12 lessons in 12 years

Make good use of each opportunity!

Ephesians 5:16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

As you begin your professional life take whatever opportunity you get. This is not to say you
should give up on your dreams. It just that sometimes in doing what we find at a time we realise
our passion.
When I started my career I initially wanted to be an auditor, at the time there was no vacancy in
audit when I applied and I was given an option to take an internship role in Risk Advisory or
wait till there was a vacancy. I took the opportunity to work in Risk Advisory and here I am
pursuing a career in Risk and compliance with a lot of experience in other arears I only got the
opportunity to learn because I choose to take the opportunity I had at the time.
You may not initially get what you want but make the best of whatever opportunity presents
itself. Whilst at it do it with all your heart- Ecclesiastes 9:10 New International Version
(NIV)Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.

“It's through curiosity and looking at opportunities in new ways that we've always mapped
our path.”
Michael Dell
“If a window of opportunity appears, don't pull down the shade.”
Tom Peters

Believe in yourself/ Be you!

“To overcome fear is the quickest way to gain your self-confidence.”―Roy T. Bennett

Over the years I have seen people loose themselves because they were scared of either being
themselves or failing at a particular task. Over the years I have met people who have believed in

me that I did in myself ☹. I am glad I had those people close by they slowly thought me to be
ME.
I remember a time where I was given an opportunity to work with a colleague just the two of us “
freshers “ on an engagement with the partner. Initially I thought “this man wants to make
mockery of us”.
Little did I know he was building our confidence and he saw in us what we failed to see in
ourselves. He showed us what to do and his expectations for the job and left us to work it out.
All we had was each other. We were not sure we will pull through, every time he came to check
on us he encouraged us and allowed us to ask as many questions as we wanted. By the end of the
engagement not only did we achieve the objective we did so exceeding his expectations.
It thought me to believe in myself, hold my head up high , chest out and own my space. Yes,
some people may take it the wrong way, don’t dim your light because of them.
Believe in yourself , if you must research please do so , if you must consult , never fail to do
that .
We are all made in our own unique ways, most times we try too hard to fit in an loose ourselves
whilst at it. Know yourself and leverage on your strengths trust me someone some where admires
you.
You are all you have , you have to stay true to yourself.
Let me leave you with this quote
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
“Let Your Light Shine,” by Marianne Williamson

Don’t be known as the lazy person.

Being lazy won’t get you far. Sitting around chatting and scrolling through social media whilst
you have work to do will only affect your output. Get to work while you still have the time to
and set little targets, it helps you stay motivated and fulfilled because you always have something
to look up to.
Do not postpone to tomorrow what can be done today. Procrastination they say is the thief of
time.
.
When you put your all in your work it shows , your superior may not notice it immediately or
notice it at all but at the end of the day someone will take note of it and it will open doors for you
when you least expect it.
Listen !
We know you know but listen, you do not know it all. There is an akan proverb literally
translated as “ wisdom is not in only one persons head”. I noticed early that the more I listened
the more I learned. Sometimes where I knew I was a pro at something and had the opportunity to
learn from someone I kept quiet and listened . Most times it turned out I didn’t know as much as
I thought I did.
There is also nothing wrong with learning from people below you. It shows your strength rather
than your weakness.

See every challenge as an opportunity

Everyone’s career has challenges. challenges come in all shapes and sizes. You might have a
supervisor who micromanages, or a sudden new project that requires coding you’ve never done.
Meet those challenges proactively. Work hard. Ask for help when you need it. Think
strategically, in terms of what how meeting this challenge will benefit you and the team. It is
only when you are prepared that doors are opened to you .

Be prepared Luke 12:35

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning.”
Are you prepared for that promotion you so badly want? Or you just feel entitled to it because
you have been in the same place for a long time?
Sometimes I was genuinely upset I didn’t get a promotion or a recognition for some work done.
But when the time was right God made it happen in a beautiful way. So wait for that promotion,
whilst waiting be diligent.
I know it is easier said than done. But trust me when your focus is giving off quality your quality
will pay off.
If you are promoted or given the task you want will you be able to execute it flawlsometimes that
promotion is delaying but God may be working on your emaotions or something you may need
during that time of growth.
My mantra
Whatever your hands find to do , do it with all your heart.
Find what you enjoy doing the most and work to develop your strength in that area. Keep in
mind that no one is an overnight expert and that you’ll have to work hard to get to where you
want to be. While anyone can be good at something with enough hard work, those who find
pride and enjoyment in their work will succeed more than those who don’t.

Learn to embrace failure as you embrace success.

Failure is a part of life , you cannot learn until you have failed. No matter how good a
person is their resilience is tested when they fail. As you work towards your professional
goals , you will be faced with challenges, you will make mistakes. Choose to learn from
them.

Every failure gives you an opportunity to learn and grow. Everything in life is a learning
experience , what you make of the situation is up to You.

Be Curious /consult:
One thing I learnt on joining Deloitte is the phrase Consult ! Consult ! Consult !
its not time to sit an wonder what is going on. Ask questions about any area you do not
understand. Sometimes you think you are good at something until someone comes your
way and you realise you knew nothing at all. Do not be troubled to ask . explore new
ideas , new ways of doing things , you will be amazed the wealth of knowledge you will
gather and sometimes in addition the exposure you will get.

respect everyone do not think of yourself highly of yourself

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober
judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you . Romans 12:3

Look on the brighter side your experience should make you stronger and not bitter

Develop your soft skills

According to one LinkedIn survey 92% of talent professionals and
hiring managers said that soft skills matter as much or more in
recruitment than hard skills. 89% say that bad hires typically lack
the right soft skills.

Soft skills are personality traits that shape the way we work, act, and
interact with others. These skills represent a range of different abilities
and attributes that are often necessary for success in a particular role.
Soft skills are becoming increasingly vital in the workplace. The reason
for this is because they are highly transferable and can be applied to
numerous situations in several roles. As society continues to grow
digitally, soft skills will become more vital in the workplace.

do you think skills like getting to work on time or hanging out with the gang are minor
compared to knowledge about how to do your actual job? (Or even that things like that
aren’t a skill?)

Don’t think they’re minor! They are, in fact skills - and important ones. Being punctual is
key to job success. So is being a team player, which can be demonstrated by going to
happy hour with coworkers now and then.

“Soft skills,” as human resources people call them, may be easy to overlook. They’re the
skills that don’t have to do with knowledge, but with general work ethic, the way you
interact with people, and how you are perceived. They contrast with “hard skills,” which
is your knowledge and skill in doing job tasks

Every day isn’t going to be the best day and some days can be downright challenging.
However, if you can remember to look on the bright side, the difficult days can be just
another way to grow in both your career and life in general.

This life lesson is an important one when you’re in a job you don't like. This situation can
be especially challenging and, when left unchecked, can negatively impact not only your
work life but your life outside of work as well. Focusing on the positive rather than the
negative can help turn the situation around. For example, enjoying a project you do well
or taking advantage of a free office lunch may seem small in the grand scheme of things
but are ways in which you can look on the bright side and remain positive.

Being able to remain positive and look at things with optimism is an invaluable life
lesson. The more you can improve your outlook and the less the small things affect you,
the better you’ll be able to handle challenges in both your professional and personal life.
As a result, you’ll find yourself happier and more content no matter the situation.

have valuable connections with other people are.network , put yourself out there engage
in activities that give back to society
Change the situation not the person
Learning to focus on changing a situation rather than trying to change a person or group of
people is a valuable lesson you can learn at work. This is especially important when you find
yourself in a management position.

For example, if you’re a manager and employees are doing something that negatively impacts
productivity, it’s your job to find out why. It may be a problem with scheduling or an issue with
the way things are run. Instead of trying to change your employees to fit the status quo, take a
look at the status quo itself and see how you can adjust it to promote success within the
workplace.

Sometimes the problem is not the people involved but rather the way the situation is handled.
Listen to others’ opinions on how to improve the situation. Take a step back and look at the
situation to see if it’s being handled in a way that keeps everyone’s interests in mind. The most
important thing to remember here is that people generally don’t respond well when you try to
change them, but will often respond positively to situational changes that increase their ability to
be productive.

This lesson translates well to many aspects of life. Instead of trying to change the people you
love or even the people you don’t love, try to first change the situation or the way you view the
situation. The more you’re able to focus on contributing to an improvement in a situation rather
than trying to change a person, the more success you’ll have in work and life.

Your health & family can never be replaced

Work-life balance is a key responsibility. Even if a role expects a lot of your time, it is on you to
create that boundary between your work and personal life.

Overworking definitely takes a toll on your health. It snatches away your me-time, plus hours
with your family. Even if you’re bored out at work, it has ripple effects on your day-to-day.

A job that forces you to this edge is never worth it. After all, your health is precious and needs to
be safeguarded. Similarly, your family is the only constant around you. Why sacrifice these for
money?

While companies do provide certain benefits to help, such as flexible work arrangements, job
redesign and more, you need to make the most of them.

And if nothing really works out, then it’s time to move on so you can better manage your health,
family and personal time, and work commitments.

All too often, people focus on their jobs, rather than the people around them. It’s easy to do.
After all, your job is the reason you’re there, right?
But in fact, the people are equally important. All people in an organization need to have “people
skills.” That’s the ability to listen to everyone, to realize everyone’s contribution is important,
and to work as part of a team.

Saying “no” is perfectly fine

A demanding job may require hours from you, but with effective time management, you won’t
need to work an extra minute than the hours stipulated. Maybe on occasional days, overtime may
be necessary but drawing the line is key to avoid overwork.

The effects of overworking are apparent, as discussed above. So how do you avoid it? Aside
from ensuring a good work-life balance, you need to learn to say “no”.

Taking on extra work just to impress or prove your capabilities is counterproductive when it only
causes stress that hampers your ability to do a great job.

If your manager misinterprets this action as avoiding work, you may explain your point of view.
Otherwise, it might be better to consider moving to an employer that maintains the

Thank you Deloitte

Psalm 90:12
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Luke 12:35
“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning.”

Matthew 25:21
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a
little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'”