From the Blog: All #YoungVoices gift and book winners will get their gifts and books at the end of the 15th day.
I DID IT! Excelling in a male dominated environment
Ten years ago I decided that I wanted to be famous. I didn’t know how I will become that person I saw in the mirror every morning but I was determined. Seven years later, I just wanted to be the best at what I did and I worked very hard and tried to always go the extra mile. Three years afterwards and all I think about is the impact my work is making on individuals, organizations and the nation.
I started with curiosity!
I wanted to know more about everything and I was competitive. I desperately needed to be the best but I found out as I grew older that it was impossible to always top every interest I had and so I decided to choose a few things I knew how to do very well and excel in them. I didn’t want to try what I wasn’t good at so I don’t flunk it or come out at average and this made my options limited. I was good with English, Literature and History and I focused on this subjects in secondary school more than I did for other subjects and I topped the class all the time.
Don’t be a jack of all trades,
Your name will get lost in the long list of experts.
You will be seen as a side dish and not the main meal
Be the only option for that one thing that is needed.
During my teens, I discovered I could dance and act but singing wasn’t my forte so I danced and acted and only sang in groups. I also noticed I had a flare for writing and I poured myself into that.
Overtime, I noticed my curiosity had pushed me into learning business principles and development and I read every book and article I could find on the subject. I attended meetings and tried to get opportunities to share my ideas and with time I became known to have opinions.
Let your voice be heard for what you know about
and you will become the go-to person on that issue.
Don’t just think it, say it;
you won’t be paid for your private thoughts.
Fast forward 10 years and I have worked my mind into a constant state of curiosity which is needed for strategy, creative thinking and business development which are the 3 main areas of my current expertise.
A few weeks ago I heard Hon. Abike Dabiri Erewa say, “It’s not a man’s world, it’s our world” and I agree with her.
It is how you choose to play the game of chess that determines how you win
Do you want to win? Learn the tricks of your business
Men naturally tend to be go-getters and hustlers. Women are more of nurturers and receivers. But with our natural disposition as nurturers and with inert intuition, it is easy to build keen expertise in an area of interest. That’s all I did! I pushed my energies into my natural abilities, turned them into skills and was not afraid to be assertive.
It is important that what you say should count for something and your presence should be added value to everyone around you. This implies diligence and consistency in acquiring and retaining knowledge for whatever industry you find yourself and life in general.
Yes I failed a few times but I learnt my lessons and tried again. You may fail but know there is always a way to success, and the fastest route there is, is adding value and being a solution provider to a recognizable need.
Go the extra mile.
Do more than you think you can.
Push yourself to be the best in your own unique way.
It is quite common now to find intimidation a constant in business but those who try to intimidate are those who are threatened by your knowledge.
If you can learn right and act right then you can do right and you will be alright
Ihotu Joy Amuta is one of the leading lights at Gemstone Group. She tweets from @aihot
**The first two people to comment wins 2 books each for themselves; the book titles are ‘The Record Breaker’ and ‘Woman, This is How to Choose Your Own King’**
(Young Voices is a quarterly 15 days campaign on this blog where 15 notable young role models will share their story – today is the ninth day in the first season of #YoungVoices. It continues tomorrow with another inspiring young role model)
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