The past, glorious or inglorious, is gone.

The future, alluring or unalluring, is a mirage.

The present, real or unreal, holds both the past and the future in a delicate balance.

Being present is about committing all you are to “what is”, leaving “what was” and “what will be” to the audience. Being present is about doing.

It is great to think, but the greatest thinkers were and are individuals of action.

The habit you must form is one of a present doer. Feelings follow action.

The other choices – living on past glories or future victories, plant the seed of regret. Regret, like weed, does not need your nurture or care. It feeds off your distractions from the present.

Conscionable action is the mustard seed. Plant it today. It will give you compounded results that will astound you.

Habits are more impactful than goals.What you do everyday determines your destiny.

Be present.

– Osasu Oviawe

“First Time Rights” are built on “Many Past Failures”.

Foundations matter.

It is easier to skip the wisdom in failures and dwell on the distraction of winning. Our sole purpose is surely not to even out the odds and ensure that at the evening of our lives, our evening is complete.

Odds matter.

Time is a limited and limitless resource. It depends on the times. People are shaped by the times they live in, however, few shape the times. Winning is limited, failure is limitless.

Limits matter.

Failure awaits everyone trying to leave the previously agreed circle of ease. Failure marks the boundaries of growth. It either keeps you within your current circle or marks a new bigger or smaller circle.

Expand your circle, frequently.

– Osasu Oviawe

Monopoly – great for business, not so great for the consumer. Consumers know this, they hate the word.

Ideologies need critical mass. Consumers are a critical mass. Capitalists know this, they flee from the word.

Logical move.

Competitive advantage, blue ocean strategy, margin of safety, pioneering, market leadership, first mover, differentiation, innovation. These and the likes are elixirs of monopoly.

Space is scalable. Great businesses know that the trick is to find a space, protect the space and have the guts to move on to another space, when that space gets too competitive.

Businesses and markets obey the same rules as life partners. It is draining to be constantly competing for your place. The catch phrase should not be “compete or die” but “compete and die”.

The most popular board game on business is aptly called Monopoly.

Monopoly, the taboo word in capitalism.

Monopoly, the end game of capitalism.

– Osasu Oviawe

For simplicity, let us use the below formula from physics on evaluation of work done.

Work done = Force x Distance moved in the direction of the force.

In other words, Work done = Effort x Desired Result.

Why then are people disappointed with a lack of reward for just “trying”? Work done is zero if desired result is zero.

Then there are the “tagalongs” that have put in nothing but lay claim to winnings. Work done is also zero and they are quickly left behind in the chromatography of time.

A history of work done builds relationships and these relationships foster leverage. Leverage is known by names such as genius, grace, talent, favor and luck. Leverage ensures that effort produces exponential desired results.

Focus your efforts on desired results. Work done will take care of relationships and leverage.

– Osasu Oviawe

The age-long dilemma.

Organizations are rarely purist, so most entities offer a mix of both.

For this short piece, let us stick to the 2 broad headers – centralization and decentralization.

Centralization offers scale. This can be used to negotiate every contract from a strong position. It also offers simplicity in systems – innovate at the center, execute everywhere else. The disconnect breeds innovators that overestimate their ideas and executors that underestimate their impact. A limitation to avoid is a situation where the people at the center make all the decisions but take no responsibility for negative outcomes.

Decentralization offers speed. Decision making is at the point of action. Sadly, within this strength is a limitation. Unlike velocity, speed lacks and needs direction. Decentralization also unleashes innovation. A limitation to avoid is negative competitiveness. Win-Lose relationships within an organization ultimately offers a zero outcome.

What in your opinion is the best path for organizations? Why?

– Osasu Oviawe

A lot has been written about leadership characteristics, styles, activities, victories, failures, meaning and anything that can drive book sales.

I will like to add to the library of thought on this, based on my experience with Leaders and Authorities.

Leaders by their very essence are men of action, even when they sometimes come as gifted orators, their words trigger disproportionate action. Their strength lies in the Influence of action. It is therefore typical that when you seek the leader in a team, check individual (value-adding) saturation. They are typically given more to do, because they have a sustainable track record of high performance.
Delegation naturally follows leadership. As responsibilities grow, leaders naturally build the capabilities of teammates. Thus, taking their hands off, yet lending their eyes of experience as a guide.
Leaders understand that failure (pain) is a part of growth. They are ill-equipped for blame game.
Leaders deliver results that foster 360 degree relationships.

Authorities by their very essence are men of reaction. Their strength is in the Power of reaction. It is therefore typical that when you seek the authority in a group, check for the individual that provokes the most fear. They have a track record of disproportionate reaction to failure (pain), willing to cut-off the head, to cure a headache. They spend most of their time reinforcing power, feeding the rumor mill and cutting every thread of courage in their group.
Abdication naturally follow authority. Their hands and eyes are off, but they expect results, leaning on the belief that subordinates clearly understand the consequences of failure, based on past reactions.
They have mastered the art of blame game, they have no time to understand the root causes.
They grind results that eke out vertical relationships.

Authorities quake before superiors. They are stunned when leaders engage.

Authorities offer what they have in abundance – fear.
Leaders offer what they have in abundance – love.

Authorities wait and hope for the metaphoric death of a leader, because leadership dispels fear, a sacred ally. At the death of a leader, authorities erect fables that draw remote links between the leader’s choices and crosses. This gets authorities more sheep – those that will rather live in fear, than die in love.

Authorities in leadership positions reinforce sanctions.

Leaders in authority demystify limiting myths.

In my journey, authorities and leaders have shaped me. I acknowledge the former for their survival instincts and I value the latter for their timeless choices.

– Osasu Oviawe