Winning By Doing In Paid Employment(My Story): In February 2001, just as I was getting used to the new job I had been promoted into six months earlier(having only returned from a six week International course in the UK in late 2000), I found myself sitting in front of the Operations Manger - Andy R. Jones - who informed me I had been nominated to relieve the Production Manager - Francis Agbonlahor - as head of the department I had just been promoted out of!

To say I was speechless would be a gross understatement. I was flabbergasted. But for a totally different reason than that on the minds of the senior managers who looked at me, as the message sank in(They probably assumed I was thinking it was too early, and that I was "too young" to do a job two steps above that from which I had been as a brewer - being only six years old in the company).

You see, I had at that time already begun to put things in place for a quiet run down to December, and my planned resignation from the company to start the work which I do today. The last thing I needed (I thought to myself) was an assignment that could "color" people's memory of my career achievements in the company.

There was however no going back. The Senior Managers had chosen me - over some others, including people who were 10 to 15 years ahead of me on the job. Some who had actually trained me as a green horn brewer would now report to me for all of five weeks. "What a nightmare!" I thought to myself. But I  knew there was nothing else to do but to prepare well and DO my best not to let down those decision makers who'd put their faith in me.

I recall getting home that day in Benin City, and telling my wife to "forget I existed" for the 5 week duration of the secondment. I  vowed to work round the clock if necessary to ensure the success of  the many planned capital projects to be implemented during my stay as Production Manager. And I kept that promise to myself.

On one occasion, at about 7.30 pm, while I stood watching progress on the Mash Filter trough replacement being done by external contractors, Andy Jones suddenly appeared beside me, and commented lightly "Tayo, are you still here?". I told him YES, and explained why: I had noticed some of the contractors personnel were trying to laze around during the brewer's absence, despite the fact that we were running behind schedule. So, I decided to stick around until the brewer returned.

Andy later left saying "Go home and get some rest, okay?". I nodded and said goodnight. However, something told me to stay on a little longer. So I returned to the office, and began reading through my brewing reports. An hour passed and I decided to check progress of work at the Mash Filter. I was stupefied by what I saw: There was NOT ONE SOUL in sight around the filter trough!

The duty brewer had apparently gone across to other process areas to supervise operations, and the contractor's men had seized the opportunity to disperse as soon as he left, leaving work far from finished. I was livid. I got our men to round them up, read them the riot act, and made them resume work. By this time, I needed no one to tell me to stay overnight. The need to do so was glaring.

By 6.30 am the next day, I was relieved to see that work was nearing completion. Not long after, as I stood watching the progress, Andy appeared, spoke briefly to me, looked around, and left. I cannot recall for certain if he asked me whether or not I went home, but he told the audience at the Training Department's send-forth ceremony organised for me that "Tayo simply refuses to fail".

At the end of that year(my last) in Guinness Nigeria, I scored a 2 (on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 = Excellent) in my appraisal, just as I had in the previous year. As overall site head, Andy wrote the following comments in my appraisal report: "A very good year in which Tayo used his initiative to good effect in overcoming certain barriers. Performed very well when relieving the Production Manager. Well done". He did not stop there. His handwritten comments in farewell/xmas cards to me were as follows:

“Tayo, I honestly believe you are one of those who will succeed at anything he does. Your commitment and effort has been outstanding....Thanks for all your hard work since I’ve been here - you will be sorely missed. I don’t need to wish you good luck, you have the ability to make your own luck. - Andy"

What Made Andy So Sure About Me? Andy, having arrived in January 2001, had ONLY 11 months to observe me work as newly promoted Technical Training and Development Manager(TTDM) and Acting Production Manager. Yet he stuck his neck out to volunteer unsolicited testimonials about my abilities verbally and in writing before others. The BIG question is what did he see that made him so convinced? I believe he saw my single minded, unequivocal commitment to DOING what was required to get EVERY job done and deliver the desired results. And I was like THAT ALL through my stay in that company.

Has THAT Helped Me Win As An Entrepreneur? But have I been that way as an entrepreneur? Have I been DOING with single minded, unequivocal commitment, all that is required to deliver the results my clients and customers want? Here's a verbatim excerpt of handwritten comments made by another recent client on my Feedback/Job Completion & Testimonial Form AFTER I delivered the "General Accounts Manager" custom Excel spreadsheet software for his company:

"It has been a tremendous improvement in our weekly and monthly report.. my Medical Director expressed his happiness when he saw the report...Mr Tayo, I am impressed by your talent, you're thorough in your job, sincere and friendly with your client. Keep it up.." - Rev. Mfon Inyang, Manager-Accounts, Med-In Specialist Hospital & pharmaceutical Company, Ogudu, Lagos.

Click HERE to view a scanned version of the original client feedback form.

What About YOU? Are YOU Winning By Doing? My apologies for the above "life history" narrative. But my intention is to show that it is one thing to aspire to become successful at ANYTHING we do, and quite another thing to DILIGENTLY take ACTION to achieve that which we aspire to, repeatedly and consistently UNTIL we get there. Not keeping the foregoing in mind makes very MANY people fail to become WINNERS in life, even though they KNOW they CAN be! By failing to DO that which is required to achieve, they fail to WIN.

FINAL WORDS: If YOU want to achieve ANY goal(s) you set for yourself in life, I urge you to DEVELOP the HABIT of finding out - and DOING - everything required to succeed. To be the best Personal Assistant or Student. To excel in business. To become a partner in your firm. To get promoted to the next Executive position in your company. To get picked to be the CEO. In short, to become No. 1, YOU MUST become a results-focussed DOER!

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT: Succeed Often By SPEAKING IMPACTFULLY™

Effortlessly Make Lasting Positive Impressions When/Where It Matters Most. Hold Individual/Group Audiences Captive. Leave Them Wanting More Every time You Finish. Lose Your Fear Of Speaking To Crowds Or Important Persons. Boost Your Opinion Leadership Status. Inspire Powerful Testimonials ( Like Those Below). Tested & Proven System. Nothing Like It Anywhere Else. Click here to submit a web form request for FULL details of this useful learning event.

Here's what Speaking Impactfully™ can make people say about you:

"The speaker, Mr Solagbade, is an authority in his field. (He is) an achiever who is able to carry his audience along with him in his message/speech" - Baker A.T. Confidential Secretary, Centre for Management Development(CMD), Management Village, Shangisha, Lagos.

"There's a lot more to learn (experience wise) from the speaker(Tayo Solagbade)...Honestly, he gave so much within a short time. I learnt a lot without writing much. It's amazing!" - Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.

“Your (talk) encourages people not to depend on sycophancy to achieve their aims. People are also encouraged to leave the level of mediocrity. One needs to look inwards and make use of one’s potentials to reach the greatest heights. I hope this is not the last session we will be having with you” – Ezemba C.I (Miss), Corona Schools Branch in Lagos.

Click here to submit a web form request for FULL details of this learning event which can hold (on-demand) for four(4) hours EVERY last Saturday of the month in Lagos, starting from July 2007.

SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Microsoft Excel Heaven™

In this issue I introduce Donna Gunter and her Online Biz Coaching Company. What I love the most about this lady is the fact that she keeps everything she does so REAL. For instance, she periodically announces the fact that s/he is a "Card Carrying Introvert"...Learn more here.

Web www.spontaneousdevelopment.com

1. To Win Profitable Clients More Frequently, Find & HIT Your Prospect's Exposed Felt-Needs Nerve!

2. Become A Leader At Work, By Making Your Company's Decision Makers Take Favourable Notice Of You!

3. Accelerate Organisational Learning - Use Formal Problem Solving Techniques To Boost Productivity!

4. Achieve Recognition and Attract Career Advancement Opportunities By Being A Change Agent(True Story)

Yours in Self-Development!

Tayo K. Solagbade
Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist