Habits of Self Made Millionaires (3) by Bayo Ogunmupe You will be the same person in five years except for the people you meet and the books you read. This is why you must make meeting and becoming friends with great people your priority. Researchers avow that fully 85 percent of your success and happiness in life is determined by the quality of friends and acquaintances you make in your day to day activities. The more people you know and who know you in a positive way, the more successful you will become and the faster too. At every turning point in your life, someone is standing there to help or hinder you. Which is why successful people make a habit of building and maintaining a network of high quality relationships throughout their lives. As a result, they accomplish vastly more than the person who goes home to watch television every night. Thus, it is not in Nigeria alone that success depends on who you know. It is a universal law of life that only those who know you that will promote you or nominate you to high public office. And such a reference group is defined by people with whom you habitually identify and pass the time. Humans are like chameleons in that they take on the attitudes, behaviors, values and beliefs of people with whom they associate with most of the time. So, make yourself a millionaire by networking with great people. And take care of yourself, you can only become great if you have good health. A former President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt said: "The key to happiness is a sound mind in a sound body." In order to enjoy their money, self made millionaires aim to be centenarians. You too should make living a long life your habit. There are three keys to living a long, healthy and happy life. The first is proper weight, Set a goal to get your weight under control and remain lean and fit for the rest of your life. The mantra for this is: Eat less and exercise more. The second key is proper diet, and the key to diet is to eat fewer but better foods. Eat proteins, fruits and vegetables. Eliminate desserts, soft drinks, candy and sugary foods. Stop consuming excess salt, flour products and eat in smaller portions five times a day instead of three large meals. If you can control your eating, you will be able to control other habits in other parts of your life. The third key to a long and healthy life is proper exercise. This requires vigorous activity, long walks, joining a wellness or sporting club and keeping some fitness equipment in your house. One of the qualities of self made millionaires is that they think carefully before making quick and decisive decisions. They discipline themselves to take action, following up their decisions. Successful people are more decisive and try far more things than their less successful peers. According to the law of probabilities, if you try far more different ways to be successful the odds are you will eventually find the right way at the right time. Unsuccessful people are indecisive, procrastinate, they do not have the character to make firm decisions. As a result they drift through life and never achieve financial independence. Moreover, great people never accept failure to be an option. A journalist once asked the founder of International Business Machine (IBM), Thomas J. Watson, how he could be more successful and faster. Watson replied: "If you want to be successful faster, you must double your rate of failure. Success lies on the far side of failure." Though self made millionaires are no gamblers, they dare to go forward; they take calculated risks for their goals to achieve greater rewards. When you act boldly unseen forces come to your aid. Every act of courage increases your courage. Perhaps the best mantra from the movie Apollo 13 came from Eugene Krantz, head of mission control at NASA. When the people around him were agonising over losing the spacecraft and astronauts, he pulled them together with decisive action saying loudly: "Failure is not an option." And the quick actions taken saved the day. Finally, to become a self made millionaire, you must pass the persistence test. According to the 30th President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, "Nothing can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." Persistence is the lodestar of human character. Persistence is to the leader as carbon is to steel. It is absolutely indispensable to the attainment of greatness in any field. Always programme your subconscious for persistence by resolving in advance that you will never give up, whatever what happens. The courage to persist in the face of all terror is the one quality that, more than anything will guarantee your success. Remember, all life is a test. For you to achieve great success you must pass the persistence test. Recurring crisis is inevitable in life, so you must brace yourself up for war. Imagine every difficulty sent to you was to teach you a valuable lesson that you must learn to be even more successful in the future. And from this moment onward, always seek the valuable lesson in every setback or difficulty. This will help you in your quest not only to become a millionaire, but in your march to becoming a visionary leader. In conclusion, success is predictable. Success is not a matter of luck or accident. You must plan to successful before you can become great. If you are persistent in your pursuit of greatness, nothing in the world can stop you.

Habits of Self Made Millionaires (2) By Bayo Ogunmupe Thought is the source of greatness, wealth and all material gain. All great discoveries, inventions, creativity and all achievement starts from human thought and imagination. And it is when you honestly act and follow your thoughts that you achieve whatever goal you set yourself. Which is why self honesty, or integrity is the eleventh habit of self made millionaires. And the most valued and respected quality you can develop is a reputation for absolute integrity. Winners are always honest in everything they do and in every transaction they perform. Thus, you must never compromise your integrity, your word must be your bond and your is everything when it comes to business or politics. Integrity is essential to greatness because business or political promotion is based on trust. Your success in life will be determined solely by the number of people who trust you and who are willing to support and work for you, give you credit, lend you money, buy your services and help you during difficult times. Your character is your most worthwhile asset and it is based on the amount of integrity that you practice. The first key to integrity is to be true to yourself in all things. Being true to yourself means doing whatever you're doing excellently. You must pursue excellence in whatever you are doing. Integrity is demonstrated internally by latent honesty; externally by quality work. The second key to integrity is being true to other people in your life. Live in truth with everyone. Don't say or do anything you do not believe to be true, right and honest. Refuse to compromise your integrity for anything. Always live up to the highest standard that you know. Single mindedness in the pursuit of priorities is the twelfth secret of self made millionaires. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways, therefore being single minded is the hallmark of successful people. When you create the habit of setting priorities and concentrating on them single-mindedly, you will be able to accomplish whatever you want in life. This strategy has been the reason for high income, great wealth and financial independence for many people. Your ability to determine your priority and working on that priority until it is achieved is the test and measure of your willpower, self-discipline and personal character. This is an important habit you should develop if you want to be a great success. This one habit alone will make you a self made millionaire. Developing a reputation for speed and dependability is the thirteenth habit of self made millionaires. Since time is the currency of the 21st century, everyone today is in tremendous hurry. Customers want their services or products delivered immediately. Impatience and instant gratification now rule the world. And for you to be competitive you have to deliver your products and services with the speed of light. Loyal customers will change to the fastest supplier in a twinkle an eye. So you have to develop a sense of urgency and a bias for action to excel. That is how to attract more customers. When you exhibit the ability to get things done quickly and accurately you move to the front in your profession. And a reputation for speed and action combined with climbing from one peak of achievement to another marks the fourteenth secret of success of self made millionaires. Winning isn't an one-off event. It must be continuous. Identify the trends and cycles in your business and adapt to these changes. And practice self discipline in all things. Self discipline is the ability to make yourself do whatever you should do, when you should do it, whether you like it or not. It is the ability to set a long term goal of becoming financially independent and then disciplining yourself to achieve your long term goal. Self discipline requires self mastery, self control, being responsible, and self direction. Everything in life is a test, the test is whether you can do the important things; keep your mind on what you want and where you are going rather than thinking and talking about what you don't want or problems you have had in the past. When you pass the test, you move to the next onward to becoming a millionaire. The greatest genius of all time, Albert Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than facts." Which is why you should explore your creativity all the time. Since you utilize less than 20 percent of your brainpower and creativity daily; you should tap your imagination, creativity and intuition more often. Develop new ideas on your career, your creativity is stimulated by your desired goals, pressing problems and focused questions. The more you focus your mind on achieving your goals, the smarter you become and the stronger the muscles of your mind become. The more you use your brain creatively, the stronger and more resilient it becomes. You develop the muscles of your brain by straining them.

Habits of Self Made Millionaires By Bayo Ogunmupe Continuing from success secret eight of self made millionaires, developing the lifelong habit of saving and investing your savings isn't easy. It requires determination and willpower. You have to set it down as a goal to be followed meticulously. You must practice frugality in all things until it becomes your lifestyle. Defer every buying decision for at least a week if not a month. A major reason for retiring poor is impulse buying. When you buy things with little thought, you become victims of Parkinson's Law, which says "expenses rise to meet income." This means no matter how much you earn, you tend to spend so much more that you never get ahead and never get out of debt. If you cannot save 10 percent of your monthly income, start today by saving one percent in Jaiz Bank of Nigeria where they lend without interest and collateral. Live on the other 99 percent of your income. As you become comfortable living on 99 percent, raise your savings to 2 percent then 3 percent and so on. Within two years, you will be on your way to becoming a self made millionaire. Then, seize every opportunity to add more savings. Begin to study money and how to make it grow. Read books and journals by experts on the subject. never stop saving, learning and growing until you become financially independent. Becoming an expert on your subject by learning every detail of your business is the ninth habit of self made millionaires. When you become an expert in what you do,nothing can stop you from getting you paid more and promoted faster. The market pays excellent rewards for excellent performance. It pays average rewards for average performance. The Law of Integrative Complexity says the individual who can integrate and use the greatest amount of information in any field soon rises to the top of that field. Set a goal of becoming the very best in your career or profession. One small insight or idea can be the turning point in your career. Never stop looking for new insights in your profession. Identify new trends, acquire core competencies or key skills that you need to lead in your field in the future. You can get everything you want in life if you just help enough other people get what they want. Which is why dedicating yourself to serve others is the tenth habit of self made millionaires. Your reward in life is always in direct proportion to your service to other people. All self made millionaires have an obsession with customer service. They think about their customers all the time. Your success in life is always in direct proportion to the length of your extra mile; what you do after doing what you are expected to do. Always look for opportunities to do more than you are paid for. The company owners, your boss and coworkers as well as people who buy your products and services are your customers. One small improvement in the way you serve your customers can be a major reason for your financial success . Never stop looking for any little ways to serve your customers better. Today, customers value speed and accuracy than ever before. Whenever a customer asks for anything, answer him immediately. That's what he wants to hear.

Success Secrets of Self Made Millionaires (3) By Bayo Ogunmupe Life long learning as the prescription for greatness is the caption of the rules encapsulated by the seventh secret of success. It means continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in your career. You must be both an authority and encyclopedia in your chosen field. Since an average person utilizes less than 10 percent of his natural ingenuity, you have an unlimited capacity in brains and intelligence to learn to attain excellence. There is no goal that you cannot achieve by applying the power of your mind to your situation. Your mind is like a muscle; it develops only with use. Just as you have to strain your physical muscle to build them, you have to work your brain muscles to build your mind as well. The good news is that the more you dedicate yourself to lifelong learning, the easier it is for you to learn even more. There are three keys to lifelong learning: First, to read in your field for 60 minutes each day. Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. Reading for an hour each day translates to one book per week. One book per week will translate into 50 books per year. Fifty books per year will translate into 500 books over the next 10 years. Since the average adult reads less than one book per year, when you begin reading one hour per day, one book per week, this alone will give you an incredible edge in your field. You will become one of the smartest, most competent and highest paid people in your profession by simply reading one hour each day. The second key to lifelong learning is to listen to audio programmes in your car as you drive from to place. The average person sits behind the wheel in his car 500 t0 1,000 hours per year. this is the equivalent of 12 to 24 forty hour weeks or as much as three to six months of working time that you spend in your car. This is the equivalent of two full time semesters at a university. Turning your car into a university on wheels turns you to leader in your field of endeavor. This is why audio learning has been dubbed the greatest breakthrough in education since the invention of the printing press. The third key to lifelong learning is to attend every course and seminar you can possibly find, making you great in your field. This combination of books, audio learning and seminars will save you hundreds of hours and thousands of naira and many years of hard work in achieving the financial success you desire. In deciding to become a lifelong learner, you will be amazed the effect this will bring to your career. Thus, lifelong learning is a major factor in your becoming a Nobel prize winner in your field or self made millionaire in business. An American millionaire, Clement Stone once said: Apart from earning to pay your upkeep, if you cannot save money, the seeds of greatness are not in you. That explains paying yourself first to mean saving money for the morrow; which is the eighth secret of success. In fact, if you save just N100 per month throughout your working life and you invest that money in a cooperative fund that grows at 10 percent per annum; you will be worth more than one million naira by the time you retire. This means an average worker if he starts early enough, can become a millionaire over the course of his working lifetime.

Success Secrets of Self Made Millionaires (2) By Bayo Ogunmupe Developing a clear sense of direction through the crystallization of your dreams into clear, specific written goals is the second secret of success. The greatest discovery in human history is that: You become what you think about most of the time. The factors that, more than anything else, determine what happens to you in life are: what you think about and how you think about it most of the time. Great people think about their goals most of the time, resulting in their continually moving toward them. What you think about most grows and increases in your life. Here is a seven step formula for setting and achieving goals. You can use this formula to become a millionaire. First, decide exactly what you want in each area of your life, especially your financial life as a millionaire to be. Second, write down your goals clearly and specifically. An amazing miracle happens between your head and your hand which makes the goal indelible in your subconscious when you put your goals in writing. Third, set deadlines for each goal. Give yourself a target to aim at. Fourth, make a list of whatever you can think of doing to achieve each goal. Always apply creative problem solving in sourcing for ideas to achieve your goals. Fifth, organize your list into a plan of action. Determine the order of priority in the execution of your plan. Start executing from the most important. Sixth, take immediate action on your plan; never procrastinate. Seventh, do something everyday that moves you a step closer to your goal. This commitment to daily action will make you a big success in anything you wish to accomplish. For your action exercise: Always think on paper, that is to say, always write down your dreams on paper in order to impress them into your subconscious. Sit down and create your goals and your plans to achieve them. This exercise alone will make you a self made millionaire. Seeing yourself as self employed is the third secret of success. You are the captain of your soul and the master of your fate. Take hundred percent responsibility for what you are now and everything you will ever be. Never make excuses or blame anyone for your shortcomings and refuse to criticize others for anything. If there is anything in your life you don't like, change it. You are in charge of your life. The biggest mistake you can ever make is to think is that you working for anyone other than yourself. See yourself as self employed if even you are working for a company or government. When you see yourself as self employed, you develop an entrepreneur mentality, the mentality of a responsible self starting individuals. This is the mindset of the self made millionaire. He takes high levels of initiative and he is result oriented. The fourth secret of success is: Do what you love. Doing what you love is one of the secrets of success, because you no longer see your work as a burden, you see it as a labour of love. Doing what you love means you are engaged in a job that fascinates you, that holds your attention, that is a natural expression of your talents and abilities. Self made millionaires, if they won a million dollar cash, would continue doing what they are doing. They would only do it differently or at a higher level. They love their work so much that they wouldn't even think of leaving it or retiring. The great leader does what he loves as work and dedicates himself to it. Take Wole Soyinka as an example. He devoted his life to Literature, writing novels, poetry, drama, acting plays, translating folklore to English; he never applied to be vice chancellor of a university. When road safety became a distraction he resigned as chairman. Which was why he won the Nobel Prize in his field in 1986. James Peebles, Professor Emeritus at Princeton University, USA, won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics after 55 years of teaching and research, whither such excellence and perseverance in Africa? That is my opening remark on the fifth secret of success: a commitment to excellence. The quality of your life will be determined by the depth of your commitment to excellence, no matter your chosen field or career. It is our lack of commitment to excellence that is responsible for our failure to discover a World Health Organization accepted cure for a human ailment since the beginning of time. Nor are we able to manufacture our own cars like Japan and India. Which is why you should resolve today to be the very best at what you do. Set a goal to join the top 10 percent of your field. Virtually, all great people are recognized as being extremely competent in their chosen professions. Here is a good code for success: Your life only gets better when you get better. And there is no limit to how much better you can become. There is no limit to how much better you can make your life. You cannot become good at everything. You must identify the one skill that can help you the most and then throw your whole heart into developing that skill. Working long and hard is my sixth secret of success. Self made millionaires practice the '40 Plus' formula. This formula says you work 40 hours per week for survival; over 40 hours for success. If you only work 40 hours a week, all you will ever do is survive. You will never get ahead. You will ever remain a mediocre. The average working week today is 35 hours. Self made millionaires work an average of 59 hours per week; many work up to 80 hours a week at the start of their careers.

Oil and Gas Industry strengthened with updated Language The oil and gas industry has been strengthened and elevated with simplified vocabulary to promote effective communication aimed at improved business transactions and processes. The bolstered language is contained in a new book, entitled, The Language of Oil & Gas, and it is specifically designed to assist industry players and non-experts with clear understanding of the industry’s business and operations. The book is an enriched dictionary with complete explanation of oil and gas terminology, including detailed definitions that are extensively cross referenced on the upstream, midstream and downstream sub-sectors and developments in the industry. Written by Michael Owhoko, a renowned journalist and author, the well-researched lingo also serves as a tool and a bridge for those whose activities revolve round the industry, enabling them to understand the peculiar petroleum language. “Most times, people do not realize the technical depth of the oil and gas industry until they are mid-way into the process. The essence of the book is to provide a clear understanding of the industry jargon in a simplified form to enable stakeholders appreciate and have a deeper knowledge of the industry”, Owhoko revealed in the book. The book which is an updated version, is a must read not only because of its relevance to the business community but its impact on world economies and human existence, making it a collector’s choice. The Language of Oil & Gas is published in the United States of America and it is currently on sale on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and other major bookstores worldwide. Michael Owhoko is a journalist, author and public relations practitioner who has mostly worked in the banking, oil and gas, and media industries. He is the publisher of Media Issues, an online newspaper that can be found at http://www.mediaissuesng.com. He is also the author of Career Frustration in the Workplace; Nigeria on the Precipice: Issues, Options, and Solutions; The Future of Nigeria; and Feminism: The Agony of Men.

EXIT OF A MEDIA ICON Mr. Victor Oshineye Oshisada, a veteran journalist and educationist was born in Lagos on 1st June, 1940 to late Chief Matthew Osimosu Osisada and late Madam Christianah Osisada. He hails from Ijesa-Ijebu(Odo-Ayanyelu) under Odogbolu Local Government Area in Ogun State. He had his early education at Odo Oye Elementary School (1949-1950), St. Judes School, Ijesha-Ijebu(1950-1952)and Wesley School,Irolu(1953-1954)under the Western Region. He also proceeded to L.A Secondary Modern School, Odogbolu in 1957. He taught briefly at St. John Anglican School, Aroloya in 1958 before attending Teachers Training College Surulere, Lagos to obtain Grades One and Two teaching certificates between 1959 and 1964.He later taught at various schools among which were St. Peters School, Faji,Lagos and St.John Anglican School Aroloya,Lagos before quiting teaching for journalism. He worked with the defunct Morning Post Newspaper before obtaining a certificate in Features Writing in 1972 at Nigerian Institute of Journalism. He later joined Daily Times of Nigeria in 1973 under the late Alhaji Babatunde Jose. He rose to the post of Deputy Editor for Home Studies, Headlines, Periodicals, at different years. He attended various seminars and courses as he also obtained Advanced Diploma from Times Journalism Institute with Upper Credit until he retired from Daily Times of Nigeria in 1993.He worked briefly with John West Publications owned by Alhaji. Lateef Jakande. A media practitioner and a great contributor to various articles and dairies of events of the year for Guardian Newspapers until his demise on 22nd October, 2019 after a brief illness at 79 years. He will be greatly missed by all and sundry for his high sense of humour, discipline, passion and commitment to journalism. He survived by his wife, children and grand children. REMINISCENCE OF GOOD WORKS OF VICTOR OSHISADA According to Nicholas Rone, “death is the privilege of human nature”. One should know that he that dies pay all debts. An extract from a popular Christian hymn says that “thus when we pass from this earth and its toilings, only remembered by what we have done”. By the time we juxtapose all these, we can not but conclude that we must do good at all times and not only that, pursue it passionately as it is our calling in order to have positive impact on people we mingle with, remaining indelible in their minds for a very long time. This is necessary before death which is an escape mechanism comes calling. As a son to a father who believed that having quality education no matter your background is a very important panacea for the ‘disease’ called illiteracy. Education makes people easy to govern but difficult to cheat. The man Victor Oshisada detest children being out of school or being seen hawking due to financial reasons or out of the volition of their parents due to one covert reasons or the other. Anytime I was with him, he would pray for any child he met that he or she would attend a prestigious university and be a graduate, a wish of many parents. He was one of the ardent supporters of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He was one of the beneficiaries of the free education programme in the then Western region before he became a teacher at a tender age, he believed so much in the late sage’s philosophy and ideology until his death. Concerning his past articles I carefully preserved, one topic caught my attention which was “Freeing politics from violence published in The Guardian on 15th November, 2006. He wrote that politics must be freed from violence by making it less financially rewarding and that it must be taught in the religious studies and history, even by lending my support in Civic Education from nursery, through primary, secondary and tertiary institutions to shape our youths . Britain as our colonial master did the same. He believed politics should be non-violent, but it must serve humanity and not to acquire wealth. Another topic of interest to me in the Guardian on 26th August,2006 was on “The upsurge of mental patients” he attributed habitual use of alcohol and drugs, socio-economic conditions in the country, voodoo curses from aggrieved or envious people as some causes of these upsurge. We can not shy from all these most especially our youths who indulge in use of hard drugs among which is tramadol coupled with the biting effects of the economy. He advocated collective responsibility of all Nigerians including highly-placed Nigerians and the honorable members of the National Assembly to handle this case which is not good for Nigeria’s image. While on his sick bed, I remembered him telling me of happenings in the presidency. I kept wondering on his passion and love for this great country Nigeria. Whenever Nigeria Super Eagles had any international match, he would call me severally to find out about the progress of our boys whenever he did not have the opportunity to watch the football match like the match between Nigeria and Cameroun in the last Nations Cup in Egypt. Internationally, he took case of Libya seriously which was publication of 23rd November,2006 on “why Gadaffi was killed”. He tried to correct the impression of Moammar Gadaffi’s long reign and perpetuation of himself to power which was misconstrued by so many people. Truly, we know what African leaders can do when it comes to holding too long to the reins of power. He specially wrote that Moammar Gadaffi was a strong leader who knew his onions by improving the economy of his country by concentrating in agriculture and industry with proceeds from oil. Not all African leaders could achieve these especially with long reign. The standard of living of Libya was high as it was the economic Mecca for African youths including Nigerians, but it did not go down well with the western powers due to their selfish interest. Of course, the rest is history as Libya is now shadow of itself. It is a great lesson to us that not everybody likes our progress even in international politics. On this final note, I salute the great father, counselor, teacher in the making, journalist, old age never hindered him from pursuing what he loved doing. It is love for the profession, journalism was pursued passionately that as a boy, I and my siblings would wait for him as he would not return home until the following day, it was during the analogue years especially when the whole country was waiting for the budget. At his age, he never stopped reading, making researches and typing. He promised to return to his work by the time he would overcome his ill health despite being dissuaded from going ahead, but it was never so. This should be a lesson to upcoming those who aspire to be journalists. According to Henry Ford, he said and I quote that “if money is your hope for independence, you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability” Olusheye Oshisada is an educationist who lives in Lagos

LEADERSHIP NOW! Nowadays, any responsible person could be easily offended by the increasing atrocities in the world. This is particularly true for Africans as the continent is suffering from various terrible misdeeds and mischief. The major cause of all existing wrongdoings in our beloved and resource-rich continent is primarily poor leadership. Indeed, many people in Africa do not have trust in their leaders. This is because most often than not leaders tend to abuse power for various reasons. It is often said by many that African leaders put their personal interests above anything else. It is obvious that their self-interest may not be the interest of the public at large. Corruption, nepotism, egoism and abuse of power are the major characteristics of African leaders. Leadership has been defined in many ways: as a matter of personality, as a power relation and as ‘the process by which groups, organizations, and societies attempt to achieve common goals’. Leadership is essential to the human condition and is both current and timeless. The research field on leadership is filled with contradictions: One of the foremost U.S. scholars on leadership, James McGregor Burns writes in his book, “Leadership”(1978), that “one of the universal cravings of our time is the demand for compelling leadership”. Yet leadership is an ambiguous concept; Thomas Wren writes it is “one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth”. Thomas Cronin echoes Burns, that leadership is a ‘mysterious’ concept which is poorly defined and not well applied. Thus there is no coherent theoretical ‘school’ of leadership thought. The fundamental crisis is intellectual; we have failed to set the necessary intellectual and scientific standards to measure good leadership. The definition of good leadership often depends on which side of the political divide you are. Political affiliation often determines which leader is good or bad. Last week, Prof Adebayo Williams in his piece: The Evolving Dynamics of the Nation-State Paradigm, opined: "The current global crisis of the nation-state paradigm offers Nigerian visionary statesmen the most compelling impetus to creatively tinker with, or completely do away with, the nation-state paradigm they have inherited from their colonial overlords." However, on further interrogation, the Prof went on to elucidate: “Finally when I speak to Nigerian visionary statesmen, I am not thinking of the current dismal and pedestrian in our assemblies or executive mansion. These lots cannot visualize not to talk of visioning.” The question therefore arises; how do we conceptualize leadership under the current circumstance? How to lead a group of followers effectively is debated within leadership theory; one strain of thought is the idea of the “transforming leader” who literally attempts to change the mindsets of his followers. For many scholars, history is shaped by the leadership of great men. A sudden decision by a great man could change the course of history and reinterpret historical situations in times of uncertainty. These leaders are effective because they keep the fundamental political values of their time up to date. A transforming leader stimulates enthusiasm and moves the nation when his goals are goals that the followers wish themselves to attain. He can do this by appealing to the best in the followers. Political leaders can be transforming by articulating a shared moral purpose to the citizens. This purpose may awaken dormant needs and values that would be accepted once awakened. The political leader succeeds only when the compelling political purpose is accepted. However, most politicians are not transforming. Both constituents and leaders focus on short-term goals, but a short-term perspective is not the most effective way to lead. More statesmanlike leaders will arouse and direct a democracy toward achieving longer term goals. This appeal to longer-term goals instead of short term goals is found in the conceptual distinction between ‘the politician’ and the ‘statesman’. There is no doubt what we have had over the years are politicians and not statesmen. Our leaders cannot even practice democracy, even in its crudest form. There is lack of leadership in Africa. In terms of the ecological situation of leadership, it has to do with the socio-political environment, in which we have three key players namely, the leader, the follower and then the environment. Leadership responds to the environment, the same way followership works with leadership. In other words, there is a quintessential interface between leadership and followership, and the social space or environment. In Africa, all we have seen is rulership or at best “managership”. Such rulership or misleadership often carries along with it the excess baggage of more innocuous problems for the continent. Any impassioned person about the continent, capable of reading the context of the African dilemma and analyzing it, it is same story of one leadership ineptitude or the other. Leadership has not been oversubscribed to as the problem of Africa, contrary to how some scholars have argued in recent times. It is contended in that line of thought that there are other dire straits in 21st century Africa that tend to render leadership to a secondary matter as they defy leadership. However, it is pertinent to note, leadership is an intervening variable in modern governable society as it increases or decreases the rate of the crisis, depending on policy choices, decisions and implementation. There are three types of leadership challenges at the generic level in the 21st century, namely, the contextual, the personal and the changing paradigms. At the contextual level in the case of Africa, the historical, environmental, diseases, poverty, wars and political instability, infrastructural and general underdevelopment are the turbulent issues. At the personal level, observation has shown that there is low drive or motivation towards self development on the part of Africans (leaders or followers), absence of leadership and general performance skills and a warped educational system, which started dying with the advent of unfocused military rule and political instability. The third is the challenge of whether Africa is responding well to changing paradigms such as globalization, world perspectives, technology, international speed of events and democratization. It will be proper to be quickly reminded of many other challenges of the 21st century that we already know, which are either engendered or got, that have exacerbated by failures of leadership. They include: Economic poverty; infrastructural underdevelopment; urban decay; economic dependency upon western nations for financial aid, loans, technical assistance, and technical expertise; external indebtedness; misappropriation of public funds; embezzlement and financial mismanagement; prebendalism; money laundering; contractocracy; cyber fraud; poor economic, including agricultural policies and poorly implemented social engineering programmes. Social problems include ethnicity, irredentism, ethnic violence and genocide and civil wars; sectarian or religious violence; sectionalism and communal violence; widening social disequilibrium and injustices arising from escalating economic misfortunes; unemployment and underemployment crises; anti-social activities, including rape, prostitution, robbery and a creeping culture of violence among the idle or unemployed youths; declining educational quality and collapsed university system; food insecurity and general social insecurity there from. Add to all these crisis of political identity and you have a situation of perpetual political instability. The Nigerian situation is more critical. Thus, its response in the 21st century to leadership challenges is not far from prognosis. Our leaders have failed to live up to the challenges of post colonial political arrangements. They treat the problems associated with the evolving nation state with levity that promise to have dire consequences for the corporate life of the republic. For those of us in Nigeria, the future lies in restoring sovereignty to the autochthonous nationalities of what is called the nation-state and arranging for either a peaceful break-up of this nation-state, or, some confederal arrangement. Unfortunately, the leadership has been found wanting in this regard. Yet, any failure to act now, to break-up the existing nation-state, or set up some confederal arrangements, is supposed to inevitably lead to the intensification of ethnic conflicts, to civil war and possible ethnic genocide. The Swan song will then be, ‘to thy tents O Israel’. That is why we need the ‘Leadership Now! We need a Moses! This essay is dedicated as a birthday tribute to our amiable Professor Adebayo (Mukaila) Williams who recorded another milestone on Wednesday 9th September. A prolific writer and literary genius, Williams is a passionate student of post colonial political institutions and the Nation State paradigm. We wish him many happy returns. Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend Babatunde Jose +2348033110822

EDO: dancing naked at the market square Of course, we have all heard of that ancient phrase, “The king is naked!” haven’t we? The phrase is as old as the hills, rendering its accompanying anecdote as variegated as there are colours in the rainbow. One is now not certain about the trendy variants, but the version I am familiar with runs thus: Once upon a time lived an insufferably self-centered prince in a very powerful kingdom. Upon ascending the throne of his fathers’, the new king as soon became inebriated with power. As a prince he had learned that the one factor which distinguished the king from the rest of the royal family was the fact that no one ever questioned the words or the actions of the king. It was that singular fact that most excited the would-be king. He thus had secretly yearned to mount the throne even many years before it fell to him. Not surprising, therefore, closely monitoring the effects of his actions and words on his subjects became a cardinal past-time of the new king. At whim, he would command that beautiful young girls be sent to his bed-chambers. It made no difference to him whether such girls were betrothed or even married. At whim still, the king would appropriate large swathes of titled choice lands, all to the anguish of the victim-subjects. And, rather unbecoming of established tradition in those parts, the predatory young ruler would set aside his court’s considered verdict and put his accused subjects to the knife. But in spite of these glaring outrages the traditional reverence for the monarch still ruled the hearts of the subjects, to the latent amazement of the now egoistically venturesome king. What other actions or words would outrage his subjects? the king then began to wonder. He subsequently devoted a disproportionately large amount of his waking hours pondering that puzzle. As fecund as he was venturesome, the king’s restless mind finally came up with an altogether novel, if bizarre idea. A forthcoming kingdom-wide popular festival had winked the king the hint. How about a most provocative costume on that grand occasion? the king had then thought. So on the festive day, while royalties and subjects alike gathered at the expansive town square, the half-crazed king abided in his bed-chambers, alone, relishing his novel costume before a life-sized mirror. He remained in that attitude until he made assurance doubly sure that every other soul in the kingdom was at the square grounds. Without waiting a minute further the king made a bee-line for the town square. His steps majestically measured as he waved his spectre this way and that way, grinning from ear to ear. But the kingdom didn’t cheer; rather grave-yard silence suddenly enveloped the entire square with adults and discerning children discreetly averting their eyes. As demented as ever, the king presumed the deafening silence to be reverence, and proceeded to the richly-decorated platform. Amidst that prevailing pin-drop silence the piercing voice of a child rang out, “The king is naked!” And as though on queue, the huge crowd dispersed as if it were in a moment. Thus ended the reign of an overbearing king. Since that ancient king the world has witnessed countless other “naked kings”. This tribe of rulers has not merely increased over the ages but has, more so in the latter centuries, evolved into “dancing naked kings”; an evolution which had stirred a sage to aver that, “Those that the gods want to ruin, they first make mad”. A 21st century Middle Eastern sadistic ruler would bring that maxim into bold relief in his reckless abuses of power. Notwithstanding his many luxury mansions, that blood-thirsty ruler had danced naked until he became a borrowing creature. His life practically came to a horrible end in a barely ventilated hole! In our sub-region, a power-inebriated master sergeant had danced nakedly until his eyes were brutally plucked and fed to the birds. A glaring thread runs through all of these: persons in a very powerful position who allow themselves to become pathologically self-centered, the gods ultimately make mad. Interestingly, an empirical evidence of this presently unfurls in Edo state. Therein, in the unmistakably erudite words of the Iyase (traditional prime minister) of another ancient kingdom, a queen was recently delivered of a bouncing baby boy. In keeping with tradition, well-wishers have been thronging to the palace to felicitate with the widely admired royal family. As his wont, the very particular Iyase ensures that every session is fully video recorded. He would subsequently review the recorded sessions along with palace aides with an eye peeled on possible details-of-interest. According to the Iyase’s latest account, there is as yet nothing of special interest in the videos, not counting the king’s attention-arousing voice and the new-born prince’s piercing intermittent yells and screams. The Iyase was well used to the attention-arousing voice, what with his decades in office and his close personal association with the owner of that voice. But the Iyase thought there was an unusual periodicity in those sequenced yells and screams. It seemed to the gracefully aging but still mentally-lithe palace adviser that the princely baby was communicating at all the sessions(?) He then invited the king to the reviews. The accomplished diplomat didn’t need to listen more than once to fully decipher the infant’s unsettling message: A chieftain is dancing naked at the market square! Afam Nkemdiche; consulting engineer; Abuja. September, 2020.

Reflections on the Covid19 pandemic By Bayo Ogunmupe What is Coronavirus actually teaching us? I am a believer that there is a spiritual purpose behind everything that happens; whether that thing is good or bad. As I meditate upon this, I want to share with my readers what I feel Corona virus is really doing to us. Corona virus disease is reminding us that we are all equal, regardless of our culture, religion, occupation, status or how famous you are. This disease treats us all equally. Covid19 reminds us that we're all connected; that when something affects one person, it has an effect on another. It is reminding us that the false borders we have put up have no value as this virus does not need a passport to enter any country. By oppressing us for a short while, it is reminding us of those in this world whose whole life is spent in oppression. Coronavirus is reminding us of how precious our health is and how we've neglected it through gluttony, through eating nutrient deficient manufactured food and drinking water and liquor contaminated by chemicals. That if we don't look after our health, we will get sick. It is reminding us of the shortness of life and of what is most important for us to do, which is to help each other, especially those the sick and the old. C19 is reminding us of how materialistic our society has become and how, in times of crises, it is the essentials that we need: food, water, medicine as opposed to the luxuries that we unnecessarily give value to. It is reminding us of how important our family and home life is and how we have neglected this. It is forcing us back into our houses so we can rebuild them into our home and strengthen our family unit. It is reminding us that our true work isn't our job, it is not what we're created to do. That our true work is to look after each other; to protect each other and be of benefit to one another. C19 is reminding us to keep our egos in check. It is reminding us that no matter how great we think we are, a virus can bring our world to a standstill. It reminds us of the power of freewill in our hands to choose to cooperate and help each other to share, to give, to help and support each other or choose to be selfish, to hoard, to look after only our self. Indeed, it is difficulties that bring us our true colours. Covid19 pandemic is reminding us that we can be patient or panic. We can either understand that this type of situation has happened many times before in history and that this too will pass or we can panic and see it as the end of the world. Consequently causing ourselves more harm than good. It reminds us that this can either be the end or a new beginning. Thus, this a time of reflection and understanding; where we learn from our mistakes or the start of a new cycle from where we finally learn the lesson we are meant to learn. C19 reminds us that this earth is sick; that we need to look at the rate of deforestation just as urgently as we look at the speed at which toilet rolls are disappearing off the shelves. Covid19 is reminding us that after any difficulty, there is always ease. Life is cyclical and thus, this is just a phase in this great cycle. We need not panic because this too shall pass. Whereas, we see C19 as a great disaster, I see it as a great corrector. It is sent to remind us of the important lessons we've forgotten and it is up to us to learn from the lessons offered by this pandemic. The lesson is that we're one indivisible humanity inhabiting planet earth. We rise or sink together.

Success Secrets of Self Made Millionaires (2) By Bayo Ogunmupe Developing a clear sense of direction through the crystallization of your dreams into clear, specific written goals is the second secret of success. The greatest discovery in human history is that: You become what you think about most of the time. The factors that, more than anything else, determine what happens to you in life are: what you think about and how you think about it most of the time. Great people think about their goals most of the time, resulting in their continually moving toward them. What you think about most grows and increases in your life. Here is a seven step formula for setting and achieving goals. You can use this formula to become a millionaire. First, decide exactly what you want in each area of your life, especially your financial life as a millionaire to be. Second, write down your goals clearly and specifically. An amazing miracle happens between your head and your hand which makes the goal indelible in your subconscious when you put your goals in writing. Third, set deadlines for each goal. Give yourself a target to aim at. Fourth, make a list of whatever you can think of doing to achieve each goal. Always apply creative problem solving in sourcing for ideas to achieve your goals. Fifth, organize your list into a plan of action. Determine the order of priority in the execution of your plan. Start executing from the most important. Sixth, take immediate action on your plan; never procrastinate. Seventh, do something everyday that moves you a step closer to your goal. This commitment to daily action will make you a big success in anything you wish to accomplish. For your action exercise: Always think on paper, that is to say, always write down your dreams on paper in order to impress them into your subconscious. Sit down and create your goals and your plans to achieve them. This exercise alone will make you a self made millionaire. Seeing yourself as self employed is the third secret of success. You are the captain of your soul and the master of your fate. Take hundred percent responsibility for what you are now and everything you will ever be. Never make excuses or blame anyone for your shortcomings and refuse to criticize others for anything. If there is anything in your life you don't like, change it. You are in charge of your life. The biggest mistake you can ever make is to think is that you working for anyone other than yourself. See yourself as self employed if even you are working for a company or government. When you see yourself as self employed, you develop an entrepreneur mentality, the mentality of a responsible self starting individuals. This is the mindset of the self made millionaire. He takes high levels of initiative and he is result oriented. The fourth secret of success is: Do what you love. Doing what you love is one of the secrets of success, because you no longer see your work as a burden, you see it as a labour of love. Doing what you love means you are engaged in a job that fascinates you, that holds your attention, that is a natural expression of your talents and abilities. Self made millionaires, if they won a million dollar cash, would continue doing what they are doing. They would only do it differently or at a higher level. They love their work so much that they wouldn't even think of leaving it or retiring. The great leader does what he loves as work and dedicates himself to it. Take Wole Soyinka as an example. He devoted his life to Literature, writing novels, poetry, drama, acting plays, translating folklore to English; he never applied to be vice chancellor of a university. When road safety became a distraction he resigned as chairman. Which was why he won the Nobel Prize in his field in 1986. James Peebles, Professor Emeritus at Princeton University, USA, won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics after 55 years of teaching and research, whither such excellence and perseverance in Africa? That is my opening remark on the fifth secret of success: a commitment to excellence. The quality of your life will be determined by the depth of your commitment to excellence, no matter your chosen field or career. It is our lack of commitment to excellence that is responsible for our failure to discover a World Health Organization accepted cure for a human ailment since the beginning of time. Nor are we able to manufacture our own cars like Japan and India. Which is why you should resolve today to be the very best at what you do. Set a goal to join the top 10 percent of your field. Virtually, all great people are recognized as being extremely competent in their chosen professions. Here is a good code for success: Your life only gets better when you get better. And there is no limit to how much better you can become. There is no limit to how much better you can make your life. You cannot become good at everything. You must identify the one skill that can help you the most and then throw your whole heart into developing that skill. Working long and hard is my sixth secret of success. Self made millionaires practice the '40 Plus' formula. This formula says you work 40 hours per week for survival; over 40 hours for success. If you only work 40 hours a week, all you will ever do is survive. You will never get ahead. You will ever remain a mediocre. The average working week today is 35 hours. Self made millionaires work an average of 59 hours per week; many work up to 80 hours a week at the start of their careers.

How Covid19 resets the world economy By Bayo Ogunmupe Many things will change forever after the Covid19 pandemic. As I see it, the worst of the pandemic is yet to come and the world has reached a defining moment. Which is why, in its aftermath, we must get the reset of the world economy right. The challenges are greater than previously imagined. And we must double our capacity to reset than we previously dared to hope. This is a report of the launch of Covid19: The Great Reset, the new book by the Founder and Executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab and Thierry Malleret. It is on the Corona virus crisis and its impact on the world economy. To date only a few countries are effectively containing the virus, while in a majority of nations, Covid19 is either raging or resurfacing with local outbreaks. Already, in barely six months, the pandemic has plunged our world into chaos, in its entirety, bringing each of us individually into the most challenging times the First World War. The world will be dealing with its fallout for years, changing many things forever. It has wrought economic disruption and will continue to do so. It has created risk and volatility on many fronts, political, social, geopolitical-while exacerbating deep concerns about the environment, extending the pernicious reach of technology into our lives. No industry or business will be spared from the impact of these changes. Many companies risk disappearance and millions of industries face an uncertain future; only a few will thrive. For many individuals, life as they have always known it is unravelling at alarming speed. These acute crises favour introspection and foster transformation. The fault lines of today's world, notably- social divides, injustice,absence of cooperation, failure of national and global governance, leadership failure and the degradation of national assets-lie exposed, as never before with many feeling the time for reinvention may have dawned. A new world would emerge, the contours of which it is incumbent on us to re-imagine and re-draw. The sudden and violent nature of what coronavirus pandemic is inflicting makes the scale of this challenge overwhelming. This impression is due in no small measure to the fact that in today's interdependent and hyper-connected world, risks amplify each other. Individual risks or issues could create ricochet effects by provoking others like unemployment, fuelling social unrest, penury and triggering involuntary mass migration like Africans migrated via the Sahara and by boat over the mediterranean sea. These challenges play out as complex adaptive systems which share a fundamental attribute: being susceptible to matters cascading out of control and in so doing producing extreme consequences that often come as a surprise, for which we are ill prepared. Covid19 has already given us a foretaste of this. To a considerable extent, the sharp and dramatic rise in unemployment, the global wave of social unrest unleashed by the Black Lives Matter protests and the growing fracture between China and the united States wouldn't have taken place without the pandemic. At the very least, they were exacerbated by it. The occurrence and severity of these fault lines mean that we are now at the crossroads. The potential for change is unlimited, bound only by our imagination. Nations could be poised to become either more equitable or the opposite, geared towards more solidarity or greater individualism; favouring the interests of the few or looking for the needs of the many. Then, when the economies recover, they could be characterized by greater inclusivity but better attuned to global commonwealth or they could simply return to business as usual, which the pandemic revealed as untenable status quo. However, with enough collective will, we should take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity to reset the world economy by making it more equitable, resilient as we emerge onto the other side of this crisis. The immediate post crisis period offers the window to rebuild by not wasting the $10 trillion governments around the world are investing to alleviate the effects of the pandemic. A recent policy paper to which the World Economic Forum contributed estimates that building a positive economy could be more than $10 trillion by 2030. In the short term, deploying about $250 billion of stimulus funding could generate about 37 million positive jobs in a cost effective manner. Indeed, resetting the environment should be seen as an investment that will generate employment opportunities. We must get the reset of the world economy right by starting now. The challenges before the world hold dire consequences, perhaps more than imagined. But our capacity to reset, is also greater than we can dare to hope. Let the Federal Government cooperate with the World Economic Forum for the reform of the Nigerian economy.

Jide Akinbiyi at 87: A senior citizen’s travails on Nigeria at 60 Banji Ojewale A man will turn over half a library to make one book-Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English lexicographer, essayist and literary critic. Senior Citizen Edward Jide Akinbiyi is reaching out to the long stretch of his eventful past and turning over more than half of the libraries he has visited worldwide to tell a story. The retired TV journalist, administrator and Afenifere chieftain is plodding along on a book to relate the narrative of the project called Nigeria. It’s a land he believes in, despite a host of crises threatening to pull down the house. We need history, he tells his younger friends, to enable us know why we fell, so we can stop our cyclical trips into the abyss. When Nigeria turns 60 on October 1 and her officialdom rolls out celebratory drums, Akinbiyi won’t be in the troupe; he will be miming a dirge. At 87 on August 29, 2020, this Nigerian nationalist will be mourning for Nigeria. He will be ruing the death of a promise, the dearth of principles and the darkness over the polity. 27 in 1960 when Nigeria freed itself from colonial servitude, Akinbiyi was in the throng that charted a trajectory of hope and glory for the world’s most populous black country. It wasn’t an unreasonable expectation, given what he beheld in the regions that formed Nigeria even before Independence. A robust federal structure was in place that denuded the centre of overarching powers. The arrangement was liberal with the autonomy it gave the outposts of administration. No ‘big brother’ glance from the central government. Akinbiyi believes these are undeniable features of a functioning federation. He says their absence begets the reign of anarchy, that their absence is responsible for what he describes as Nigeria’s ‘’de-structured polity’’ which must be ‘’restructured’’. Young Akinbiyi noticed how the system engendered jet-bursts of all-round development at the grassroots, the regions. His case study was the Western Region. He watched at close quarters the history Premier Obafemi Awolowo was making in the area. Free education had been introduced, the first in the country and in Africa. Sports had also attracted international attention to Nigeria following the provision of an Olympic-standard stadium in Ibadan, capital of the region. Again this was the first of its kind in the country. Finally, the much eulogized Western Nigeria Television Service, WNTV that lit up Ibadan in 1959. It was the first in Africa. At a time most of the advanced countries of Europe, Asia and the Americas didn’t have this index of civilization and progress, the regional government of an African country still under colonial watch had beaten them all to the punch, storming the scene with an ‘Eighth Wonder’ landmark. Akinbiyi was part of this historic feat located in his hometown, then the largest urban settlement in West Africa. He was drafted from the Ministry of Information to be among the key pioneer staff of WNTV, First in Africa. This affinity with the station remains Akinbiyi’s evergreen contribution to the pomp of the past that WNTV represented. Pa Akinbiyi is linked to two more achievements in the annals of Nigeria’s electronic media. Three years after WNTV, the federal authorities under Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa established Nigerian Television Service, NTS, Victoria Island, Lagos. It was carved out of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, NBC, the radio station located at Ikoyi, Lagos. Again, Akinbiyi moved there to pass on some of the tricks that have earned him solid ground in history. A greater accomplishment was to follow during the heady days of the Second Republic in the early 80s. Lateef Jakande, LKJ, was the Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, governor of Lagos State. Awolowo was the leader of the party, which had ‘lost’ at the presidential ballot. But the UPN was firmly in charge in Lagos State and in all the successor states that followed the dissolution of the sprawling Western Nigeria into five states, famously called LOOBO states by fiery critic and educationist, Tai Solarin. Like Awolowo his mentor, Jakande had dazzled Nigeria with a lot of ‘firsts’ that not only fetched him acclaim, but also won political capital such that he was touted as the next presidential candidate for UPN after the great Awo. Now, LKJ moved to scale another height, the creation of a state TV. It would be the first state-owned station following the takeover of the regional WNTV in 1976 by the military junta of Olusegun Obasanjo. Obasanjo’s action destroyed the traditional concept and dynamics of the TV as a mass-based tool for enlightenment and development whose ownership therefore must be liberalized, rather than be monopolized. Monopoly chokes, chills and chars. That’s what left the TV industry trammeled until LKJ with Akinbiyi and his team acted. LKJ reached out to Akinbiyi for the tall order of breaking the federal yoke on TV. That led to the advent of Lagos Television, LTV8. Akinbiyi, a prince of Ibadan, offered the mammoth experience of the WNTV era to outwit the federal might which repeatedly also threw a wrench in the works to prevent the station from birthing and existing. One of the weird clogs was the jamming of LTV channel. But the new baby wouldn’t die. It defied the odds, surviving nostalgically in the WNTV renaissance spirit. Rapidly, other states set up their own stations. The ignoble and tedious federal hold on Nigeria’s airwaves was sent packing, never to show up again. LTV8 has remained the forerunner of the crowd of private TV stations in the land today. Akinbiyi is linking these sublime personal and national successes to the ambience of his day. He says he will argue in his book that the glory of Nigeria evaporated when the military putsch abolished the federal arrangement in 1966, the same way the sun set for TV when, the soldiers, in the manner of the Barbarians’ deadly onslaught on the Roman civilization in the 5th Century, pillaged WNTV with a takeover decree that led to its death. But he doesn’t belong to the unbundle-the-union camp. He doesn’t accept the ‘decease’ caused by the military rulers and sustained by their political collaborators is irreversible. Akinbiyi sees Nigeria as a modern-day Lazarus. It can be recalled from its death-slumber. The giant may be in the throes of extinction, an anguished Akinbiyi says. But it’s not over for her. So what’s to be done? He suggests restructuring of the nation to take the country and its people back to its golden era of the early years after Independence. Each region had its governing machinery that moderated its boundless resources and human endowment. The process unleashed the equally limitless growth and development Akinbiyi is proud to be part of. His words: ‘’It was the true federal structure we operated that let our potential. It was the magic wand. But the system has been de-structured. And that has caused the destruction of the country. What the military bequeathed us has trapped the geniuses in us. I don’t subscribe to the breakup of Nigeria as some extremists are saying. What we must do is to restructure this de-structured country. Otherwise, the extremists would have their way by default…I think that in real terms, Nigeria is just existing for the various categories of looters under its so-called presidential system. It is not existing for its suffering masses. It seems we are simply waiting for Armageddon…These are the grounds my book will address, God willing, before I pass on.’’ English poet and scholar of the 17th Century, John Milton, wrote his sublime work, Paradise Lost, in old age, in blindness and in emotional distress. But according to Samuel Johnson, Milton’s ‘’vigour of intellect was such, that he was not disabled to discharge’’ his duty. He said that Milton was ‘’weak of body, and dim of sight; but his will was forward, and what was wanting of health was supplied by zeal.’’ Pa Akinbiyi can also feed on his abiding passion for the unity of Nigeria and on Heaven to help him deliver on his promise to chase the book out of the closet to the market. Happy Birthday, Baba Jide Akinbiyi!

Alphabets of leadership for the youth By Bayo Ogunmupe The target audience of the author of Alphabets of Leadership For Young Minds is the youth of modern day Nigeria. The author, Odunayo Sanya is a mother of three, very passionate about youth empowerment, leadership, mentorship and nation building. She belongs to the American John Maxwell school of leadership that believes leadership is a skill that can be acquired by training. Alphabets of Leadership is in paperback and has 278 pages, 26 chapters and with 18 illustrations. Published in Dallas, Texas, USA in 2019 by Pyxidia House Publishers but printed in Nigeria, the book is a manual on leadership. Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty than others? And why is it that only few people truly excel and realize their dreams? All these questions are answered in the book by the author. The future of nations and the world depend on the youth who are the next generation of leaders. In this work of immense erudition, Odunayo Sanya sets the stage to nurture, and equip young men and women with timeless leadership principles, for in the uncertain world of today, leadership requires skill building around traits that are uniquely human. With sagacious insight into the dynamics of leadership, Odunayo positions leadership as a skill to be learned and nurtured in young minds to enable them reach their full potential. In her learnable and profound style, she presents these leadership traits under relatable letters of the alphabet, punctuating them with inspired stories and quotations that provide templates that inspire, and motivate the development of future leaders. Alphabets of Leadership is an invaluable book for young men and women committed to building leadership skills for themselves and those they care about. In the lifetime of every man, there comes a time when he is presented with an opportunity to do something great. Often, it never shows up as an opportunity. It comes clothed as challenges. It will be a tragedy if that moment finds you unprepared for the work which would be a turning point in your life. You must understand that the process for promoting anyone into a new opportunity does not begin the day the opportunity presents itself. Indeed, the world of opportunity begins to evaluate you long before the opportunity is conceived. Thus, believe it or not, decisions about your opportunities in the future are based on how prepared you are today. It is for you to be prepared for your opportunity that Odunayo wrote this book. We need the book to fill two gaping holes in our national psyche. Nigeria has never had a visionary leader since independence. Secondly, we're lacking in creativity, for compared with Israel with nine million people and more than 10 Nobel laureates, Nigeria with 200 million people has only one Nobel prize winner. On the accomplishment of leadership in an uncertain world, the author quotes the former United States Defence Secretary Colin Powell thus: "Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible." Here, Colin Powell is simply saying you cannot accomplish great feats by being logical, and thus, afraid of the facts that scientific data present to you about your idea, so you have to tackle it head-on. Logic will convince you with facts that you cannot get it done. "Getting it done" is an important trait of great people. Those who get things done shape the world while others watch. And along with your capacity to dream great dreams is your capability for great accomplishments. You carry in you multiple strengths, unrivalled creativity, and willpower. On courage, Alphabets of Leadership has much to say. According to Wikipedia, courage is "the choice and willingness to confront uncertainty, fear and pain." moral courage is the ability to act rightly regardless of the situation. Thus, every aspiring leader must befriend courage, in order for him to make phenomenal progress as a leader. You must have the strength to be the lone voice in the desert. According to the great American novelist, Mark Twin, "Courage is the mastery of fear, not the absence of fear." Former South African president, Nelson Mandela was one of greatest men of courage for spending 27 years in prison without a broken spirit, without the spirit of revenge. he described courage perfectly when he said, "I learnt that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." The author's ideas about Integrity is what I wish to close this review upon. She avers that is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles which you cannot compromise. It also means standards of doing business of practising your profession. You are determined not to lower those standards. Integrity evolved from the Latin word: Integer, which means whole or complete. Linked to honesty, wholeness means consistency of character. This means you must walk your talk. It is essential that what you say and do is aligned. My other synonym for integrity is sincerity. I see Nigerians pray to impress in public like pharisees. They don't follow what they are saying with what they are doing. The spate of crimes of violence compared our religiosity will convince a prospective leader that Nigerian Christians and Muslims are't abiding by the tenets of their faith. Odunayo Sanya is a motivational speaker, certified coach and trainer at John Maxwell Leadership Training School. After 23 years spent in a career spanning education, financial services and telecommunications, Mrs Sanya became passionate about youth empowerment, leadership and nation building. She was groomed for leadership at the Lagos Business School, the Institute of Management Development, Switzerland, the Harvard Business School and Cornell University, USA. She lives in Lagos, Nigeria with her husband Oladele and her three daughters.

Habits of Self Made Millionaires (2) By Bayo Ogunmupe Thought is the source of greatness, wealth and all material gain. All great discoveries, inventions, creativity and all achievement starts from human thought and imagination. And it is when you honestly act and follow your thoughts that you achieve whatever goal you set yourself. Which is why self honesty, or integrity is the eleventh habit of self made millionaires. And the most valued and respected quality you can develop is a reputation for absolute integrity. Winners are always honest in everything they do and in every transaction they perform. Thus, you must never compromise your integrity, your word must be your bond and your is everything when it comes to business or politics. Integrity is essential to greatness because business or political promotion is based on trust. Your success in life will be determined solely by the number of people who trust you and who are willing to support and work for you, give you credit, lend you money, buy your services and help you during difficult times. Your character is your most worthwhile asset and it is based on the amount of integrity that you practice. The first key to integrity is to be true to yourself in all things. Being true to yourself means doing whatever you're doing excellently. You must pursue excellence in whatever you are doing. Integrity is demonstrated internally by latent honesty; externally by quality work. The second key to integrity is being true to other people in your life. Live in truth with everyone. Don't say or do anything you do not believe to be true, right and honest. Refuse to compromise your integrity for anything. Always live up to the highest standard that you know. Single mindedness in the pursuit of priorities is the twelfth secret of self made millionaires. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways, therefore being single minded is the hallmark of successful people. When you create the habit of setting priorities and concentrating on them single-mindedly, you will be able to accomplish whatever you want in life. This strategy has been the reason for high income, great wealth and financial independence for many people. Your ability to determine your priority and working on that priority until it is achieved is the test and measure of your willpower, self-discipline and personal character. This is an important habit you should develop if you want to be a great success. This one habit alone will make you a self made millionaire. Developing a reputation for speed and dependability is the thirteenth habit of self made millionaires. Since time is the currency of the 21st century, everyone today is in tremendous hurry. Customers want their services or products delivered immediately. Impatience and instant gratification now rule the world. And for you to be competitive you have to deliver your products and services with the speed of light. Loyal customers will change to the fastest supplier in a twinkle an eye. So you have to develop a sense of urgency and a bias for action to excel. That is how to attract more customers. When you exhibit the ability to get things done quickly and accurately you move to the front in your profession. And a reputation for speed and action combined with climbing from one peak of achievement to another marks the fourteenth secret of success of self made millionaires. Winning isn't an one-off event. It must be continuous. Identify the trends and cycles in your business and adapt to these changes. And practice self discipline in all things. Self discipline is the ability to make yourself do whatever you should do, when you should do it, whether you like it or not. It is the ability to set a long term goal of becoming financially independent and then disciplining yourself to achieve your long term goal. Self discipline requires self mastery, self control, being responsible, and self direction. Everything in life is a test, the test is whether you can do the important things; keep your mind on what you want and where you are going rather than thinking and talking about what you don't want or problems you have had in the past. When you pass the test, you move to the next onward to becoming a millionaire. The greatest genius of all time, Albert Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than facts." Which is why you should explore your creativity all the time. Since you utilize less than 20 percent of your brainpower and creativity daily; you should tap your imagination, creativity and intuition more often. Develop new ideas on your career, your creativity is stimulated by your desired goals, pressing problems and focused questions. The more you focus your mind on achieving your goals, the smarter you become and the stronger the muscles of your mind become. The more you use your brain creatively, the stronger and more resilient it becomes. You develop the muscles of your brain by straining them.

Habits of Self Made Millionaires (3) by Bayo Ogunmupe You will be the same person in five years except for the people you meet and the books you read. This is why you must make meeting and becoming friends with great people your priority. Researchers avow that fully 85 percent of your success and happiness in life is determined by the quality of friends and acquaintances you make in your day to day activities. The more people you know and who know you in a positive way, the more successful you will become and the faster too. At every turning point in your life, someone is standing there to help or hinder you. Which is why successful people make a habit of building and maintaining a network of high quality relationships throughout their lives. As a result, they accomplish vastly more than the person who goes home to watch television every night. Thus, it is not in Nigeria alone that success depends on who you know. It is a universal law of life that only those who know you that will promote you or nominate you to high public office. And such a reference group is defined by people with whom you habitually identify and pass the time. Humans are like chameleons in that they take on the attitudes, behaviors, values and beliefs of people with whom they associate with most of the time. So, make yourself a millionaire by networking with great people. And take care of yourself, you can only become great if you have good health. A former President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt said: "The key to happiness is a sound mind in a sound body." In order to enjoy their money, self made millionaires aim to be centenarians. You too should make living a long life your habit. There are three keys to living a long, healthy and happy life. The first is proper weight, Set a goal to get your weight under control and remain lean and fit for the rest of your life. The mantra for this is: Eat less and exercise more. The second key is proper diet, and the key to diet is to eat fewer but better foods. Eat proteins, fruits and vegetables. Eliminate desserts, soft drinks, candy and sugary foods. Stop consuming excess salt, flour products and eat in smaller portions five times a day instead of three large meals. If you can control your eating, you will be able to control other habits in other parts of your life. The third key to a long and healthy life is proper exercise. This requires vigorous activity, long walks, joining a wellness or sporting club and keeping some fitness equipment in your house. One of the qualities of self made millionaires is that they think carefully before making quick and decisive decisions. They discipline themselves to take action, following up their decisions. Successful people are more decisive and try far more things than their less successful peers. According to the law of probabilities, if you try far more different ways to be successful the odds are you will eventually find the right way at the right time. Unsuccessful people are indecisive, procrastinate, they do not have the character to make firm decisions. As a result they drift through life and never achieve financial independence. Moreover, great people never accept failure to be an option. A journalist once asked the founder of International Business Machine (IBM), Thomas J. Watson, how he could be more successful and faster. Watson replied: "If you want to be successful faster, you must double your rate of failure. Success lies on the far side of failure." Though self made millionaires are no gamblers, they dare to go forward; they take calculated risks for their goals to achieve greater rewards. When you act boldly unseen forces come to your aid. Every act of courage increases your courage. Perhaps the best mantra from the movie Apollo 13 came from Eugene Krantz, head of mission control at NASA. When the people around him were agonising over losing the spacecraft and astronauts, he pulled them together with decisive action saying loudly: "Failure is not an option." And the quick actions taken saved the day. Finally, to become a self made millionaire, you must pass the persistence test. According to the 30th President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, "Nothing can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." Persistence is the lodestar of human character. Persistence is to the leader as carbon is to steel. It is absolutely indispensable to the attainment of greatness in any field. Always programme your subconscious for persistence by resolving in advance that you will never give up, whatever what happens. The courage to persist in the face of all terror is the one quality that, more than anything will guarantee your success. Remember, all life is a test. For you to achieve great success you must pass the persistence test. Recurring crisis is inevitable in life, so you must brace yourself up for war. Imagine every difficulty sent to you was to teach you a valuable lesson that you must learn to be even more successful in the future. And from this moment onward, always seek the valuable lesson in every setback or difficulty. This will help you in your quest not only to become a millionaire, but in your march to becoming a visionary leader. In conclusion, success is predictable. Success is not a matter of luck or accident. You must plan to successful before you can become great. If you are persistent in your pursuit of greatness, nothing in the world can stop you.

North-South imbalance: Nigeria in free fall to self-destruct By Michael Owhoko Praying for Nigeria’s redemption from its current woes is like asking God to prevent a building with defective foundation located in the Lekki area of Lagos from collapse. Even intercessions by best of prayer warriors cannot save such a building. As long as Nigeria continue with its current inapt political structure, its descent to self-destruct is definite. The ominous signs are there for any discerning mind to see except those with impaired vision and beneficiaries of the prejudicial system. If indeed Nigeria is a product of amalgamation of two separate “countries”, comprising Northern and Southern protectorates up till 1914, it infers there should be a balance between the two regions in the distribution and management of the country’s resources. This was the intention of 1963 Constitution. The 1963 Constitution was painstakingly negotiated and tailored to address the country’s heterogenous and multiethnic peculiarities for equity purposes, encouraging representatives of the regions to transfer part of their sovereignty to federal or centre at the time. Abrogation and replacement of the 1963 Constitution with a unitary system (Decree No 34 of 1966) was therefore a very costly political mistake made by General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi. Rather than reverse this anomaly, the counter coup by northern elements in the army that brought General Yakubu Gowon to power sustained this same inappropriate structure that was partly responsible for their vengeance. This is the genesis of Nigeria’s unending woes and steady free fall into abyss and self-destruct. No matter the inherent flaws of the 1963 Constitution, the features of federalism in the constitution guaranteed equity and would have been left to evolve. By now, Nigeria would have been a more stable country, offering leadership to the rest of Africa and enjoying global respect outside the continent. To have retained this unitary system till date through the current 1999 Constitution, is dishonesty and unhelpful to the country’s unity. This constitution which was indolently generated from the 1979 Constitution and foisted on Nigerians, was predetermined, draped in pseudo-federalism and inimical to a plural society like Nigeria. Indeed, the 1999 Constitution is not a product of serious negotiation as it was deliberately framed to put the Northern region at advantage over the South. It gives the North more opportunities in federal bureaucracy than the South through the application of quota system or federal character principle, a policy meant to hold down the South for the North to catch up. If this special waiver (quota system) deliberately imposed by this constitution was put in place to correct the educational and employment imbalance, among others, between the North and the South in public sector, for how long will this system be sustained? Is it in perpetuity? It has been in place even before 1960, and was given legal and official cover by the 1979 Constitution, and later the 1999 Constitution. For equity purposes, why was the quota system not applied to the Igbo at the end of the civil war to facilitate their reintegration into society, under the 3Rs of Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation. The Igbo were left to fight their way into economic, social and political relevance to catch up with the rest of the country. The North has obviously caught up with the South, and it is high time the country got the federal character principle reviewed, discarded and do away with. A system where Southerners with higher marks cannot get admission into federal schools while those with lower scores from the North are admitted cannot be a fair system, neither the recruitment of Northerners with lower qualification into public service while Southerners with higher qualification are ineligible on grounds of the quota system, is impartial. Besides the disparity in favour of the North, the 1999 Constitution is the root cause of corruption in the country. It concentrates power and resources in the hands of one man, promotes nepotism and encourages leaders to take total control of governmental instrument to pursue ethnic and sectional agenda. This explains the attendant desperation by the various ethnic groups or regions to capture power at all cost at the centre, making it practically impossible, for example, to conduct accurate census and free and fair elections, as they are incidental to power and resources. The unitary system is an aberration and provokes discontent within the polity resulting in national and diplomatic deficit. One of the consequences is Nigeria’s dwindling respect, influence and honour within and around the world. The country has been on a descent from its hitherto enviable height, indicative of system anomaly, institutional mismatch and structural failure. Even Africa countries which used to be Nigeria’s sphere of influence in foreign policy matters, now see Nigeria as a weakling and underdog. This was not the dream of Nigerians at independence when the structure and system of government guaranteed national equity with each region having the autonomy to grow at its pace through unique local administration that was suitable to the needs and aspirations of the respective ethnic groups and regions. It is the unitary nature of the 1999 Constitution that has given impetus for the entire organs of government, namely, the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary to be headed by Northerners, besides service chiefs and heads of strategic ministries, departments and agencies of government that are also dominated by Northerners. Even for a blind man, this is obviously an unfair system that leaves the other partner, the South, disadvantaged. Allowing the North to get away with this power sharing disparity suggests the North is the superior partner, and the South, the inferior of the union. Implicitly, while political and economic opportunities are shrinking in the South, the North is experiencing increase. This is manifest in recruitment pattern in ministries, departments and agencies of the federal government, among others. Thus, in response to dwindling prospects, Southerners now flee and migrate to other countries to take up demeaning jobs for survival, and sometimes, resort to all kinds of vices at home and abroad, including internet fraud and prostitution. Southerners prefer to be strangers in foreign land with sense of liberty than remaining in a country where dreams cannot be fulfilled through decent and legitimate process of hard work and honesty. Identifying oneself as a Nigerian has become a burden because of the negative public perception, particularly in transnational circles. Nigeria’s miseries are further compounded by prevailing political uncertainty and leadership vacuum fueled by the eccentric 1999 Constitution. Any country that is destined for greatness is known by the demeanor of those charged to manage its affairs. How far such a country can go in meeting the aspirations of its citizenry is determined by the quality of leadership thought process. When those thoughts are driven by narrow and selfish motives other than national interest, what you get is futility. Leadership from the bottom rung of the ladder to the top have veered the country from the course of greatness with no hope of attaining unity of aspiration. Who will the youths look up to as reference group when all you hear, see, feel and experience from those at the helms of affairs is theft, nepotism, insincerity and lies as encapsulated in corruption? Nigeria has become a metaphor for corruption and a country without direction. Citizens no longer believe in the country, as the texture of atmosphere in Nigeria reflects direct opposite of the country's national motto of "Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress”. Nigeria is currently disunited, faithless, tumultuous and regressive, and this also accounts for the unrestrained massive corruption going on in the country. Obviously, the 1999 Constitution does not encourage Nigeria to fulfill purpose of a united country devoid of prejudice aimed at transforming its human and natural resources into advantage for the collective good of citizens. Rather, opportunistic ideology holds sway. Get to power, screw policies in favour of your ethnic interest, particularly with projects and appointments, grab or steal as much wealth as you can, and get out. Leaders see Nigeria as a project with an expiry lifespan because of skepticism over its continuity as a country. This is why distribution of resources are flagrantly allocated inequitably to serve primordial, narrow, sectional and selfish interest. Rather than strengthen institutions to fulfill national aspiration and purpose, institutions are deliberately weakened in preference for strong personalities and personalized leadership to enable them control and distribute the country’s resources at whims. Today, insincerity has been elevated into a creed. There is no governmental agencies that functions transparently because of personal and sectional hidden agenda. In fact, there is complete system failure in all aspects of the country’s life. This has also left in its trail bottled up anger and tension in the land that is gradually snowballing into a dangerous proportion capable of consuming the country. There is no hope the country will ever recover or know true peace except the polity is rescued and restructured within the framework of the 1963 Constitution, otherwise, eventual disintegration is inevitable. Michael Owhoko is a journalist, author and public relations consultant who has mostly worked in the banking, oil and gas, and media industries. He is the author of The Language of Oil and Gas; Career Frustration in the Workplace; Nigeria on the Precipice: Issues, Options, and Solutions; The Future of Nigeria; and Feminism: The Agony of Men. He is also the publisher of Media Issues, an online newspaper that can be found at www.mediaissuesng.com.

Lending crucial to post Covid19 prosperity By Bayo Ogunmupe Contrary to the fears of many, Nigeria has only been mildly hit by the corona virus epidemic. However, normal, preventive measures to curb the virus shut the people out of the sources of their livelihood. Palliative measures to soften the devastating effects of the pandemic have not been far-reaching enough in many states of the federation. And to that many are complaining that they are yet to receive anything from the federal or state governments. Sadly, those who got something suffered the toil of long queues and the humiliation of being seen as poor. Palliative procurement and distribution have also been associated with corruption and nepotism. When the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs vows to have spent millions of naira in the procurement of these welfare packages we in the South see it as bare faced sloganeering. Even this septuagenarian journalist who has spent three decades serving in Lagos has seen no one been so honorable as to receive a palliative from any government be it federal or state. What we overhear in the newsroom are complaints that "when I asked I called a long time colleague now a press secretary to a governor, all he did was to send me half a bag of rice as if the rice will cook itself." But truly, people have become very poor with half wages and retrenchment from time to time. And without pension if even you have reached a pensionable age or not; no respite or relief packages from any federal or state agency. You can only beg or rely on primordial relatives. For job losses after weeks in isolation, companies cannot be blamed, for they could not do business because lockdowns have kept customers off the streets. many are not even able to cash their money from banks because bank officials only allow their cronies to withdraw money from their bank accounts; when the Automated Teller Machines are empty. The months of March, April, May and June 2020 were a period of immolation without respite in Nigeria. The people in government houses were unaware of the pains which was why they didn't spread palliatives for succor. For the post-Covid19 economic recovery and prosperity in Nigeria, our banks have crucial roles to play. Collateral and interest free lending will be crucial to a post pandemic recovery in this country. The Central Bank of Nigeria, the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the banks are well advised to prepare for this if Muhammadu Buhari hopes to lift Nigeria out of the woods. Cash backed welfare initiatives are necessarily being channeled through banks around the world. Though some recipients are choosing to put these loans in their savings accounts instead of investing, still there is a consensus that banks would not be able to make as many loans as they did in unregulated times of the past. Like elsewhere around the world, the Central Bank of Kenya had already restructured $1 billion of loans by the middle of May 2020. Some other banks are even being surprisingly emphatic on loan restructuring. The Central Bank of South Africa even allows some of its customers to give leeways on loan repayments. In Germany, the government pays banks and private commercial enterprises to hold off on layoff plans, opting to cut salaries and work hours. Around the globe, banks have also ramped up loan guarantee schemes, adding incentives like cap on losses for banks to induce participation in these cushioning measures. Despite the challenges non interest loans pose on profits, government must impose as a matter of policy, new regulations aiding the post-Covid19 economic recovery and prosperity plan. Businesses depend on it to prosper and retain its workforce. Government should target labour intensive sectors such as agriculture, agro-allied industries and manufacturing as the Zenith Bank of Nigeria announced it would. Amidst all these challenges, banks are still the channel through any recovery from Covid19 would come about in the Nigerian economy. For the recovery plan to succeed, they have to give more loans. Thus, lending by banks is very crucial to post-Covid19 prosperity. Which is why they have to lend at zero interest rate like Islamic banks. Loan defaults, thinner margins and bigger lending would certainly be the lot of Nigerian banks in the next one year. They should not only participate in the loan guarantee schemes to be set up by the federal and state governments, but actively promote them to their customers. Difficult as it is, with meagre returns for their troubles, Nigerian banks must make deliberate efforts to help small and medium size businesses from now on. Consisting of at least 250 ethnic groups and about 500 dialects, Nigeria is a potpourri of tribal identities that has the outlook of a marriage of strange bedfellows. However, despite our diverse and contradictory legal systems, we've coexisted as a nation state for 60 years. Nigeria runs three legal systems: the Criminal Code, the Penal Code and the Sharia. These contradictions are pulling Nigeria in different directions. The lack of common identity has served to dampen efforts to forge a nationhood. Nigeria beginning with amalgamation of a weakened Fulani caliphate in the north; with Oyo empire and different forest kingdoms in the South west and Niger Delta and an acephalous Igbo ethnic group in the South east may have its perks, but the colonialist who created the marriage, did it for its own economic reasons. But Lord Lugard who created the contraption didn't think the union would survive this long. But observers avow that if Nigeria survived a civil war 50 years ago, it could survive anything. However, with each passing turmoil, this contrived union is being tested and stretched thin. With the latest uproar a fortnight ago, following the sentencing to death of a 22 year old singer in Kano by an Islamic Sharia court. The alleged blasphemy is yet another flashpoint in the life of the untoward marriage. The sentence has not been executed because the prisoner has the right of appeal to the Court of Appeal which is under Common Law which does not recognise blasphemy as a crime. While many Northerners applaud the sentence, majority of Southerners roundly condemned it, showing mistrust between the North and the South. When foreign businessmen ask for security in Nigeria, the ask questions about gangs of people going to burn down a man's house because of his opinion. For such arson was committed to the house of the father of the singer convicted of blasphemy. Which is why Nigeria sits at the top of countries worst to do business. Nigeria is among worst place in terms of security, because of these circumstances. So, we need to understand how these circumstances determine security and economic outcomes. Bandits operate with impunity in North Central states while Islamic insurgency ravages the North East; yet government punishes people who protest but grants amnesty to people who take arms against the state. Videos have gone viral showing ethnic cleansing against Christians in Southern Kaduna. These examples have portrayed Nigeria as a dangerous place to do business. Government should hasten the implementation of community policing to make Nigeria an investment destination. Thus, bringing Nigeria to the path of prosperity hinges on bank lending coupled with restoring security to the roads, the cities and every nook and cranny of the federation. Without being tough on security, government will continue to seen as hypocritical, insincere and incompetent.

How insecurity undermines SME growth By Bayo Ogunmupe In far away Bangladesh, Mohammed Yunus taught us how we can grant prosperity to our beleaguered nation. Bangladesh, a nation of 161.6 million people which got independence from Pakistan by revolution only in December 1971was lifted out of poverty in 1983. Yunus, that year established the Grameen Bank that granted loans to the poor without either collateral or interest. Fueled by the belief that credit is a fundamental human right, gave soft loans to develop small and medium enterprises which lifted Bangladesh to the prosperous middle income group of countries. Yunus, an economics professor noted how credit had lifted Europe and North America into prosperity. Through the Grameen- like micro-lending more than 100 countries worldwide have liberated their peoples from poverty and want but excluding Nigeria. As banker to the poor, Yunus was the recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize for Peace. he has received numerous other awards for his creative ideas and endeavours, including the World Food Prize in 1994. Sadly, Nigeria is deeply into social unrest, to the extent that many call it full scale war with Boko Haram in Borno, Yobe and Taraba and with bandits in Sokoto, Zamfara, Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa states. Now, insecurity has caused the Beekeeping Extension Society to move the production of honey from Kaduna where full scale religious war is going on at the moment. The production of honey has been moved to Kano, Gombe and Bauchi states. The representatives of the UN in a press statement announced that it spends $1.5 billion yearly on the humanitarian crises in Nigeria. In the first half of this year, bandits have killed 1,126 villagers. A commissioner on the Federal Character Commission form Taraba state Alhaji Abubakar Armiyau, attributed insecurity to injustice in the polity. Herders and farmers have clashed at Orire Local Government Area of Oyo, rendering agriculture impossible to be practised, leading to food scarcity in the future. More than 78,120 farmers abandon farms in Borno with bandits abducting a bride and nursing mother in Sokoto. All these led the former minister of Agriculture and chair of Arewa Consultative Forum, Chief Audu Ogbeh to enjoin North to make peace among themselves or they will lose the North.This unrest has created palpable fear among farming families across the country, providing a major obstacle in the way of the agrarian masses in Nigeria. Upon the outcry, Nigerian troops just expelled terrorists in Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State with 410 suspects surrendering and bomb- making factory destroyed. Meanwhile, most rural dwellers in Nigeria, especially those from the North where these killings are taking place, are predominantly farmers. So, the most pervasive economic activity is being put on hold. Then, there are the bandits, a uniquely Nigerian terrorist group known for precision attacks even under curfews and lockdown. We can see internally displaced persons all over the place, where women use their bodies to beg for food and men and children are ravaged by malnutrition. We are victims of Nigerian terrorist groups who have taken up arms against the state. When insecurity destroys the livelihood of a community, its inhabitants die twice, first, they lose businesses which are the means of their livelihood, second, they physically die. Thus, internally displaced persons are waiting for their second death. Sadly, we are still running a country where people bestowed with public trust cannot be held to account. And this is where internally generated revenue grows from, without reference to its sources and how the collection impacts society, despite this being a trending index of good governance. Which is why SMEs are dying. Internal revenue officials are making life a living hell for small businesses. It is definitely wrong for a country to persist in conducting governance in this manner. Insecurity, be it communal or religious as in Southern Kaduna, have a negative impact on small and medium scale enterprises. It also has a deleterious effect on every level of economic activity and the most vulnerable among individuals. This is why public policy cannot just focus on physical reconstruction of conflict invested zones, but also focusing on the restoration of the economy of the area. Indeed, insecurity has driven many entrepreneurs to racketeering and organized crime or becoming accessors to bandits as a result of bad government policies. The implication of the above is that entrepreneurs who have expended their wealth in order to increase it, become poor and dangerous to the society if policy isn't directed to the common good. Indeed, insecurity is exacerbated, when rent seeking, which is usually the case of ineffective policy design and application, becomes the main driver of private enterprise, as it is in Nigeria of today. Presently, Nigeria uses ineffective institutions to curb such tendencies, which is why insurgency festers. despite concerted efforts to stop it. However, where personality cults determine the nature and direction of public policy, effective institutions are hard to build. But sold institutions are essential in directing the course of development in making sure economic agents behave in set order. The toxicity of public policy, often evident in zones of conflict, is responsible for the thriving of low entrepreneurship supporting the enemy. This is due to a lack adequate lending necessary for high investment to curb insecurity. This analysis of the present state of insecurity in Nigeria, and even the Covid19 pandemic has been largely at the macro-economic level. Growth projections and the incipient recession, inflation and unemployment are the implications of inappropriate policies. The impact of insecurity and the destruction of the middle class in the rural economy is yet to be appreciated. Recently, some states approached the federal government asking for money to shore up security in the states, in spite of amplifying their tax collection to boost resources. Sadly, rural tax is evidence of insensitivity to the plight of the rural poor worsened by the ravages of war. Government tax policy that ignores the negative relationship between insecurity and war inspired bankruptcy is the handiwork of neophytes. Taxes are for the living. A special tax policy should be evolved for the rural dweller in time of war or unrest. According to Amnesty International, so far, bandits have killed 1,126 and abducted over 400 Nigerians in seven states of Northern Nigeria. That meant so many thriving enterprises have been wiped out. Unfortunately, we are still unable to identify those behind Boko Haram, the killer herdsmen and the bandits with out DSS, NIA, NPF, DMI, and the Defence Intelligence Agency. Rebuilding broken bridges serves no respite without knowing the identity and the location of those who broke them. With some two term governors disclosing that they met ethnic cleansing in their states, it may well mean we are facing premeditated unrest in the country which we are loath to unravel.

Achieving economic recovery after Covid19 pandemic By Bayo Ogunmupe The Great Reset of the World Economy will stamp out organized financial crime. The World Economic Forum teaches how to achieve a clean economic recovery that combats organized crime. Sadly, criminals have adapted to thrive in the economic environment created by the pandemic, exploiting the crisis to weave themselves into the legitimate economy. In the event of prosecution, only 2 percent of criminal assets are recovered. Obstacles to recovering criminal assets need to be removed so that ill-gotten gains can be repurposed for the good of society. A starting point would be to improve public-private sharing of financial information to fight financial crime across borders. This quick criminal adaptation undermines the economic recovery and will weaken public institutions. Given that money laundering is the engine of organized crime, if access to money laundering services was removed, criminals would not be able to make use of their profits. This offers a good lever to stamp out organized crime. The following recommendations from the World Economic Forum- supported coalition offer national economies how to tackle organized financial crime. The European Union (EU) has launched an Action Plan for a comprehensive policy on preventing money laundering and terrorism financing, to address the issue. The plan can support an economic recovery that works for citizens across the globe, rather than lining the pockets of international criminals. The timing of this Action Plan is the recognition that financial crime is pervasive and weaving its way into a larger number of economic sectors. At the start of the pandemic, European Police demonstrated in the ‘Catching the virus: cybercrime, disinformation and the Covid19 pandemic’ that cybercriminals were using the pandemic to target communities. Recent reports from the Interpol show this trend is global. Analogue criminals are ruthlessly exploiting new industry needs created by the pandemic with devastating effects on the wellbeing of societies and individual citizens. Thus, the fallout from the pandemic is the weakening of economies, and the creation of new vulnerabilities from which crime can emerge. Economic and financial crime, such as various types of fraud, money laundering, intellectual property crime and currency counterfeiting, is particularly threatening during this time of economic crisis. Unfortunately, this is also when they become most prevalent. These economic downturns create opportunities for crime. While a recession entails hardship for the legitimate economy, criminals are well placed to exploit the desperation of others. Lack of accessible loans and capital puts companies under financial pressure and can leave them vulnerable to infiltration or takeovers by criminals. In times of crisis, personal and public finances must be protected. The proceeds of bribery, corruption, fraud, narcotics trafficking and other organized crimes have all been implicated in the financing of terrorism, human rights abuses such as slavery and child labour, and environmental crimes such as wildlife trafficking, that have potential to trigger another pandemic. This has serious economic and social costs in terms of lost revenues to national exchequers that could be invested in social development, and in terms of the impact on individual lives. While many governments are responding to these threats, we are not aware of any actions or policies being put forward by the Federal Government of Nigeria in spite of the invasion of the country by Boko Haram guerrillas and bandits. For the EU, the Police has created the Financial and Economic Crime Centre to enhance Europol’s operational support to EU member states, forging alliances with public and private entities for tracing, seizing and confiscating criminal assets in the EU and beyond. The economic crime centre also relies on initiatives from Europol Financial Intelligence Public Private Partnerships. The latest Future of Financial Intelligence Sharing research paper charts the global growth of public private partnerships to fight financial crime. In recent times, there has been phenomenal growth of such partnerships throughout the world. Public- Private partnerships between law enforcement, regulated financial institutions, data providers and civil society organizations help identify criminal assets. They accelerate speed of asset seizure, preventing criminal funds from infiltrating the legal economy and damaging society. Since criminals can operate internationally with ease, Nigeria has to sign law enforcement protocols with police forces of her neighboring states to stop illicit flows of money being used to destabilize her. We know that cross-border partnerships of police forces, financial intelligence units and government agencies can thwart criminals. Europol’s Financial Intelligence partnership is a leading example of this. Cross border partnerships need to be sourced , Nigeria should take steps to improve the effectiveness of cross border information sharing including the use of privacy preserving analysis if she will ever overcome banditry and Boko Haram insurgency ravaging the country. It is the proceeds of oil theft and illegal mineral resources mining that are being used to finance insurgency in Nigeria. Information sharing holds the key to combating terrorism. Its value is beyond data. It fosters better discussions and understanding of risks by all involved and result in a real proactive and joint work on cases that protect citizens. Information sharing also enables you to recognize the complexity of combating financial crime. The pandemic has opened the door to new crimes. The digitization of retail banking, for example has created new vectors for fraud. Also, the implication is that money laundering can trigger the winding-up of a bank under the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive, allowing criminals to buy out a bank. Finally, financial crime knows no borders, therefore, Nigeria should protect herself by signing information sharing protocols with her neighbors.

Subsidy removal as panacea for economic prosperity By Bayo Ogunmupe The most important lesson Covid19 pandemic has brought to the fore is the evil effects of subsidies on the Nigerian economy. After decades of corruptive spending, called petroleum subsidy by the Federal Government of Nigeria, it finally bade good bye to the ignoble policy, albeit unwillingly. The decision to jettison the policy, was due to the crisis precipitated by the slump in Nigeria's crude oil earnings. Though a most sagacious decision, petroleum and electricity subsidies were removed at a most inopportune time. The timing was wrong because it is in a period of corona virus pandemic when half of the adult population is unemployed. More so, the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress is contesting the governorships of Edo and Ondo states. The federal government has just given the opposition party the ammunition with which to win the election. But Nigeria, being a pre-literate society may not vote for the opposition which this unwise political decision portends. Subsidy removal ought to have been decided and executed last January, given the oil glut nigeria is experiencing then. In the circumstance, the subsidy removal ought to have been postponed till January 2021 in deference to the election. This government has left the economy primeval for too long, leaving the economy comatose since 2018. Though subsidy removal was inevitable, we commend President Mohammed Buhari for taking the courageous decision which every President had been loath to take for decades.Sadly subsidies have bred corruption and held us back from industrialization and economic prosperity. Such policies as petroleum and electricity subsidy, the creation of the National Youth Service Corps and a proliferation of ministries, departments and agencies have retarded Nigeria's growth. Such evil policies have rendered Nigeria unstable and insecure. For example, we know that political stability is a precondition to economic prosperity, according to their book 'Why Nations Fail', Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, argue that politics and economics interact in causing poverty or creating prosperity. However, the authors put politics first because while economics creates prosperity, it is politics that determines which economic policy to adopt. Thus, we must avoid making mistakes through formulating bad policies. Nigeria's preference for loans as against private capital investments is holding us back in generating economic growth and prosperity. Using loans to generate development builds expensive infrastructure, excluding mechanisms to recover costs. lacking understanding of how to generate growth in a market economy, it strangulates thriving industries to death. Using loans to fund growth, militates against inclusive trade. It forces government to shut borders, imposing import substitution in an economy where it is cheaper to move a container from Indonesia to Lagos than it is to move goods from Apapa to Abeokuta. Earlier this year the federal government secured a facility from the World Bank. The $750 million loan was for the ailing power sector. The condition for the loan is that government must stop subsidizing power and ensure tariffs guarantee commercial returns. But government has spent over N380 billion on electricity subsidies in 2020 so far; after bailing out operators with the princely sum of N1.7 trillion since May 2015. Since 2015, government has been burning over N1 trillion yearly to subsidize petrol while defunding healthcare and education. It maintains a dizzying number of workers to manage the business of the importation of refined petrol. Yet it spends a fortune paying the bureaucracy managing the three petroleum refineries that are even unable to produce enough petrol to power their own generators. From February 2020, Covid19 forced the closure of factories and airlines, causing the demand for oil and gas to crash. Prices fell providing the opportunity to remove oil subsidy completely. Instead of walking away, government dithered to fix oil pump price, announcing the end of subsidies. Though subsidy is untenable today as it was in 2011; then, $9.3 billion was spent in subsidizing imported petrol. This represented about 30 percent of our expenditure; 40 percent of GDP and 118 percent of the capital budget. In comparison, education got $2.2 billion; health-$1.32 billion and works : infrastructure $680 million. Sadly the Buhari that was swept to power on the wave of popular discontent over corruption still kept corruption laden subsidies. So the decision, though poorly timed to abolish subsidies augurs well for economic justice and prosperity for Nigeria. However, in order that our shameless leaders may not slip back through the back door, the removal of subsidies must be backed by law. Also the policies of keeping the refineries should be abandoned. The refineries should be sold out. However, government should retain 30 percent ownership in the refineries in order to ensure they're not used against the nation. Buhari has just borrowed a leaf from President John Atta Mills of Ghana who bowed to the inevitable by removing subsidy, arguing with all humility tat "subsidizing fuel is not sustainable and removing it is the right thing to do, so we can sustain our fiscal consolidation." Hopefully, organized labour wont go on strike the way they seduced President Umaru Yar Adua to revoke the sale of 51 percent equity stakes in the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries to the Bluestar Consortium for the sum of $721 million. Thanks to the dastardly broken Nigerian economy that cannot continue the subsidy regime, the government has done the only rational thing left: doing away with the subsidy. However, there is one more subsidy that needs to go. This is the foreign exchange subsidy. It has now supplanted fuel subsidy. It is worse than fuel subsidy in that it only subsidizes the rich passport holders who enjoy the pleasures of medical tourism abroad. Now, it is the largest source of corruption and the pilfering of Nigeria's commonwealth.

Subsidy removal as panacea for economic prosperity By Bayo Ogunmupe The most important lesson Covid19 pandemic has brought to the fore is the evil effects of subsidies on the Nigerian economy. After decades of corruptive spending, called petroleum subsidy by the Federal Government of Nigeria, it finally bade good bye to the ignoble policy, albeit unwillingly. The decision to jettison the policy, was due to the crisis precipitated by the slump in Nigeria's crude oil earnings. Though a most sagacious decision, petroleum and electricity subsidies were removed at a most inopportune time. The timing was wrong because it is in a period of corona virus pandemic when half of the adult population is unemployed. More so, the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress is contesting the governorships of Edo and Ondo states. The federal government has just given the opposition party the ammunition with which to win the election. But Nigeria, being a pre-literate society may not vote for the opposition which this unwise political decision portends. Subsidy removal ought to have been decided and executed last January, given the oil glut nigeria is experiencing then. In the circumstance, the subsidy removal ought to have been postponed till January 2021 in deference to the election. This government has left the economy primeval for too long, leaving the economy comatose since 2018. Though subsidy removal was inevitable, we commend President Mohammed Buhari for taking the courageous decision which every President had been loath to take for decades.Sadly subsidies have bred corruption and held us back from industrialization and economic prosperity. Such policies as petroleum and electricity subsidy, the creation of the National Youth Service Corps and a proliferation of ministries, departments and agencies have retarded Nigeria's growth. Such evil policies have rendered Nigeria unstable and insecure. For example, we know that political stability is a precondition to economic prosperity, according to their book 'Why Nations Fail', Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, argue that politics and economics interact in causing poverty or creating prosperity. However, the authors put politics first because while economics creates prosperity, it is politics that determines which economic policy to adopt. Thus, we must avoid making mistakes through formulating bad policies. Nigeria's preference for loans as against private capital investments is holding us back in generating economic growth and prosperity. Using loans to generate development builds expensive infrastructure, excluding mechanisms to recover costs. lacking understanding of how to generate growth in a market economy, it strangulates thriving industries to death. Using loans to fund growth, militates against inclusive trade. It forces government to shut borders, imposing import substitution in an economy where it is cheaper to move a container from Indonesia to Lagos than it is to move goods from Apapa to Abeokuta. Earlier this year the federal government secured a facility from the World Bank. The $750 million loan was for the ailing power sector. The condition for the loan is that government must stop subsidizing power and ensure tariffs guarantee commercial returns. But government has spent over N380 billion on electricity subsidies in 2020 so far; after bailing out operators with the princely sum of N1.7 trillion since May 2015. Since 2015, government has been burning over N1 trillion yearly to subsidize petrol while defunding healthcare and education. It maintains a dizzying number of workers to manage the business of the importation of refined petrol. Yet it spends a fortune paying the bureaucracy managing the three petroleum refineries that are even unable to produce enough petrol to power their own generators. From February 2020, Covid19 forced the closure of factories and airlines, causing the demand for oil and gas to crash. Prices fell providing the opportunity to remove oil subsidy completely. Instead of walking away, government dithered to fix oil pump price, announcing the end of subsidies. Though subsidy is untenable today as it was in 2011; then, $9.3 billion was spent in subsidizing imported petrol. This represented about 30 percent of our expenditure; 40 percent of GDP and 118 percent of the capital budget. In comparison, education got $2.2 billion; health-$1.32 billion and works : infrastructure $680 million. Sadly the Buhari that was swept to power on the wave of popular discontent over corruption still kept corruption laden subsidies. So the decision, though poorly timed to abolish subsidies augurs well for economic justice and prosperity for Nigeria. However, in order that our shameless leaders may not slip back through the back door, the removal of subsidies must be backed by law. Also the policies of keeping the refineries should be abandoned. The refineries should be sold out. However, government should retain 30 percent ownership in the refineries in order to ensure they're not used against the nation. Buhari has just borrowed a leaf from President John Atta Mills of Ghana who bowed to the inevitable by removing subsidy, arguing with all humility tat "subsidizing fuel is not sustainable and removing it is the right thing to do, so we can sustain our fiscal consolidation." Hopefully, organized labour wont go on strike the way they seduced President Umaru Yar Adua to revoke the sale of 51 percent equity stakes in the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries to the Bluestar Consortium for the sum of $721 million. Thanks to the dastardly broken Nigerian economy that cannot continue the subsidy regime, the government has done the only rational thing left: doing away with the subsidy. However, there is one more subsidy that needs to go. This is the foreign exchange subsidy. It has now supplanted fuel subsidy. It is worse than fuel subsidy in that it only subsidizes the rich passport holders who enjoy the pleasures of medical tourism abroad. Now, it is the largest source of corruption and the pilfering of Nigeria's commonwealth.

CREATIVE THINKING TECHNIQUE: LOTUS BLOSSOM

by imagineer7

Creative thinking technique:  Lotus Blossom

A creative-thinking technique that will help you expand your thinking beyond your usual paths of thinking is Lotus Blossom. According to author, Michael Michalko, Lotus Blossom helps you to organize your thinking around significant themes, helping you to explore a number of alternate possibilities and ideas.

We were all born as spontaneous, creative thinkers. Yet a great deal of our education may be regarded as the inculcation of mind sets. We were taught how to handle problems and new phenomena with fixed mental attitudes (based on what past thinkers thought) that predetermine our response to problems or situations. Typically, we think on the basis of similar problems encountered in the past. When confronted with problems, we fixate on something in our past that has worked before. Then we analytically select the most promising approach based on past experiences, excluding all other approaches, and work within a clearly defined direction toward the solution of the problem.

Our rutted paths of thinking

Once we think we know what works or can be done, it becomes hard for us to consider alternative ideas. We tend to develop narrow ideas and stick with them until proven wrong. Following is an interesting experiment, which was originally conducted by the British psychologist Peter Watson, that demonstrates the way we typically process information. Watson would present subjects with the following three numbers in sequence.

2… 4… 6…

He would then ask subjects to explain the number rule for the sequence and to give other examples of the rule. The subjects could ask as many questions as they wished without penalty.

He found that almost invariably most people will initially say, “4, 6, 8” or some similar sequence. And Watson would say, yes, that is an example of a number rule. Then they will say, “20, 22, 24″ or “50, 52, 54″ and so on– all numbers increasing by two. After a few tries, and getting affirmative answers each time, they are confident that the rule is numbers increasing by two without exploring alternative possibilities.

Actually, the rule Watson was looking for is much simpler — it’s simply numbers increasing. They could be 1, 2, 3 or 10, 20, 40 or 400, 678, 10,944. And testing such an alternative would be easy. All the subjects had to say was 1, 2, 3 to Watson to test it and it would be affirmed. Or, for example, a subject could throw out any series of numbers, for example, 5,4,3 to see if they got a positive or negative answer. And that information would tell them a lot about whether their guess about the rule is true.

The profound discovery Watson made was that most people process the same information over and over until proven wrong, without searching for alternatives, even when there is no penalty for asking questions that give them a negative answer. In his hundreds of experiments, he, incredibly, never had an instance in which someone spontaneously offered an alternative hypotheses to find out if it were true. In short, his subjects didn’t even try to find out if there is a simpler or even, another, rule.

Creative geniuses think differently

Creative geniuses don’t think this way. The creative genius will always look for a multiplicity of ways to approach a subject. It is this willingness to entertain different perspectives and alternative approaches that broadens their thinking and opens them up to new information and the new possibilities that the rest of us don’t see. Einstein was once asked what the difference was between him and the average person. He said that if you asked the average person to find a needle in a haystack, the person would stop when he or she found a needle. He, on the other hand, would tear through the entire haystack looking for all possible needles.

When Charles Darwin first set to solve the problem of evolution, he did not analytically settle on the most promising approach to natural selection and then process the information in a way that would exclude all other approaches. Instead, he initially organized his thinking around significant themes, principally eight, of the problem, which gave his thinking some order but with the themes connected loosely enough so that he could easily alter them singly or in groups. His themes helped him capture his thoughts about evolutionary change by allowing him to reach out in many alternative directions at once and pull seemingly unrelated information into a coalescent body of thought.

Darwin used his themes to work through many points that led to his theory of evolution by helping him to comprehend what is known and to guide in the search for what is not yet known. He used them as a way of classifying the relation of different species to each other, as a way to represent the accident of life, the irregularity of nature, the explosiveness of growth, and of the necessity to keep the number of species constant. Over time, he rejected some of his themes— the idea of direct adaptation, for instance. Some were emphasized — the idea of continuity. Some were confirmed for the first time — the idea that change is continuous. Some were recognized — the frequency of variation. By adjusting and altering the number of themes and connections, Darwin was able to keep his thought fluid and to bring about adaptive shifts in his thinking. He played the critic, surveying his own positions; the inventor, devising new solutions and ideas; and the learner, accumulating new facts not prominent before.

The Lotus Blossom brainstorming technique

The point is that by organizing his thinking around loosely-connected themes, Darwin expanded his thinking by inventing alternative possibilities and explanations that, otherwise, may have been ignored. A creative-thinking technique that will help you expand your thinking in a similar fashion is Lotus Blossom, which was originally developed by Yasuo Matsumura of Clover Management Research in Chiba City, Japan. The technique helps you to diagrammatically mimic Darwin’s thinking strategy by organizing your thinking around significant themes. You start with a central subject and expand into themes and sub-themes, each with separate entry points. In Lotus Blossom, the petals around the core of the blossom are figuratively “peeled back” one at a time, revealing a key component or theme. This approach is pursued in ever-widening circles until the subject or opportunity is comprehensively explored. The cluster of themes and surrounding ideas and applications, which are developed in one way or another, provide several different alternative possibilities. The guidelines for Lotus Blossom are:

1. Write the central problem in the center of the diagram.

2. Write the significant themes, components or dimensions of your subject in the surrounding circles labeled A to H surrounding the central theme. The optimal number of themes for a manageable diagram is between six and eight. If you have more than eight, make additional diagrams. Ask questions like: What are my specific objectives? What are the constants in my problem? If my subject were a book, what would the chapter headings be? What are the dimensions of my problem?

3. Use the ideas written in the circles as the central themes for the surrounding lotus blossom petals or boxes. Thus, the idea or application you wrote in Circle A would become the central theme for the lower middle box A. It now becomes the basis for generating eight new ideas or applications.

4. Continue the process until the lotus blossom diagram is completed.

An example: How to add value to your organization

Suppose, for example, you want to create more value for your organization by increasing productivity or decreasing costs. You would write “Add Value” in the center box. Next, write the eight most significant areas in your organization where you can increase productivity or decrease costs in the circles labeled A to H that surround your central box. Also write the same significant areas in the circles with the corresponding letters spread around the diagram. In my example, I selected the themes “suppliers,” “travel expenses,” “partnerships,” “delivery methods,” “personnel,” “technology,” “facilities,” and “evaluation.” Also write the same significant areas in the circles with the corresponding letters spread around the diagram. For instance, in the sample diagram, the word “technology” in the circle labeled A, serves as the theme for the lower middle group of boxes. Each area now represents a theme that ties together the surrounding boxes.

For each theme, try to think of eight ways to add value. Phrase each theme as a question to yourself. For example, ask “In what ways might we use technology to increase productivity?” and “In what ways might we use technology to decrease expenses?” Write the ideas and applications in the boxes numbered 1 through 8 surrounding the technology theme. Do this for each theme. Think of eight ideas or ways to make personnel more productive or ways to decrease personnel expenses, eight ideas or ways to create more value for your delivery methods, your facilities and so on. If you complete the entire diagram, you’ll have 64 new ideas or ways to increase productivity or decrease expenses.

When you write your ideas in the diagram, you’ll discover that ideas continually evolve into other ideas and applications, as ideas seem to flow outward with a conceptual momentum all their own.

An important aspect of this technique is that it shifts you from reacting to a “static” snapshot of the problem and will encourage you to examine the significant themes of the problem and the relationships and connections between them. Sometimes when you complete a diagram with ideas and applications for each theme, a property or feature not previously seen will emerge. Generally, higher level properties are regarded as emergent — a car, for example, is an emergent property of the interconnected parts. If a car were disassembled and all the parts were thrown into a heap, the property disappears. If you placed the parts in piles according to function, you begin to see a pattern and make connections between the piles that may inspire you to imagine the emergent property–the car, which you can then build. Similarly, when you diagram your problem thematically with ideas and applications, it enhances your opportunity to see patterns and make connections. The connections you make between the themes and ideas and applications will sometimes create an emergent new property or feature not previously considered.

Michael Michalko is author of Thinkertoys (A Handbook of Business Creativity), Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius, Creative Thinkering,  and Thinkpak: A Brainstorming Card Deck.

HOW DO WE THINK? WHY DO WE BELIEVE WHAT WE BELIEVE

by imagineer7

How do we think? Why do we believe what we believe. Einstein intuitively knew that thinking is speculative and how personal beliefs and theories distort what we observe. Once he observed jokingly, “If the facts don’t confirm your theory, change your facts.”

Einstein explained that psychologically, our beliefs and axioms rest upon our experiences. All experiences are neutral, you give it meaning by how you choose to interpret it. There exists, however, no logical path from experience to an axiom, but only an intuitive connection based on our interpretation of the experience, which is always subject to revocation. These interpretations shape our beliefs and perceptions which determine our theories about the world. Finally, our theories determine what we observe in the world and, paradoxically, we only observe what confirms our theories.Bottom of Form

At one time, ancient astronomers believed that the heavens were eternal and made of ether. This theory made it impossible for them to observe meteors as burning stones from outer space. Although the ancients witnessed meteor showers and found some on the ground, they couldn’t recognize them as meteors from outer space. They sought out and observed only those things that confirmed their theory about the heavens.

We are like the ancient astronomers and actively seek out only that information that confirms our beliefs and theories about ourselves and the world. Religious people see evidence of God’s handiwork everywhere; whereas, atheists see evidence of the absence of God everywhere. Conservatives see the evils of liberalism everywhere and liberals see the evils of conservatism everywhere. In fact, you do not need to watch and listen to either Fox or MSNBC because you already know what their position will be on any given political issue.

Many of us are taught that belief is the result of reasoned thought which informed you and then you chose to believe or not believe. But actually, your beliefs are shaped by your subjective interpretations of your experiences. When you are thinking something, you have the feeling that the thoughts do nothing except inform you, and then you choose to do something and do it. But actually, the way you think and what you think is determined by your theories about yourself and life. Thought controls you more than you realize.  

The following story illustrates how a person’s theory determines what is observed and how what is observed is interpreted according to the person’s theory.

Religious beliefs polarize many humans. Some will say there is no scientific evidence that God exists, therefore there is no God. Others say the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence; therefore we must have faith that God exists to give meaning to our existence.

The university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists? A student bravely replied, "Yes, he did!"

      "God created everything? The professor asked. "Yes sir", the student replied.

The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil". The student became quiet before such an answer.

Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question professor?"

“Of course", replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, "Professor does cold exist?"

"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?"

The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."

The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?" The professor responded, "Of course it does." The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?" Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil." To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The young student's name purportedly was— Albert Einstein. Einstein, himself, neither confirmed nor denied he was the student.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Michael Michalko is the author of Creative Thinkering: Putting Your Imagination to Work, Thinkertoys: Handbook of Creative Thinking Techniques, Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius, and ThinkPak: A Brainstorming Card Deck. 

http://www.creativethinking.net

THE EXQUISITE CORPSE

by imagineer7 THE EXQUISITE CORPSE It is not possible to think unpredictably by looking harder and longer in the same direction. When your attention is focused on a subject, only a few patterns dominate your thinking. These patterns produce predictable ideas no matter how hard you try. In fact, the harder you try, the stronger the same patterns become. If, however, you change your focus and combine your subject with something that is not related, different, unusual patterns are activated. Try an experiment. Pick eight random words and give the list to someone or to a small group (for example: flower pot, baby, glass, grasshopper, coffee pot, box, toast and garage). Ask them to divide the words into two groups without giving them any rationale for the division. You will discover that people will come up with some very creative classifications. They will group them according to “words with the letter o”, “things that touch water,” “objects made in factories,” and so on. No one ever says there is no connection, they invent them. Though we seldom think about it, making random connections in such a manner are conceptual creative acts. In my years of studying creativity I discovered numerous techniques that creative geniuses used throughout history to create random conceptual acts to create novel and original ideas. Making random connections were popular techniques used by the extraordinary artist Jackson Pollock to create conceptual combinations in art. One of his favorite techniques was named “The Exquisite Corpse” after a session that contained those words during a session. Each person in a group would take turns, each contributing any word or phrase that occurred to them without seeing what the others had written. They would then mix and remix the words and phrases into various combinations of concepts. In one session they explored new ways to make statements with paint. The word “drip” was  among the words the group suggested that intrigued Pollock. This resulted in a new style of what he called “drip” painting that made him world famous. His signature style involved laying a canvas on the floor and pouring paint onto it in continuous, curving streams. Rather than pouring straight from the can, he applied paint from a stick or a trowel, waving his hand back and forth above the canvas and adjusting the height and angle of the trowel to make the stream of paint wider or thinner. Pollock created a tension between the dynamics of the paint and the message of the painting. BLUEPRINT Have the group bounce ideas and thoughts about the subject off each other for five to ten minutes. Then, ask the participants to think about what was discussed and silently write one word that occurs to them on a card. Collect the cards have the group combine the words into a sentence (words can be moved and added by the group to help the sentence make sense). Then invite the group to study the final sentence and build an idea or ideas from it. Chemist Karl Kreckman was assigned to work on various ways to protect seed corn from the elements. Karl was a fan of abstractionist art and decided it would be fun to try Pollock’s technique. He collected a small group of friends and told them to think about how to protect plants and trees from the elements. Some of the words they contributed were fur, sun lamp, indoors, tents, covering, clothing. The person who offered the word “fur” said he imagined making fur coats and hats for all the trees to wear in winter. They laughed at the image. Days after the meeting Karl was thinking about the words fur, covering and clothing. This got him thinking about synthetics, including polymers that make clothing, which triggered his idea to create intelligent polymer seed coatings, which shift properties as conditions change. The seeds can be planted in any weather or season. They lie protected and dormant when it’s cold outside and sprout as soon as the soil reaches the right growing temperature. OUT OF THIN AIR An Alzheimer’s organization planned to have an auction to raise money for their cause. They planned an elaborate, sophisticated evening and looked for unusual items they could auction. They tried the “exquisite corpse” technique. Some of the words they came up with were people, cruises, creative, furniture, charity, designer, custom, art, thin air, and celebrities. One of the connections was: create----art----thin air. This triggered their idea which was the sensation of the auction. They sold an idea for an artwork that doesn’t exist. They talked a local conceptual artist into describing an idea for an artwork. The idea was placed in an envelope and auctioned off for $10,000. Legal ownership was indicated by a typed certificate, which detailed how the artwork was to be produced by the owner which includes consultation with the artist. The owner has the right to reproduce this piece as many times as he likes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why isn’t everyone creative? Why doesn’t education foster more ingenuity? Why is expertise often the enemy of innovation? Best-selling creativity expert Michael Michalko shows that in every field of endeavor, from business and science to government, the arts, and even day-to-day life — natural creativity is limited by the prejudices of logic and the structures of accepted categories and concepts. Through step-by-step exercises, illustrated strategies, and inspiring real-world examples he shows readers how to liberate their thinking and literally expand their imaginations by learning to synthesize dissimilar subjects, think paradoxically, and enlist the help of the subconscious mind. He also reveals the attitudes and approaches diverse geniuses share — and anyone can emulate. Fascinating and fun, Michalko’s strategies facilitate the kind of light-bulb moment thinking that changes lives — for the better. Michael Michalko is the author of the highly acclaimed Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative Thinking Techniques; Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius; ThinkPak: A Brainstorming Card Deck and Creative Thinkering: Putting Your Imagination to Work. creativethinking.net/#sthash.SXV5T2cu.dpbs

BRAINSTORMING WITH THINKPAK

by imagineer7

A Brainstorming Card Deck

What Is THINKPAK?Thinkpak is a brainstorming tool. It is designed to break you out of your habitual way of thinking and produce a wide variety of fresh thoughts that will lead to new insights, original ideas, and creative solutions to problems. It will change the way you think.

SCAMPEREverything new is really just an addition to or modification of something that already exists. Whenever you want to create a new idea, product, service, process, breakthrough, or whatever you need, Thinkpak will help you take your subject and change it into something else. Alex Osborn, a pioneer teacher of creativity, first identified the nine principle ways of manipulating a subject. They were later arranged by Bob Eberle into the mnemonic SCAMPER:

• Substitute something.
• Combine it with something else.
• Adapt something to it.
• Modify or Magnify it.
• Put it to some other use.
• Eliminate something.
• Reverse or Rearrange it.

Suppose you wanted to improve the ordinary metal paper clip. You could substitute plastic for metal and add color, creating plastic clips that would allow clipped papers to be color-coded, thereby putting the clips to another use.

THINKPAK contains idea-triggering questions based on these nine principles. The questions are designed to focus your attention on your subject in different ways and give you different means of interpreting what you are focusing on. These different ways of focusing will break your habitual thought patterns and let you look at your subject in fresh ways. You’ll generate a quantity of ideas quickly, including ideas that you wouldn’t have otherwise considered. Once you apply the THINKPAK questions to your subject or situation, ideas begin to appear almost involuntarily. 

Applying SCAMPER to a HamburgerRay Kroc was a middle-class high-school dropout, a former piano player, and a real-estate salesman who sold paper cups for seventeen years. In his fifties, Ray Kroc left the paper cup business and hit the road selling a little machine called the Multimixer, which could make six milkshakes at a time.

One day in 1954, a hamburger stand in California ordered eight Multimixers. Curious, Kroc drove his dusty little car out to investigate. He was stunned by the volume of business that Dick and Maurice McDonald were doing. They had unwittingly hit on the concept of fast food–homogenized, predictable items that are quick and easy to prepare. The McDonalds had simplified, economized, and minimized the hamburger stand.

Kroc and the McDonalds formed a partnership that allowed Kroc to find new sites, and open and run them. What followed was not instant success but obstacles and challenges. Ray Kroc became a billionaire because he identified the right challenges and manipulated existing information into new ideas to solve them.

Following are some of the challenges he faced and how the SCAMPER principles helped to shape his ideas.

SUBSTITUTE

Problem: The McDonalds proved to be lethargic business partners. Kroc was worried that they might sell out to someone who didn’t want him around.

SCAMPER Solution: Substitute a different partner. Kroc was cash poor, but he was determined to buy out the McDonalds. Kroc raised the $2.7 million asking price from John Bristol, a venture capitalist whose clients (college endowment funds) realized a $14-million return on their investment. The next substitution was to go public, which he did in 1963, making many investors rich. 

COMBINE

Problem: Ray Kroc’s first hamburger stand was planned for Des Plaines, Illinois, but he couldn’t afford to finance construction.

SCAMPER Solution: Combine purposes with someone else. He sold the construction company half-ownership in return for constructing his first building. 

ADAPT

Problem: Ray Kroc was interested in developing a new twist on the food business, but he lacked ideas.

SCAMPER Solution: Adapt someone else’s idea. Kroc was amazed at the volume of business the McDonalds were doing by selling a hamburger in a paper bag here, or a helping of french fries there. Kroc’s big idea was adapting the McDonalds’ simple merchandising methods to create a brand new concept–fast food. 

MODIFY

Problem: The french fries made in Kroc’s first stand in Illinois didn’t taste like the originals; they were tasteless and mushy. He tried the McDonalds’ recipe again and again, to no avail. A friend finally solved the mystery–Kroc stored his potatoes in the basement, while the McDonalds kept theirs outside in chicken-wire bins, exposed to desert winds that cured the potatoes.

SCAMPER Solution: Modify the storage area. Kroc cured the potatoes by installing large electric fans in the basement. 

MAGNIFY

Problem: A number of franchise owners wanted to expand the basic menu.

SCAMPER Solution: Magnify the burger and add new items to the menu. He created the popular Big Mac by way of a $10 million “Build a Big Mac” contest. Later additions included the Egg McMuffin, Filet-o-Fish, and Chicken McNuggets. 

PUT TO OTHER USES

Problem: Kroc needed to develop other sources of income.

SCAMPER Solution: Put McDonald’s to use in the real estate business. Kroc’s company would lease and develop a site, then re-lease it to the franchisee, who would have to pay rent as well as franchise fees. Today, 10 percent of the company’s revenue comes from rentals. In the 1960s, Kroc also bought back as many of the original sites as he could. While this policy initially accrued huge debts, it gave McDonald’s the upper hand against competitors, who periodically faced massive rent hikes. 

ELIMINATE OR MINIFY

Problem: Hamburger patty distributors packed their burgers in a way that was efficient for them, but that also meant McDonald’s employees had to restack them to keep the bottom patties from getting crushed.

SCAMPER Solution: Eliminate the problem. Kroc refused to do business with packagers unless they shipped fewer burgers in each stack. Employees no longer had to restack burgers, saving McDonald’s time and money. He also eliminated the middleman by buying entire crops of Idaho Russet Burbank potatoes. 

REARRANGE

Problem: Kroc wanted to differentiate his establishments from the competition.

SCAMPER Solution: Rearrange the architecture. Kroc kept changing the original red-and-white, box-shaped prototype into the Golden Arches and added drive-throughs in the 1970s. 

Even the hot dog, as we know it, is the result of asking the right question at the right time. In 1904, Antoine Feutchwanger was selling sausages at the Louisiana Exposition. First, he tried offering them on individual plates, but this proved too expensive. He then offered his customers white cotton gloves to keep the franks from burning their fingers. The gloves were expensive, too, and customers tended to walk off with them. Antoine and his brother-in-law, a baker, sat down to figure out what inexpensive item could be added (modify) to the frankfurter to prevent people from burning their fingers. His brother-in-law said something like “What if I baked a long bun and slit it to hold the frank? Then you can sell the franks, and I can sell you the buns. Who knows, it might catch on.”

Every new subject or idea produces a host of creative by-products, initially seen many times as irrelevant, but available for fashioning in novel new directions. Think of all the entrepreneurs who visited the McDonald’s hamburger stand and did not see the latent potential. The McDonald brothers had unwittingly hit on the concept of fast food, but Ray Kroc took the concept and moved it into a novel new direction.

Consider the Walkman radio. Sony engineers tried to design a small, portable stereo tape recorder. They failed. They ended up with a small stereo tape player that couldn’t record. They gave up on the project and shelved it. One day Masaru Ibuka, honorary chairman of Sony, discovered this failed product and decided to look for its potential. He remembered an entirely different project at Sony where an engineer was working to develop lightweight portable headphones. “What if you combine the headphones with the tape player and eliminate the recorder function altogether?”

Ibuka was mixing up functions. The idea that tape players also record was so well established that no one had considered reversing it. Even after Ibuka made his creative association, no one at Sony believed they could market it. Ibuka was not discouraged and plowed ahead with what he called a new concept in entertainment. Ibuka took a failed idea and, by combining, eliminating, and reversing, found the latent potential and created a brand new product. The Walkman radio became Sony’s leading selling electronic product of all time and introduced all of us to the “headphone culture.”

Ibuka took what existed (a failed product) and recycled it into something new. Similarly, Michelangelo’s masterpiece, David, was the result of another sculptor’s failed attempt. Back in 1463, the authorities of the cathedral of Florence acquired a sixteen-foot-high chunk of white marble to be carved into a sculpture. Two well-known sculptors worked on the piece and gave up, and the badly mangled block was put in storage. Other sculptors were brought in and asked to carve a statue. They refused to work with the mangled block and demanded a new block. They said they couldn’t possibly produce art out of the mangled block. Their demands were not economically feasible, so the project was scrapped by the cathedral. Forty years later, Michelangelo took the mangled block of marble from storage and carved it into the youthful, courageous David within eighteen months. He took what existed and sculpted it into the world’s greatest statue.

You can recycle any subject or idea into something else by transforming it in some fashion using the SCAMPER questions. Isolate the subject you want to think about and ask the questions to see what new ideas and thoughts emerge.

 (Michael Michalko is the author of Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative Thinking Techniques; Cracking Creativity: The Thinking Strategies of Creative Geniuses;  Thinkpak: A Brainstorming Card Deck, and Creative Thinkering: Putting Your Imagination to Work.)

WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT CREATING IDEAS FROM LEONARDO DA VINCI

by imagineer7

If one particular thinking strategy stands out about creative genius, it is the ability to make juxtapositions that elude mere mortals. Call it a facility to connect the unconnected that enables them to see relationships to which others are blind. They set their imagination in motion by using unrelated stimuli and forcing connections with their subject. 

In the illustration, Figure B appears larger than Figure A. It is not. They are both the same size. If you cut out Figure A, you will find that fits exactly over Figure B.  Juxtaposing the smaller arc of A to the larger arc of B makes the upper figure seem smaller.  The juxtaposition of the arcs creates a connection between the arcs that changes our perception about their size. We perceive the arcs in terms of thought patterns that are triggered by what is in front of us. We do not see the arcs (equal in size) as they are but as we perceive them (unequal). 

In a similar way, you can change your thinking patterns by connecting your subject with something that is not related. These different patterns catch your brain’s processing by surprise and will change your perception of your subject. Suppose you want a new way to display expiration dates on packages of perishable food and you randomly pair this with autumn. Leaves change color in the autumn. Forcing a connection between “changing colors” with expiration dates triggers the idea of ‘smart labels’ that change color when the food is exposed to unrefrigerated temperatures for too long. The label would signal the consumer–even though a calendar expiration date might be months away. Our notion of expiration dates was changed by making a connection with something that was unrelated (autumn) which triggered a new thought pattern which led to a new idea. 

In order to get original ideas, you need a way to create new sets of patterns in your mind. You need one pattern reacting with another set of patterns to create a new pattern. Recently, an engineer needed to place a large generator into an excavated area. The usual way to do this was with a heavy crane, which costs $8,000 to lease. Randomly leafing through a National Geographic magazine, he read about Eskimos and the construction of igloos. He connected igloos made of ice with his problem and came up with an ingenious solution. He trucked in blocks of ice and placed the ice in the excavated area. Next, he pushed the generator onto the ice and placed the generator over the location for it. When the ice melted, the generator settled perfectly into the location. 

I first learned of the “connecting the unconnected” thinking process from Leonardo Da Vinci who wrote how he ‘connected the unconnected’ to get his creative inspiration in his notebooks. He wrote about this strategy in a mirror-image reversed script ‘secret’ handwriting which he taught himself. To read his handwriting, you have to use a mirror. It was his way of protecting his thinking strategy from prying eyes. He suggested that you will find inspiration for marvelous ideas if you look into the stains of walls, or ashes of a fire, or the shape of clouds or patterns in mud or in similar places. He would imagine seeing trees, battles, landscapes, figures with lively movements, etc., and then excite his mind by forcing connections between the subjects and events he imagined and his subject.

Da Vinci would even sometimes throw a paint-filled sponge against the wall and contemplate the stains. Once while thinking of new ways to transport people, he threw a paint-filled sponge against the wall which produced a scattering of irregular shapes. Trying to make sense out of the meaningless shapes, he imagined one group of shapes to resemble a rider on a horse. He perceived the bottom half of the horse’s feet as resembling two wheels. Thinking of a horse on wheels, then of a structure that resembles a horse on wheels he realized people could be transported on two wheels and a frame that resembles a horse. Hence, the bicycle which he invented.

The metaphors that Leonardo formed by forcing connections between two totally unrelated subjects moved his imagination with a vengeance. Once he was standing by a well and noticed a stone hit the water at the same moment that a bell went off in a nearby church tower. He noticed the stone caused circles until they spread and disappeared. By simultaneously concentrating on the circles in the water and the sound of the bell, he made the connection that led to his discovery that sound travels in ‘waves.’ This kind of tremendous insight could only happen through a connection between sight and sound made by the imagination. 

Da Vinci’s knack to make remote connections was certainly at the basis of Leonardo’s genius to form analogies between totally different systems. He associated the movement of water with the movement of human hair, thus becoming the first person to illustrate in extraordinary detail the many invisible subtleties of water in motion. His observations led to the discovery of a fact of nature which came to be called the ‘Law of Continuity.’ 

Da Vinci discovered that the human brain cannot deliberately concentrate on two separate objects or ideas, no matter how dissimilar, without eventually forming a connection between them. No two inputs can remain separate in your mind no matter how remote they are from each other. In tetherball, a ball is fastened to a slender cord suspended from the top of a pole. Players bat the ball around the pole, attempting to wind its cord around the pole above a certain point. Obviously, a tethered ball on a long string is able to move in many different directions, but it cannot get away from the pole. If you whack at it long enough, eventually you will wind the cord around the pole. This is a closed system. Like the tetherball, if you focus on two subjects for a period of time, you will see relationships and connections that will trigger new ideas and thoughts that you cannot get using your usual way of thinking.

This is what happened to NASA engineer James Crocker when the Hubble telescope failed and embarrassed NASA. In the shower of a German hotel room, NASA engineer James Crocker was contemplating the Hubble disaster while showering and absentmindedly looking at the adjustable shower head that could be extended and adjusted in various ways for personal comfort and cleanliness to the user’s height. He made the connection between the shower head and the Hubble problem and invented the idea of placing corrective mirrors on automated adjustable arms that could reach inside the telescope and adjust to the correct position. His idea turned the Hubble from a disaster into a NASA triumph. 

It is not possible to think unpredictably by looking harder and longer in the same direction. When your attention is focused on a subject, a few patterns are highly activated in your brain and dominate your thinking. These patterns produce only predictable ideas no matter how hard you try. In fact, the harder you try, the stronger the same patterns become. If, however, you change your focus and think about something that is not related, different, unusual patterns are activated. If one of these newer patterns relates to one of the first patterns, a connection will be made. This connection will lead to the discovery of an original idea or thought. This is what some people mistakenly called ‘divine’ inspiration or “out of the blue.” 

DuPont developed and manufactured Nomex, a fire-resistant fiber. It’s tight structure made it impervious to dye. Potential customers (it could be used in the interior of airplanes) would not buy the material unless DuPont could manufacture a colored version. A DuPont chemist read an article about gold mining and how the mines were constructed. This inspired the chemist to compare Nomex to a ‘mine shaft’ in a gold mine’ a subject that had nothing to do with Nomex. What is the connection between a ‘tight structure’ and a ‘mine shaft?’ To excavate minerals, miners dig a hole into the earth and use props to keep the hole from collapsing. Expanding on this thought, the chemist figured out a way to chemically ‘prop’ open holes in Nomex as it is being manufactured so it could later be filled with dyes. 

When we use our imagination to develop new ideas, those ideas are heavily structured in predictable ways by the properties of existing categories and concepts. We have not been taught how to process information by connecting remotely-associated subjects through trial and error. This is true for inventors, artists, writers, scientists, designers, businesspeople, or everyday people fantasizing about a better life. DaVinci’s thinking process provides a means of producing blind variation of ideas through the use of unrelated stimuli, such as random words, random objects, pictures, magazines and newspapers to produce a rich variety of unpredictable ideas.  

CONNECTING THE UNCONNECTED 

The ‘random object’ technique generates an almost infinite source of new patterns to react with the old patterns in your mind. Random words are like pebbles being dropped in a pond. They stimulate waves of associations and connections, some of which may help you to a breakthrough idea. There are several ways to select a random object. You can retrieve random words from a dictionary by opening it, by chance, at any page, closing your eyes and randomly putting your finger on a word. If the word is not a noun continue down the list to the first noun, Another way is to think of a page number (page 22) and then think of a position of the word on that page (say the tenth word down). Open the dictionary to page 22 and proceed to the tenth word down. If the word is not a noun continue down the list until you reach the first noun.  You can use any other resource (e.g., magazine, newspapers, books, telephone yellow pages, etc.). Close your eyes and stab your finger at a page. Take the noun closest to your finger. 

EXAMPLE: I usually retrieve five random words when I use this technique. Suppose our challenge is to improve the automobile. The group of random words we blindly drew from the dictionary are:

nose

Apollo 13.

soap

dice

electrical outlet

 (1) LIST CHARACTERISTICS. Work with one word at a time. Draw a picture of the word to involve the right hemisphere of your brain and then list the characteristics of the words. Think of a variety of things that are associated with your word and list them.

For example, some of the characteristics of a nose are:

Different shapes and sizes

Sometimes decorated with pins and jewels

Has two nostrils

Can be repaired easily if broken

Hair inside

Decays with death

 (2) FORCE CONNECTIONS.  Make a forced connection between each characteristic and the challenge you are working on. In forcing connections between remote subjects, metaphorical-analogical thinking opens up new pathways of creative thinking. Ask questions such as:

– How is this like my problem?

– What if my problem were a…?

– What are the similarities?

-….is like the solution to my problem because…?

– How …like an idea that might solve my problem? 

EXAMPLE. Connecting ‘nose has two nostrils’ with ‘improving the car’ triggers the idea of building a car with two separate power sources; a car with battery or electric power for city driving and liquid fuel for long distances.

(3) WHAT IS ITS ESSENCE? What is the principle or essence of your random word? Can you build an idea around it? For example, the essence of a nose might be ‘smell.’ Forcing a connection between ‘smell’ and ‘improving the automobile’ inspires the idea of incorporating a cartridge in the auto during manufacturing that warns the driver of malfunctions with various odors. If you smell orange blossoms, for example, it’s time to have your brakes checked, or if you smell cinnamon, you might have a gasoline leak and so on. 

For each random word, list the principle or essence, characteristics, features and aspects and force connections with the challenge. Another example is derived from the random word ‘Apollo 13.’  Astronauts used the LEM as an emergency alternative power source in Apollo 13 in order to return to earth. Connecting this thought with the automobile led to the redesign of the automobile engine so that it can be used as an emergency power generator for the house during power failures. E.g., plug the house into the car. 

(4) CREATE MANY CONNECTIONS. When using the “Random Word” list, use all five words in the group and force as many connections as possible. Allow yourself five minutes for each word when you try it. Five minutes should be ample time to stimulate ideas. You should find that long after the fixed time period of five minutes, further connections and ideas are still occurring. 

Using this model, it is possible to see what can be done about randomly connecting unrelated subjects in thinking. The first step is to be aware that there is the possibility of this thinking strategy. The second step is to learn how to do it. The third step is to use this strategy as often as you can and to get rid of any inhibitions which interfere with your using it. The more times you use it and the more different ways you use it, the more you increase your chances of coming up with original ideas and creative solutions to problems.

 ……………………………………………..

 Michael Michalko is a highly-acclaimed creativity expert and author of the best-seller Thinkertoys (A Handbook of Business Creativity), ThinkPak (A Brainstorming Card Deck), Cracking Creativity (The Secrets of Creative Genius), and Creative Thinkering (Putting your Imagination to Work).

LET’S RE-IMAGINE OUR WORLD AND OUR PLACE IN IT

Our world has changed immensely in the last few weeks but amid the upheaval and distress, there are reasons to believe we can emerge from the crisis with some human qualities enhanced, writes Matthew Syed on BBC.  Matthew Syed acknowledged one of my ideas that I wrote about in my book THINKERTOYS (A HANDBOOK OF CREATIVE THINKING TECHNIQUES). He wrote “A few years ago, Michael Michalko, a former US army officer, came up with a fascinating idea to sharpen creativity. He called it "assumption reversal". You take the core notions in any context, subject, discipline and then, well, turn them on their head.

So, suppose you are thinking of starting a restaurant (obviously not possible right now!). The first assumption might be: "restaurants have menus". The reversal would be: "restaurants have no menus". This provokes the idea of a chef informing each customer what he bought that day at market, allowing them to select a customized dish. The point is not that this will turn out to be a workable scheme, but that by disrupting conventional thought patterns, it might lead to new associations and ideas.

Or, to take a different example, suppose you are considering a new taxi company. The first assumption might be: "taxi companies own cars". The reversal would be: "taxi companies own no cars". Twenty years ago, that might have sounded crazy. Today, the largest taxi company that has ever existed doesn't own cars: Uber. Now we are living through a disruption (you might even call it a reversal) of unprecedented scale.

The coronavirus has turned our lives upside down and, although we hope to return to some version of normality in the coming months, it is probable that nothing will quite be the same again. Many have lost their livelihoods and businesses, and there is no diminishing the difficulties - emotional and financial - this has brought in its wake. But amid the darkness, there are also opportunities. Opportunities to reimagine the world and one's place within it.

Reversal techniques are typically used by creative people working to come up with new products or innovations. I wonder if we can all use it to seek out a silver lining or two amid the grey clouds.

For years, bankers assumed that their customers preferred human tellers. In the early 1980s, Citibank concluded that installing automatic tellers would help them cut costs. However, the Citibank executives did not imagine that customers would prefer dealing with machines, so they reserved human tellers for people with more than $5,000 in their accounts and relegated modest depositors to the machines. The machines were unpopular, and Citibank stopped using them in 1983. Bank executives took this as proof of their assumption about people and machines.

Months later, another banker challenged this assumption and looked at the situation from the customer’s perspective. He discovered that small depositors refused to use the machines because they resented being treated as second-class customers. He reinstituted the automatic tellers with no “class distinctions,” and they were an instant success. Today, even Citibank reports that 70 percent of their transactions are handled by machine.

Henry Ford tried to get into the automobile industry for years and failed. The industry believed you had to bring people to the work at a tremendous cost. One day Ford was visiting a pig slaughterhouse and watched a line of butchers each cutting off a portion of the pig as the pigs moved on a conveyor belt in front of the butchers. He got his Eureka! The way to manufacture autos was to bring the work to the people. He did this by manufacturing assembly lines and changed the nature of automobile manufacturing forever.

Alfred Sloan took over General Motors when it was on the verge of bankruptcy and turned it around. His genius was to take an assumption and reverse it into a “breakthrough idea.” For instance, it had always been assumed that you had to buy a car before you drove it. Sloan reversed this to mean you could buy it while driving it, pioneering the concept of installment buying for car dealers.

Reversals destabilize your conventional thinking patterns and free information to come together in provocative new ways. For example, one town reversed drivers control the parking time of cars to cars control parking times. This triggers the idea of parking anywhere as long as you leave your lights on.

Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stair, spray all the monkeys with ice cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result-all the monkeys are sprayed with ice cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, turn off the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and will want to climb the stairs. To his surprise, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm.

Again, replace a third monkey with a new one. The new one goes to the stairs and is attacked. Two of the four monkeys that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing the fourth and fifth monkeys with new ones, all the monkeys that have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs. Why not? Because as far as they know that’s the way it’s always been around here.