The Power of Collaboration.

Why create competition when you can create variety? This has been the question on my mind for days. I guess it’s because a grocery shop was just opened last week on my street. Making it the fifth grocery shop on the street. Meanwhile, there is no barbing salon, no boutique/clothing shop, no restaurant, no cybercafé, and no snack station around.

Interestingly, there are at least 10 3-story building lodges, (besides other houses). counting the other houses will show that there are lots of students, workers, villagers, and other people living around that could use the above-mentioned services. Did I mention that my street is just opposite a University gate? This makes it easy for businesses to be spotted. The location is very business-friendly as lots of students living in the university could easily access these potential businesses.

So, what is so special about a grocery shop? Besides, we already have our grocery shop customers that we would not let go of for a new vendor. Here is an environment that will fully be maximized if there were a variety of businesses. Opening a grocery shop is only a competitive move, and it doesn’t solve any problem. This is a National problem; A vocation trends and the next thing you see people rushing into the same vocation, only to rush out soon enough.

Variety is a solution to a lot of problems. Take for example a class of 100 students, you will have people gifted in sports, music, calligraphy, arts, dance, and the list are endless. Someone who is gifted in sports would appear dumb because they failed a Biochemistry test. Even in our approach to study, some people understand by reading, some by listening, some by watching videos, and some by putting artifacts together. If all these approaches to learning are made available in our schools, we would have more useful graduates. We focus on exams which are just a test of memory and ignore the real reason for education. Which is to equip people with relevant knowledge/skills to create a solution to a problem the world is facing.

If we can pay attention to our individual strengths, look for ways to develop them, and create variety to things we would have a “Near-Perfect” world.  A world where a parent won’t force his/her child to become a doctor when the child has been expressing musical or technological traits from childhood. Let’s take a close look at Indomie (arguably the leading lead noodles brand in Nigeria). They have their Indomietables team. There’s Big Boy, who is the strong guy. There’s Vision, the guys who see ahead and release lasers from his eyes. There’s Swift, the girl who has incredible speed. And Tweeny, the girl an amazing mental ability, powerful enough to control the minds of people. All of them put together to make up the “Indomietables” team. Similarly, you have a football team made up of players of different roles. These roles come together to make a complete team.

Identification of individual strengths and weaknesses, STRENGTHENING weaknesses, and focusing on our strengths will go a long way in solving problems. Paying attention to our environment to know where our individual strengths can be useful in solving problems. What do I do when there are varieties of similar strengths as mine in a particular environment someone may ask? Simple! Be the best you can be in your strength, specialize, and collaborate with others. Isn’t that a smart option? We can have four trumpeters in one team if we have a soloist and people who could harmonize parts. Then you’d have alto, tenor, and soprano which would make a complete harmony and make the team sound better. Still, on the trumpeters, you could have some specialize in Jazz, some in R&B, etc. Still creating variety and offering some convention to themselves yet Unique.

Again, I ask! Why create competition when you can create variety? We were created to co-exist and not compete ourselves out!