The Higher You Go

The higher you go, the cooler it becomes. Really? Let us begin from first principles. This is a maxim we learnt in geography about the weather. Having come a long way in our professions and careers, can we really say it has been cooler over the years as we ascended the corporate ladder? Even at that,, how can we sensibly apply the Higher You Go principle in the way we work, and the way we live?

Has it certainly been cooler for you over the years as you climbed higher? The higher the cooler may work in geography or in atmospheric conditions, but certainly not in conditions of work, the professions, vocations, family and relationships. It is so because of mounting responsibilities, challenges, economic and social problems.

Maybe it has certainly not been cooler for you. If it has been, then you are a superstar. While there may be some consistency in geographical conditions, it is not necessarily so in economic and social conditions. In geography, it may just be true that the higher you go, the cooler. In the professions, you may be up today, and down tomorrow. Either way it gets hotter.

And so to remain cool, should you stagnate? No. You need to be upwardly mobile to improve your fortunes and the quality of life for you and your family. But you need to consistently do a number of things to make it cooler as you go higher. You just have to do so because the challenges of leadership and the hassles of remaining competitive in the marketplace are becoming overwhelming in Nigeria now. The higher you go..

Everything has an atmosphere. For your personality, it is called aura or charisma. This personal atmosphere can pull or repel using interplay of forces with other persons or objects. Metallic objects that do so are called magnets.

Atmospheric conditions such as hot, cold, harsh, winter or summer are real for tangibles and intangibles. Growing up and making progress in life, business and work also have atmosphere. And so the challenge for you as a manager is to emulate nature and make your atmosphere and others, cooler as you go higher in life and your profession.

You need to chill your atmosphere of going higher so that you can live long and be more productive. For professionals, businessmen and women, it is certainly getting hotter. And many are dying or getting terminally ill in their 30s, 40s, and 50s largely because of high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, kidney failure, automobile accidents, assassinations and others. Check out the obituary pages of newspapers, you will see a familiar caption: Gone too soon. Then a tribute, followed by names of Committee of Friends. Then the pay off- barrangements as announced by the family. Who wants to die young? Certainly not me. The higher you go...

You don't want to be a victim, then chill your atmosphere. The critical question for you now is: How cool or hot is your present state of working and living? Cool. Congratulations. Please maintain the status quo so that you may live long and it shall be well with you. Hot. You must act fast and begin to chill your atmosphere as nature does...

So how can you chill your working condition? Adopt what I call the Compressor Strategy. If possible, be a compressor. Doing so enables you to increase and multiply using considerable less space, time and energy to achieve more.

To understand this better, take a look at all the electrical appliances in your home that chill, your refrigerator, air conditioners and others. They all have one thing in common, a gadget called a compressor. What does it do? Powered by electricity, it compresses a special gas that circulates, causing condensation which transforms the gas to liquid droplets. When that happens, temperature drops, heat is reduced, and the atmosphere becomes cooler. That is essentially what the air conditioner does. It circulates and chills the air simultaneously.

So why don't you begin to compress all your circulating thoughts, ways, methods, and actions. The way you work and live, why don't you simplify and compress them, chill your atmosphere and make life easier for yourself, your business and your family?

See how technology makes working and living easier with new developments. Any improvement in that field shortens, space, volume, improves speed and productivity, and simplifies work. The coming of the computer has achieved this. Tons of data that were once stored in huge volumes of files, shelves and cabinets are now conveniently stored and retrieved in diskettes, CD ROMs, and flash discs.

What started as mainframe computers have been reduced to laptops? That is compression and simplicity. So how simple is your lifestyle, your work, and the way you run your business. How simple are your products and services, work process, even production process? Are they cumbersome, or has everything been compressed, reduced in time, length, and volume? How simple are your brands for consumers to understand and use? For instance, insurance companies operating with complex wordings of their policies written in very tiny prints, are you listening? Do your policies make buying of insurance policies simpler or more difficult? What about your communication lines, chain of authority and command in your organization, are they compressed or simplified or they are circuitous, of many layers?

If you are a CEO, General Manager or Senior Manager, have you compressed your work processes and the way you communicate with junior staff? Are you one of those bosses that believe so much in line management: You must relate to me through your boss?

Every Monday morning, you hold endless management meetings to stem the dwindling fortunes of your organization in the market place. The business temperature is rising, heating up the atmosphere for your company. The higher you go, the cooler it becomes- that is if you are a leader and not a boss. There is a difference. Leaders command respect and have disciples whom they groom, care for, and give a future. When they do so, the corporate atmosphere is cool. Not so for bosses. They shout and heat up the system with rigidity and arm twisting tactics. They demand loyalty, and are grudgingly followed by unrepentant and complaining workers.

Nothing heats up a system like complaining workers. They poison the atmosphere. Even almighty God does not tolerate complaining followers. That was why he chose Moses, a man with a large heart, tested by age and experience, to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt through the desert to their promised land. And it is also why, when God wants to use you for any great work, he first of all crushes and compresses you in the school of wilderness experience, because He knows that without humility, you will make things hotter for your followers as you go higher.

And so dear professional, how large is your heart? How humble are you? Do you serve to lead (servant hood), or do you lead to rob (robbing hood)? Call any leader today, a server, oh, he will quarrel with you Yet watch every IT installation, without the server, nothing works. What managers need now is not leader-ship training, but servant-ship training?

As a professional, leader, CEO, manager, supervisor, stop heating up the system. You have a responsibility to make it cooler, not just for you, but for others as well. My charge to you is this: be a compressor, humble yourself, have a large heart that has no room for pettiness, serve, motivate, simplify, and put your trust in God.

Do these and you can confidently harmonize your ways and means with geography which tell us that, The Higher You Go, The Cooler It Becomes.

Eric Okeke, corporate storyteller, motivational speaker, business writer and copy writer. He is one of Nigeria's most experienced financial journalist. I recommend that you read this valuable book, "How To Tell A Great Story" that is dedicated to teaching people just like you about the famed R.P.I Principle. Go now to http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com

---

Manage Your Time - Save Your Business.

If you work from home, chances are you already know... Read More

Why Employee Satisfaction Surveys And Employee Exit Surveys Make Good Sense

In a competitive world with the need for businesses to... Read More

Implementing Change

There are different reactions that individuals experience during time of... Read More

Ten Secrets of Super Successful Meeting Planners

Whoever said that being a meeting planner was easy, lied!... Read More

Turbo Charge Your Career With The Most Powerful Leadership Tool Of All: The Leadership Talk: Part 1

Leaders speak 15 to 20 times daily. You speak at... Read More

Cross Cultural Solutions for International Business

Globalisation, the expansion of intercontinental trade, technological advances and the... Read More

Avoid Outsourcing Pitfalls in the Injection Molds and Stamping Dies Markets

When looking to outsource overseas for Plastic Injection Molds or... Read More

Downsizing in Organisations - The Real Truth

I've met and worked with many people in all sectors... Read More

Help Your Employees Prepare for a Performance Appraisal

PREPARING EMPLOYEES FOR THE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL INTERVIEWS: Remind employees to... Read More

Innovation Management ? some ideas are better than others

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Leading Bad Actors To Be Good Performers

A successful leader told me, "The biggest challenge I've had... Read More

Are You Prepared for a Disaster?

Yesterday I look at my calendar and saw that my... Read More

Integrity... Should It Matter?

In our fast paced work culture, manned by technology savvy... Read More

Employee Retention: Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business

The retention of highly skilled knowledge workers is one of... Read More

Inspirational Power ( Part 1 )

The Fundamentals of Strategic Marketing, Some Key Traits for Greater... Read More

Policy & Procedure Manuals - Tools For Greater Productivity and Efficiency

In today's tough retail environment the retailer needs all the... Read More

Sexual Harassment Policy Guidelines Part I

Sexual Harassment Policy Guidelines ? Part IPermission is hereby granted... Read More

Success in Business Means Managing Negative Emotions

You may have the MBA but if an internal critic... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management ? Idea Progression

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Poor Employee Performance: How to Deal

KEEP WRITTEN RECORDS: "Document !Document! Document!" Keep a record of... Read More

The 10 Realities of Change

I've seen several articles that begin with lines like "the... Read More

Taking Care of Middle Manager Bounce Off

How many times have the management consultants been 'in' and... Read More

Entitlement Programs Kill Productivity

In articles I've written over the years, I have used... Read More

New Job, New Culture: Do You Fit In?

It seemed like a good decision at the time. A... Read More

Executive ESP: A Pathway to Success!

We all have psychic abilities that we use daily, although... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: The Responsibility for Job Security

This article relates to the Job Security competency, commonly evaluated... Read More

Organisation Tips For The Mobile Executive

Despite the fact that everyone sighs "How glamorous!", the life... Read More

Optimizing Your Cash Flow With Proper Accounts Receivable Management

Businesses miss on growth opportunities and even close their doors... Read More

Why Your Company Needs An E-Mail Policy

Everyone at the office thought that using the company e-mail... Read More

Hiring Your First Business Personal Assistant: Some Guidelines for Successful Hiring

Hiring the first personal business assistant is an exciting time... Read More

Weaknesses of Wishing

When you're starting a business, you might wish for a... Read More

Motivation - It Starts with Acknowledgement

Acknowledgement is about recognition or attention from another person. It... Read More

How To Hire Superstars

Can a person's behavior and values really determine if they... Read More