In the world of business, businessmen or women come in generations. There are those who find paths, discover new frontiers, make waves, blaze trails, break old records and set new ones.
Mr. Kennedy Okuson of KRIF Ghana Ltd is one of such generational businessmen in Ghana. He is among the bigwig Nigerian investors playing an important part in the Ghanaian economy.
Mr. Okuson owns and runs the biggest upscale stationery outfit, KRIF Ghana Limited which has impressively positioned itself as a market leader in sourcing and distributing world class products to the Ghanaian market and to other African countries. Moreover, he champions the Entrepreneurs’ Breakfast Meeting, a platform for policymakers, the business community and financial institutions to access workable and favourable business policies of the country’s trade partners and brainstorm how those policies can be replicated. And in 2011, he was honoured by The Ghana Entrepreneur Awards which is aimed at honouring outstanding Ghanaian and foreign resident entrepreneurs for their contribution to economic growth and job creation in the country. He received the Best Entrepreneur Office Suppliers & Stationery Award.
Having him as a mentor and the privilege to associate with him has taught me many life lessons. These lessons are applicable to anyone looking for personal fulfilment and business success in life. The following are four of such lessons for you to consider.
Plan
Reverend Kennedy Okuson serves as the Managing Director of KRIF Ghana Ltd and Pastor-In-Charge of the Action Chapel International Airport Residential Area Branch and also the chief of staff at the headquarters of the Action Chapel International.
This is a businessman who performs three different duties and responsibilities but never wears out, and his energy and strength never gets depleted. He is a master planner. His ability to function effectively and efficiently combining all three responsibilities is an evidence of his planning attribute.
In the school of success, planning is one of the principal pillars. You do not have a future until you are a committed planner. You must decide what you want and create a plan to follow so you make the most out of your life and fulfil your goals. Planning out your life will make you determine what is meaningful to you and help you manage your life and be productive. Success will not come to a man who lacks a life plan as nobody arrives at a future he did not plan for today. Planning your life gives your life direction and boosts your motivation to reach for that life.
Learn to plan your day, week, month and year ahead. Successful people are great planners who have detailed and strategic plans. Their detailed planning provides clarity on what they should be working on at any given time.
Planning will minimise distraction from your life for which you will be able to focus attention on things which are priority in your life. Failing to plan is planning to fail as they say.
Invest Time wisely
Mr. Okuson is a businessman who does not waste time but invests his time wisely. Time management is the number one trait to success and it is at the heart of any successful person. Everyone is equally allotted 24 hours daily. Time is therefore, an asset of universal equality as no one person has more time than the other.
If you must reach the top, achieve more and become more, then you must learn to invest your time wisely in the things that really matter in life. Maximize the precious minutes you get each day and invest it on activities that advance your overall purpose in life.
The way you use time today determines how your tomorrow will be. People who waste time never achieve anything meaningful with their lives. Success only gravitates towards people who invest time to engage in activities which will bring them meaning rewards.
When you waste time you are exhausting it and you will not really get anything back. You cannot spend all your time watching TV and expect to be at the top neither spending time sleeping more hours than what your body really needs will take you to the top.
I have never seen Mr. Okuson spending his time gossiping around and surfing the internet aimlessly. Successful people are great at making the most of their time and wiser in its investment. Time is not meant to be wasted; it’s best invested for a desired return.
You Can Be Successful and Still Serve God
Mr. Okuson owns a flourishing company spread across the country and beyond and has people who work for him, but he is also a pastor who serves the flock By being the Pastor-In-Charge of the Action Chapel International Airport Residential Area Branch.
Do not allow your success or achievement in life to separate you from your Maker. You must learn to serve God in spite of what you have or have achieved. Serving God is more than going to church and listening to messages; you have to be practically involved in carrying out certain services in the house of God. That means you must serve God with your time, your energy, your finances, your substance and everything else.
Do not be a pew warmer in church; look for opportunities to be physically involved in a service group as a true worker. You may not necessary be a pastor like my mentor, but you can still serve God in a different capacity. You must guard against the temptation of allowing the title you carry and your placement in society from preventing you from serving God.
Humility
Mr. Okuson is a man of humility. Despite his success in life, he is humble and respects everyone whether rich or poor, old or young. He uses decent language when addressing people and gives attention to all.
Humility is a virtue you must cultivate in order to reach the top. Pride is the destroyer of destiny and it has destroyed many great destinies. God Himself resists the proud and gives more grace to the humble.
When people can’t approach you and talk to you because you are full of yourself, you must watch it because you are on the way to destruction. When because of your achievement you can’t show respect to others, you are digging your own grave. When you feel more important or better than others and treat people anyhow, you must watch it because pride goes before destruction.
Truly great people are very humble people having a modest or measured view of their importance and achievements. The quality of humility in your life will attract success to you and make people want to go out of their way to help you. You must learn to swallow pride and ask for help in times of need so people can teach and show you how to climb the ladder to the top. Respect all people because human beings are like doors which you must learn to enter carefully
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