‘No Bounds’: Breaking Limitations, Getting Out of Your Own Way, Soaring in Career and Life – Part 1

I was writing on an entirely different topic titled Results-Oriented Delegation (R.O.D) for this week when suddenly I felt this strong urge to abort, at least for now, to enable me share today’s subject with my esteemed readers.  Today’s essay is the ‘long playing – LP’ prose version of my power-point slides presentation as a guest speaker at the inauguration of the Redeemed Christian Church of God’s chapter of the Personnel Practitioners’ Consultative Association, RCCG PPCA. An abridged version of this talk was published in the RCCG Administrator magazine, Vol. 3, No. 1, April 2018. PPCA is an organ of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM). It is the profession and practice of human resources management from the grassroots to the national level.  ‘No Bounds: Breaking Limitations’ was the theme for the ICRA – International Conference of RCCG Administrators, 2018.

I have added “getting out of your own way, soaring in career and in life” to the theme for impact because ninety-nine percent of the job is on self. It was Theodore Roosevelt, an American statesman and her 26^th President, who said if you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your troubles, you wouldn’t sit for a month. You are the one ultimately responsible.

When I got the invitation to be the guest speaker, I was so thrilled and at the same time humbled for some reasons. One, I have many seniors in the Nigerian HR space who could have been so honoured. For me to be the one for this inaugural event, what a privilege! Thank you guys. I do not take it for granted. Two; that I would be speaking primarily to a group of Christian HR practitioners. Wow! Where else can this happen except at RCCG, at least for now. There were approximately300 HR practitioners in attendance that day, they are all employees of RCCG as HR professionals and Administrators. Three, I was looking forward to handling a purely HR topic. Lo and behold, when the invite came in the mail, I was humbled by the topic ‘No Bounds: Breaking Limitations’ because I was now very tasked trying to decide whether to preach, teach or switch to my motivation-speak gear. Anyway, I’m at home either with being motivational, teach or preach except that I’m but a layman in my church, the Foursquare Gospel Church, at best, a Sunday school teacher.

Gathered that day were the who’s who in the HR profession in this country. See the intimidating pack: Mr Udom Inoyo, President and Chairman of Council of CIPM; Mr Wale Adediran, Vice President of CIPM; Mrs Ponle Ajibola, the Registrar and CEO; Mrs Chidinma Obiejesi, Lagos Branch Chairperson of CIPM; and her Ogun State counterpart, the home state of the RCCG PPCA. Pastor E.A. Adeboye, RCCG’s General Overseer, Worldwide, who was represented by Pastor J.F. Odesola, the Assistant General Overseer in charge of Admin. and Personnel. Our chief host and also a Fellow of CIPM was RCCG’s Director of Administration & Personnel, Pastor Olurotimi Vincent Adegborioye. We call him OVA! He is a long time professional colleague from our days in the textile industry.

Much ado about introductions. Here now is the edited and reviewed version of my session on that day:

Believe me, quoting copiously from the Scriptures in this piece is not because I’m here on this Holy ground. I testify, and my testimony is true that everywhere I go and I have the opportunity to speak, and that is spanning a few continents, the Word of God has always been my companion. I use the Word as appropriate in any part of Nigeria, in the UK, in Canada, in the US and even Down Under. So let’s go… As the subject matter of this write-up came in the mail, two scriptures directed my thoughts as I began to make some jottings. First is the Word inspired by the Holy Spirit to guide my family through the year 2018 and it is found in Jeremiah 32v27: “I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?”  ¹. The second is a declaration of explicit confidence in God to enable us aim for the ‘No Bounds’ land in 2Samuel 22v30 and repeated in Psalms 18v29: “For by You I can run against a troop; by my God I can leap over a wall.” ².

Permit me to also say this as part of my opening remarks that the Bible is the best business book there is. Please study Moses for leadership and strategy; try his in-law, Jethro, for results-oriented delegation; for your business’s must-win-battles and SWOT Analysis, a study of David would be appropriate; for ethics and integrity in business; I recommend a study of Joseph; and when it comes to salaries and wages or what we now call in today’s HR as total rewards, check out the exchanges between Jacob and his in-law, Laban, and then flip forward for an account of our Lord Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew chapter 20. Humility, vulnerability and mentoring capabilities are essential ingredients for leadership success, a study of Apostle Paul’s letters would give you a head start any day; and so on.

‘No Bounds!’ What does it mean?

I tried to Google ‘No Bounds’ and I came up with synonyms like ‘boundary-less’, ‘no limits’, ‘san frontiers’, and associated expressions like ‘No Bounds Meaning’, ‘Love knows No Bounds’, ‘Learning knows No Bounds’, Hypocrisy knows No Bounds’, ‘Love has No Bounds’, ‘Happiness has No Bounds’, Ignorance knows No Bounds’, ‘Stupidity knows No Bounds’, etc. Therefore, when we say ‘No Bounds’, it is susceptible to multifaceted interpretations and definitions depending on which side of the divide you are. I’m trusting that this audience and particularly this reader is on the good side, the side that sees ‘No Bounds’ as a battle cry, a must-win battle, an encouragement and a  call to reach forward to those things which are ahead and pressing on upward to greater goals and accomplishments. Let us quickly pause here to ask: What are your greatest goals in life? I see ‘No Bounds’ as a faithful declaration that “nothing is going to stop me/us from accomplishing the goals I/we have set for ourselves.

Let me put the question in a different way: What are the three or four most important things, things that matter most to you in life? These are your ‘First Things’.³ We do this very important exercise regularly in our classes. It helps us in becoming self-aware of our ‘first things’ and when we do pay attention to them, it helps in becoming the ‘No Bounds’ generation – people who are not limited by circumstances and situations, men and women who would not take ‘No’ for an answer, and who do not give excuses. ‘No Bounds’ means breaking barriers, getting out of your own way, and doing great exploits. It means you go far, unfettered, and unstoppable not even by ‘necessary encumbrances’. The ‘No Bounds’ theme song echoes one of the good old disco sound which lyrics have refused to evaporate from my subconscious because of its genuineness: ‘Aint No Stopping Us Now…!’ by the band, Mcfadden & Whitehead.⁴ No Nos Paranran, its Latin version remix by Charanga 76 band was equally danceable. There are key actionable steps to get to the ‘No Bounds’ awareness and consciousness. We would come back to that in a moment.

First of all, are you Mr. Average or Ms. Achiever?

This sub-title actually has nothing to do with gender, the prefixes are for convenience. The enemy of the best is often the good says John L. Mason, author of the book: ‘An Enemy Called Average’. In ‘No Bounds’ land, impossible is nothing! You cannot afford to rest on your oars. You do not get carried away by your achievements of today, and you do not get imprisoned by yesterday’s successes. Failures are launch pads. It is not how long because you don’t get paid for the hour, you get paid for the value you bring to the hour, so said Jim Rohn, an American Entrepreneur and motivational speaker.

It is one of my favourite authors, John C. Maxwell⁵ who said we must learn to fail forward by realising that there is one major difference between average people and achieving people. ‘No Bounds’ is the by-line of achieving people. They have the habit of goal-getting ingrained in their DNA. Achieving is a habit for them; they have no excuses! They are not afflicted by the virus I have come to describe in my own layman language as ‘excucitis’. It was George Washington Carver, an American botanist and inventor, who said, ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.

Now you may want to do a reflective thinking of your recent most-embarrassing setback experience, yes, your recent mistakes, how did you respond? How did you handle them? Assuming you were given an opportunity to choose either A or B as your response to each of the following post-mistake posers, what would your answers be? Be sincere: Was it “I blamed others” or “I took responsibility”? “Did I repeat same mistakes” or “I learn from my mistakes”? Was I expecting never to fail again or knowing that failure is a part of progress? Was I expecting to continually fail or maintaining a positive attitude? Did I accept tradition blindly or challenged outdated assumptions? Am I being limited by past mistakes or taking new risks? Was I thinking I’m a failure or believing something didn’t just work? Am I thinking of throwing in the towel and quit, or persevering?

 ‘In ‘No Bounds’ land, impossible is nothing! You cannot afford to rest on your oars. You do not get carried away by your achievements of today, and you do not get imprisoned by yesterday’s successes. Failures are launch pads.’

PGF – Putting God First

The good news is that the ‘No Bounds’ in attitude and mind-set is not just for a special group of homo sapiens. Anyone that is willing to pay the price and be committed is welcome on this flight. While working on this paper, I took good time to look inward and reflect into my personal life, and that of a couple of my mentors over the years to identify and select a few habits that have helped in shaping me, giving me the double-edged growth and outward mind-sets, and the ‘No Bounds’ attitude to keep growing and excelling in various fields of human endeavour – family, profession, ministry, business and life in general. I decided to call them “The First Eleven of ‘No Bounds’” using the language of football, a favourite pastime. Briefly, the number one is PGF! Remember always, the God Factor (TGF). Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), the French Mathematician said “there is a God-shaped vacuum in everyman that can only be filled by God.” Put Him first in all you do.

Apart from this first one, the remaining ten of the “First Eleven” are each a two-day training package from BezaleelConsulting. Let us enjoy two more, then we wrap this up till next week.

Impossible Is Nothing!

This is the ‘No Bounds’ main attitude that must be developed towards every project or assignment. It comes from a growth mind-set. Challenges are opportunities for growth, so also are failures. It is the Spirit of “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” All things good, beautiful and excellent. Recently, it was reported that Archaeologists have exhumed the head of Goliath. That is a further confirmation that David indeed slayed the giant. Even without this archaeological backup, the oral and written versions of this piece of history are enough. David’s mind-set? He did not see Goliath as too big a Philistine to conquer, rather he saw him as a target too conspicuous to miss. Impossible is nothing!

‘Challenges are opportunities for growth, so also are failures.’

 Growing People

Let me pause to ask myself this question: Who am I pouring my good self into? Emphasis, good self. In other words, who am I spending time to groom or grow? Who takes over from me? That Chinese proverb, or maybe it is an African adage, says “if you are planning for a season, grow rice. If you are planning for a decade, grow trees. If you are planning for centuries, grow people.” By the way, this is the inspiration behind BezaleelConsulting’s by-line: We Grow People. Excellently! Apostle Paul groomed Timothy (please read 2Timothy 2). It pays so much in the long run to invest in people. The trouble is we often lack the stamina for that long haul. ‘No Bounds’ is not a hundred-metre dash, as Pastor Tunde Ojo often quotes, it is a marathon. Get the necessary supplements and vitamins for the race.  A lot of Generations Yers and Zers are coming into the workplace, and they are out there needing your mentoring and coaching anointing to pull them up. You do not need a coaching certificate to start doing good deeds. All you need is the ‘No Bounds’ mind-set.

Years ago, I read Jim Collins’ ‘Built to Last’, a classic on enduring and visionary organisations that have existed for more than a hundred years and are still going strong. Companies like Disney, GE, HP, PG, Sony, Walmart, just to mention a few. At the heart of their successes are people and growing people. Years ago, in my ‘tour of duty’ in one of the seven or so organisations I worked for, I needed to source internally to fill a managerial role to work with me. I embarked on a MBWA (‘Management by Waka-about’). ‘Waka-about’ is a work-style that encourages team/business leaders to step out of their executive suites, comfort zones and glass houses, walk around the shop floor, get to know your people and aim at catching them doing something good. In the course of this particular ‘Waka-about’, I was introduced to a gentleman who was ready for new challenges and responsibilities though not sure if he wanted to move. He was a star in his current department, Customer Care but later agreed to come and work with me in HR.

All protocols observed and due diligence executed, he joined us in the Learning and Talent Development function where he continued to do well. Some years later, it became expedient for the business to load-shed and exit majority of its baby boomers via the early retirement route. We looked around for a worthy successor to the head of HR function and the lot fell on this young man who a few years ago was a rookie but who had submitted himself to be groomed and had grown and matured through the collective efforts of senior managers in the HR directorate. Anywhere I go these days, I tell the story of this young man. He is doing well for himself as we speak.

This young man (by the way, is he still a young man?) had a ‘No Bounds’ mentality. I remember vividly in one of our talent review sessions, I had asked him where he sees himself in three or four years down the line in his HR career and he adaciously pointed at my desk. He was unequivocal, steadfast and dead serious. My response? I wish you could ask him. The audacity of ‘No Bounds’. It took me some moments to recover before I light-heartedly told him to go buy a gun. Believe it or not, he got what he said that day and even more, righteously. It’s a ‘No Bounds’ mentality in action with a spice of TGF – the God Factor.

We would continue next week with this title but before I wrap this up, please permit me to share with you one of the feedback that came in on last week’s article, “DoE – the Discipline of Execution”. It came from a friend, Ryan Changcoco of ATD – Association for Talent Development. Enjoy.

Hello, my friend!

 I must say that I’m often captivated by the things that you write. This morning I was reflecting on why that might be and I realized it’s because you write the way that ou speak in-person, of which I’m a fan of your eloquence and thoughtfulness when you converse with personal and professional contacts alike.

 The theme of your article, ‘execution is a mind-set,’ is a fascinating one. The “get-it done” attitude, in my opinion has lost its ground to the “let’s figure out ways to innovate, improve, and etc” mindset. Almost to a point where individuals forget to realize what actionable next steps look like and therefore muddying the path towards execution. Gypsy is a great example of someone who:

1) Sees (and understands) the vision

2) Identifies a process to get it done

3) Executes

The ability for one to do these things correctly despite varying situations is where the art comes in. Execution as you once mentioned, is in fact an art.

I look forward to seeing your future articles, my friend. I’m glad that we are able to share thoughts, ideas, and a genuine friendship despite being thousands of miles

Sincerely,

Ryan

Acknowledgement/Sources of Resources for this article/Notes:

1. Tyndale’s Every Man’s Bible. Large Print. New Living Translation (NLT).
2. The Word-in-Life Study Bible. New King James Version. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993.
3. Stephen R. Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. (Habit No.3 – First Things First). Simon & Schuster, 1989.
4. ‘Aint No Stopping Us Now’ lyrics written by Jerry Allen Cohen, Gene Mcfadden and John Whitehead. Released 1979. Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
5. John C. Maxwell: ‘Failing Forward – Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success. Thomas Nelson, 2000.
6. Clip arts and snippets from Google and from the Internet to drive home the points.
7. A compendium of over 25 years of manuscripts of my thesis and lecture series in Talent Management and People Matters (unpublished yet).
8. BezaleelConsulting Group Library bezaleelconsultingrw.com