Bon jour,
Today’s opening greeting takes me
down memory lane when I was a student of French in the secondary school and
also during a basic certificate course in the University of Ibadan some few
years ago. Bon jour means ‘Good
morning’. Kindly allow me to say this; October 29, 2010 was the launch of the
biography of my maternal granddad that I authored. It’s a project that I am extremely
proud of; I am grateful to those who made the day a success and equally, all
those who have read the book.
Back to business, top executives
have a lot of benefits attached to their offices; these include cars (SUVs),
apartment, subscription to world-class magazines, business class air travel,
hotel accommodation, medical insurance, membership of influential clubs and a
lot more. However, some of them come to nothing immediately they leave the
office because they are unable to meet up to the financial obligation of such
lifestyle they were introduced to while working. Today, we would be looking at
official perk versus personal possession.
Official perk have been defined
above; the most important thing to note about it is that all these items are
work tools. The service rendered to an organization by a top executive is so
important that they cannot afford that you miss a crucial meeting because you
are held back in traffic. They want you to feel on top of the world so as to
delivery optimally. All of these ‘luxuries’ have a limited lifespan; namely termination
of appointment, retirement, change of job (as it varies from one organization
to another) and economic depression which influences organizational policies.
Personal possession is
self-explanatory, ‘whatever is mine is mine’. Nobody can claim to own what is
yours except there is a case of fraud and the asset of the person involved is
being seized so as to recoup funds. Personal possession can be said to be what
you acquired in your name (or spouse’s name) while you are at work. Personal possession
is individual asset and net worth.
What is the crux of today’s
discussion; do not get carried away by what you are offered to build another
person’s business. Endeavour to acquire yours; even if it means storing it
towards the latter end of your career; kindly do! There would be a time for
personal reflection of what you achieved while you were in certain offices. Don’t
be like those old Professors who never built a house because they forgot retirement
would catch up with them or they assumed that the staff quarters will be their
permanent abode.
I have the ability to re-create
myself in and out of office.
Enjoy your week.
Cheers!
Olu