Former staff of Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (kpmg), Christina Soname, has come out with a book, written with the single purpose to inspire and equip young professionals, especially in Africa to embrace dignity of labour, mind-set of excellent stewardship and ultimately build their career.
The book, Dear Young Professional, also designed to assist young professionals achieve greater level of success much faster in their career journey is expected to realign the thinking and attitude of many people in the workplace, whether in self or paid employment.
Introducing the book to Businessday, the author who is interested in helping people grow in their career described the 120-page book of seven chapters as a career guide as there is shortfall in career education in Nigeria where people come out of school and it is then they will begin think how to figure things out on their own.
Read also: How African nations can build a sustainable future through environmentally focused initiatives
The author, who mirrored real stories of real professionals in workplaces with fictional characters, linked one of the reasons some enterprises fail to lack of good hands as some workers don’t really put in their best in paid employment.
“What we hear some of them say is ‘Is it my father’s business, ‘why should I care’. ‘I cannot kill myself’. All these statements, she said downplay the impact a person makes in an organisation.
Recognising that many young professionals are interested in starting their own businesses across Africa, Christina who is keen on youth development said the continent needs this crop of young people who are not just trying to start their own business but are willing to support the vision of others pending when they start their own. This is how to learn the attitude for their business.
She cautioned young professionals not to wait until they own their businesses before they start to apply good attitude, rather “wherever we are working, we should help them interpret their vision, deliver their vision and multiply their vision. When we have more young people think this way, we would have more successful businesses. Employees should have steward approach in paid employment”, she said.
On why there is some level of laxity among some workers, Christina who studied Economics at Babcock University attributed it to culture in the environment where people produce what they have been taught to do as they complain that there is nothing in the environment that shows encouragement.
According to her, as youth begin to take up leadership roles, they should begin to think in a new way. “We should reshape the culture. For Nigeria to be the giant of Africa depends on the youth who must change their mind-set and attitude and commitment to work and entrepreneurship. These youth should be better committed and deliver what the society wants”.
In the Forward of the book, Bankole Williams, the CEO of LYD Consulting said the book with practical insights for accelerated career growth will realign many people. “It would also help many recalibrate. The ripple effect on the society will be a highly engaged and productive labour force as this is the remedy to employee lethargy”.
