One of the popular conversations among several friendship circles is investment. I recall that my friends and I have had several conversations about investments and investment opportunities. We'd have several conversations on the risks involved, the latest opportunities in the market, and how popular investment opportunities have turned sour. We'd also talk extensively about what went wrong with those opportunities and how to watch out for them in subsequent investment opportunities.
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As beautiful as this sounds, it narrows down the concept of "investment". Investment is placing a form of capital into a venture and expecting a form of profit from it. If you look at this critically, it is not specific to financial opportunities alone. You may not agree yet, but I learned this the hard way. Here's a short recap of what happened to me:
A few months ago, I was at the helm of affairs of an association, and we were to organize a conference. This particular conference was the first of its kind in a long time. Hence, there was no template to follow nor a pattern to replicate. My team and I had to create a structure for how the conference would go, how funds would be sorted out, how to generate such funds, how to go about the logistics, and other necessary details. To ensure we had all parts of the planning covered, we had three "dress rehearsals" to go over the plans and engrain them in our minds. We wanted a seamless process where all possibilities were covered.
Then, the big day arrived, and everything was going according to plan. However, as time passed, we started to have friction among ourselves as tasks that should have been carried out were not done as when due. At some point, it felt like we had lofty plans but insufficient expertise to pull it off.
Another debacle we faced was logistics. We had a solid transportation plan, but it went south just a few hours before the program. We made several calls to friends and acquaintances, but we couldn't find anyone with a car that was good enough to transport the guest speakers we had lined up.
Thankfully, everything went well in the end, as we were able to fix all issues with lots of quick thinking. When we gathered together for appraisals of the event, I realized that we had invested a lot into the conference, but we failed to invest in some important aspects. We invested money, time, and resources but didn't invest in the people and our circle (network). As a leader, that became a regret, and I worked on it till I handed it over.
This experience shows, on an experiential level, the extent to which investments in people, especially those who form our network, are important to our overall growth. You must be conscious of surrounding yourself with people who align with your goals and objectives. You also have to ensure you contribute to their growth. This way, you are exposed to a much more valuable group.
One of the places to get such a network is an educational institution. Attending classes, lectures, and examinations with people from different backgrounds provides an opportunity for a diversified outlook on life. In every educational institution, you'll be meeting several people with different mindsets coming together for the sole purpose of acquiring knowledge. The fascinating thing about this is that the overview and quality of people change as you invest more in your education.
For a more visual expression of this, I'm sure you'll agree that the quality of people you'll meet in a secondary school differs from that of a primary school. The quality of mind and people you'll encounter in a Masters of Business Administration class differs from a Bachelor of Science class. Hence, the more you invest in your education, the more you're availed of the opportunity to invest in your network.
Investment in your education and network takes a lot of intentionality. You have to be a contributor and open yourself up to others' contributions. Like every other investment, you'll get the profits of it in the long run.
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