I’m clearly slacking at sending these newsletters on time. I need to do better as my only excuse for not sharing April’s update is that the build-up to TEDxLagos Salon, which took eventually place on May 13 after being postponed from April 29, was hectic. And afterwards, I just wanted to rest.
Fortunately, April was filled with many holidays but looks like I used it up for other things.
May came with a few surprises. One moment I’m getting invited to speak about Career disruption by my project supervisor at university who’s now the dean of a college, the next I’m reviewing my own career paths and needing to apply my own advice. There was a recent round of layoff at Mara at the end of May and I was affected, so I’ve had to revert to taking a break first then a bit of freelance journalism.
Life is full of surprises and serendipity, but irrespective of this, it’s reassuring that nothing catches God by surprise.
Highlights of the Months
- I published my first article as a freelance journalist earlier in May.
- I was part of the organising team for TEDxLagos’ debut Salon event.
- I gave a talk to graduating students at Landmark University on Career Disruption.
Noteworthy Books, Articles, Videos…
???? A Story of Heroes and Epics: The History of Football in Nigeria – Wiebe Karl Boer
As a huge football fan, this was a good read on the history of football in Nigeria. I wish it had more compelling narratives and was less of a historical recount of different events.
???? The Man in the Mirror: Solving the 24 Problems Men Face – Patrick Morley
“Do you know anyone who has ever won the rat race? This question deserves more than a chuckle, because, upon reflection, most of us will have to acknowledge we really don’t know anyone who has.”
???? Nigeria struggles to bridge ethnic divide after the election
“Go away,” Ude says people, including the elderly woman, shouted at her. “You’re a stranger.” Something broke inside her that day, she told me. When she meets fellow Nigerians, she is wary: “I’m now asking myself, ‘Would you stand up for me or would you be part of the machinery that’ll be used to attack me?’”
The resurgence in tribalism during the last elections got to me and I decided to contribute my voice to it.
???? The Incredible Story of How Nike Signed LeBron James
LeBron yearned to shine as brightly as Jordan. But in order to get where he wanted to go, the boy who had spent his whole life in poverty would have to leave $25 million on the table. Picking at french fries, LeBron made up his mind. It was a defining moment.
???? Reebok was meant to be a ‘Nike killer.’ How the brand lost its No. 1 spot
Why didn’t Reebok make it? They were beating Nike: How is the brand this small and inconsequential now? It’s not a straightforward story. It’s a story about innovation, about missed opportunities and perhaps most of all, about what might have been.
????The Conductor of Chaos MC Oluomo’s Dangerous Rise and Rhetoric
So how has MC Oluomo been able to inch closer to the corridor of political power? How has he become so powerful to the point where elected officials are presenting their certificates of return to him and he has had to clarify that he has no intention of contesting for the governorship seat in Lagos? It can be traced to power and revenue, two critical assets that he controls.
???? Exploring Productive Bubbles
It takes humans time to learn how to best implement our most disruptive inventions. One early application for the telephone, for example, was as a form of entertainment. Users could listen to a live performance of a concert or show with a device – long before radio broadcasting became available, let alone modern streaming.
???? This video of the Ugandan kids at Britain’s Got Talent is heartwarming.
Quote ????
“Many people won’t attempt something unless they can find an example of someone else who is already doing it. Rely on this type of thinking too much and you’ll never do anything interesting. Your path through life is unique. It is important to extract lessons from the experiences of others, but you can’t wait for a perfect example to take action. You are the example.”
James Clear