Simple Steps to Achieving Success in the New Year

Simple steps to achieving success in the New Year. 

"The reason for the failure of many New Year resolutions and goals is because they are not anchored on a clear vision."- Femi Banigbe 

To help us explore how anyone can position himself/herself to thrive
in 2017, we hosted two high-profile business leaders: Femi Banigbe,
Managing Partner, Silver Rock Technologies, and Akosua Annobil, Founder,
AB2020 at the second edition of #SFANLiveChat. 

Here are four takeaways from the chat: 

Create a vision for the year, not just goals 

Many people confuse goal setting with wishful thinking, Femi says, “a
goal is simply a plan with a timeline while a wish is a fantasy without
clear intention. Achieving your goals in 2017 will require you to
clearly define your objectives.” 

But, to translate your wishes into concrete actionable goals, you need to be intentional about what it is you want. 

Being intentional in your goal setting
requires that you “define exactly what those goals are; what the
purpose behind them is and define the bigger objective. What are your
goals linked to? If you can anchor them onto a bigger purpose you’re
more likely to stick to them. Identify the people and activities you
truly want in your life. Make quality plans and put dates in the diary,”
Akosua explains. 

When you have a clearly defined vision for why you want to do what you plan to do, you get to strengthen your resolve. 

Your vision gives you the “why;” a purpose for what you're doing and your goal is backed by your purpose. 

"When your dream is big enough, the odds don’t matter. "— Les Brown. 

Leverage relationships and tech 

AB2020 is one of the premier carriers of global business news,
events, missions, and Africa-focused business content. A key component
of Akosua’s success strategy with this venture is leveraging
relationships and technology. At the end of the day, she says, “business
is relationships. Networking is a must! But, it’s not a one-way street.
What do you bring to the room?” Building strategic alliances with
people that are pursuing similar goals with you is of vital importance. 

On technology, Akosua noted that tech has provided tools,
platforms, apps, and other resources that can enhance productivity at
little cost. But "as much as leveraging mobility and collaboration tools
is important, most of the time what you need are simple tech-based
tools that can help you focus, plan, learn and manage execution.
Don’t make the mistake of complicating your life with advanced tech
tools. The Key phrase to remember is ‘Keep it simple,’” Femi
highlights. 

Create a balance 

Before co-founding Silver Rock Technologies, Femi worked for
different fortune 500 companies in different executive positions
including as the Network Support Group Manager at Ericsson, Director of
Operations at Airtel Nigeria, the Chief Operations Officer at Millicom
Ghana, etc. At each of these levels, he always managed to find extra
times to contribute to the community by either serving as leadership and
life coach or as a motivational speaker at conferences across Africa. 

“The question of balance can be elusive to many,” he explains. “It’s
simply focusing on what is important at each phase of your life. Balance
requires self-management - ensuring that you are in control of how you
use and invest your time. It involves giving appropriate amounts of
attention, time, energy and resources to the important aspects of life. 

Be flexible and don’t be unrealistic. Sometimes we need to work a bit harder and sometimes rest a bit longer.” 

Think as big you can, but start small 

Akosua’s job at AB2020 involves being the eyes and ears for what’s
going on in African business space, and, communicating this in an
inclusive manner. This could be a daunting task sometimes. She believes
that to avoid being overwhelmed by your goal, you must “do whatever you
can with what you have. Ask others to help…whatever you do, don’t focus
on what you haven’t got!” 

“Having BIG dreams and NO resources are common excuses people make,”
Femi says, “big dreams are achieved in small steps. The resources you
need to take the first step in achieving your big dreams are available
to you if you look deeper. You have all it takes to take the first step
towards your dreams. The first step opens a door that leads to many
doors.” 

"Every artist was first an amateur. " — Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Conclusion 

If you want to thrive in 2017, you need to focus. “Your plan will
need your attention, and this may require sacrifices. To quote one of my
favorite songs, ‘life is what you make it’. Whatever you have planned
for 2017, start today,” Akosua emphasizes. 

“2017 like every year is full of opportunities, go all out to succeed,” Femi concludes.