At the infant stage of our organisation, Initiative for Sound Education, Relationship & Health (ISERH), I was a one-man MOPOL. A commander without a troop. A leader without a team. Getting access to some offices and being able to meet some well-placed individuals was very tough and sometimes impossible. It took me a while to develope a key that opened few doors for me.
'Good day sir/ma. I am Abdulahi Abayomi Abdulraheem, the CEO of Initiative for Sound Education, Relationship & Health (ISERH)'
Above statement was the key that started opening doors into offices and into meeting well-meaning individuals. It made people respect me and grant me access to holding discussions with whoever I knocked at his door/office's. As much as this key opened the doors and opened up conversations, I was only getting promises and a few outright NO. 97% of the doors opened and the personalities met didn't support the dream. The vision of liberating oppressed children/youth of the poor masses shouldn't ever get a support from majority of Nigerian elites.
One key that usually broke the camel's teeth was my means of transportation. Whenever people saw it, the respect accorded me vanished instantly. How would you reconcile the title 'CEO' with that Bajaj motorcycle ridden by the title's bearer??? Kai🙆ðŸ½â€â™‚🤔
As ISERH impacted more lives, sponsored SSCE/UTME of more students, many likeminds got attracted to her. I started having on my team, personalities that I can not untie the lace of their shoes. Personalities like PhD/MSc Holders, Federal Civil Servants, Lecturers, Broadcasters/SA to Lawmakers, Successful Businessmen/women, Global Advocates, etc abound my team today.
These people are not paid a dime, monthly or annually, to be or for being on board. They rather spend from their earnings to drive the mission and vision ISERH stands to achieve. They make up the frontiers/facilitators that train African Undergraduates and Graduates for FREE, what no African institution teaches, via our respected and highly competitive ISERH Undergraduate Studies.
One day, I sat down to review ISERH's progress and the personalities that make up her Team. I opined that being called or introducing myself as either CEO/Founder or Executive Director of ISERH is like an ant calling itself 'giant' in the presence of antelopes. The personalities that make up my team are highly ranked, well-positioned, informed, successful, educated, and well-to-do than my person.
Hence, I chose and opted for being called and referred to as CHIEF SERVANT. Having been a Community Servant for many years, I should and must maintain my 'servanthood' in the midst of my amazing, priceless, selfless, and industrious team, ISERH Ambassadors and ISERH Associate Ambassadors. Hence, I endorse, love and cherish being called ISERH Chief Servant.
ONE LESSON LEARNT
Title matters when you're seeking recognition, listening hears and trying getting opportunities unlocked. On the other hand, Title becomes irrelevant when you are endowed with a network of highly-worthy, priceless and selfless human resources.
As usual of me, I am still very poor materially, but super wealthy in terms of human resources. It is now that I know and understand that quality team gets vision achieved, faster and quicker, than a group of selfish sponsors...
👠Thank you my TEAM for making your presence a change of my title
Â©ï¸ Abdulraheem Abayomi Abdulraheem,
Chief Servant, ISERH
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