| | | | | compresses a special gas causing condensation that |
| | | | | transforms air to liquid droplets. When this happens, the |
| The higher you go | | | | temperature of the fridge drops and the atmosphere in |
| | | | | it becomes a lot cooler. That is essentially what an air |
| “The higher you go, the cooler it becomes.” | | | | conditioner does. Read the concluding of this story in |
| Really? Let us start from the fundamentals. It is a | | | | Part 2, in the next edition of Great Storytelling network. |
| maxim we learnt form geography in school about the | | | | |
| weather. | | | | So why don’t you begin to compress your |
| Having come a long way in our professions and our | | | | thoughts, actions, ways and methods. The way you |
| careers, can we safely say it has been cooler over | | | | work and live; why don’t you compress and |
| the years, as we ascended the corporate ladder? | | | | simplify them, chill your atmosphere and make life and |
| Even at that, how can we simply apply the higher you | | | | work easier for you. |
| go belief in the way we work and live? | | | | See how technology works. Any improvement in that |
| Has it certainly been cooler for you over the years as | | | | field shortens time, space and volume; improves speed |
| you climbed higher? Certainly not, you answer. The | | | | and efficiency, and increases productivity. The coming |
| higher you go; the cooler, may work in geography or | | | | of the computer has achieved this. Tons of dates |
| atmospheric conditions, certainly not in the workplace, | | | | bases that were once stored in huge volumes of files, |
| vocations, professions, family and relationships. | | | | shelves and cabinet are now conveniently stored in |
| | | | | flash drives and CD ROMs. What started as |
| What with mounting responsibilities, challenges, | | | | mainframe computer has been reduced to laptops. |
| economic and social problems. It has certainly not been | | | | This is compression and simplicity. |
| cooler for me. If it has been so for you, then you must | | | | |
| be a superstar. Even superstars feel the pinch too as | | | | So how simple is your lifestyle, your work and the way |
| they rise in stardom. While there may be some | | | | you live. How simple are your products and services |
| consistency in geographical conditions, it is not | | | | for consumers to use, and your work processes, even |
| necessarily so in economic and social conditions. | | | | production lines? Are they cumbersome or has |
| In geography, it may just be true that the higher you go | | | | everything been compressed, reduced in time and |
| the cooler. In professional practice and business, you | | | | length and simplified. |
| may be up today, and down tomorrow. Either way, it | | | | How simple are your brands for your consumers to |
| gets hotter. This is the real story. | | | | understand and use? What is your brand story? Do |
| So to remain cool, should you stagnate? No! You have | | | | your brands tell their story to make your customers |
| to be upwardly mobile to improve your fortunes and | | | | understand your products and services? Can brand tell |
| quality of life for you and your family. But you need to | | | | stories? Yes they can. If you don’t know how to |
| consistently do a number of things to make it cooler as | | | | do it, then employ the services of professional |
| you go higher. You need to do so because the | | | | storytellers. A subset of this group is known as brand |
| challenges of leadership and the hassles of remaining | | | | storytellers. |
| competitive in the marketplace are becoming | | | | What about the communication lines and chains of |
| overwhelming globally. | | | | command and authority in your organisation, are they |
| Everything has an atmosphere. For your person it is | | | | compressed, flat or circuitous, of many layers? |
| called aura, and by extension charisma. This personal | | | | If you are a CEO, General Manager or Senior |
| atmosphere can pull or repel with interplay of forces | | | | Manager, have you compressed your work processes |
| with other persons or objects. Metallic objects that do | | | | and communication flow with subordinate staff? Do |
| so are called magnets. The higher you go. | | | | you tell corporate stories to communicate well? Or are |
| As you have atmospheric conditions; hot, cold, harsh | | | | you one of those bosses that believe so much in line |
| winter or summer, so they are for you as a person. | | | | management: “You must relate to me through your |
| Growing up and progressing in life, business, your | | | | boss.” That is your story. |
| workplace and profession have atmospheres. And so | | | | Every Monday morning, you hold endless management |
| the challenge for you is to emulate nature and make | | | | meetings to stem the dwindling fortunes of your |
| sure your atmosphere becomes cooler as you go | | | | organisation in the marketplace. The business |
| higher in life and your profession. | | | | temperature is rising, heating up the business |
| You need to chill your atmosphere of going higher so | | | | atmosphere for you and your company. |
| that you can live long, be more productive and tell a | | | | |
| good story about your life and work. For professional | | | | The higher you go, the cooler it becomes. That is if |
| businessmen and women, the world over, life and | | | | you are a leader and not a boss. There is a difference. |
| work is certainly getting hotter. And some are dying in | | | | Leaders command respect and have disciples whom |
| their 30s and 40s largely as a result of high blood | | | | they groom, care for, and secure a future. When they |
| pressure, stroke, diabetes, kidney failure and accidents. | | | | do so, the corporate atmosphere is cool. Not so for |
| | | | | bosses. They heat up the system with their rigidity. |
| Check out the obituary pages of many newspapers, | | | | They forcefully demand loyalty and are grudgingly |
| you will see a familiar caption as is done in Nigeria: | | | | followed by unrepentant and complaining workers. |
| Gone too soon; then a tribute, followed by names of | | | | Nothing heats up a system like complaining followers. |
| the Committee of Friends. And the pay off…burial | | | | They poison the atmosphere. Even Almighty God |
| arrangements as announced by the family. The higher | | | | does not tolerate complaining followers. That is why |
| you go. | | | | He chose Moses in the book of Genesis, a man with a |
| If you don’t want to be a victim, then chill your | | | | large heart to lead the children of Israel through the |
| atmosphere. The critical question now is: How cool or | | | | desert to their promised land. |
| hot is your state of life and business now? Cool! | | | | So dear professional, how large is your heart? What |
| Congratulations, please keep it up so that you may live | | | | are the stories in your heart? Do you tell them to lead? |
| long and it shall be well with you. May be it is hot. Then | | | | How humble are you? Do you serve to lead (servant |
| you must act fast and begin to chill your atmosphere | | | | leader) or do you drive to lead (slave driver). The |
| as nature does in our study of geography. So how do | | | | higher you go. |
| you chill your condition? Adapt what I call the | | | | As a professional, leader, mentor, CEO, manager, |
| compressor strategy. If possible, be a compressor. | | | | supervisor, please do not heat up the system. You |
| Doing so enables you to use less space, time and | | | | have a responsibility to make it cooler, not just for you, |
| energy, achieve more and tell the good story of | | | | but for others following you. Be a compressor, humble |
| success. | | | | yourself, develop a large heart, serve, tell motivating |
| To understand this better, take a look at all the | | | | stories, and simplify the work process. |
| electrical gadgets in your home that chill; refrigerators, | | | | |
| air conditioners and others. They all have something in | | | | Do these and more, and you will harmonise your ways |
| common- a component called the compressor. What | | | | with geography which teaches that, the higher you, the |
| does it do? Powered by electricity, this component | | | | cooler it becomes. Goodluck. |