There was a certain rich man who had three servants. He was travelling on a long journey and he decided to invest in his three servants without letting them know that it was an investment where he expects a profit. He called his first servant and gave him 5000 dollars, he gave the second 2000 dollars and he gave the last one 1000 dollars before he travelled. The three of them discussed amongst themselves on what they should do with the money the master put in their care. The first one decided he was going to start a business with the intention of doubling the money, the second one thought that was a good idea but the third one thought that would mean they are helping someone else become rich instead of enriching themselves first; he decided he was going to keep the money in safe and give it to the master when he returns.
It took some years before the master returned and when he did, he called his three servants into his office and inquired from them what they had done with his money. The first servant had made more than double of the money he got from the master. The master was elated and he decided not to collect the money from him anymore – he told him the money was a gift and he too had become a master from that day. The second servant too had made so much money from the business he invested the money into and the rich man said the same thing to him. The third servant could not believe that the master actually had the plan of settling them up in business; he told the master that he thought his intention was to use them to make more profit and become richer and as a result he had kept his money in a safe. He told him that he should give him a little more time so that he could also invest the money somewhere profitable but his response infuriated the rich man and he collected his money from him and gave it to those who made profit from what they got.
There are so many lessons from this story but the one that is pertinent to my heart is ‘service’. An average employee in Nigeria believes that his or her employer is enslaving them. Nobody wants to work for free in other to gain some knowledge. You hear them complain when they resume at work and hear them grudge when they close in the evening. An average person believes that as long as he or she only gets a salary, the owner of the company is the one making all the money and therefore he/she cannot be working for another person to be rich. But what most of us don’t realize is that, for every position you occupy, it is a privilege for service and to sharpen your skills. It is an opportunity for you to grow and develop into a business owner yourself. It is an avenue for you to practice what you will do or not do when you eventually start your own business.
What position do you occupy now? It doesn’t matter if your boss or leader is treating you right or not. What matters is if you are doing everything as though you are the owner of the business; this must be your daily goal in any position you occupy – you are not doing it for your boss or leader but yourself. You are teaching yourself responsibility, accountability, excellence, and quality value. This is the attitude of the one who will become a leader some day.
I am Gabriel Olatunji ‘Legend’ and I am committed to inspiring you to greatness. Follow on Twitter: @OLATUNJISPEAKS | Email: olatunjispeaks@gmail.com
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