Think Excellence on Women’s Day

Dear One, 

It is another Women’s Day. A day to focus on the progress and plight of God’s jewels. 

I celebrate and congratulate all women especially those whose calling and career remain testament to God’s plan of adding beauty to a world previously called good. 

Inspire to Excel is a conference organised by Cares Global Network under my watch. The mission is to inspire minds to excel to God’s glory. Editions have been done using different platforms; few were in honour of my beloved ones. 

I bring you transcript plus updated additions of the paper I delivered at last year’s Inspire to Excel Conference of March 8, in honour of Olufikayo Famuyiwa Keazor whose birth date is March 8, 1977. The planning committee was largely made up of trainees and mentees of Excel Leadership Academy. The theme was Excellence. 

Transcript: I thank you for joining us and greet all the great men and women here present especially our Keynote Speaker. Let me delve in. 

You are God’s creation, fashioned from the core of God to operate by divine order on first-class standard. There are many things we can do to be excellent in all areas of life. The idea is for you to take all you hear today and map out what you need to do to succeed as a human being, then as whatever you are or choose to be. I will share a summary with tenets for excellence, etiquette and decorum and then 10 bullet points. Excellence As we have seen with many African leaders, sustaining excellence is a challenge. Did Prof. Osinbajo lose his spirit of excellence or cabals stifled him? 

We saw in the Bible how Daniel, a successful leader in national government faced the choice whether to take a short unethical cut or risk his own life in the midst of cabals, chief of which was his own boss Darius - a p
agan. Daniel had an excellent spirit and he was impeccable (Daniel 6:1-4, Proverbs 20:6). He distinguished himself which led to the king’s decision to promote him. But some were unhappy... 

A man in authority who is led by God is usually a threat to the shady dealings of unethical folks. Be rest assured that when enemies find nothing on you, especially at work, they will question your faith and do everything to make you fall! Deborah excelled in all her endeavours so much so that an army general refused to go to war except she took her place as leader. He never considered it condescending to verbalise his honour of her spiritual strength and physical knowhow. With an excellent spirit in me, those around me glean and learn. No one who works or walks with me can be labelled shoddy as I naturally influence souls to do better. It is not a surprise that my school son in FGCO also became an excellent PR Consultant! 

In Daniel was found an excellent spirit, which counted for much more. Daniel was ethical, upright and responsible, so those who audited him found nothing to nail him. Be excellent. To be excellentt you need to observe ethics, etiquette and decorum As part of my doctorate degree in Biblical Counselling ministerial ethics is one of the tenets that was taught to us. Ethics are the moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of an activity. Ethics, also called moral philosophy which I studied as a student of Philosophy, is the discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad and morally right and wrong. The term is also applied to any system or theory of moral values or principles. Ethics is based on well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. 

One may pause to ask, is the relegation of women morally right or wrong? Is the exclusion of women, who God created to add beauty to our world good or bad? Decorum is a word I used again and again with members of my set alumni as well as a social political group I established - Solidarity Action Network. Why did I have to use it and suspend some? Many, even those in the position of leadership, lacked this virtue. 

My father in the Lord, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye once shared how he lost an international opportunity because he had no idea how to relate in a formal social setting in reference to dining table manners. Thankfully this was not his last open door to the global world. He is now an embodiment of excellence which includes doing things in the right social order. Will you blend or bend in a room filled with aristocrats? 

I knew Mama Peace’ teacher, employed for her when she became Governor’s wife. But once her husband became President, she arrogantly sacked the teacher. She later faced shame for what could have been learned. It was said that Mr. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa kept drinking cups of tea poured out to him at a function because he was unaware of the British mannerism of turning tea cup upside down to indicate he no longer wanted to be served. He continuously drank so as not to appear rude to his seemingly generous host. I grew up in a home where we never quite saw our parents hug each other, but we saw folks warmly embracing themselves in school and we adopted and brought the practice home. 

What do you need to transform or change in you to fit EXCELLENTLY into the circle God has taken you or is taking you? Google is at your finger tips. But the Bible is more accessible than Google which could serve you gibberish along with sense. Daniel 1:8-9, Colossians 4:5-6, Genesis 41:14, 1 Corinthians 14:40, Psalm 32:8, 1Chronicles 13:32 

What to do?

1. Pray. Yes the best way to know more about the workings or functions of a product is to communicate with the manufacturer. So PRAYER IS ESSENTIAL. To get better result learn to ask and listen and excellently plan for the time with God. In Excel Leadership Academy we teach excellence, listening and asking. To pray you need to listen and ask... God met Adam in the cool of the day not when his head was in sleep or tired mode. You know the time that is best for you, communicate with your manufacturer. 

2. Work heartily, whatever you do do with passion to the glory of God. My core verse in the Bible remains Ecclesiastes 9:10. I recently added Colossians 3:23-24. 

3. Have selfless love for humans. Remember the golden rule in Matthew 7:12. If you love others, regardless of gender, you are unlikely to be narcissistic in your approach. 

4. Develop yourself. When you are better, lives around you will be better because things and people will be transformed through you to God’s glory. 

5. Have Self-Discipline. Romans 12:12, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. In renewing your mind, you will reflect the character of a disciple which includes fruit of the spirit in Galatians. “Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character.” T. Alan Armstrong 

Here are 10 points to help you achieve above 

1. Be forward looking, detach from the past and people that would derail. 

2. Be Purpose and People Oriented. 

3. Develop the Spirit or Mind of Excellence. For everything you want to do ask, is it quality, is it excellent, am I giving my best? Whether serving or leading, employee or employer, child or parent, mentee or mentor, do it excellently. 

4. Be a God pleaser not a people pleaser. Excellence is different from perfection. God asked us to be blameless. Excellence promotes; it helps you stand out from the crowd. Anywhere I enter in the world, I am noticed and picked out because I stand out. I patronised a seamstress who is 23 years and she said as we wrapped up my second visit, “Excuse me ma, you are different!” 

5. Perseverance And Persistence. Never give up on your goals except God says #otoge. This does not mean be obsessive. This does not mean doing things foolishly the same way, or fanatically; strategically persevere. 

 Remember, EXCELLENCE IS A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION! CHANGE IS A PROCESS, NOT A PARTY. ~ Dr. Omolola Omoteso FAMUYIWA 

 Mrs. Omolola Omoteso-Famuyiwa is a minister who is passionate 

about sharing God's words for the healing of others.