Sunday, March 27, 2011


Balmoral Hall after the fire

The Balmoral hall events center located at Kudirat Abiola way, hosting the City People Magazine awards got razed by fire. Cause of the fire is still unknown but sources says the place was completely burnt down bringing the program to a halt. No life was lost while the fire lasted.






Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Commitments of an Extraordinary Leader by Chris Widener

Its been a while I posted here, I apologise. I came across this inspirational piece from motivational speaker,  Chris Widener




Leadership is a continual process of making to commitments... to oneself, to others, and to the organizations we lead and serve.

With this in mind, here are the commitments an Extraordinary Leader makes:

With a desire to become an Extraordinary Leader, I commit to:

  • Continually pursue personal and professional growth
  • Treating everyone I come in contact with the dignity and respect they deserve
  • Finding the way for as many people as possible to benefit from my decisions and actions
  • Be willing to make and carry out hard decisions without regard to personal expediency
  • The highest level of personal and corporate integrity
  • Tell the truth and be honest, regardless of potential personal loss
  • Think "team" first
  • Finding a person who can mentor me
  • Finding at least one person I can personally mentor
  • Help others discover their strengths and function in them
  • Maintain my priorities and organize my life and work according to them
  • Live a life of balance between work, family, and leisure
  • Pursue balanced growth in body, soul and spirit - understanding that each area affects the others innately
  • Pursue what is best - for myself, my organization, and for others - and not settle for that which is simply "good enough"
  • Do work and live a life that leaves behind a lasting legacy of excellence
  • Build a team to surround me in order to enhance my strengths and make up for my weaknesses
  • Surround myself with people who will tell me the truth and not just what they think I want to hear
  • Become a great listener
  • Be an Extraordinary Follower of those who are my leaders
  • Help others develop their skills
  • Dream big dreams and encourage others to do the same
  • Stretch my followers enough to make them grow but not so much as to discourage them
  • Be driven by vision, mission and purpose, not by circumstances or expediency
  • View the world through optimistic eyes
  • Embrace the concept of change as a positive force for improvement
  • Be responsible in my actions as they relate to my commitments to myself and others
  • Be tenacious in my pursuits
  • Give more than I receive and to be characterized by generosity
  • Show courage in the face of challenge
  • Be an example of dedication and commitment
  • Share the privileges of leadership with those who follow me
  • Give power away to those who can share in it responsibly and help the organization
  • Use both my head and my heart when leading
  • Manage my time according to my priorities
  • Be the first to sacrifice when sacrifice is needed
  • Make all short-term decisions with the long-term goals in mind
  • Develop a successor
  • Develop excellent communication skills
  • Use a variety of means of influence
  • Be the primary strategy setter for the organization
  • Teach others
  • Inspire others
  • Keep my eye on the big picture
  • Making the complex simple
  • Motivate others
  • Consider others as important as myself
  • Identify future leaders
  • Train and develop future leaders
  • Regularly reward accomplishment
  • Allow followers to fail in their attempts at growth and innovation
  • Work leadership development into every level of the organization
  • Have a clear vision
  • Remain calm in difficult situations
  • Keep a sense of humor
  • Remove people from their position as soon as I know they need to go
  • Empathize with others

 Chris Widener


As we prepare to elect new leaders in the forthcoming polls, let us watch out for some of these qualities. God Bless Nigeria