Every little appreciation

One of the questions I have been asking business leaders and managers in my engagements is how they intend to transform their organisations into sustainable institutions. I do clarify organisations and institutions. In institutions, people live by the core values in their behaviour and interaction genuinely and not as slogans or well-crafted words.

I do tell leaders to reward the behaviour they want to see repeated and part way with people who are discontent with their business core values. Any behaviour rewarded in any sphere of life tends to be repeated. That’s human nature.

It won’t be surprising to see new videos of school girls or boys as we saw in the video of Success Adegor, a Warri girl that got sent out of school for not paying her school fees or dues. A lady named Stephanie posted a video where Success Adegor, a seven years old girl was lamenting the delays in her school fee payment and that she would prefer spanking for delayed payment rather than being sent home from school. Her eloquence and passion for education were rewarded by Nigerians to the tune of N5million in cash donation and scholarship for her up to the university level.

A few days after the success of the video, Stephanie who posted the video was demanding for a minimum of N1m as a token in appreciation of her effort. I read it online that she had been paid half her request by a politician in delta state. Her behaviour was rewarded. I’m sure there will be a flood of similar video in the social media space soon. Any behaviour rewarded will be massively repeated.

The question is if it is right for Stephanie to have demanded a reward. To the people who had donated to change the situation of Success Adegor, I want to say thank you for heeding the clarion call of a brave young Nigerian. There are many of her type around the country with no Stephanie to record and share their videos. The efforts in helping someone in need should not wait until it gets to the public space. Around everyone is someone vulnerable or in need. As Nigerians, we should identify people who require support that can advance their lives around us and make society better by helping them. We should help people to move forward in life and be of help to others as a return to our investment in them.

Stephanie has received her reward whether she posted the video with or without the intention of making money out of it.  Our society would be better if we help people who are not in the position to ask us for it or we appreciate every little effort of kindness without the need for them to demand it.

I remember an event that would show why leaders and people, in general, need to appreciate every little act of kindness or behaviour. I was in the Railway Compound in Ebute Metta to see a friend last September. In the process of walking along one of the streets within the compound, my phone fell off me. I discovered I had lost my phone after some minutes and had to call the telephone line severally in attempts to trace it or recover it from whosoever had found it. I was ready to pay any ransom given the contacts and other records on my phone. After few calls to the line, a young man picked the phone and agreed to meet with me on the same street where he found my phone.

I met with Emmanuel Taiwo Akinbo, a staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) who returned my lost phone to me. He resisted my attempts to reward him for his excellent gesture and only agree to exchange his contact with me. I got wondering and appreciating the young man who is in his first career year for his value and honesty. I want his behaviour to be recognised and repeated. I wrote to the Managing Director of the NRC, Engineer Freeborn Okhiria on my experience with one of his staff telling him I caught one of his team members doing the right thing.

A few days later, I received an acknowledgement of my letter and a call from Emmanuel’s supervisor. I know he would have been recognised and commended for making the NRC proud. I went the extra mile as a show of little appreciation and to ensure such behaviour is repeated and entrenched among people.

For us as Nigerians, we need to appreciate efforts that are selfless whether they are with or without any intention to benefit from it. Appreciating every little effort will ensure people do things that are in the interest of others with or without the expectation of reward to them. A certificate of recognition, special announcement or report to the employers or associations of the person could go a long way in ensuring such kind behaviour is appreciated.

For leaders in the business or political sphere of life, being in the position of authority is a call to shape behaviour and entrench the desired culture. We know about Kaizen, a Japanese word for a change for better which seek little and continuous improvement in business or manufacturing processes. We should adopt the Kaizen principle in appreciating unusual behaviour or development in our followers in the workplace or within the society.

In the workplace, if you want unruly behaviour like the use of abusive languages, intimidation and harassment of staff, you only need to condone such action in the name of performance and the multitude of what you don’t resist become the culture of your organisation.

Every little appreciation of decisive action among people develops into a right attitude and way of life.  If we value right gestures as shown to Success Adegor, every little effort of Stephanie should be appreciated not necessary in cash reward. I know there are many Success Adegor and Stephanie around us to show little appreciation to in order see more of positive behaviours in our society.

Babs Olugbemi

Babs Olugbemi FCCA, the Chief Responsibility Officer at Mentoras Limited and Founder, the Positive Growth Africa. He can be reached on [email protected] or 08025489396.