Friday, April 22, 2022 / 06:457 PM / by Olufemi Awoyemi* / Header Image Credit: ScribeTribe

Being brief remarks on Adebola Akindele's debut book "Musings of the Muse" by Olufemi M. Awoyemi, Chairman, Proshare Nigeria 

Book Details

Title:                   Musings of the Muse

Author:              Dr. Adebola Akindele

Completed:       2021

Publisher:         ScribeTribe africa

ISBN:                 978-978-990-471-6

Printing:            Hard cover

Pages:                 169 pages

Category:           Non-Fiction

Reviewer:          Olufemi M. AWOYEMI, mni, FCA, FCTI, FCIB, FIoD 

In an era of fast-paced information, high definition visual communication, and lesser patience for lengthy messages, the concept of the book is becoming a dinosaur, a relic of an earlier age when people took delight in the written word.  With both generation X and Z pivoting towards broader technology adoption and quicker information processing books can be an inconvenient drawback. The art of doing has become more popular than the act of reading. Nevertheless, books are not yet dead. 

Adebola Akindele's book on leadership, management, and life aptly titled "Musings of the Muse" could not have come at a better time. Given a post-COVID-19 world of rapidly moving economic, social and governance (ESG) parts, and the rise in uncertainty and governance complexity, finding a synthesis of ideas that help individuals and institutions navigate the bewildering rapids of perception, technology and work adds inestimable value to societal growth and development.  

Akindele's concepts of professional growth and his dimensioning of a growth pyramid provides individuals and managers with a new way of looking at work and the hierarchy of needs and aspirations of a worker and an organisation. As he points out in the book "The Pyramid of Professional Growth provides a simple, yet, detailed explanation of the requirements for progression at different levels of an individual's career. It encourages the leverage of existing skills, gathering of relevant experiences, as well as acquisition of key competencies that enhances one's capacity and qualification to perform higher roles effectively."

A brilliant part of the book is its exciting treatment of the concept of chaos. 

Rather than see chaos as a bad situation or an adverse set of circumstances, Akindele treats the reader to a refreshing view of chaos as an enabler of unique solutions to problems faced by a world in a hurry to meet changing priorities. Notes Akindele "The chaotic situation in Lagos and other commercial cities like Onitsha and Aba is particularly fascinating to me because of the economic opportunities that constantly show up as the interests of individuals and entities conflict. These cities easily attract people who are seeking to improve their financial situation because they present higher prospects. Such environments naturally propel individuals to become resilient to extreme adversity, resolute in achieving their aims, and resourceful in creating their own luck".

Within chaos is the need to manage resources, and the management of human resources can be one of the most challenging of assignments, but the author thankfully and mercifully provides a few creative hacks. 

Readers of this book are exceptionally rewarded with a manual on managing in a time of uncertainty and rapid change. The book is written in a style that is clean, clear and simple without being either dogmatic or simplistic. The reader should find the book easy to breeze through or put down to reflect on the nuggets provided about personal experiences, trying to put a name to the examples shared. 

This is a tale, only those that inspired themselves to success by learning and doing can recount. Bola allowed us through the book to approach the pursuit of dreams with humility, no matter how crazy the idea is.    

About the Book Author

Dr. Adebola Ismail Akindele, FCA, DBA, is an entrepreneur, business strategist and philanthropist. He is the Group Managing Director of Courteville Business Solutions and can be reached vide twitter at @bolaakindele1