A521.8.4.RB_OyeyemiOlusanya

Making Contact

The only way to begin a conversation is to start talking. It’s safe to assume that other people want and enjoy contact just as you do McKay et al., (2009, P. 2815). This has always been my practice right from my youth, some say I talk too much but many said they enjoy my company whenever I contribute to their conversation. This has made it easy for me to engage any stranger in conversation. Even though I still feel shy to initiate a conversation with strangers in many occasion, but I am found of penetrating them through what McKay et al., called ice breaker unknowing. When searching for an ice breaker, two things to watch for are similarities and differences McKay et al., (2009, P. 2843).

Similarity has been so helpful to me in engaging people most especially opposite sex in conversation that some leads to a longer relationship. I could remember the relationship with my high school girl friend which emanated from sharing choir notebook. It all started the day I saw her with a choir notebook. I asked to see the book and latter showed her mine. So we are both choir from different churches, then we started sharing music and latter resulted to a relationship that almost resulted in a marriage.

Differences has initiated a lot of arguments with strangers that resulted in friendship and at times getting closer to a new co-workers or person meeting in a bus for the first time.

In many occasion the discussion started with government issues when I was in Nigeria. We begin the argument about politics whenever I am on a journey inside a commercial vehicle where most people will be contributing their different opinion, in many cases it ends up in personal inquiries of the stranger sitting next to me.

In 2003, I was in my final year of my first degree on my way to Abuja from Ilorin Kwara Nigeria, I was sitting next to a beautiful charming lady whom I love to chat with during the journey. The discussion started on government lapses, many people on the bus were contributing their differences, arguing, including the lady sitting next to me and me. The discussion ends up on personal information inquiries among us. Fortunately, we were from the same school a second year student and an aspiring member of drama group that I was the current president. She was highly delighted to meet the president of her dream group. I gave her all she needs to become a full member and exchange each others contact.

This was a lady that ordinarily I taught was of high class to engage in conversation, I might not be bold enough to talk to her if not because of the discussion. That day mark the beginning of our friendship till I graduated. Conversation is the art of combining questions, active listening, and self-disclosure in such a way that people keep talking and enjoy it……basic rule of conversation is to ply McKay et al., (2009, P. 2913).

Reference:

McKay, M., Davis, D., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages. Oakland, CA.

A521.7.4.RB_OyeyemiOlusanya

KNOWLEDGE SHARING

Telling my personal story regarding knowledge sharing, I will divert a little bit from professional or technical knowledge sharing to a more daily and spiritual experience. This shows that knowledge sharing is not limited to a particular aspect of life but applied to all phases of life and organizations.

Narrating testimonies is a part of Sunday routine in many churches, to tell the entire congregation what God has done for them; be it blessing, safety or exonerate from a disgrace either at work or somewhere else. The purpose of this is to encourage others to be more fervent in their Christian life and to raise the faith of those whose believe are weak in the efficacy of fasting and prayer.

Furthering ones education in Africa beyond high school most especially in Nigeria is not easy as it is in America where government and schools are appealing to people to get their degree. In Nigeria it is a competition, applicant always out number school capacities for each year admission.

Meanwhile, Nigeria has 36 States; with at least 36 Federal universities and 36 Federal Polytechnics, 36 State Universities and 36 State Polytechnics plus more than 36 Colleges of education and Colleges of agriculture own by both Federal and State Government. In the recent years, more and more private universities have sprung up, now we have more than 20 private universities scattered across the nation. Each of these institutions turns out nothing less than 5000 candidates at every graduation in government schools, while private institutions turn out a little less, yet the schools have to raise their admission requirement mark “Cut off mark” every year to reduce the number of student admitted to match their facilities.

This makes securing admission a turn in the flesh. To be admitted into higher institutions for first degree requires at least five credit subjects out of nine high schools subjects relevant to the field of study, then one must score at least 300 points in four selected subject for entry examination, each candidates are entitled to three choice of institutions.

To be qualify, depends on the number of student that score the cut off mark, if the students that score above cut off mark are more than required then they will increase number of credit subjects. These makes it tough to gain admission fast, many spent three or more years before they could secure admission into higher institution after their high school.

Thanks to the advent of new technology, things are becoming better everyday, when I graduated from high school in June 1994, we had to wait till January 1995 for our result, I did not have enough credit at first sitting so I had to register again in 1995, which the result came out January 1996. I therefore registered for entry examination into both Universities and Polytechnics respectively. None of these exams favored me and I do not want to loose focus on my interest to become an engineer. I was discouraged that no admission coming my way that year.

One morning, I was in a friend’s place, we were all chatting including some elderly people of which her mum was one.  The discussion was based on fasting and prayer. I did not know what initiated the discussion because I came into it at the middle. I heard them giving their personal experiences concerning fasting and prayer and different style they had used and their results.

The testimony that triggered my interest was what the narrator called ‘Marathon Fasting’ fasting for days without eating in between until the last day like Jesus Christ’s Forty days and Forty night fasting as recorded in the book of Matthew 4:2.The woman said her promotion was delayed in her working place and all the people behind her have been promoted. Then she went into the three days marathon fasting and prayer. After some months her boss was transferred to another state while a new boss was posted to their office. In the process of refurbishing her new boss’ office, the new man found a file under the carpet. He discovered that it has been there for a while as he peruse through, he found that she has been deprived of promotion for a long time. In short, she was promoted to her rightful position and all entitlements were paid.

When I got home that day, her story kept on revolving my memory and I decided to give it a trier. The following morning I started my own three days marathon fasting and prayer for my admission. After 72 hours I stopped the fasting, but that night in my dream, I saw my closest friend and myself living in the same apartment, I was studying and he came up to the table saying that “even though we are in higher institution your writing is not improving” when I woke up all that I kept saying was ‘higher institution’ and I assured my self that God has done it. Few days latter, my aunt’s husband in the city sent for me and told me about a new Federal Polytechnic that offered my course and still admitting students. I went to the school and succeeded in gaining admission that year.

The funniest part of it was that, my friend that I saw in my dream gained admission into the same Polytechnic the following year and we were living in the same apartment. I have even forgotten my dream not until one day he said my writing has not improved. I just started laughing and thanking God for his fulfillment, he was embarrassed initially until I explained to him.

Since that time fasting and prayer has been part of me, hardly will I engage in any thing without first inquire from God if need be end up in fasting and He has been faithful to me by directing my path. Knowledge sharing fuel the courage to be strong and never give up on any thing, it change the courage to try a new idea and remain the best means to a successful business in the present century.

A521.6.3.RB_OyeyemiOlusanya

High Performance Team

Elements of High-Performance team are results that exceed expectations, adjusting performance to the shifting needs of situation, turning setbacks into good fortune. Become highly skilled in coordinating activities, mutual concern for each other’s personal growth fueled by interpersonal commitments, and carry out ones’ duty with shared passion Denning. (2011, P.156). In my present organization, I have not work in any high performance team, looking at my division as a team. We do not exhibit a high performance but what Denning called ‘competent team’ is what we are; only get the job done, generally without hostility or alienation. Yet the sense of excitement that might have brought them to the job in the first place isn’t there. Being on the team is just a job Denning (2011, P.157). But I have experience high performance team in my previous organization where engineering department was tasked with building project for the company office different from our paid job.

 Our passion for the project was as a result of the urgent need and our job that was at stake. It was my first professional supervised project, I remembered when the money for erecting the electric pole and connection to the power supply was released, It was on Friday and on Monday morning my Chairman asked me when we are going to working? Because he was not expecting it so soon he did not even noticed any changes. I pointed to him to switch on the light. He was amazed. Every staff in the room started clapping. That is exceeding the result expectations as Danning put it. We all work on the project in accordance with the urgent need of the company. Over time, even the entire company sees those of us on the project as a family. We had a mutual understanding as if we’ve not been working in the same place to have discovered each other earlier.

Where people don’t share the same values, a work group may be the most effective modality of working together in the short run Denning (2011, P. 159). What influenced our team shared values was that, our superior has advised the stakeholders to build their own office instead of renting, but they still found it economically wise then to rent, until we were given a quit notice which will adversely affect our business. Therefore, the urgent need arose. We all new our job was at stake and that successful completion of the project is a plus on our profile. We all gave assistance to helping each other, because failure of one is failure of all. On the team of six men one lady; the civil engineer had about 20 years working experience, two process engineers, one had ten years working experience and the second one was new graduate. Three mechanical engineers of different specialization, they were all new graduate and me the only electrical engineer with two years of working experience in oil and gas fertilities. It was a challenge for all of us, as we are proud of ourselves. Though none of us had building experience, all experience has been in Oil and Gas engineering designs.

Our pattern of working together on the project was because of its urgent need, and the survivability the company depends on it.

It was necessary for us as well to protect our job, because if company loose client, contracts will be withdrawn and we will loose our job.

Initially there was a conflict between the two senior engineers of who was superior? The company made the process engineer with ten years of experience because the civil engineer already left the company before the project, he was invited with a professional role. This was resolved amidst them later, because the stakeholders were easily approachable by the process engineer and has a better managerial skill said by the civil engineer. This justified what Denning (2011, P164) only insiders can understand the intricate web of interpersonal relationships at the heart of a high- performance team or community – who the real players are and what relationships they have to the community issues Denning (2011, P.164).

My positive experience was that we all learn different things from each other. Parts of what I learnt then were useful to me today because my present job is purely mechanical. One negative experience I had was that, the team leader wanted to micro – managed me because of my limited working experience but I hesitated and do things my own way, when everything came out successfully we all laugh together. His comment still makes me keep the video of my sent off from the company.

To influence the outcome; I would encourage face to face meeting, as in development meeting, before, during and after the project. Our passion was to save our company and our job. We started on no prior information not even house plan, it was just command …   you go there, you do this and you man that. That was all and after some time, we began to figure ourselves out. We never had a development writing report but physical report of erected building shows our progress and eventually our success.

Reference:

Denning, S. (2011).  The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling.