While working in a company, we had a Technical Fellow, the highest and most respected title any engineer could have in the company. Fellows are legends because they are the company; some earn more than the CEO. They are men and women who have made impacts through technical quality and engineering prowess. They hold powers which some CEOs may not command. Any Board from Google to IBM to Apple, and indeed top-grade technical companies, will prefer to fire a CEO than annoy the Committee of Fellows.
For this Fellow, some electrical circuits in most textbooks are named after him. I never met him in person but I passed through his office. He did not use computers and he did not use CAD tools to design circuits. But whenever he faxes circuits from his home, many PhDs would become busy: the high priest has sent new circuits and now we need to go ahead and integrate.
That takes me to Eden Hazard who left Chelsea to Real Madrid. Last night, his former team made him irrelevant. Eden was largely of no impact. Recall when David Beckham left ManU for Real Madrid, the legendary “bending” struggled. Recall Ronaldo, from Real Madrid to Juventus, and how those magical moments before goalposts dimmed.
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In careers, most times, we do not appreciate the support our institutions give us. Like the Fellow who could work from home and communicate to PhDs via fax, a new company might not have been ideal for him. Before you get carried away on your excellence, check if the new place can nurture and accommodate what makes you amazing. Of course, that depends if you understand that there are many assists to your success which may not be available in other places.
The Belgian’s move to Real Madrid has been a bit of a disaster so far and footage of the 30-year-old’s reaction to losing the Champions League semi-final will only anger the club’s passionate fans further.
After the full-time whistle had been blown, Hazard re-entered the pitch and decided to have a laugh with Chelsea pair Edouard Mendy and Kurt Zouma in front of the television cameras.
LinkedIn Comment on Feed
Comment #1: Nice one, Sir
But, in the case of Hazard, he felt he had given his all for Chelsea Football Club and needed to take a new career step, pursuing his dream and working alongside his idol, Zinedine Zidane. We can not fault him for following through with his career ambitions as we all have one,
Cristiano Ronaldo felt he was no longer valued at Real Madrid. He felt expendable, so he had to leave.
David Beckham had a feud with his manager Alex Ferguson over his celebrity lifestyle which the manager saw as a distraction to his contributions to the team. So, he had to leave.
Sir Ndubuisi Ekekwe, true, the grass is not always greener on the other side, but I felt these guys moved for justifiable reasons perhaps bar David Beckham ?
My Response: CO, you may need to re-read this piece, again. No one said you cannot work with your idol. No one said you cannot be a celebrity and have issues with your boss. Here, I am discussing results and nothing more. I did not fault them – I simply used them as cases on the intangibles. Many moves turn out well of course; I simply said, shine your eyes as you move.
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Somebody needs to read the riot act to both Messi and Ramos, both seem undecided on whether to continue where they are legends, with all the reverence that go with it; they can never find it better elsewhere, it’s a fact! Neymar went to PSG to help conquer Europe, with a fat cheque to pocket, but instead of conquering Europe, he’s getting conquered; now he’s even willing to take a pay cut, just to return to the very place he abandoned…
Before you scored that beautiful goal, a pass was made, and before the pass was made, someone stole the ball from the opposition player; without those accessories, it could be a goal in your own net, rather than scoring. Goals don’t just happen, people set the processes in motion, and if you discount those enablers, you fade away.
This Nigeria we are trying to destroy, if it finally collapses, we will all become orphans, because we have lost our own unique identity, irrespective of any corner of the world we run to. Something to think about…
The bulb lights up, but the source is somewhere, away from the bulb. Be wise!