THE MEETING POINT

So, a lot of readers enjoyed my Brian Tracy Seminar pointers and since I attended another seminar like it a few days after, I decided to share once again. This time, it was a program (The Meeting Point) organized by Niyi Adesanya, one of the top 10 public speakers in Nigeria, an author and business consultant. The first time I heard him speak was in 2010 during Walk With Will Conference organized by CGMi Church Unusual. I remember thinking he blew my mind with his down to earth practical solution to problems and issues.

So when I heard he was bringing ‘heavy weight champions’ in politics, business and career to the same venue I first heard him here in Benin City and that the Seminar would be free for all, I couldn’t resist the urge to tag along with my baby and hubby to be mentally enriched. From the sessions’ moderators – Efex Iyamu, Teajay Chunu and Daniel Ikuenobe – to the panelists, it was hard not to pick up something from this event. It lasted for 7 hours and no matter how quick I am with the pen, there’s only so little time will permit me to share.

Oh, lest I forget. The meeting point is a seminar organized to link Luminaries (high level achievers in different sectors) and Visionaries (young aspiring achievers) together in 6 Geo-political zones in Nigeria – Kano, Abuja, Ibadan, Enugu, Benin and Lagos.

So here are nuggets of wisdom from the amazing personalities that showed up that day.

• PAT UTOMI
(Founder, center of values in Leadership; founding senior of Lagos Business School and onetime special adviser to the president)

On Politics: Some people believe in the central conservative truth that it is not politics but culture that is responsible for the progress of a society (Republican point of view). While others believe in the liberal truth that politics can change a culture and save it from itself (Liberals point of view). Singapore is prove of the liberals view as politics help change it from 3rd world country to a 1st world country and Harvard University used value chain analysis years ago to discover how Colombia was an example of how family values/culture affects the progress of a nation. Poverty comes down to our values. What do we hold dear? Culture damages society in a fundamental way. When we say value can shape the progress of a nation, it’s not hard to see why a nation like Nigeria with resource-full and talented citizenry is not more progressive than it is. The collapse of culture has produced a regime of incentives where it pays to be a criminal or extortionist. That kind of culture of illegally obtaining wealth does not sustain progress.

On business: making money in business is a side effect of doing well in business. When you have a burden for something, it’ll translate into a vision and that vision is what will enable you make wealth. Entrepreneurship is about adding value, and then going on to create a venture, commercialize it and institutionalize it. We are a lazy society looking for money making opportunities when there are problems to be systematically solved all around us that has potential to give wealth to the initiator. An entrepreneur builds ladders of opportunities; think global value chain. In all consciousness, we should pursue an entrepreneurial culture as a people because there in lies our business and ability to enrich the nation.
to be continued...