Mind Awareness
The Penguin Press, 274 pages, $25.95
Don’t give up on anything you want in life — Prof. Akinosi, 80
His brilliance got him the then Western Region scholarships for both his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the University of London. Since his return to Nigeria in 1966, Prof. Oyekunle Akinosi has contributed immensely to the health sector in the area of oral and maxillofacial surgery. He clocked 80 on Thursday; and in this interview with SAMUEL AWOYINFA, he reminisces about his childhood, career, life and other interesting issues
When viewed from all perspectives, the story of Prof. Oyekunle Akinosi resonates with brilliance and determination. He was a brilliant student, right from his days in the primary school, All Saints Primary School, Araromi Orita, very close to Atan in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State. The same thing happened at the prestigious Abeokuta Grammar School, where he had his secondary school education between 1947 and 1952.
The streak of brilliance won him a scholarship from the Western Region Government in 1956. But for his determination to succeed in life, his journey to the top would have been truncated after his secondary school education. His father died while he was still in the primary school, making secondary school a ‘community effort’ of sorts, where his uncles from both parents’ sides took over the sponsorship.
“My father died when I was still in the primary school,” he begins. “Then, the funding of my education became a joint effort of my uncles who did whatever they could do to help me buy books and paid my school fees. My mother was responsible for my feeding. It was through the joint efforts of my uncles from both sides of the family that I was able to go to secondary school.”
After secondary school, Akinosi was not under any illusion about the need to search for an employment to forge ahead in life. He was lucky to have secured one with the Federal Ministry of Education, as a clerk.
Though he had to ride his bicycle from downtown Mushin to his Ikoyi office every day, he had his eyes set on furthering his education. He believed that through education, he had a brighter future. He registered for evening classes in King’s College, Lagos; and he used part of his little salary to pay his fees. He had enrolled to sharpen his knowledge in three science subjects -Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
Armed with good grades from Abeokuta Grammar School, where his contemporaries included the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade; former Managing Director, Nigeria Hotels, late Chief Samuel Alamutu, among others, luck smiled on him when he was awarded a scholarship by the then Western Region Government in 1956 to read dentistry in the United Kingdom.
Akinosi, who recollects with sense of triumph and excitement, stresses: “I first enrolled at Norwich City College for my ‘A’ Levels in October 1956. Because of the evening classes I had at King’s College, Lagos, I was almost ready for the examinations. I wrote a test and due to my brilliant performance, the school authorities said I should move to the second year. So, that was how I was ahead of my colleagues who got the same scholarship with me.”
As if to show that his performance during the test was not an accidental advantage, at the end of his ‘A’ Levels, he passed all the four papers excellently. So, in 1957, he was admitted to the London Hospital Medical College (University of London).
From the first year, Akinosi, who says he was the only black student in dentistry in the institution, began to win laurels. He won the university’s prize for elementary clinical dentistry in 1958. After his first degree, due to his outstanding performance resulting in his graduation ahead of schedule, he was allowed by the Western Region Government to proceed to postgraduate studies in dentistry. And Akinosi specialised in oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Royal London Hospital Medical College, Whitechapel, The Royal West Middlesex Hospital, Isleworth, UK; and finally at the Institute of Postgraduate Dental Surgery (Eastman Dental Institute), University of London.
He was successful in the final fellowship examinations of both the Royal Colleges of England and Edinburg in November and December respectively in 1965; and thus became the first Nigerian to acquire such qualifications in oral surgery.
Akinosi, who was born in a village called Ishaga Onlado, along Ota/Badagry Road via Atan in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, notes that determination in pursuit of excellence has its rewards.
Using himself as an example, he states, “Don’t ever give up on anything you want in life. If you don’t succeed the first time, try the second time, even the third time.
“When I was applying for the scholarship, I made three attempts before I succeeded. You have to be determined to succeed in life.”
Talking about his area of specialization – oral and maxillofacial surgery – he says there are over 16 different specialties in dentistry. He calls it a special area in dentistry which handles the treatment of patients involved in road accidents with impact on their face, head and neck. It also caters to patients with cancer of the mouth, cheeks and lips. Again, it handles deformities like the cleft in children (split lips).
“When you finally returned to Nigeria, where did you work?” Our correspondent had asked.
“When I returned home in 1966, I was the only one in Nigeria with that specialty,” he says. “I was employed as a lecturer in the University of Ibadan, specifically in the University College Hospital, where I lectured medical students.
“I worked as a Grade 1 lecturer at the University of Ibadan from 1966 to September 1969. During that period, the first dental school in black Africa had been established in Lagos, and the school was keen on having me. So, I had to return to Lagos to join the new dental school. It was the University of Lagos Dental School. That was how I came to the College of Medicine, University of Lagos. This was where I worked till I retired in 1991.”
Talking about dental problems that are prevalent in the country, he mentions dental decay and gum diseases as the common ones. Explaining what causes dental decay also known as holes in the teeth, Akinosi traces it to consumption of sugary drinks and biscuits. To prevent this, he says an individual must brush his/her teeth twice daily -first thing in the morning and last thing before retiring to bed at night.
“If anyone observes this regime daily, the bacteria that cause teeth decay will be rendered inactive. The damage is normally done when one is asleep,” he intones.
Gum diseases or periodontal diseases, according to him, refer to the black discolouration at the base of the teeth. He refers to the black discolouration as tartar, stressing that if the tartar is not removed on time, it leads to gum disease. He notes that the tartars accumulate because one does not brush properly and correctly.
He however advises, “In order to prevent this, one needs to see the dentist twice a year to have the teeth examined. The mouth is like a machine, it also needs servicing.” Akinosi is hopeful that these problems will be on the decrease if the Federal Government carries through its plan of adding fluoride to the drinking water for the populace.
After his retirement in 1991, Akinosi seemed not to be tired yet; according to him, there were still more grounds to cover. Like most civil servants of his time, he did his job conscientiously and diligently.
“After my retirement, like most civil servants in those days, I realised I did not have a house of my own. I realised I had to look for some other job to supplement my income so I could build a house.” He got an employment on contract in Saudi Arabia, where he worked in the hospital in Qassim Region. He tells our correspondent that his salary was almost 10 times what he earned in his previous employment.
He adds that the medical system in Saudi Arabia is quite similar to what obtains in Nigeria. According to him, they work on a provincial basis. They are like what we call states here. Like a star that keeps shining wherever it appears, Akinosi recorded a number of feats even in foreign land.
He stresses, “I joined the hospital on contract as a consultant oral surgeon. But to my surprise, when they saw my performance after three years, they decided to change my contract and I was promoted to the position of the medical director.
“It was the first time they would appoint a dentist as a medical director in that hospital. After working for another three years, they came to me again and appointed me the overall supervisor of all the hospitals in the region. So, I became the regional supervisor for Qassim Region from 1997 to 1999, when I finally decided to return home.”
But how did he cope in Saudi Arabia, being strictly an Islamic country and the issue of language barrier? He has an answer, “Every community has its rules. If you want to be happy in any community, you must study their rules. The first thing I did was to study their rules. I realised that to be happy in Saudi Arabia, do not discuss religion and I kept away completely from discussing religion.” He also learnt how to speak and write Arabic, to the extent that he consulted and wrote his reports in the language.
Akinosi is worried about the dearth of dentists in our health system. He also explains that many oral problems being suffered by people can be corrected medically. He however notes the efforts of the Lagos State Government in introducing mobile dental services in schools across the state.
Akinosi, who has been married to Olubunmi since October 1, 1960, says the marriage has survived thus far based on what he calls the “principles of tolerance and understanding.”
Managing down: How to become the boss everyone looks up to
Last week I wrote about how I became my boss’ got-to person and the story would not be complete without sharing the things my manager did that made it easy for me to work with him. Over time, my manager and I developed an effective working relationship that enabled us do great work together and deliver outstanding results for our organization. My manager successfully created an environment that was conducive to team work, collaboration, innovation and brought out the best in me. It was not a perfect relationship, we had differences of opinion on some things, but it came close to being perfect.
There are two things that are important to me when choosing a job. These are manager capability/chemistry and job content. Manager ca pability/chemistry simply refers to the ability of my manager to lead me in accomplishing personal and organizational goals and his capacity to build a trust-based working relationship with me. Job content refers to the degree of intellectual stimulation, challenge, and development opportunity that a job will provide me. At the time I was working with my manager, I did not think the job content was great but I believed, and said, that my manager’s leadership and management capabilities compensated for what was lacking in job content. Outlined below are the qualities my manager possessed that kept me in his corner, committed, loyal and giving the best of me for three years.
Work Ethics: My manager always set a good example for me to follow. He arrived at work earlier than most and left on time, to maintain a good balance between life and work. He did not deliver sub-standard work outputs; neither did he tolerate it from members of his team. Quality and stakeholder satisfaction were important to him and he made it a team priority. He drummed into me the mindset that as a finance business partner, my credibility is established when the financial information I present to business leaders are accurate and irrefutable, and I can speak with insight about the underlying business drivers behind the numbers.
Communication: My manager and I developed a great working rapport. He kept me informed of organizational priorities and business changes and ensured that I understood how these impacted our team. Although we had regular formal one-to-one meetings, my manager frequently stopped by my office to “catch up” and “synch”, rather than rely on phone calls or emails only. He also took the time to clearly communicate his expectations of me and provide me with prompt feedback on my performance. I never felt that my manager was hiding information from me and that made me trust in his leadership.
Effective Delegation: My manager was great at assigning more responsibility to me and giving me opportunities to stretch my capacity and strengthen my skills. Once I established credibility and a solid track record with him, he gave me autonomy and authority to own and drive my projects. He did not micromanage me, rather he allowed me to innovate and make tactical decisions as I saw fit. Under his leadership I started leading key finance initiatives and transitioned from an individual contributor to a people manager, which was in line with my career plans.
Participatory Decision Making : I developed a great deal of respect and appreciation for my manager when he walked into my office one day and asked me if I was interested in performing a task that one of his peers had requested that I work on. I thought about it and said no, providing my rationale. He agreed that it was the right decision and went back to turn down his colleague. I really appreciated the fact that he involved me in decisions that impacted me. It made me feel like we were a team.
Recognition: This was a key driver of my motivation and commitment to deliver high quality work for my manager. He always recognized and appreciated the effort I put into my work, and made sure that the management team was also aware. On one occasion, when I was tasked with preparing monthly executive management reports on business performance, I decided to move from a PowerPoint deck format to a newsletter format. When my manager saw the newsletter, he stopped by my office with a smile on his face and told me I had done a great job. I later became a reference standard for excellence in the wider organization. My manager was my brand advocate and while working with him I was promoted, received a performance award, as well as the best rating possible in the company.
Becoming a high performance team can be likened to a collaborative sport that requires the combined commitment and dedication of all members of the team. A symbiotic relationship between you and your manager is a critical success driver for you, your manager and your organization.
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Never Too Late to Learn
Neuroscience is in the process of reinventing itself. For 400 years, the brain was seen as a machine with parts, each performing a single mental function in a single brain location. Eventually the brain was seen as a computer with hard-wired circuits, all formed and finalized in childhood. It was believed that the brain's circuitry was only alterable in certain "critical periods," or brief windows of extreme plasticity; these were thought to occur in childhood, when experience helped to form the brain's circuitry. The conventional wisdom was that certain skills must be learned early on; it was generally "too late" for adults to pick up a new language or musical skill. Plasticity was for kids.
But in the past few decades mainstream neuroscience has reversed itself, demonstrating that the brain is "neuroplastic" from cradle to grave. Neuroplasticity is the property of the brain that allows it to change its structure and function through mental experience. This discovery has led to new treatments for learning disabilities and for strokes (so that adults can at times, through brain exercises, develop new circuitry and cure themselves). A host of neurological and psychiatric problems and injuries can now be addressed through mind-based interventions.
The question thus inevitably arises: What ambitious kinds of learning might we, as adults, undertake? Is the brain plastic enough, say, for a 39-year-old adult without any apparent musical skill to learn an instrument and become a musician? In "Guitar Zero," the cognitive psychologist Gary Marcus sets out to answer this question by using himself as a guinea pig.
Mr. Marcus tells us that, since childhood, he had yearned to be musical and play the electric guitar but had concluded that he lacked the talent (hence, "Guitar Zero"). His friend Daniel Levitin, an accomplished musician, neuroscientist and the author of "This Is Your Brain on Music," tried to give Mr. Marcus a few guitar lessons and joked that he suffered from "congenital arrhythmia." But one day, fiddling with the videogame Guitar Hero, which gives a player the illusion of playing guitar licks by pressing the right button at the right moment, Mr. Marcus was so enthralled that he decided to spend his coming sabbatical trying to learn to play guitar—in effect, testing whether his brain was plastic enough to do so. This book recounts the 18-month experience, practicing up to six hours a day. "Guitar Zero" is a refreshing alternation between the nitty-gritty details of learning rock-guitar licks and Mr. Marcus's survey of the relevant scientific literature on learning and the brain.
Guitar Zero
By Gary MarcusThe Penguin Press, 274 pages, $25.95
Mr. Marcus discovers that "the evidence for critical periods is surprisingly weak." It is not that critical periods (when the brain is especially plastic) do not exist. They do, but they vary. The science shows that, at least for learning a language, we don't suddenly lose our plasticity and ability to learn at the end of the critical period. The falloff is often gradual. Relatedly, complex activities such as language and music involve many brain areas, not all affected equally. Studies of language development show that critical periods apply more to learning accent formation than to learning grammar. In music, a study shows that perfect pitch must be learned early; other skills, such as music theory, it appears, need not be.
The conditions for plastic change are altered after the critical period. Babies in a critical period for language development can learn words effortlessly, for example: As I like to put it, babies don't furrow their brows to pick up new words as adults do when cramming for a vocabulary test. After the critical period, deliberate mental effort and focus alter the brain's circuitry and grow new connections.
Brain scans show that musicians' new neuronal connections vary according to the instrument they play. Violinists have their signature brain changes, brass players theirs. Loving what we do helps to form these new connections, because the same dopamine chemistry that gives us the pleasurable rush of reward consolidates new brain connections.
Immersion fosters learning after the critical period, not only because it enforces more practice time. Adults have more difficulty learning than children in part because they have built up so many language habits that they have to overcome. This too is a product of brain plasticity: The circuits we use the most get stronger and "outcompete" others. Immersion prevents us from reinforcing those habits.
I knew an intelligence officer who had failed to learn languages repeatedly until he was appointed head of the CIA's Latin American desk. Now his problem was serious. He moved abroad, lived with a Spanish family that couldn't speak any English, and became fluent in months. Mr. Marcus's immersion included not just playing but learning music theory and conducting interviews with musicians. Guitarist Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), we learn, didn't start playing until he was 17, but he practiced six hours a day for four years while a doing an undergraduate degree at Harvard. He missed only three days, for a total of 8,760 hours.
"Guitar Zero" makes some delightful counterintuitive fine points. Kids are not quicker learners; but they are more persistent. Kids will practice riffs over and over, just as they will play a new videogame ad nauseam. In the end, Mr. Marcus does not become the next Jimi Hendrix, but he can play guitar, perform in a band and write songs, and he has overcome his supposedly hard-wired "congenital" arrhythmia.
Most important, his life has been significantly changed; it is more balanced, its joy enhanced by his becoming musical. Few people can imagine taking off 18 months to change themselves in such a way, but then few know it is possible. For those who look forward, in "retirement," to honoring the lifelong yearnings they have neglected, "Guitar Zero" is good news. Neuroplastic discoveries about adult development are a good reason for the word "retirement" to itself be retired. We may be happiest if we work our brains as hard as ever—doing something we love.
Strategies for running a successful business
Many people start a business thinking that they’ll turn on their computers or open their doors and start making money – only to find that making money in a business is much more difficult than they thought. You can avoid this in your business ventures by taking your time and planning out all the necessary steps you need to reach to achieve success.
An online personal finance and money issue expert, investopedia, offers the following tips on strategies of achieving success in business.
Get organised: To be successful in business, you need to be organised. Organisation will help you complete tasks and stay on top of things to be done. A good way to do this is to create a to-do list each day – as you complete each item, check it off your list. This will ensure that you’re not forgetting anything and you’re completing all the tasks that are essential to the survival of your business.
Keep detailed records: All successful businesses keep detailed records. By keeping detailed records, you’ll know where the business stands financially and what potential challenges you could be facing. Just knowing this gives you time to create strategies to overcome the obstacles that can prevent you from being successful and growing your business.
Analyse your competition: Competition breeds the best results. To be successful, you can’t be afraid to study and learn from your competitors. After all, they may be doing something right that you can implement in your business to make more money.
Understand the risks and rewards: The key to being successful is taking calculated risks to help your business grow. A good question to ask is “What’s the downside?” If you can answer this question, then you know what the worst-case scenario is. This knowledge will allow you to take the kinds of calculated risks that can generate tremendous rewards for your business.
Be creative: Always be looking for ways to improve your business and to make it stand out from the competition. Recognise that you don’t know everything and be open to new ideas and new approaches to your business.
Stay focused: The old saying that “Rome was not built in a day” applies here. Just because you open a business doesn’t mean that you’re going to immediately start making money. It takes time to let people know who you are, so stay focused on achieving your short-term goals and give the rest time to come together on its own.
Prepare to make sacrifices: The lead-up to starting a business is hard work, but after you open your doors, your work has just begun. In many cases, you have to put in more time than you would if you were working for someone else. In turn, you have to make sacrifices, such as spending less time with family and friends in order to be successful.
Provide great service: There are many successful businesses that forget that providing great customer service is important. If you provide better service for your customers, they’ll be more inclined to come to you the next time they need something instead of going to your competition.
Be consistent: Consistency is key component to making money in business. You have to consistently keep doing the things necessary to be successful day in and day out. This will create long-term positive habits that will help you make money over the long term.
Starting and running and running a successful business can be rewarding and challenging. Success requires focus, discipline and perseverance. However, success will not come over night – it requires a long-term focus and that you remain consistent in challenging environments.
Nurture your network: A copywriter and major contributor to arketingforgrowth.com, Ryan M. Healy, in an online report last week, stressed the need to nurture one’s network in order to make headway in business.
How much time do you spend nurturing the business connections you’ve made? Chances are, you’re not spending enough.
He says, “As a freelance copywriter, I’ve learned that my business connections are some of the most valuable assets I have. My network is at least as important as my copywriting skills.”
Daymond John, creator of FUBU clothing and one of the “Sharks” on the TV show Shark Tank says this: “I’ve learned, like with anything else, business is only as good as your connections and your resources.”
The inventors and entrepreneurs who appear on Shark Tank know this, which is why they’ll sometimes accept less favourable terms to get connected with the one Shark they believe will be most beneficial to the success of their product or company.
He recalls how Dave, the owner of Clean Bottle, gets two strong offers, one from Robert Herjavec and one from Mark Cuban.
Robert offers $60,000 for five per cent, which is what Dave originally asked for. Mark offers $60,000 for eight per cent.
“Based on the numbers alone, Robert’s offer is much more attractive. It is the offer I would have accepted. But ultimately, Dave accepted Mark’s offer because Mark is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Dave placed a high value on Mark’s network of connections in the sports world.”
Remember: Business is not a solo enterprise. Many people contribute to the success of a business, not least of which are the people you know.
So nurture your network and treat it like the valuable asset it is.
“One of the ways I nurture my network is by staying in touch via mail. This is why I use ‘Send out cards’. It makes staying in touch easy and affordable. I’ve been using it for over three years for both personal and business contacts.
“I strongly encourage all service providers to use SOCs to nurture and develop their business contacts.”
"Never close a door on your dreams"
We are what we are within our MIND, We all get things done by the capacity of God inside of us. Clarity of Purpose is from the mind and I pray every blockage or scum in the MIND will be cleared by the Grace of God Almighty. Stay blessed
