One of the things I enjoy the most about my role at Inspired by Glory is the amount of personal development events I get to attend. I especially enjoy events where speakers not only share knowledge but also life experiences. A few weeks ago, I attended the Amazing Amazon Breakfast meeting with Ini Onuk.
Ini Onuk is the Founder/Group CEO, Thistle Group, an emerging conglomerate made of up business interests in Management Consulting, Gas, Logistics, Research and Media. She is a writer, speaker, trainer and consultant, has authored 3 books, published over 25 articles and book chapters and has delivered more than 100 presentations in over 15 countries in the last 5 years on a range of topics some of which include: Corporate Governance, Change Management, Enterprise Development, Sustainability & CSR. So I am sure you can see why I attended the event.
Ini’s openness, depth and authenticity was incredibly disarming and I went away with affirmations on previous ideas as well as new perspectives. Here are 5 of my main takeaways from the event
- Prayer and business success are inseparable:
Yeah, so even though this seems pretty obvious, it’s always a welcome reminder to see someone practice this and reiterate the importance of prayer not only for business success but general piece of mind.
I fight on my knees- Ini Onuk
I love this quote on so many levels. Maybe because it reminds me to focus less on my own strength or maybe its more to do with the position of humility and submission to God even in troubled times. Perhaps its a bit of both. Whichever the case, the merits of this quote have stayed with me.
- In all you do keep seeking wisdom
Father endue in me the spirit of wisdom, let me know when to be angry and when to keep silent- Ini Onuk
If there was ever a prayer I needed to say repeatedly, it’s this one. Most days my mouth moves faster than my brain and words have been said before I have had the chance to think of their consequences. Sometimes its more to do with my pride. I want to show that I cannot be taken for granted, so I let my words cut through like a knife but both parties remain injured and the situation remains unsolved.
Another welcome reminder was in the area of reading and continuous development. I’ll be honest, towards the end of the year I have been slacking on my reading list. But Ini helped remind me of the importance of personal study not just from books but from working with and for others in my growth trajectory.
The best kind of learning is the servant kind- Ini Onuk
- Be kind to other women
Now its easy to be kind to women who are kind to you and at the very least completely ignore those who aren’t. We also often associate being kind to women within our social circle or class alone.
Be kind to other women, many women are going through hell. Do not join the bandwagon of those who bring other women down. The woman cleaning your house, be kind to her, because just like you, she too had dreams which didn’t include becoming your cleaner- Ini Onuk
- Relationship advice
We were a mix of married and a handful of single women at the meeting, but the advice resonated with both groups.
Don’t depend on your husband. If your husband gave you money to start a business and after two years you are still waiting for him to pay office rent, you’ve become a handicap. If you want your husband to respect you, don’t squander money.
Unlike most relationship conversations which seem to somehow blame women for everrrrrryyyything. Ini spoke more from the emotional relational side of things.
Real men know they need help. Men need emotional support. How many of us genuinely, from a deep place have asked our husbands, how they are doing. How often do we consider the happiness of our husbands?
- Business lessons
So this wasn’t quite the conventional MBA type lesson, but they say the best business lessons are those learnt outside the classroom. According to Ini the four things that have helped her in her business were being uncompromising when it came to truth, loyalty, giving and networking with like minded entrepreneurs.
She also shared a few tips on how businesses can survive during tough economic times such as getting an advisory board, cutting down on unnecessary expenditure, increasing the capacity and responsibility of staff, ruthlessly review earnings, overheads and recurrent costs and looking for new avenues of business.
A special shout goes to Amazing Amazon imitative for setting up this event! Cant wait for future events
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