If your company “promotes” you or you accept a new offer where you are already 100% ready on Day One, that is not true elevation. It is merely a job title evolution. Real career ascension happens when you step into responsibilities you are not yet fully prepared for, but for which you possess the inherent capacity to rise quickly and deliver.
As 2026 approaches, I invite you to plan deliberately for your next leadership ascent. Aim higher. Keep looking up. No one was born a CEO, a Director, or a President. Every leader once stood where you are today. This is the season for your next lift because you are more ready than you think. And yes, you will find visible and invisible hands holding the bridge as you cross into that next phase.
Understand this: you already have wins. However small they may seem, they matter. You must leverage them to climb. In the Igbo Nation, we say it takes the killing of one leopard to be called a killer of leopards. One victory is enough to earn the right to aim for greater ones!
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But how will people know you have taken a leopard if you never tell them you did? You must let people know what you know and what you have done. Do not assume your work will speak for you. As my elementary Biology teacher, Mr. Bobo, taught us, “work” is not a living organism, it cannot talk. In other words, you must tell your story, and in this age, that means using platforms like social media to make your voice heard.
Ignore the wailers who may call you a fake engineer, fake marketer, fake doctor, or whatever name they invent. Forget them! Many hide behind anonymity because they have already lost faith in their own future. If someone cannot stand by their words with their real name, why should you be bothered? You are visible because you are building. They are invisible because they are not. Yes, you are the winner because you are real. And if you must, block the noise. Those who derail you do not add value, they only distract. Keep your eyes on the ascent.
So, what has 2025 given you? What little wins can you build upon? Plan for the crossover, because 2026 is going to be remarkable. Aim higher. Think big. Prepare to win.
Here is the fact: Nigeria has a lot of opportunities. 2026 is calling. Cross over in style!
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