THE POWER IS IN YOUR VISION

1The Power Is in Your Vision.

The overriding lesson I have learnt in life is that with a well-defined vision and a focused mind, you can achieve practically any worthwhile thing you put your mind to. And without a vision, success is not in sight. When I joined Pfizer in 1978, I determined I was going to spend five years so that I could go into business with my uncle. I purposed in mind that in those five years, I would know everything I needed to know about manufacturing in a multinational organisation. In my fifth year while I was getting ready to leave the company, I had an encounter with the Chairman of the company who thought I had been in the company for at least 10 years. When he was reminded that I had been there for just five years, he couldn’t believe it because I had risen to middle management in five years from Pharmaceutical sales representative. That interested him. After that encounter, I changed my mind and decided I was going to continue and that I would like to be like the Chairman. I

pasted the picture I took with the Chairman on the wall in my office. Each time I came into my office, I looked at the picture, said a silent prayer and said to myself that someday I would be the Chairman of the company. From that day, it took me 10 years to become the Chairman/CEO of the company in fulfillment of the vision. The major determinant of success in life is vision; determine the end from the beginning.

2Negotiate Everything.

When we were doing the ManagementBuy-Out in 1997, between Pfizer International and the management of the local company, we made a mistake: we thought it was a business transaction between a father and a child. We thought Pfizer was our father, we were the children, and so we didn’t negotiate properly. And those who were negotiating for Pfizer took advantage of our naivety to put a very difficult agreement that nearly stifled our company. That taught me a lesson that you never expect anybody to offer you anything. You probably need to ask or demand before you get something reasonable. We renegotiated the agreement, and we got a deal that was much in our favour. So, I say negotiate everything.

3Do not Die in Your Mistake.

If you discover that you are walking on the wrong path, you should make a U-turn and change your situation. I found out that we made a mistake by accepting the terms of that agreement and it was making us to work so hard with very little returns. We were virtually working for Pfizer. We were paying royalties, buying their products, their raw materials at their own price and generally conducting the business as if it were still a Pfizer business when it has actually become a Nigerian business. At some point I took the decision that I was going to break out of the Pfizer agreement, set up our own products, promote our own brands, stop paying royalties for their brands so that we could go to the international market and buy our raw materials at a price that could give us decent returns. So, between 2005 and 2010, we launched a major effort at local products development. It was not easy initially, but over time we were able to develop our own brand. Be bold to make a U-turn when you discover that you have made a strategic mistake.

4Develop Multiple Streams of Income

To gain financial independence, I discovered from my personal experience that one cannot rely on one source of income. You need to create and nurture other streams to augment the first. Most people cannot

6There Is Great Reward in Service.

In my life, I have had so much honour bestowed on me. I have two National Awards (MON and OFR). I have received uncountable awards from my profession, my community and from the Church. Often I have been elected or appointed to leadership positions and I receive the respect and acknowledgement of my contemporaries and seniors. When I try to find out what it is that I did to deserve all these, I came to two conclusions: God's extraordinary grace in my life and my willingness to serve and to make sacrifices for the common good. I became Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), President of the Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), and so on, even when I ran only a struggling medium-sized business. According to God’s Word, servant leadership attracts honour and the humble is often exalted.

7Recognise the God Factor

This actually should be the first lesson. I have found out that there is something called the God factor in life. In business school, they don’t teach you that. They will teach you everything about how to run businesses, how to navigate a difficult business terrain, but nobody tells you that there comes a time when all the rules, all the plans and all your programmes can fail even with your best efforts. I encountered that in my career several times and I was like giving up because we’ve done everything that they say we should do in the business school and business books. Luckily for me, I have had the privilege of getting to know the power of God and I have always found that the power could leverage your performance. That power could come at a time of greatest need.