It's not you, it's me.

On doubt, choices, and making data-driven decisions.

Hi guys,

Hope you are well. I’m doing okay, Alhamdulillah.

I write this at 10:01 am, lying in bed on a Sunday morning. Well, I probably started closer to 9, but then left to eat an orange (which has now made me hungry) and then watched a video on Amazon Prime so I qualify for free £5. Don’t judge me. 😅

More by design than lack of choice, I need to work today. I deferred some of last week’s work to the weekend, and now must put in the hours to be ready for a new week. Nonetheless, I am in good spirits.

Some housekeeping.

I hear a number of you keep receiving my emails in the Promotions tab, rather than the Primary section of your inbox. It turns out there is no way I can change this. Google’s algorithm decides based on the type of content and your level of engagement with it, whether the email is a personal message or a business promotion, and then categorizes it as such.

From my end, I will attempt to sound as different from a company or promotional material as I can. From your end, I would like you to engage in some way with this newsletter. Maybe like it, comment on it, forward it to someone, or do something that communicates to Google's algorithm that this is not an Airtel weekly promotion that you open but do not care much for otherwise.

If you want to be even more intentional, drag the mail from Promotions to Primary and save my contact details to your address book. Our friends at Google shall get the hint and we should be fine going forward.

Merci beaucoup. 😊

—————

I recently watched a short clip of Cristiano Ronaldo from a few years ago. The interviewer asked him, ‘If you were not a professional footballer, what would you do instead?’

CR: Model.

CR: Or actor.

CR: I don’t know, model or actor.

I: But don’t you model already?

CR: Then actor. Actor.

Most of us, at some point in time, have had reasons to review our commitments.

Am I studying the best course?

Am I with the right person?

If I were not in this company, which company would I want to work for instead?

This reflection often leaves us with a tinge of dissatisfaction with the status quo. A feeling that perhaps a change in our course, or profession, or country, or partner would make all the difference.

We arrive at a fork in the road…image from iStock

Sometimes, we hit reset. Drop out of Unilorin and begin writing SAT for scholarships in the US. Send somebody’s son/daughter an ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ text and then try to take a break or find someone new. Quit Architecture after 3 years and transfer for a fresh start in Actuarial Science.

Other times, we persevere. We convince ourselves to stick with the company, profession, person, or school we are already committed to, trusting that this process will work out and the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.

Regardless of your choice, evaluate the other option thoroughly.

This is extremely important.

Not many people actually take the time to properly assess this new option. What are the requirements? What does it add to your life? What does it take away from your life? How long will the process take? Is it compatible with your other goals?

For example, let’s assume Tolu is a Finance professional that has a great job in Nigeria but once in a while thinks about relocating. Last week, a recruiter reached out to him offering him a position as an Investment Associate in the UAE. Now, Tolu might look at the 100% salary increase and decide to Japa without further thought.

But this would be a mistake.

If Tolu had taken the time to fully evaluate the company (talking to people who worked there, reading Glassdoor reviews, carefully reading the contract with an experienced friend, glancing through their public company reports, etc), he might find a few things.

1. While the company’s HQ is in Dubai, this particular role will require him to spend 80% of his time in Khor Fakkan, a city with a population of 40,000 people. As someone who loves the fast-paced city lifestyle of Lagos, Khor Fakkan would bore him to death.

2. The company is easily able to double his salary because he is offered a job as a contractor, not a full-time employee. This means the job has no pension, no healthcare benefits, and no long-term ifokanbale. They want someone they can fire easily without stress.

3. The company operates a biased system towards remuneration. Since most of their UAE-based employees are expatriates, they pay people based on the wages in their home countries. This means Tolu would be earning 40% of the salary for a European citizen and 75% of the salary of an Indian citizen.

I can go on and on. Very quickly, this offer has changed from a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to something that might no longer be attractive to Tolu.

He might decide to stick with his current job, renegotiate terms for a full-time contract with the UAE firm, request to be based in their Dublin office (where there is no pay discrimination), apply to their competitors if there is a specific industry skill he possesses, etc.

The choice he makes is not the point. The point is that his approach towards the decision was methodical and data-driven. And this only happens because he devoted time to the evaluation process.

As you begin a new week, I hope you devote some time to a thorough evaluation of the numerous choices you have. The result might surprise you.

** Jara content:

“A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their own homes. When we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so.” - Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart

Have a great week. ✨