Author: helenadmin

A good way of measuring the economy of a nation is to look at its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) indicators. The GDP of any economy is the monetary value of all final goods and services produced by all people within the countrywithin a given period.The rise of the GDP rates are desirable because it comes with more investment due to the opportunities created, more personal income, job growth and general well being of the citizenry…all things being equal.

Statistics from Tradingeconomics.com, Central Bank of Nigeria reports a 3.23% actual, -12.9% previous as at 2017-09-05; actual of 8.97% as at 2017-11-20; 4.29% as at 2018-02-27. Statistics from the same source (Tradingeconomics.com, U.S Bureau of Economic Statistics) reports a steady growth of 1.35%, 2%, and 2.875% from 2015 to 2017 respectively. While I do not intend to get into the economics of GDP, I choose to evaluate the one of the key drivers of GDP outcome- the QUALITY and POTENTIAL of the WORKFORCE. It will be stating the obvious that, a nation composed of skilled manpower have a higher rate of productivity and innovation than one in lack of such vibrant skillful and value creating workforce.People make a nation; the value of a nation is a direct reflection of the quality of its people.

The Human Capital Index of 2016 identified the top 10 economies leveraging their human capital potential and establishing a prepared workforce for competitive economics as Finland, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, Sweden, New Zealand, Denmark, Netherlands, Canada and Belgium in ascending order.

Leveraging the human capital of a country entails amongst other things- the considerate investment in the educational and scholastic preparation of the future workforce, use of value-creating and current training curriculum for teachers and students that meets the demand ahead, opens up opportunities for students (the future workforce) to explore and apply themselves in novel areas, provides internship programs for educational and labour market systems learning integration and development of right skills for easy transition to the labour market.

Our reality in Nigeria is an increasing population growth rate (about 3.5%), brain drain, declining jobs, high unemployment rates greatly attributable to inadequate skills and misalignment of skills with that demanded by the employer,demographic shift, a changing world of work due to globalization and technological advancement, decline in our educational values, obsolete school curriculum, poor pedagogy style of teaching and general inefficiency of some regulatory bodies entails an interesting world of work ahead of us.

In the light of these realities, what measurable solutions do we have to deploy if we seek to improve the economic opportunities and competitiveness of our youth and the resultant GDP outcome of our economy? What interventions can we begin to implement today?

It is suggested that as an immediate intervention measure,

• Our educational and training system must reinvent itself to churn out candidates with the needed right skills- technical and soft skills. By reviewing our school curriculum to make more relevant, in line with 21^st Century market-driven skills (STEAM skills) and realities;
• A review of collegiate curriculum and capacity building programs of our teachers, curriculum developers to equip them how to not only improve quality of content knowledge but also how to incorporate the diverse learning styles (visual, kinesthetic and auditory) in the pedagogical strategies used in teaching to ensure the uniqueness of each student is considered and students actually learn for increased knowledge transfer and application in innovative ventures;
• A review of the assessment format of our students in ways that reward not ability to regurgitate lesson taught but the actual use of the knowledge acquired to anticipate and solve problems;
• Incorporate School programs that enlighten parents and care givers on how to support their wards in diverse ventures in recognition of our different areas of talents, endowment as the theory of Multiple Intelligence (Howard Gardner of HBS) posits. This understanding when made, will reduce the focus on typical careers-Law, Medicine, Engineering to careers of the future;
• Incorporate Career Counseling programs in schools as an intentional measure to assist students in better career planning and decision-making (e.g. subject-choices, identification of areas of interest and preference through psychometric testing, self reflection etc.) as well as non-academic learning initiatives. This provides opportunity for personalized guidance particularly forstruggling students for more educational inclusion. self-sufficiency and value creation.

• Community Engagement Initiatives in schools both at the secondary and tertiary institutions. The problems to be solved reside in the community and the earlier students get used to seeing and seeking solutions to them, the earlier they are able to engage in deep critical thinking on producing goods and services that speak to the challenges of our society;
• More educational and employer-labour market partnership for internship(students) and externship (teachers) opportunities for better classroom connection to work.

Knowledge is key for growth and development. Creativity thrives best when the brain is engaged at it most optimal and stimulating level. The products from our educational and training systems will be better of and richer in quality if we are more intentional on what, how and why we teach. A vibrant and relevant system will encourage students to apply themselves in varied and distinct domains that leads to positive ripple effects- low employment rates, reduction in crime, self-fulfillment, increasing GDP etc.

It is in doing what we know how to do best that we are able to leave our comfort zones, do simple but profound work that adds value to our communities and our world.

…HELENA FREY

Success is one of those relative words whose meanings are derived from the user at the time. This means success can mean different things to different people and may appear to change through out their lifetime. Success applies to different entities. It can be looked at the level of an individual, Organization, Community or Nation. Regardless of the level, one truth remains constant- there must be an awareness of some sort of the characteristics of the Individual, Organization, Community or Nation to understand that makes it distinct, unique and different from the rest for which it pitch its tent for all other activities.

At the individual level, psychologists and research has shown us that one of the first steps to success is Self-Awareness. They assert that this understanding when made puts things in perspective, helps you identify your strengths, weaknesses, areas of potential growth and failure (for lack of a better word) and areas for further development in order to ensure they do not act as barriers to our strengths. Armed with this insight and the will power (focus, commitment, perseverance, resilience and courage) to utilize your new findings, you are ready to engage with the world, learn, grow, resist what diminishes you, embrace what enhances your core strength and leave a legacy. Successful personalities of our world have grown to become true contributors (and successful too) because of a high level of early self-understanding and the engagement of themselves in endeavours that speak more to their strength than what the societal pressures are fixated on.

Organizations on their part in seeking to bring people on board deploy all mechanisms (objective assessment tools) to better understand candidates- their skills, character, personality, potential for growth, work values and interests. This helps them arrive at a more objective view of a person rather then relying on their gut feeling to know if this is the candidate they seek.

We have seen the increasing use of diverse psychometric tests as objective tools in assessing people across different psychological constructs that have been known to help differentiate an individual from another and predict performance outcome. Abilities, Aptitude, Personalities, work values and interests differ, it is therefore important that an understanding across these lines are explored to ensure “fit”, that the right candidate has been selected and that an alignment is achieved between the right candidate and the business needs of the organization.

Therefore in your pursuit for success for yourself or organization, begin with the understanding of who you are and who your candidates are. Use objective and research –based psychometric tests to begin this knowledge search for you and all intending new employees.

We can help with objective assessment tools…

THE BLACK PANTHER

Leadership is everything far and in between! Character evolves from our experiences, orientations, values and actions from over the years. Values are your sets of beliefs that govern your behaviour and outlook to life.

The new movie THE BLACK PANTHER is one of those movies that embeds a lot of humour, thought provoking life lessons with rich history, heritage and culture. We choose to share some of the lessons espoused in that movie-

1. Leadership comes with fears too regardless of years of conquered kingdoms but fear is only a message that you need to prepare a little more than anticipated. You can never under estimate the enemy or what lies ahead. Chance and opportunity is for the prepared mind;
2. You cannot let the mistakes of the past (from your ancestors, Father, Mother, You, Leaders past, name it )define who you are or should be. Today is here with new opportunities to be grabbed. The decision is all yours to make today what you want and how it should end. We have the power and it’s always our call to right the wrongs of the past. If not, we have no claim to be better than those of the past.
3. True freedom is the ability of the human person to truly live the highest expression of himself particularly in mind. If you are free physically but cannot decide the path to go, that mind is powerless and in chains. He or she is no more than the man incarcerated. Mandela when he was released said he chose to forgive is prosecutors because if he didn’t, he would still be in chains, in prison, under their bondage though released;
4. A man who has not prepared his own son for his death has failed. Legacy is proof of work that has been done by the actors, leaders in the family, organization and nation. Posterity always remembers, never forgives and will always judge.
5. Whether the truth is too much to bear, is not the choice of the holder of the truth to make. You have a right to know the truth and by all means also choose how you want to deal with it. Let no man decide your predicament by serving you false stories.
6. The symbols of leadership you espouse ( mannerism, gestures, dressing, communication style etc.) inspires the level of commitment and engagement of the led.
7. A true leader fights not only for himself, household but for the greater good. When you fight for what belongs to you, let it also be because you know with that “platform”you will be able to fight for the common good of all.

Therefore to lead, you must first seek to know who you are, your values, source of strength and what you are ready to stand behind regardless of the opposition. This is critical because a day will come when a demand will be made on what you believe in, for which you are ready to give your all(including yourself or that which is very important to you). If you must rebel in such situations, do so for a cause… the “RIGHT” cause.

#lifelessons,
#theblackpanther,
#helenafreynuggets

Victor Ochen, Ugandan, Executive Director of African Youth Initiative Network, discussing the impact
of living and growing in war on the mind of a youth. Yet defying all the odds, he pursued his dreams.

Today he is working with the youth, contributing to his society, helping the people behind to transcend
the odds around them. He emphasizes the importance of "Trust" as a change agent. He advocates
the need to build trust as you do your work. "Do not marginalize the already marginalized".
Risking his life but understanding the challenges ahead and the need for someone to do the needful,
he has been the voice, breaking boundaries and helping the vulnerable. A Nobel Prize nominee,
change agent, a movement to reckon with, the accolades are endless…
What is your excuse?
*Would you work, if you are not paid but making an impact?
*Do you see yourself as a vessel for progress, change?
*Are you trustworthy enough to be trusted by another to help through vulnerability?
The discussion on the future of work for the young is on, join the discussion. #GYEO2017,
Washington D.C.

Ms Madison Keys, talking about today’s event and how far they have come said…they both have trophies… this was how she chose to see the outcome.
*Ms Sloane Stephens after the match sat down with Madison Keys and shared a momenteven handed her the cheque (to hold for a while of course) while she took the trophy.
* Ms Sloane spoke about her mum supporting and being there, taking her to a tennis academy at 11. She needed to appreciate her mums believe and faith in her abilities.
*From ranking in the hundreds to…, a surgery in January and continuous practice afterwards… US Open 2017 in the ????
The talking points are endless but it tells one story …Seek greatness from wherever you are, from wherever life places you, from whatever comes at you! Life was meant for the taking.
Today we meet two new faces at the US Open 2017 final, two incredible ladies who have had their own share of low points but didn’t settle!
Greatness is 10% Talent and 90% Perspiration/patience/hard work/ resilience and then the almighty faith!

Can you be responsible for the growth, development and progress of another?
There are variety of gifts and talents and if all of us would look deep within ourselves to find that which
makes us unique and nurture it, the world would better for it.

If we hold this to be true, why then are we still held down even knowing we are selling ourselves
short? Why?
Could Fear, inertia, lack of courage, motivation, drive…the list is endless be responsible?
What if today you resolve within you to be more-
1) Attentive to those things that make you come alive;
2) Truthful to yourself;
3) Open to explore new frontiers;
4) Engaging to things around you;
5) Open to new knowledge;
6) Loving and forgiving
7) Hardworking
8) Careful, taking calculated risks
9) Humane
10) Willing to Learn, Unlearn, Relearn and Change what isn't serving you
If you can resolve and follow through to things that concern you, there could be
Someone watching,
Someone who looks up to you for guidance, someone who mirrors you,
Someone who is looking for the reason to stand up and be counted,
Someone who is looking for how to take the next life step,
Someone who has been placed within your sphere of influence for you to act as a bridge for them,
There could just be someone…
When you are able to let your light shine, be liberated from what has held you down, you may just be
the reason for the liberation of another!
Liberation is positive, embrace it!