Ini's MUSE

I have been thinking about the concept of the work before the work. Every major thing I have built - the consulting practice, the Africa CEO Roundtable and Conference on Sustainability and Responsibility (The ARCSR), the breakfast meeting - Sustainable Conversations, the CSRFiles publications, and the books I am currently writing- none of them arrived fully formed when I needed them. They were possible because of years of preparation that did not look like preparation at the time. The research done quietly. The relationships tended without an immediate agenda. The craft of facilitation refined across hundreds of rooms and thousands of hours. The intellectual frameworks developed not for a specific client, but because the questions themselves mattered to me. There is a version of ambition that is always in a hurry, always chasing the next opportunity, the next visibility, and the next launch. And I understand it. I have lived it. But the leaders I most respect are the ones who have buil...

Hello Muses, Lately, I’ve been doing quite a lot of personal counseling sessions with a few mentees and friends going through one form of personal problem or the other, ranging from job losses, financial issues to problems with their spouses and/or children. Most are not at a good place emotionally, spiritually and physically too as some of the issues are beginning to affect their health. As usual I get so emotionally invested in some of these friends and I spend long hours talking, discussing, listening to both spoken and unspoken words just to understand how and where to give help or give counsel. As I sat thinking through some of the issues this evening, I began flipping through several online platforms I normally visit to read up on current issues and trends and I stumbled on a video of an interview that Dave Chappelle had given with Gayle King a few days ago. In that part of the interview, he tried to explain why he had to step away from the spotlight and he used...

Hello Muses, Last week ended on a very sad note for me.  We lost one of our support staff, Tope. She was knocked down by a hit and run driver on her way to work on Friday morning.  I recall getting to the office and as usual calling her across the office for my coffee instead of using the intercom. When she didn't respond, I called the Admin Manager and she mentioned she's not been seen that morning and her phone went unanswered. I was a bit upset because my desk hadn't been cleaned as well and I wondered why she was so late to work. I told her to try again and alas, we got the news. She had been rushed to Luth Emergency & Accidents Centre by a LASTMA official. I left the office with my Admin. Manager and we rushed to the hospital. We met with family members and did all we could so she could get attention. Sadly, Tope passed on early hours of Saturday.  I was very stoic when I saw her lying helplessly with the oxygen mask on her face. I took o...

Hello Muses, Happy Valentine’s day. Hmmmm, love nwantintin tinz. The over-commercialization of the day makes me worry because if you are in a true and loving relationship, everyday should be valentine's day. Anyways, hope you’ve gotten your gifts and kisses and for those of you given to showing them off on social media, trust you have done so already, lol.  Na love matters. I got quite a deluge of emails on our Part 1. I was intrigued.  As I mentioned in Part 1, it is no surprise to me that a lot of people can relate to the issues and couldn’t wait for the second part. So share with others not on the mailing list and do send me your thoughts too. Here we go: Part 2: The green-eyed monster – Jealousy/Envy - lies at the heart of most, if not all character assassinations. Jealousy/Envy are natural human emotions and can be good if they help you see the possibilities available to push you to achieve your own higher goals. It however becomes a symptom of a...