Johnson Adigun's blog

"Great leaders show correctness by example, not by criticisms." Ultimately, leadership is influence. The best way to influence a people is to be an example.  Qualitative correctness can not be achieved through criticisms. Condemnation does not aid correct character formation. A leader may pressure people to achieve results but that would not amount to making them effective. In as much as a leader desires excellent results, s/he must facilitate it in ways that add values  to the followers. Great leaders don't just push people to do what you want, rather portray to them what ought to be and give them the allowance to practice, make mistakes and improve. Great leaders practise what they propagate; they first do what they want done. Condemnation as a method of correction is a morale deflator. Condemnation is a form of negative criticism. Criticisms are relevant to proper human development but it must not be dominant, and whenever it is required, it should be commu...

The wise love work and work diligently. To the wise, work is an opportunity to shine, the fool takes it as a medium of oppression. To be hardworking is to take work seriously and do it well and rapidly. A diligent fellow performs with intense concentration, focus, and responsible regard. Diligence is a way-maker; it paves way for success and open doors for honour. A wise man loves work and works hard. Work is a medium of polishing potentials and proving capabilities. It is an avenue of processing and packaging self for glory. No one becomes great being indolent. There is no substitute to work; inputs determine outputs. Laziness is an attribute of foolishness. A fool thinks that luck can replace hard work. No! The wise work hard and wishes for luck for a nice outcome. The wise know that there is no harvest without completing the processes of plantation. Diligence is a personal responsibility which is developed and sustained by discipline. Discipline is indispensable. The wis...

Pride complicates simple issues, humility simplifies complex matters. Pride prefers to argue profusely when required to apologise genuinely. Apology has the power to solve a lot of interpersonal glitches. As cheap as the word 'sorry' is, it is unaffordable for the proud. Sometimes, what is required to prevent an escalation of a simple  misunderstanding is to say, "I'm sorry," and truly mean so. Pride give excuses for wrongs rather than take responsibilities with apology. Pride complicates ignorance to mess up things by refusing to learn from others. Pride prefers to die in confusion rather than ask questions for clarity. Pride despises counsel to compound simple problems. Pride rejects help even when hanging. Pride loves to command when required to collaborate. Collaboration produces better results than commanding in a team. Appreciation cheers the heart a lot. 'Thank you' is simple but scarcely found in the expressions of the proud. It takes h...

"Let your emotions and expressions be true colours of your intentions" Deceit is an act of deceiving. A deceiver is a misleader. Where deception thrives, destruction looms. Deceit is a crooked means to any end. Success may come by deceit but it will neither be honourable nor durable. Whatever is not achieved on the basis of truth is not glorious. Therefore, don't be a deceiver or pretender, face life headlong and make sensible outcomes of it. Great men don't live fake lives, they are rather real.  Pretenders don't maximize potentials. Be true to yourself and live truly. Don't paint an image of whom you are not to others, because time will tell whom you truly are. Hypocrisy will end you up a nonentity. If you truly mean it a business to be great, then you have to approach life with every sense of seriousness and self originality.  You have to be real. Stop living a fake life. As long as you are fake, you can not focus on doing what is required to be...

Association is a delicate catalyst of influence; its forces leaves no one the same. Association is a medium of impartation, with either positive or negative forces. It affects one's general being - physical, mental, and spiritual. Relationship facilitates influence. The kinds of people an individual moves with closely plays a big role in shaping him or her.  A good company adds value, a bad one drains. Whom you move with affects whom you become. Your association gets you either better or worse. Where you dwell affects what you do. A sheep in the fold of dogs will turn wild and eventually get destroyed. If you dwell in the company of achievers, you will likely become one. You can not be much different from the people you associate with. Your network is a strong connection to your desired destination. To be productive, associate with productive people. To be brave, company with the lion-hearted. Relationship is key to success in life; and it requires a lot of carefulness ...

With tenacity, you can withstand adversity .  Life is neither a bed of roses nor a floor for the feeble, rather, it is a field of contest for the survival of the fittest. To succeed in life, you must be strong and tenacious.  Success is not for people who dwell on a spot, rather for those who keep moving in the direction of clear vision and work consistently towards reaching their goals. To be a successful icon, do not stand still in life, make efforts to progress irrespective of obstacles. Whatever hurdles you face while pursuing your dreams, stand firm rather than stand still. In a race, there is both a start line and a finish line. Only failures end a race before reaching the finish line. In spite of any unfortunate eventuality on your way, endeavour to reach the finish line because it's your success point. Be tenacious ! Tenacious people don't give up in the phase of failure; when they fall, they get up to move on. Be strong! Don't let situations break you d...

It is better to correct wrongs than cover them. Unfixed errors taint outcomes. Errors or mistakes are accidental wrongdoings, which are somewhat unavoidably part of life, irrespective of how careful one is. Every man is susceptible to misdeeds because no one is perfect; we are all work in progress towards perfection. However, in spite of our imperfect nature, it is possible to be effective. Effectiveness in this regard is not a complete absence of mistakes, rather the ability to manage them appropriately, either by correction or prevention. The ability to deal with personal wrongdoings aptly is a great virtue. Effective people take responsibility for their wrongs and deliberately work to redress them. People who cover personal misdeeds rarely enjoy lasting glory; even if they blossom, their uncorrected covered wrongs will eventually undo their shine. Oftentimes, character stenches result from ignored and concealed behavioural wrongs that is done overtime. Correction does no...

If you don't believe you can do it, you can not live to become it. One of the ways to define fear is the lack of courage to confront personal challenges. Fear is an ally of cowardice which is a limiting force. Fear is more of feelings than facts; because feelings are not facts. Unless you defeat your fear, you can not reach the feat of greatness.  The moment you decide to face your fears, you are half way to victory. Champions are known by conquests, and you need courage to be one. Champions are courageous and confident to face and fight their foes in order to actualise their goals. Fear is not first the outer force of threats but the inner feelings of freight about good and promising things. Sometimes, it is succumbing to an overwhelming thought of the possibility to fail. Lots of people undermine their prospects to succeed because they are afraid of failure; thus never attempt to take giant steps. If you live in fear your potentials will not be profitably fulfilled. T...

It is a sacrosanct fact that everything in life is guided by principles. One of these core principles is that of sowing and reaping, which states that "whatever one sows, one reaps."  Ipso facto, seeds determine fruits. Every actions of man have consequences, just as seeds yield harvest with time. If you do good, you get good; do bad get bad. Slander is a false, malicious statement (spoken or published), especially one which is injurious to a person's reputation. Slander is a behavioural disposition of one with a rotten heart. It is a bad act to not cultivate. A slanderer spots self in the process of spoiling another. Slander is not a safe route to success. You don't have to defame another to become famous. Don't speak ill of others in order to get lifted; it will eventually stalk you. Success and glory obtained through slander sublimes when the truth is revealed. By then, shame befalls the slanderer. Some people desire to be great but they are busy sl...

Patience is a virtue, a careful regulation of emotion on pursuits and expectations. It is a practical magnification of understanding the synergy between life and the concept of timing. Patience is a deliberate control of temper; readiness and willingness to wait through while working to achieve one's aim. Impatience eagers about quickness to achievement without cognisance to quality and durability; and this often distorts the prospects of lasting successes. As good as speed is in life, direction is a superior complement that should be found clearly and correctly. Finding direction takes time and that's one of the reasons patience is a sacrifice. Speed does not guarantee success; processes are guided by principles. To actualise great visions and goals in life, patience is required because life is time-bound. Patience casts restraints on unnecessary haste; it helps to take time to examine the likely outcome(s) of any decision or action before embarking on it.  By pati...

"Don't try to fix God into the equation of your life, rather submit your life to God to fit into His equation." God is the creator and source of all beings, including you. He had a plan for your life before He formed you. You are a substance of His creation, so, it is wise and most pleasurable that you live to serve His purpose rather than strive wastefully to regulate Him to your personal plan. An attempt to draft, develop and drive a different agenda for yourself against God's authentic template is a dangerous journey of life and a drift from fulfilment. God, the Almighty creator, has the absolute and sovereign right to determine all things about His creatures; He has a template for every human beings, from birth to death. However, He does not force His will on anyone. To be fulfilled in life, it is essential to seek to know with understanding, the specific purpose of God for your life and pursue it, rather than get busy designing your own plans for God ...

"Great visions become stifled in an environment of envy and hate; preserve your vision by keeping safe and focused." According to King Solomon "as iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of another." In real life matters, like minds attract, opposite minds repel. Every man with a vision requires support of a kind or another, and there are some certain human mechanisms that must provide this support. "Where there is no vision the people perish," however, vision suffers and struggles to survive where there is no support.  If you are surrounded by envious and hateful people your vision may not survive, else, you know the right things to do per time. Sometimes, what you may require to keep safe and focused is a change of environment or association in order to stay on track to reach your future destination. Where there is no love and truth a man of vision is frustrated. As long as Joseph, the son of Jacob (in the Bible) lived among his...

"Desperation for position without  preparation for effective leadership often end up in fatal humiliation." By desperation, people get engrossed with the quest for possession of power without building the acumen for competence and excellence; they lose their sense of service, whilst they strive for occupying an office. However, within a frame of time, their ineffectiveness becomes exposed and they end up undignified.