Category Archives: Experiment

Adeolu Akinyemi
March 31, 2007

Reward and Recognition 2


My people say that the house of a king that gets burnt only adds beauty to it. I believe that this will be the case with this current post, because this is my second time of writing it all over from scratch. I actually wrote one and posted yesterday night only to wake up this morning and discover that I slept shortly after, and the link timed out as well. I refreshed my site and the latest post wasn’t there. I however am not distracted in my mission.

Just last week, I wrote about Reward and Recognition and wrote extensively about an experiment I intended using to reward loyal readers on this site. The details of this is available here. In summary however, I asked the first 10 people to signify their interest in participating in this experiment to deposit N50,000 in my account. I informed them that they would be required to mail articles from this site, using the email this post link on each of the posts to an average of 100 people per month (about 3+ per day), while they do this, I promised to work hard to return N220,000 each to the 10 participants within the next 90 days. In the course of the week, two deadlines were set to have the 10 participants pay in. Interestingly, 9 participants paid in, opening up one slot still to all others. Instead of setting another deadline though, I have decided to make this one slot open to as many of all the others that indicated their interest in the experiment before today-31st March, 2007. How will this work? Read on. Continue reading →

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts
Adeolu Akinyemi
March 23, 2007

Reward and Recognition


In Human Resources Management, the topic above is very familiar. We need to understand how we intend to reward and recognize our people. Different people are motivated by different things, hence people developing reward systems need to be aware of what people consider as rewarding.

In the theory of motivation, there is also what is called Herzberg’s hygiene factors – Some things might not be enough to make you leave a company, but they are enough to make you not think of leaving. What seems rather amazing however, is that the things that are hygiene factors are sometimes thought about by many as motivational factors. Herzberg was able to identify some of the elements classified as hygiene to include: company cars,  salary, relationship with boss or subordinates, status and security. Does this shock you? He then identified the real motivators as achievement, recognition, work itself, personal growth, responsibility and advancement.

This month, also being the birthday of this site, I am in a great mood. Hence aside of the competition we currently have on, that will help people to win some fantastic prices, I am hereby announcing an experiment to reward and recognize the most courageous risk takers on this site. This experiment is open to only 10 participants and it’s on a first come first serve basis. You are about to be pleasantly surprised! Continue reading →

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts
Adeolu Akinyemi
October 17, 2006

Jumpstart Your Career or Business


Last week Thursday, I had the priviledge and opportunity of speaking to a number of entrepreneurs and entrepreneur wannabes about ecommerce. While the talk took about 2hrs, I discovered that there was a meaty part of the entire gist that was not on the content for ecommerce.

I was amazed at how many people do not know or remain unaware about how easily they can jumpstart their business and career by becoming more visible. While in paid employment I remember that I had read and come to know that one of the best things you can do for your career is become more visible. The corporate world does not favour the timid souls, promotions are not regular callers to people who bury their head in work and only take it off to go home. Visibility is important, the people that matter must know that you do what you do, and do a good job of doing it. Visibility is key. In internal selling, which is basically getting internal alignment and management sponsorship for your ideas, visibility is key. Visibility in the corporate internal environment involves understanding the use of email, one on ones, meetings and almost every opportunity to toot your horn, without blowing it. Continue reading →

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts
Adeolu Akinyemi
October 8, 2006

30 Days Trial – Day 29


At last, my 30 Days trial is coming to an end. I’m excited that I have been able to keep up with it despite all odds. I actually started this exercise exactly 60 days go, since then I have had to restart the 30 day trial all over again three times because I had absent mindedly taken a bite of meat at different times. Today however is the second to the last day of this exercise.

I remember some people started with me with different things back then, I hope you have continued and seen the trial to an end. I’m so glad I didn’t give up, and have been able to finish. Believe me, the last 60 days have really been interesting for me.  Continue reading →

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts
Adeolu Akinyemi
August 23, 2006

Answers – Day 5


I’m starting a series today titled Answers!

Background

The Concept of Answers is to create an opportunity for people to ask questions and have them thoroughly answered. These are questions on a different range of topics, from Career, to Motivation, to Attitude, to Skills to History, to Jobs to whatever! Whatever bothers you, or whatever topics you think can be shared and talked about. Place a comment and ask, I’ll together with the help of the people that have volunteered to assist on this portal, post detailed answers to life’s questions.

Experiement Day 5

If you were following these page closely, you would have observed that I restarted my 30 day trial. I did! It’s an integrity statement for me, I forgot myself and took a bit at a meatpie – I remembered after and made up my mind I can start again.

Will you start again? There are many things we have given up on, let’s start again. Trophies are not for starters, they are for finishers. Awards are not given for rehearsals, they are given for performances. Let’s strive to finish what we start. No matter how rough your start, the world is consitently intruiged by happy endings.

Start again!

Special Opportunity 

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts
Adeolu Akinyemi
August 11, 2006

T.E.A.M – Day 3


T.E.A.M – Together, Each Achieves More!

Synergy of efforts is very powerful. Where one can chase one thousand, two can put ten thousand to flight. 1+1 is not 2. The summation of two good heads is better than two. When we walk as many, our presence carries more worth.

Doing this exercise with a number of people I have identified now for example, gives me a lot more motivation to continue. Today I said no to delicious Yola chicken! The chicken looked like bush meat, a delicacy to behold! Alhaja Rakia could not believe that I would not partake of this special treat, but no! Not when I have those of you who have joined in this collective bid for the 30 day trial. Not wanting to let down the team, each player puts in his/her best.

We need to learn to leverage the power of synergy. To work as a team with common objectives yet differing skills. Back in school, when you ask for expo in an examination it was an offence (it still is), but in real life, you need to ask for help, you need your brother, you need your sister, you need to have people you can depend on.

Today, I taught networking to some 5Oyr olds, some of them wrote as comments, that this was the best seminar they have attended in their lives. I was tripped, and encouraged. Don’t wait till you are old to learn the lessons that can make you rise above the crowd. Don’t go solo, make the team.

Today it was easier to continue…who is with me?

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts
Adeolu Akinyemi
August 10, 2006

Overcoming Inertia – Day 3


Today I’m posting from Yola! I was half merely optimistic that I’ll be able to post, but you know how opportunities come to those who are prepared :)

Yesterday went well, I flew to Yola via abuja, the diets in the plane were vegetarian :) My supper was where I had to make a choice, and guess what, the world is watching, so I must make my target, and so must you.

The first few days of starting a new habit are the only times when it’s really though. As soon as you cross the one week mark, things almost switch to autopilot until after another while. In physics, we were made to understand that the force requires to move a stationary object is more than the force required to keep it moving. The coefficient of static friction is greater than the coefficient of kinetic friction. More is required to start than to maintain.

What are you trying hard to achieve? Are you starting a business and it feels like you need to work 18hrs to keep it afloat? Welcome to the real world, it’s the beginning phase, it’s where inertia has to be overcome. Are you starting a career and does it seem like you are getting bored too soon? It’s inertia. Have you had an idea for so long and done nothing about it? It’s inertia. It’s the force that keeps the average average. It’s the barrier to motion and the limitation to acceleration. Get over your inertia, dare to start!

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts
Adeolu Akinyemi
August 9, 2006

30 Days Trial – Day 2


Everything went well for day 2, still hanging on to the commitment. Had a go at actually saying No! yesterday, I had to pass on a food I really enjoy to stick to it. It’s feeling like a really small goal, this vegetarian diet thingie. I’m tempted to add more things to the plate. I’ll take it easy though, and bring more in as the time passes.

Change or upgrade will never happen accidentally, it will happen by concious endeavor and concious action. Weeds are the only things that grow without conciousness, every good fruit is a result of sowing.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts