​A major manifestation of the Esau’s Mentality is Short-termism. Short-termism means thinking only about the immediate gains and ignoring future losses or consequences of today’s action. It is a widespread phenomenon in our generation.

In career, it sometimes manifests in making monetary gains as the main focus of working. Such a person can commit fraud, accept bribe and risk losing his integrity, practicing license and even his life when called to face the consequence of his action. 

It robs people of the ability to weigh their actions on the scale of conscience and posterity. They only think of what that gain can do at that very moment. It is also the reason for changing jobs because the next job offers higher pay, even when it won’t help to build one’s career.

People who engage in short-term thinking always have themselves to blame in the long-run.

Another area of manifestation is in relationship. If you always focus on what a man possesses as your main yardstick for going into a relationship, you will miss out on the best. This applies to men who are always looking for made-women. Just as you cannot judge a book by its cover, you should not weigh people on material possessions alone. It is very dangerous. 

When Abraham asked Lot to make a choice of land, Lot chose by sight and picked the greener side, which later turned to be Sodom and Gomorrah. Look out for intrinsic values in the man or woman. Integrity, fear of God, respect for life, vision and strength of character should be among the values you should be concerned with. If it is all about money, you will fall for fraudsters or abusers. 

We will dwell more on this in the next series.

Happy Democracy Day.
Adewumi Oni

08028395824

09095321147

wumioni@yahoo.com

http://www.adewumioni.com

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/adewumi.oni

Twitter: onadol2010

The story of Esau and Jacob, the twin sons of Isaac is one of the most instructional stories in the Bible. Read Genesis 25:20-34. Esau was the first born of Isaac, having won the supremacy battle between himself and Jacob in their mother’s womb. This naturally bestowed the Birthright and first born blessing on him.

However, due to his mentality, he lost this most prized possession, that is, his Birthright. 

So what is the Esau’s mentality? Esau’s mentality is the mental state of mind that dwells largely on the benefits of the present with little or no concern for the consequences of today’s actions on the future. 

It is the mentality that is largely prevalent among the human race, especially the black race. It manifests as wastefulness, thoughtlessness, short-termism, greed, avarice, poor planning and low level of development.

This mentality is one of the major reasons why the black race is still seemingly behind other races. Lord Luggard aptly wrote about the African race in the Dual Mandate, ” His thoughts are concentrated on the events and feelings of the moment, and he suffers little from the apprehension for the future or grief from the past.” 

It is said that when a problem has been identified, you have solved half of the problem. This is why I have chosen this topic with the hope that this series will cause the readers to engage their minds and deal with the Esau’s Mentality that has bedeviled our existence.

I have been doing a lot of self reflection in the past weeks vis-à-vis the happenings in my country, and I have come to the conclusion that unless we start thinking fast and thinking futuristically, we might be heading towards extinction.

Stay with me as we explore in this series. Thank you and have a great week.

​Adewumi Oni

08028395824

09095321147

wumioni@yahoo.com

http://www.adewumioni.com

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/adewumi.oni

Twitter: onadol2010

In rounding up, you must be able to understand the perception of your suppliers, customers, competitors, government and the general public. If you don’t, you won’t last long in the market space.

Carry out survey to know what your suppliers think about your bid process, payment timeline and method. Are you always asking for deliveries under terms that are near impossible? Do you know you may be responsible for those inferior supplies? Check things out from the other side and your view will become broadened.

Feel the pulse of your customers through customer focus group discussion or other means. Your customers may not be pleased with the value they derive from your products or services, the value they appreciate might even be completely different from the value you place on priority. If you carry out a proper survey, you might be shocked at your findings.
Knowing how your competitors perceive you will help your business to be properly positioned in the market. Do you see yourself as a major force in the market? Is this how other players perceive you?
Government perspective is usually along the line of ensuring a healthy environment, fulfilling tax obligations and compliance with regulations. If you understand this perception, you will avoid a lot of trouble.
In summary, what you see may not be what others see, you can only make informed decisions if you consider the perceptions of the stakeholders in whatever you do. 

Thank you for following through in this series. Have a great week.

Adewumi Oni

08028395824

09095321147

wumioni@yahoo.com

http://www.adewumioni.com

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/adewumi.oni

Twitter: onadol2010

Let us go further in our discussion on the impact of perception on business relationships, specifically employees – employers relationship. Understanding the  perceptions of your employees is important for you to get the best out of them. 

What are your employees perceptions about the work environment, about the working hours, about the processes, about the hierarchy, etc? Answers to these questions can help you improve on their productivity and the bottom line. 

We often assume that a raise is all an employee needs to put in more, it may not be so, all the employee might require may be a flexible working hours or room to be more innovative. You can actually achieve more with the same level of remuneration, if you understand what truly motivates your employees.

It may just be about the management style. The problem in most work environment is that leaders manage subordinates and rarely lead. It was Dwight Eisenhower who said “You don’t lead by hitting people over the head…that’s assault, not leadership.” Grace Murray Hopper said ‘You manage things, you lead people.’

If you truly desire an improved employer-employee relationship, you must therefore invest in finding answers to these questions either by yourself or through a consultant.

Happy Workers Day!

Adewumi Oni

08028395824

09095321147

wumioni@yahoo.com

http://www.adewumioni.com

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/adewumi.oni

Twitter: onadol2010