There is a huge variation in salary levels among world leaders across the globe. Nobody earns as much as Singapore’s prime minister, though. In office since 2004, Lee Hsien Loong earned an astonishing $2,856,930 from 2008 to 2012 before taking a 28 percent paycut amid public unhappiness. Today his salary still amounts to $1.7 million U.S. dollars. That’s enough to pay the combined annual wage of the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom combined.
U.S. President Barack Obama follows a considerable distance behind – his annual salary amounts to $400,000. By international standards, that is still quite high. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper get paid $260,000 every year, just ahead of German leader Angela Merkel who earns an annual wage of $234,400. For the analysis click:Entrepreneur News Online.
Tuesday, 14 April 2015
6 Leadership Failures that Put your Company at Competitive Risk
1. The Glass Is Always Half Empty Be concerned if your senior leadership team is slow or not receptive enough to new ways of doing things. You might be winning now, but the marketplace can catch you by surprise at any time and you will begin to lose momentum quickly when it does. Competitors are always ready to beat you at your own game if you don’t stay on your toes. The fiercely competitive landscape requires constant forward thinking and the adoption of a survival mentality. Create a sense of urgency – not out of fear – but as a means to stretch the organization’s thinking. Always seeing the glass as half full will stimulate an environment of competition. When I walk into a leader’s office, the first thing I do is glance at their desk and book shelves to determine their state of mind. What are they reading and who is influencing their thinking? My goal is to identify their mindset, how they manage their time and what steps they are taking to identify the next big opportunity.
2. Without Preparation, Often Blindsided
Your senior leadership team should be optimistic about the company’s future and prepare itself to avoid being blindsided. When leaders are not receptive to change, and reflect negativity in their tone, body language and attitude, it’s a crisis waiting to happen. Senior leadership must embrace the mentality of change agent, constantly anticipating the unexpected with a healthy dose of skepticism. Every leader must be a change agent or soon they will face extinction – blindsided without preparation to competitive strategies and the evolution of the marketplace. For example, are your leaders prepared for the cultural demographic shift? Hispanics, Asians and African Americans will represent $4.2 trillion in purchasing power in the United States by 2019. In just four short years, they will represent nearly 27% of the U.S. total, according to the Selig Centre for Economic Growth at the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. Unfortunately, the majority of organizations are not anticipating and preparing themselves for this cultural shift in their business models – and what it means to their talent pipeline and the positioning of their brands. This puts their organizations, their brands and their retention of top talent at risk as the demographics of the marketplace change and they lack the preparation to change with it.
3. Not Courageous Enough With Their Thinking
Today’s unpredictable market demands courageous thinking from its leaders. If your senior leadership team is not passionate enough to explore endless possibilities for your company, then its ability to grow and compete is limited. Senior leadership must have the belief in its people and clients to become potent pioneers in the organization and trailblazers in the industry they serve. It’s their responsibility to build high performance teams and push the boundaries to see and seize opportunities previously unseen in the marketplace to elevate consumer trust and loyalty. As Steve Jobs said, “You have to have a lot of passion for what you are doing because it is so hard. If you don’t, any rational person would give up.” In other words, if your leadership doesn’t give it everything they’ve got, your company’s value proposition will quickly become irrelevant. Read more on Entrepreneur News Online
2. Without Preparation, Often Blindsided
Your senior leadership team should be optimistic about the company’s future and prepare itself to avoid being blindsided. When leaders are not receptive to change, and reflect negativity in their tone, body language and attitude, it’s a crisis waiting to happen. Senior leadership must embrace the mentality of change agent, constantly anticipating the unexpected with a healthy dose of skepticism. Every leader must be a change agent or soon they will face extinction – blindsided without preparation to competitive strategies and the evolution of the marketplace. For example, are your leaders prepared for the cultural demographic shift? Hispanics, Asians and African Americans will represent $4.2 trillion in purchasing power in the United States by 2019. In just four short years, they will represent nearly 27% of the U.S. total, according to the Selig Centre for Economic Growth at the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. Unfortunately, the majority of organizations are not anticipating and preparing themselves for this cultural shift in their business models – and what it means to their talent pipeline and the positioning of their brands. This puts their organizations, their brands and their retention of top talent at risk as the demographics of the marketplace change and they lack the preparation to change with it.
3. Not Courageous Enough With Their Thinking
Today’s unpredictable market demands courageous thinking from its leaders. If your senior leadership team is not passionate enough to explore endless possibilities for your company, then its ability to grow and compete is limited. Senior leadership must have the belief in its people and clients to become potent pioneers in the organization and trailblazers in the industry they serve. It’s their responsibility to build high performance teams and push the boundaries to see and seize opportunities previously unseen in the marketplace to elevate consumer trust and loyalty. As Steve Jobs said, “You have to have a lot of passion for what you are doing because it is so hard. If you don’t, any rational person would give up.” In other words, if your leadership doesn’t give it everything they’ve got, your company’s value proposition will quickly become irrelevant. Read more on Entrepreneur News Online
Meet Africa's Most Successful Woman: Mo Abudu
Mo Abudu, a 50 year-old Nigerian media entrepreneur and talk show host,
is the founder of Ebony Life TV, a fast-growing black African
multi-broadcast entertainment network, which showcases informative and
entertaining programmes that portray Africa at its best. Abudu, who has
been described by international news outlets as ‘Africa’s Africa’, is
keen in her resolve to rewrite Africa’s story. And it’s time you took
notice. In a recent email interview, she recounts her entrepreneurial
journey and reflects on the lessons she has learned along the way.
You are the host of ‘Moments with Mo’, one of the most successful syndicated talk shows on African regional television. And now you run an African television network. Walk me through your journey as a media entrepreneur
My passion to help change the narrative about Africa began to grow as
far back as when I was a teenager living in the UK, schooling in
Tunbridge Wells in Kent, a town that had just a few blacks at the time.
As I have said many times in the past, here, I had to learn to stand up
for myself, to defend my identity and my race in an environment where
you continually got asked the most ridiculous and mind-boggling
questions like “Do you guys live in trees and holes in Africa?” “Do you
guys dance around fires?” “What do you eat for breakfast?” Very ignorant
questions. Those sort of questions could either make or break your
spirit but I was very determined that I was going to stay strong. This
kind of afro-pessimism simply fuelled a burning, deep-seated desire in
my subconscious to one day help to rewrite the African story; to get
people to talk about the issues that affect our society and to tell the
African narrative in a contemporary and interesting way; to change the
perception the world had of us; to let the world know that in spite of
our challenges as a developing continent, Africans are not a bunch of
savages but mostly a breed of gifted and remarkable people. So, after my
education and a flourishing modelling career in the UK, I returned to
Nigeria in my late twenties. My children had reached their teens; I had
begun enjoying a successful career as Head of Human Resources and
Administration for oil giant, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria
Limited (ExxonMobil). I always say that this experience at ExxonMobil
was the best thing that happened to me at that time because the job gave
me an invaluable understanding of corporate structure and business
discipline, which would eventually prove very useful in my future
business endeavours, to include the Protea Hotel Oakwood Park, of which I
remain a shareholder and director; Vic Lawrence & Associates, now
one of Nigeria’s leading outsourcing firms, where I also remain founder,
and so on. For more interview click Nigerian Entrepreneur News.
You are the host of ‘Moments with Mo’, one of the most successful syndicated talk shows on African regional television. And now you run an African television network. Walk me through your journey as a media entrepreneur
My passion to help change the narrative about Africa began to grow as
far back as when I was a teenager living in the UK, schooling in
Tunbridge Wells in Kent, a town that had just a few blacks at the time.
As I have said many times in the past, here, I had to learn to stand up
for myself, to defend my identity and my race in an environment where
you continually got asked the most ridiculous and mind-boggling
questions like “Do you guys live in trees and holes in Africa?” “Do you
guys dance around fires?” “What do you eat for breakfast?” Very ignorant
questions. Those sort of questions could either make or break your
spirit but I was very determined that I was going to stay strong. This
kind of afro-pessimism simply fuelled a burning, deep-seated desire in
my subconscious to one day help to rewrite the African story; to get
people to talk about the issues that affect our society and to tell the
African narrative in a contemporary and interesting way; to change the
perception the world had of us; to let the world know that in spite of
our challenges as a developing continent, Africans are not a bunch of
savages but mostly a breed of gifted and remarkable people. So, after my
education and a flourishing modelling career in the UK, I returned to
Nigeria in my late twenties. My children had reached their teens; I had
begun enjoying a successful career as Head of Human Resources and
Administration for oil giant, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria
Limited (ExxonMobil). I always say that this experience at ExxonMobil
was the best thing that happened to me at that time because the job gave
me an invaluable understanding of corporate structure and business
discipline, which would eventually prove very useful in my future
business endeavours, to include the Protea Hotel Oakwood Park, of which I
remain a shareholder and director; Vic Lawrence & Associates, now
one of Nigeria’s leading outsourcing firms, where I also remain founder,
and so on. For more interview click Nigerian Entrepreneur News.
The 30 Year-Old Nigerian Mobile Phone Entrepreneur who is Challenging Apple in Africa
Michael Akindele, a 30 year-old Nigerian, is a director and a co-founder
of SOLO Phone, an experience-driven digital content and smartphone
company focused on delivering the best content and services on the
mobile platform to African consumers.
SOLO Phone, which was established in Nigeria in 2012, is an experience-driven mobile device manufacturer which aims to provide the best content and services to the African consumer at an affordable price. The company manufactures smartphones priced at $150, bundled with free music of up to 20 million songs licensed from Sony, Universal and Warner. SOLO also recently launched a Video-On-Demand App available to all Android devices in Nigeria which offers the latest Nollywood and Hollywood movies from global movie studios.
In a forbes recent chat with Akindele where he recounted his entrepreneurial journey and explained why he feels SOLO phones will give other smartphones a run for their money.
What’s your personal and professional background?
I was born August 29, 1984 in Washington D.C., to Nigerian parents. At the age of 2 years old, my family moved to Nigeria and spent the next 10 years in Ibadan. At the age of 12, my family returned to the US where I continued my education in Alexandria, Virginia. After graduating from T.C. Williams High School, I attended George Mason University in Fairfax, VA where I received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from the Volgneau School of Engineering with a focus on Computer Science and Information Technology. I also received a minor in Business Administration from George Mason’s School of Management. While at George Mason I was a member of the Track & Field Team and competed in the hurdles and middle distance running events. Being an athlete on a Division I Track & Field team gave me the confidence I needed to take on events outside of sports and a chance to win. Two days after graduating from George Mason I began my career as a Technology Consultant with Accenture. I gained valuable professional experience from being a Technology Analyst with Accenture. While at Accenture, I started working on a project, which quickly progressed and birthed The Apprentice: Africa. A business partner and myself successfully licensed an American reality game show from Mark Burnett Productions for the Sub-Saharan media market, which featured real estate magnate, businessman and television personality Donald Trump. I returned to Nigeria January 2007 and was part of a team that developed, produced and distributed the African edition of an 18 week reality show titled The Apprentice: Africa that had a strong following in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. For more click Nigerian Entrepreneur News:
SOLO Phone, which was established in Nigeria in 2012, is an experience-driven mobile device manufacturer which aims to provide the best content and services to the African consumer at an affordable price. The company manufactures smartphones priced at $150, bundled with free music of up to 20 million songs licensed from Sony, Universal and Warner. SOLO also recently launched a Video-On-Demand App available to all Android devices in Nigeria which offers the latest Nollywood and Hollywood movies from global movie studios.
In a forbes recent chat with Akindele where he recounted his entrepreneurial journey and explained why he feels SOLO phones will give other smartphones a run for their money.
What’s your personal and professional background?
I was born August 29, 1984 in Washington D.C., to Nigerian parents. At the age of 2 years old, my family moved to Nigeria and spent the next 10 years in Ibadan. At the age of 12, my family returned to the US where I continued my education in Alexandria, Virginia. After graduating from T.C. Williams High School, I attended George Mason University in Fairfax, VA where I received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from the Volgneau School of Engineering with a focus on Computer Science and Information Technology. I also received a minor in Business Administration from George Mason’s School of Management. While at George Mason I was a member of the Track & Field Team and competed in the hurdles and middle distance running events. Being an athlete on a Division I Track & Field team gave me the confidence I needed to take on events outside of sports and a chance to win. Two days after graduating from George Mason I began my career as a Technology Consultant with Accenture. I gained valuable professional experience from being a Technology Analyst with Accenture. While at Accenture, I started working on a project, which quickly progressed and birthed The Apprentice: Africa. A business partner and myself successfully licensed an American reality game show from Mark Burnett Productions for the Sub-Saharan media market, which featured real estate magnate, businessman and television personality Donald Trump. I returned to Nigeria January 2007 and was part of a team that developed, produced and distributed the African edition of an 18 week reality show titled The Apprentice: Africa that had a strong following in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. For more click Nigerian Entrepreneur News:
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