Professional storms happen; to overcome them, work hard and surround yourself with the right people!

They were men of great capabilities. They excelled in their fields. They were masters of waters, having core competencies in navigating sea waves as fishermen. But one day, they were on the Sea of Galilee, legendary for its shallow depth – the lowest freshwater and second-lowest lake on earth. Fed by River Jordan, with the Golan Heights by the side, a wave easily gathered momentum, causing problems along the paths.

On that day, the disciples, masters of waters, had their capabilities tested.  Four of them were recruited by Christ while working on that very Sea. The waves were ferocious. Yet,  the men trusted their skills. Then, they gave up, and asked for help. “Peace be still” were the words, and the storm stopped!

Our education, networks, and experiences are things we cherish. We use them to navigate careers. But there are things so powerful: preventing storms or when they do happen, being able to recover by stopping them.

Today’s labour market is like the Sea of Galilee. Tech-driven dislocation and globalization are major challenges. We  require alternate plans just in case the skills become momentarily unhelpful just as the fishermen saw themselves nearly imperiled in a sea. But they were lucky, they were in good company, and the men of waters were saved in water.

Work hard and surround yourself with the right people! Invest in that because in professional careers, storms do happen. Do you have 2-3 people you can call to stop the storm?

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My Comment: Sir, thanks for the words. More than enough to stir up the soul.

After My NYSC in Feb this year, I still find it getting a job let alone meeting with people with like mind. Efforts are frustrated in a country like Nigeria 

My Response: The challenge is that we focus on jobs as a validation of our value and capabilities. Jobs are great but jobs are not the only vehicles that connect us to people. I did not visit Bill Gates because of my work. He invited me because of an article I wrote. So, I want to ask you: what is your skill and how can you make people know about it? While we need jobs, there are many other ways to demonstrate competence and capabilities.

This photo is with me and Tony Elumelu. He was in Boston and somehow read an article I wrote (the academic ones which are well written, not the Facebook 12 min posts). He asked his staff to connect him to the author. They connected; I went to Boston airport where he was flying back to Lagos and we met https://tkcdn.tekedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/06173536/Ndubuisi-Ekekwe-Tony-Elumelu-photo-960×450.jpg . That was how he became a mentor. He now invited me to Lagos, etc.

Understand that the best time to audition is when there is no opportunity available. You need jobs but we have more worlds outside jobs!

Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA (Jun 3 - Sep 2, 2024), and join Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe and our global faculty; click here.