Simi Joel

Tag: self development

  • What’s Your Superpower?

    What’s Your Superpower?

    You wake up in a cold sweat, heart racing, head pounding, with an eerie sense that something is wrong. You’re still groggy and your first thought is to go back to sleep, but something is pulling at you, its force so strong that you can’t ignore it. So, you roll out of bed slowly, but as your feet touch the floor, you yell in pain. It’s hot! What’s happening? The tightness in your belly grows but so does the pull. You have to get out of your house now!

    You rush out without another thought, running till you hit the road, barefoot and clothed only in your pajamas. You don’t see the stares of passersby, nor notice the crowd that’s slowly gathering, nor the phones recording your every move.

    There! Your eyes settle on a young girl down the road playing with a toy, just outside a small shop. Everything looks normal, yet you can’t take your eyes away from her. Then like a slow-motion movie, she throws her toy to the road, then runs after it giggling, unaware of the danger she’s running into. Everything else happens in a flash – the screeching tires of a bright red car racing towards her, a man’s horrific scream at the sight of his child, and yourself suddenly by her side, whisking her off the road just before the impact.

    Time slows down as your body relaxes. You can feel your heart slowing down. Your body begins to feel normal again. You can now see everything else; the father, clutching his daughter tightly to his chest, mumbling prayers of thanksgiving, the settling dust from the car’s final stop, then the awe-struck crowd and the whispers of ‘hero’, ‘supernatural’, ‘strange’ floating towards you.

    You should care, but you’re exhausted, so you ignore it all and start walking towards the place you call home. The crowd parts to let you go, no questions asked. You hit your bed as soon as you get home and fall into a deep sleep, unaware of the powers you’ve just received, not realizing how from that moment your life just changed. A superhero has emerged.

    How cool would it be to wake up with a superpower that would change the world! Super cool, right? Newsflash, you already have superpowers. They are not nearly as exciting as in this story, but they have the power to transform your life, career, and the world. In everyday language, we call them strengths.

    A strength is something that you are good at, with which you produce close to perfect performance consistently and with minimal effort. You also get an energy boosts, satisfaction and joy from doing it.

    Understanding your strengths is a continuous process, which requires you to self-reflect from time to time. It’s a valuable leadership and growth tool because it helps you focus more on developing the right skills, applying them in the workplace and doing work that you love.

    Here’s a compilation of simple questions to guide you to identify your strengths.

    As you go through these questions, write your answers so you can analyze them after.

    In which instances have you felt most successful either in your work or personal life? This could be as simple as when you teach others, or make a presentation.

    • What tasks come easily to you, which do you perform faster?
    • What do people compliment you on or ask for your help with?
    • What do you love doing and what types of problems do you enjoy solving?
    • What knowledge and skills have you learned in your career and personal life?
    • Which of these skills did you learn fast and what activities are they related to?
    • What extra tasks have you volunteered to do at or outside work because you enjoy them?

    Now pick each answer and highlight the skills you’ve built by repeatedly doing these activities. For example, writing requires creative thinking, attention to detail, audience/topic research, all of which are transferable skills in the workplace. Organizing games or social events require people skills. Working out requires discipline, patience, long term thinking. I hope you get the picture.

    What’s Next?

    You now have a strong base to chart a learning plan and hone your strengths to near perfection. So, zoom in and refine with new knowledge and experiences. For example, take a class or course, ask to collaborate on projects, and learn from people who have mastered these skills.

    If you are a leader or manager of others, you can do one better by using this skill to identify strengths in others.

    Congratulations, you read this to the end. What’s the next action that you would take?

    I would love to hear from you, drop a comment below.

    Cheers!

  • Embracing Oversized Opportunities

    Embracing Oversized Opportunities

    ‘You’ll grow into it.’ How many times did you hear this phrase from a parent during your childhood? When a new parent has to discard clothing items because a child outgrows them fast, they sometimes settle for buying items that are a bigger size than the child. If you’re that child, you don’t have a choice but to wear the outfit. If you’re lucky, you may grow into the cloth immediately. If not, you’ll get to play dress-up with it five years later.

    Sometimes, opportunities present themselves like an oversized Christmas dress, but unlike your physical stature that you can’t control or speed up on a whim, you can influence your development to fit into opportunities that seem bigger than you. It’s said that if a window of opportunity appears, don’t pull down the shade.’ But, in real life, there may be many reasons why you’ll choose to pass on an opportunity. One of those reasons could be because it looks too big or grand. Yet, many individuals have had their ‘lucky breaks’ simply by taking up opportunities bigger than themselves.

    As you set yourself up for success in the new year, I would like you to deliberately approach opportunities through a new lens. No matter how grand it seems, you can grow into it. How?

    Keep learning. What are your goals, dreams, and desires? Do you have the right skill set to bring them to life? If yes, great, upskill. If no, stop snoozing and get to work. Identify your learning gaps and proactively fill them. Keep in mind that learning is a marathon, not a sprint, so embrace lifelong learning. There are limitless platforms to learn anything. Google is your friend. Use it.

    Network and be part of the right communities. I hear about many new concepts, ideas, and ways of doing things in the most random conversations. Casual gist can provide a prompt that sends me on a full-blown learning journey. How much more deliberate conversations? These are a gold mine. So diversify your connections, make sure your circle is inspiring and committed to growth, be part of conversations.

    Innovate and experiment. The world has so evolved that as an individual, you can experiment on your own. Start projects and finish them, and take learnings. Experiments could be small things like writing a book or article, starting that podcast, leading a training, volunteering in a new sphere of experience. Some people have done what you want to do, so search for them, study their approaches and reapply. Also, don’t be afraid of failure. This may sound like an overused cliché, but it’s a valuable truth.

    Accept opportunities. After all your dreaming and preparation, and that thing you desire finally knocks at your door, invite it in and offer it a plate of steaming hot Jollof rice.

    Have fun. Yes, I said it. Not everything has to be a battle. Keep your energy up and enjoy your journey.

    Opportunities may not come tailor-fitted, but you can grow to fit.

    Did you find this interesting and helpful? Drop a comment below about what you look forward to in the coming year.

    Cheers!

  • 5 CONFIDENCE HACKS FOR SPEAKING UP IN MEETINGS

    5 CONFIDENCE HACKS FOR SPEAKING UP IN MEETINGS

    Deji stared keenly at the presenter who sat opposite him in the meeting room, but despite the compelling discussion going, his mind was in a different place. His tapping feet increased his anxiety, but he couldn’t help it.

    ‘Does anyone have anything else to say?’ the team lead asked as his eyes met his, but Deji hurriedly looked away. He had a lot to say, but what if it sounds stupid, or makes a mistake, or someone asks a question that he can’t answer. So, he stayed quiet, there was no point in drawing attention to himself, he thought. The meeting ended, and everyone left the room chatting, except Deji, who walked out with drooping shoulders. Another meeting done, and like all the others before this, he hadn’t said a word. 

    He hadn’t walked far when the presenter from the meeting walked up to him. I’d like to have a quick chat with you if you don’t mind. Deji swallowed and nodded, then followed him back to the room.

    ‘Sit please,’ the presenter gestured. They both sat and without hesitation, he started speaking.

    ‘I noticed that in the business meeting, you looked like you wanted to contribute but didn’t know how, so I would like to give you 5 tips for the next time you find yourself in that position.’ Deji nodded and the presenter continued speaking.

    1. Prepare for the meeting. Do your homework, understand the objectives of the meeting ahead and note down your ideas. Then practice what you want to say. You may discuss your idea with someone else and highlight your key points before the meeting. Also actively listen and take notes during the meeting, it would reduce your distraction and provide material for you to pull contributions from.

    2. Set a target for yourself. Ahead of the meeting, decide the minimum number of times you want to speak, then look for opportunities to do so.

    3. Don’t get anxious about being anxious. Instead take it as a sign that you’re ready for action, not incompetence.

    4. Contribute early. Don’t wait till the end of the meeting to speak. Speak early enough. This would help calm your jitters for the rest of the meeting. 

    5. Start with questions. If you are still in doubt about sharing full blown ideas, ask questions instead. Use this to bolster your confidence as you evolve in your contribution. This question could be to clarify something by reiterating what someone has said, then confirming what they mean. For example, “would you mind clarifying that again or to clarify your last statement of (insert what was said), do you mean (insert your understanding). 

    Deji had been listening with rapt attention up to this point.

    ‘Sir?’ he interrupted gently ‘Sorry Sir, what if there’s someone who dominates a meeting and has said what I planned to say, can I still contribute meaningfully?’ he asked.

    ‘Of course. You can agree with what the person said then add your rephrase. For example, “I agree with what “x” person said, this would be a beneficial idea, especially with (then add any other input). Also, don’t apologize when asking a question or contributing, you are part of the meeting. There’s no need to make yourself look smaller both with your words or posture’

    ‘Thank you Sir, I understand. but my voice isn’t as loud as some others, so how do I still get my idea across such that it would be taken seriously?’

    ‘I get this question a lot and my answer is simple. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. You don’t have to be the loudest in the room or use long exaggerated sentences to get your ideas across. What’s important is that you are concise, clear and confident. Project your expertise when speaking, resist the urge to over explain but top line is that you stay confident. In all of this don’t forget that your ideas are meant to be heard, and any good manager would appreciate your input.’

    ‘Thank you,’ Deji smiled. ‘I now feel more confident about speaking in meetings.’

    ‘You’re welcome Deji.’

    The presenter left the room with Deji following. This time he walked with his shoulders raised, and a promise to himself to speak up at the next meeting.