Excerpts from a lecture by Godwin C Nwaogwugwu (Nigerian-born, US-base Youth Motivational Speaker)

If You Keep Failing Little Tests, You Won't Go To The Next Level....

A Five-star hotel advertised positions for Housekeepers that had to be filled within three days because a Housekeeper resigned without proper notice leaving a vacuum. The HR Manager (HRM) informed the General Manager (GM) that more than 300 people applied for the positions creating a crisis, therefore they might have to throw aside the Hotel’s policy of due diligence and equal opportunity in order to conduct interviews within a day. The experienced GM with scanty grey hair left the HRM in disbelief when he told her to schedule all the interviews in one day.

A day to the interview the GM stepped out of his office and noticed a tiny pool of water caused by a leaking AC unit on the floor of the main entrance to the big reception hall. He told the security guards not to dry the water on the day of the interview, rather place a broom, mop and dust-pan against the wall beside it, focus the security camera at the spot, and leave the exit door opposite the entrance open so applicants would queue up, walk in, write down their names, phone numbers at the receptionists’ desk and leave though the exit door. The security guards did as instructed.

Hundreds of applicants queued up dressed in their well-ironed suits, skirts, ties, scarves, polished shoes, professional folders and briefcases for the interview as early as possible. The instruction was announced “Please go to the reception, write down your name, and the best phone number to contact you; go out through the exit door. We will contact you later”. Most of the applicants who prepared and rehearsed tough interview questions were very disappointed with such an easy interview. Anyway, everyone, one after the other, did as instructed and left hurriedly. In the end, the GM invited the HRM into the security room and reviewed the security video. One after the other all the applicants either raised their clothes and walked by the water on the floor to avoid getting wet, or carefully jumped it . Only two applicants (Applicants No. 171, and No. 305) stopped, used the broom and the mop to drain the water that kept dripping continually first before proceeding to write down their names. The GM glanced at the HRM and said “please issue letters of employment to those 2 applicants as Housekeeper 1 and Housekeeper 2." The interview and selection was concluded in one day while others received a ‘Thank You’ text for showing up, suitable candidates have been identified for the job.

Lesson: While some people race to solve the biggest and toughest puzzles in life, they over-look the little details and fail the smallest tests on their way. Even God does not give a bigger responsibility to anyone who could not handle a smaller one. No matter how hard you try to white-wash your character, the true colors once in a while show up beneath the coatings. Your values are your best adverts because your attitude ‘smells’ stronger than the perfumes you wear. Show me someone who’s struggling to stand, I’ll show you someone who’s refused to acknowledge where the ‘slippery slopes’ are in his/her life. It’s Ok to pray for ‘manna from Haven’ but God has already given bread to some people around you and expect you to be humble enough to learn from them how to find bread. Approach every situation as a little test someone has set for you and watching keenly. When you fail, accept that you failed, not me, not us, not Nigeria, and not the world.

Have a Blessed Week!

– Godwin C. Nwaogwugwu, Founder Imoonline Youth Development Program ([url] www.imoonline.org[/url] ), and Author ‘African Bedtime Stories 1 ( [url]http://www.amazon.com/African-Bedtime-Stories-Godwin-Nwaogwugwu-ebook/dp/B007NFLB5S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433393620&sr=8-1&keywords=African+bedtime+Story+1[/url] )

Thumbs up!! Great lesson!

Educating.