e that &omes with a &lear &ons&ien&e4 !he sleep of a labourin$ man is sweet ( )7ccl -:*+a.$ Form the seed !ou sow 'or a 'uture har#est4 Do not be decei1ed, God is not moc"ed0 for whate1er a man sows, that he will also reap ( )Gal 9:5.$

"n addition to the abo#e, ser#ing !our em lo!er well &ould also gi#e !ou the rare o ortunit! to be mentored b! the #er! best in !our industr! or &hosen 'ield$ -his not onl! im ro#es !our net worth it also boosts !our network$

2e the best 34o you see a man who e5cels in his work6 *e will stand before kin#s7 *e will not stand before unknown men.8 )=ro1 ++:+A.$ -he market la&e is dis&riminating>and it dis&riminates in 'a#our o' e.&ellen&e$ ;hen !ou distinguish !oursel' b! be&oming an island o' e.&ellen&e in an o&ean o' medio&rit!, !ou would ha#e se&ured 'or !oursel' a stead! demand 'or !our rodu&ts and ser#i&es thereb! guaranteeing !our 'reedom 'rom the em lo!ment o' others$ ;ith su&h a &ommitment to e.&elling !ou would dis&o#er the truth in the words o' @igerian-born international 'ashion designer )eola ?agoe, when she sa!s there is no discrimination against e-ce!!ence. "t wouldn2t matter what !our gender, &reed, ra&e or tribe is the market would alwa!s &ome looking 'or !ou be&ause !our work is e.&ellent$ And it will be willing to a! a remium, too$

!ake a business of your passion ;ork should be a sour&e o' jo!$ "t should be enjo!ed not endured$ ;hen !our work merges into !our leisure it be&omes mu&h easier to rodu&e the kind o' e.&ellen&e des&ribed abo#e$ 8a#e !ou e#er taken note o' the e. ression o' utmost ea&e and satis'a&tion on the 'a&es o' most musi&ians during &on&ertsE "t is usuall! ob#ious that the! thoroughl! enjo! what the! do, e#en though it is work$ *ike Mark -wain noted, #f you !o e what you do you%!! ne er wor$ another day in your !ife. "' !ou &reate a business around !our assion it would be a ie&e o' &ake to erse#ere in the 'a&e o' ine#itable &hallenges$ %our lo#e 'or what !ou do would also ro el !ou to seek out wa!s o' doing it better$ ,cquire the discipline of business ?u&&ess'ul entre reneurs are dis&i lined eo le$ -he! ossess persona! dis&i line and are able to e.hibit the kind o' maturit! that Mike Murdo&k des&ribes as the abilit! to dela! grati'i&ation$ "t re,uires a great deal o' sel'-&ontrol to be sel'-initiating, sel'-su er#ising and sel'moti#ating$ -his dis&i line is e#ident in the 'ollowing ke! areas4 -ime management Finan&ial management Gelationshi management

One major reason wh! man! eo le are held in the bondage o' em lo!ment is their la&k o' ersonal dis&i line$ %ou &ede !our 'reedom to others when !ou are in&a able o' managing !our own a''airs$ Former 1+O o' /+, 0a&k ;el&h, e.horts4 4ontro! your destiny, or someone e!se wi!!. -his is what su&&ess'ul entre reneurs ha#e mastered$ -he! &ontrol their destinies through dis&i lined &hoi&es$ ,cquire the tools of business

As a teen age undergraduate student at the Ani#ersit! o' 0os, " took an ele&ti#e &ourse in 3oliti&al ?&ien&e$ -he le&tures were o'ten e.&iting as the ebullient 3ro'essor 0$ "sawa +laigwu, who taught the &ourse, was alwa!s in his elements$ )uring one o' his le&tures he des&ribed an assassinated @igerian leader as a man who had the "ea! of a patriot but the too!s of an idiot. " 'ound the e. ression &urious then and, somehow, it has sta!ed with me sin&e " heard it 'rom the li s o' the ro'essor some twent! 'i#e !ears ago$ M! e. erien&e and obser#ation o' entre reneurshi has, o#er the !ears, lent &reden&e to the words o' 93ro':$ Man! entre reneurs indeed rush into business with the =eal o' atriots but, sadl!, the tools o' idiots$ -his is one rimar! reason 'or the high mortalit! rate in that s e&ial &lass o' eo le known as entre reneurs$ %ou need to mat&h !our =eal with the right tools$ <ut 'irst, let me share a ersonal e. erien&e with !ou$ About nineteen !ears ago m! best 'riend and " de&ided to start a business in whi&h he was the 1hairman and " was the Managing )ire&tor$ ;e were =ealous and wanted the business to su&&eed7 but we broke e#er! known rule o' business$ Our major undoing was a la&k o' do&umentation on both sides whi&h ine#itabl! led to disagreements on what was agreed to, what was s ent on roje&ts, et&$ -here was no re&ord kee ing be&ause as 'ar as we were &on&erned, we trusted ea&h other and that should su''i&e, rightE ;rong( ;e went our se arate wa!s not long a'terwards and it took the gra&e o' /od to restore and sustain our strained relationshi $ ;e ob#iousl! didn2t understand that 'or an! business relationshi to su&&eed the three FG2s-Goles, Ges onsibilities, Gewards- must be &learl! de'ined and do&umented$ ;e also learned, the hard wa!, the artial wisdom in Go&ke'eller2s obser#ation that 9friendship bui!t on business is better than business bui!t on friendship. Create e5tra streams of income -he a#erage erson has a blend o' abilities and talents that, ro erl! de#elo ed, 'o&used and managed, be&ome in&ome !ielding$ %our goal

in li'e should in&lude dis&o#ering these and &on#erting them into e.tra streams o' in&ome to &om lement !our other sour&e(s) o' in&ome$ "n addition to this, !ou &ould &reate assi#e streams o' in&ome b! in#esting in the businesses o' others or through the &reation o' literar!Iartisti& works$

'&A=!7B 3

Kit up!
5o to schoo!, get a 3ob and create a 3ob. -Cluchi Cnyea$ba Crlandi Ni$erian4Forn International 6odel , Fusinesswoman @ow let2s take a look at some o' the skills !ou would need to a&,uire to su&&eed as an entre reneur$ 'echnical "kills <! te&hni&al skills " am re'erring to the blend o' in'ormation, knowledge and e. erien&e that &ombine to 'orm the s e&ial o''ering that !ou gi#e to !our &ustomers$ "t is this o''ering that enables !ou to satis'a&toril! ser#i&e !our &ustomers$ +#er! business has its own #ersion o' this te&hni&al know-how$ %our business is to know it$ %ou must in#est !our resour&es in a&,uiring the best edu&ation in !our 'ield o' interest$ A&,uire the &ontem orar! &om eten&ies that would not onl! gi#e !ou an edge but, also, make !ou stand shoulders higher than the &om etition$

Communication "kills 1ommuni&ation has been des&ribed as the li#e-wire o' business$ -his is so be&ause !ou need to in'orm, ersuade and e. lain !our business to !our stakeholders$ "n order to &oordinate the di''erent roles and manage the e. e&tations o' these stakeholders !ou must be e''e&ti#e in &ommuni&ation$ -he s e&i'i& &ommuni&ation skills !ou would re,uire are4 ? eaking skills4 -here are se#eral situations in business that demand that !ou s eak$ %ou s eak when !ou engage in marketingIselling !our ser#i&es7 !ou s eak when !ou inter#iew or are inter#iewed7 !ou s eak when !ou make resentations7 !ou s eak on the tele hone7 !ou s eak when !ou engage !our &lients in a &on#ersation7 !ou s eak at meetings$ -o &ommuni&ate !our thoughts and ideas lu&idl! and to make the right im ression on !our audien&e !ou must er'e&t !our s eaking skills and shun oor s eaking habits$ ;riting skills4 A lot o' in'ormation in business is transmitted in writing$ %ou ma! need to write business ro osals, letters, memoranda or e#en re orts$ Man! times, !our &orres onden&e re&edes !ou and goes where !ou ma! ne#er go$ %our &orres onden&e there'ore be&omes the onl! #isible, tangible re resentati#e o' !our business to !our &lients$ ;hat kind o' a re resentati#e should it beE "t should be #isuall! a ealing, grammati&all! &orre&t, &ourteous in tone and straight to the oint$ +ti,uette sense4 +ti,uette re'ers to the rules o' ro er beha#iour$ -here are rules that go#ern the man! &om le. business relationshi s !ou would &ontra&t in the &ourse o' managing !our business$ %our eti,uette sense, or the la&k o' it, &ommuni&ates #olumes$ "ndeed, 'or some it &ould 'orm the onl! basis 'or de&iding whether to do business with !ou or not$ As " did on one o&&asion$ " was a roa&hing an o''i&e &om le. at @igeria2s

Federal 1a ital -erritor!, Abuja, where " was ho ing to get some se&retarial work done$ A !oung lad! &ame out o' one o' the o''i&es and, right in 'ront o' me, blew her nose with her bare hand, wi ing her hand on her skirt when she was done$ ;hen " realised she was going to be the one to work 'or me, " turned and walked awa!$ 8er beha#iour &ommuni&ated a &ertain &arelessness whi&h " &ouldnRt a''ord$ +ti,uette sense shows a &onsideration 'or others$ %ou would there'ore need to 'ine-tune !our so&ial eti,uette, business eti,uette and o''i&e eti,uette skills$ Interpersonal "kills -hese are a set o' so&ial &om eten&ies that, together, 'a&ilitate human intera&tions$ -he! in&lude 'riendliness, &onsideration 'or others, em ath!, &ommuni&ation abilities, &on'li&t management skills, good judgement, sel'lessness, humour, o enness and a good deal o' &ommon sense$ -he need to ossess these skills as an entre reneur is ob#ious$ <usiness is a so&ial relationshi be&ause it in#ol#es human intera&tion, e#en at its barest$ "' !ou la&k the skills ne&essar! to get along with eo le !ou might as well &lose sho $ "nter ersonal skills are e#ident in marketing, &ustomer ser#i&e and, &on'li&t resolution-all ine#itable a&ti#ities in business$ M! dad on&e told me the stor! o' two rominent sho owners who on&e li#ed in m! #illage$ One was 0ames +nwu&hola and the other was Abel$ -heir businesses were about the same in si=e when the! both started out$ 0ames was a jo#ial soul who alwa!s e.&hanged 'riendl! banter with his &ustomers, e#en e.tending some &redit when it was ne&essar! to do so$ Abel was grum ! and &hurlish7 #er! Sbusiness-likeS and alwa!s sus e&ting that eo le would ask him 'or &redit$ @ow their sho s were at the two o osite ends o' the #illage$ O#er time, eo le would walk ast AbelRs sho and go the distan&e to 0amesRs to do their sho ing$ "n no time, 0ames be&ame the more ros erous o' the two and the main sho owner in the #illage$ 8is good inter ersonal skills ut him abo#e the &om etition$

Financial "kills %ou need to be able to tra&k the wa! mone! &omes in and goes out o' !our business$ %our business won2t be around 'or a long time i' !ou are weak in this &riti&al area$ O'tentimes !ou ma! need to engage the ser#i&es o' a trained a&&ountant ( re'erabl! through a retainershi &ontra&t) to hel !ou look through and tid! u !our books$ <e!ond this, !ou need to a&,uire some 'inan&ial litera&! to be able to de&i her the te&hni&al language o' a&&ounting 'or !oursel' so !ou &an make sense o' the 'inan&ial in'ormation the a&&ountant will resent to !ou$

'&A=!7B -

Step Out!
Nothing happens unti! something mo es. 4Albert 7instein -he world was a #er! di''erent la&e when " started to write this book eight !ears ago$ -he so-&alled e&onomi& meltdown was not on the radar o' most e&onomi& seers$ -he world o' work has &hanged drasti&all! and now, more than e#er be'ore, !our e&onomi& destin! is being thrust into !our hands$ Millions o' jobs ha#e been lost a&ross the globe in two ,ui&k !ears$ -hough there are signs o' re&o#er! in some e&onomies around the world, the 'uture is still 'raught with un&ertainties$ 8owe#er, one thing is &ertain-it will not be business as usual$ As the 1hinese word 'or F&risis2 is &om osed o' the words danger and opportunity, so these turbulent times resent both danger and o ortunit! to us all$ " see o ortunities in the re-stru&turing o' the 'inan&ial s!stem$ " see o ortunities in 3ri#ate ?e&tor 3arti&i ation in ser#i&es that were traditionall! rendered b! go#ernments$ " see o ortunities in the war against glo&al hunger$ " see o ortunities in organisations2 'o&us on their &ore businesses-lea#ing the door o en 'or

the outsour&ing o' other s e&ialised and an&illar! ser#i&es$ " see o ortunities in the edu&ation and &are o' the world2s &hildren$ " see o ortunities in the edu&ation and re-edu&ation o' workers in a d!nami&, 'ast- a&ed world$ " see o ortunities in the uni#ersal sear&h 'or sa'er diets and li'est!les$ " see o ortunities in the &are o' the aging o ulation as !ounger 'amil! members in&reasingl! take their &om eten&ies to a global market$ " see o ortunities in the #ast 'ield o' entertainment as a world that works hard la!s e#en harder$ " see o ortunities as a traumatised world in&reasingl! seeks &ounsel, &om'ort and dire&tion$ " see o ortunities in the 'ields o' alternati#e medi&ine and the resus&itation o' interest in the #alue o' herbs$ " see o ortunities in the sear&h 'or alternati#es to 'ossil 'uels$ " see o ortunities( For man! businesses it is an o ortunit! to start all o#er again without the burden o' sta'' the! had &arried in the ast$ -he! ha#e reengineered, down-si=ed, right-si=ed and re-strategised$$$and sur#i#ed( -he! are not likel! to go ba&k to the da!s o' mass em lo!ment$ *ean is the wat&h word now$ For !ou, dear 'riend, it is the time to embark on a dis assionate sel'audit$ -ake sto&k o' !our e. erien&es, ,uali'i&ations, strengths, assions, assets, networks and intelle&tual endowments$ *e#erage on them and ste out in 'aith$ <ehind !ou is the 'ormidable 'ortress o' di#ine romises$$$an!thing !ou do shall ros er$$$in e#er! labour there is ro'it$$$8e will ros er the labour o' !our hands$$$8e delights in !our ros erit!$$$8e will tea&h !our hands to ro'it$$$do not be a'raid$$$" am with !ou$$$" will hel !ou$$$!ou shall ha#e good su&&ess$$$$ ?a!, what are !ou waiting 'orE ?te out(

#elected Fiblio$raphy 1$ Allen, Gobert$ !ultiple "treams of Income$ 1ali'ornia4 1olumbine 1ommuni&ation P 3ubli&ations, 6000$ 6$ 1o#e!, ?te hen G$ 'he )th *abit$ /reat <ritain4 ?imon P ?&huster AB *td$, 600C$ M$ )a#is, ?tan and Me!er, 1hristo her$ Future +ealth$ A?4 8ar#ard <usiness ?&hool 3ress, 6000$ C$ 8ansen, Mark Ki&tor and Allen, Gobert /$ Crackin# the !illionaire Code$ @ew %ork4 1rown 3ublishing /rou , 6005$ 5$ Bi!osaki, Gobert -$ 9ich 4ads Conspiracy of 'he 9ich$ @ew %ork4 <usiness 3lus, 6009$ 6$ 3ollan, ?te hen M$ and *e#ine, Mark$ Live 9ich: /verythin# (ou ;eed to <now to 2e (our =wn 2oss> +hoever you +ork For$ @ew %ork4 8ar er<usiness, 199N$ D$ Gi'kin, 0erem!$ 'he /nd of +ork: the 4ecline of the &lobal Labor Force and the 4awn of the Post?!arket /ra. @ew %ork4 A 0erem! 3$ -ar&herI3utnam <ook, 1995$ N$ Gose, 1olin and @i&holl Mal&olm 0$ ,ccelerated Learnin# for the -.st Century$ @ew %ork4 )ell 3ublishing, 199D$

9$ 'he !a5well Leadership 2ible> @ew Bing 0ames Kersion$A?4 Ma.well Moti#ation "n&$, 600D$

About the author @ath M&Abraham-"najoh has in#ested the earl! !ears o' his &areer in journalism, marketing resear&h, uni#ersit! tea&hing and, more re&entl!, management &onsulting$ 8e is the 3rin&i al 3artner and 1+O o' 6cAbrahams Limited, a &erti'ied management training 'irm he has nurtured 'or o#er a de&ade$ -oda!, the 'irm trains sta'' o' blue &hi &om anies and go#ernmentowned businesses in all se&tors o' the @igerian e&onom!$ A senior astor o' the 'hurch of God 6ission International )'G6I., @ath li#es in *agos- @igeria with his wi'e, )oroth!, and their three sons$ 8e is the 'ounding astor o' the Ajao +state Famil! ;orshi 1entre, a bran&h o' 1/M", where he ser#es as ?enior 3astor$