On the weekend of June 25th 2016, our Chairman was in Port Harcourt to meet with and inspire the students of Jesuit Memorial College on the future of entrepreneurship.
Many of us would recall the unfortunate incident of December 10, 2005, where 60 students of Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja lost their lives in a plane crash en-route Port Harcourt from Abuja. The newly established school in Port Harcourt was set up to honour the memory of those students.
So it was not surprising that our Chairman was with the students to commemorate, celebrate, and motivate these future leaders, encouraging them to have a mind-set of creating jobs, not searching for jobs, when they are ready to join the job market.
He also shared insights on the values that have been his driving force in business. In his words, these are:
- Purpose: What would you like to be in future? What are your dreams and aspirations? Purpose is nothing if you don’t work towards making it come true;
- Hard work– Hard work is important to achieve your true purpose in life. Good things don’t come easy;
- Discipline – Discipline means you stay focused, and stay on the path. Discipline will allow you realize your purpose;
- Check-ins: identify and set milestones that lead to the accomplishment of your chosen purpose. And you should periodically check yourself. Ask yourself if you’ve achieved milestones, and if you are on top of things.
- Resilience: You need to be resilient. You need to have staying power even during the tough times. Remember tough times don’t last.
- Humility: Above all, you need to embrace humility. Internalize it and run with it because as you become more successful, the propensity is there for you to forget where you’re coming from. Be disciplined and humble enough not to let your success control you, but instead control your success.”
With these tips, surely, the future of entrepreneurship in Africa is assured!
