Is life fair?

In my earlier Christian life, I used to wonder why God allowed me to undergo some unpalatable experiences (Rejection; Poverty; fraud; divorce; injustice; betrayal; etc.) but not anymore. Experience is always the best teacher. God started it; He became a man so that He could save men. It wasn’t easy for Him, but it was worth it. I’m alive today, not only because someone died or gave up His life for me but also, He died to self as an example for me to follow.

It was easier for Him to give up His life for me because He first died to self. He died to the LUST of the eyes; He died to the PRIDE of life. Today, He has me to show for it and His fruits are still counting even after 2,000 years ago.

Today, the true test of a teacher or a leader is not just laying down one’s life for the sheep, which is expected anyway, but in plucking out lustful eyes and dying to the pride of life for profitable relationship that last. These and more, unpalatable experiences has taught me.

Sustainable development’s Brain-box

You all know what development is about, it simply means to grow but how do you sustain the growth? To sustain means to maintain and this has been one major challenge with Nigerian brands. This challenge is enhanced by the fact that, there are few original brands but many copy cats.

CSR is the brain-box of sustainable development. Corporate Social Responsibility deals with identifying and meeting the wants and needs of any community for profitable relationships. There is a big difference between a community’s want and need. A community may want portable drinking water. The community’s need is the how or the means of producing and making available, if possible to all, that portable drinking water. CSR identifies the wants and meets the needs by providing the know-how of sustainable development for profitable relationships.

Original brands start from CSR while copy cats don’t.  There are three angles to CSR – Economic angle, social and environmental angle. Copy cats’ institution niche on one angle of CSR, which is the economic angle and make donations or sponsor any community’s wants.

Corporate Social Responsibility should be encouraged because it’s about innovation. It engenders entrepreneurial spirit among staff of any business institution or any community. Let us consider a case of one company who is into manufacturing but has a lot of industrial waste that constitute a nuisance to its community. CSR to this community is not about donating money to the community to calm down their anger or providing sponsorship for the community’s cultural events. CSR in this aspect is about the mother brand coming out with an extension brand or another brand springing up with the capacity to clear the industrial waste on regular basis. Since CSR is evolving, another brand can also come up with the know-how of converting the industrial waste to something useful, all these will help in sustaining development. As a brand, what wants and needs are you meeting? Your answer will determine your CSR.

What are you selling?

This is one question I always ask, each time I see a photo or a message posted on my wall on Face book. Whether you believe it or not, like or unlike it, the truth is, we are all selling something. One common mistake I observed and that forms the basis for this write up is that, majority of people are not able to articulate or communicate in writing or focus on what they really want to sell. Knowing what you want to sell is one thing, being autocratic or diplomatic or democratic about how you sell it, is another thing.  Are you selling a physical product/service or a lifestyle? It is fast becoming a known fact that, the best way to sell a brand is not by product or service but by selling a lifestyle. Products and services can easily be replaced but Lifestyle is not that easy to change.

There is a particular brand without mentioning name that is known for Innovation, excellence; I know of one brand that is synonymous with ‘open happiness’ and another brand that is ‘everywhere’. These brands do not just sell physical products and services, they sell their lifestyles.

Lifestyle speaks louder than words. Lifestyle has a voice that commands respect. Lifestyle has a lot to do with the look and feel of a brand. A company’s strategy and packaging/repackaging that is properly articulated and executed attracts the right target audiences but what retains your customers (whether internal or external) is authentic lifestyle.

Lifestyle does not work alone. It is like the roof of a building. The roof requires firm structures and right foundation. The foundation of any brand is the message that it conveys. The message builds the structures. Any message has a source. Ironically, the source is the brand while the building that we all refer to as the brand is really the brand agent. For example, the lay-person will refer to me as a personal brand but ironically, I am a brand agent. My job is a platform of expression the same way as my writing skills. My citizenship is not of this world, my citizenship is in heaven but I express or sell heavenly values in my job and in whatever I lay my hands upon to do. These values are integrity, accessibility, continuous learning and mutual respect. And because I am committed to my kingdom values and I make sacrifices for efficient execution of these values and I do it willingly from my heart without any force or manipulation from any one, I get a special reward from God(my Chief Brand) in addition to what I receive from my paid employment. It is very clear and simple what I sell but what are you selling?