These days, twelve years of successful service to the same employer certainly speaks of commitment, perseverance, initiative and drive. Frances Nwosa is currently Group Manager, Distributor Operations and E-commerce Leader at the FMCG giant, Procter and Gamble in Johannesburg after also spending a considerable length of time in Lagos for the same company. As a beacon of light, Frances has also assisted students to rise through their education through her very own non profit organisation. Giving undeniable credos to her parents, Frances sheds further light here on the specialness that makes her shine:
About my Life Mission | When I finally leave this world, to be remembered as the girl who brought laughter and happiness everywhere she went. As the woman who genuinely loved people, touched their lives positively and put a smile on many faces, as the woman who built an equity of fairness, transparency and a great work ethic
My Definition Of Success | Success is relative. Success for me is not an overflowing bank account or a high ranking position or fame. Success is first and foremost contentment, happiness, peace of mind, family, and spirituality. Success is loving what you do and doing what you love. Success is being humble and comfortable with yourself inspite of the many achievements. Success is understanding your purpose and living it.
My Highlights | I have run a small self funded education foundation back home for fatherless children for a few years now with the help of my parents. Our aim is to help those children who want to get an education but have no one to finance it, get Primary, Secondary and University education where possible. We recently had our first 2 University graduates from the program and the highlight for me was when one of them visited bearing small gifts because he had graduated with very good grades and was very optimistic about the future. It was very uplifting for me to see that in our own small way, we are able to change lives one person at a time by providing the foundation that enables them to achieve and be who they dream to be.
Another highlight is volunteering for a charity program where we provided food items and clothes for over a thousand families. I will never forget the happiness and the gratitude on the faces of those people and the prayers of those old men and women I helped to pack all the items they had requested for. This was definitely a highlight for me. The saying that if you want to be happy, make other people happy is so true.
Receiving my employment letter in 2005 from Procter and Gamble and the Promotions to bigger roles are definitely highlights for me, especially as I was more focused on doing my job excellently rather than working just to be promoted
The Magic in me Originates From | My energy and my huge sense of humor. I believe that energy is contagious and so I am conscious to ensure that the energy I exude is positive and motivating (sometimes I lose the energy but I have to get it back up). I also have a huge sense of humor and this helps me see the lighter side of life and help people see the lighter side of life, this is really important. Make a person laugh and you are almost assured of getting a positive response from them.
The Difference Between Good And Great | People who are good at what they do get the job done, people who are great, exceed expectations, deliver over and above, break their own records and most importantly build the capability of others below them to achieve even more greatness. Plus they do all this with a positive attitude.
Principles, Values and Ideologies I Live By | Humility. Everyone deserves respect, treat people fairly and with respect. A good name is better than riches. Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. Always operate with a ‘Win’ or Positive Mindset. It’s important to be authentic, to be you. Family is everything.
Lessons I Have Learnt | Over the last couple of years, I have learnt many things along the way, some of these lessons, I am still re-learning today
– A man’s real character shows in the face of adversity, build your character now so you are able to withstand adversity.
– You are solely responsible for your own happiness, no-one else is.
– The mind is a powerful tool that we can consciously control for good.
– Everyone has a challenge they are facing so learn not to judge or envy, the grass is not always greener on the other side.
– Do not judge unless you have been in the exact situation and you overcame and then, even you had the strength and grace to overcome, doesn’t mean that someone else has the same strength to overcome – so be easy on people.
– Everyone wants to love and be loved.
– Forgive yourself, no one is perfect.
– No matter what, there is always something to be thankful for.
– While you are at it, have some fun.
Dealing With Doubt | Building a positive mindset helps me deal with the occasional doubts that set in. I say to myself over and over again that I can; that I can achieve whatever I set my mind on, that it is possible and achievable. I sometimes talk to people I know can encourage me, I read books, I try to remember past experiences that turned out well in the end, and I pray.
Resources I Use To Stay Inspired | I have found that reading a lot of motivational and Christian books have helped build me and keep me inspired. Books on the Power of positive thinking, Power thoughts, books that share stories of how people have overcome challenges and become successful etc. These books have become a form of exercise to develop my mind, my thinking and the way I work. This is important because everything that was, is or will be, started/starts from the mind. Books from Joyce Meyer and Joel Osteen are amazing and the Bible is the number one resource.
The Best Advice I’ve Received | I have received a lot of great advice and I actively seek out advice from people I know have the standing to give me sound advice. One that has helped me a lot is something one of my mentors told me a long time ago. He said, ‘learn not to react, rather learn to respond’. Many times, things happen at work, in our personal and everyday lives, and the first thing is to react based on the situation at the time, sometimes we make decisions or take actions that may not be the best or that we regret later on, or even play the victim card but if we take a step back and think the entire situation through, understand the lessons to be learnt, what you need to do short term, mid-term or long term to either fix the situation or get a better outcome in future, we will be thankful that we responded and not reacted.
I Am Inspired By | My parents have been a great source of inspiration for me and they continue to inspire me. These two people had little but sacrificed all that they had to provide for their 5 children. These two understood that raising children in an environment that over-flowed with love, selflessness, support and encouragement was more important than all the money in the world. They were never embarrassed to do any small, menial but genuine work that ensured they could provide the best they could afford for their children. Our home was usually a ‘small community center’ where people could find food no matter how little (while we, their children, grumbled that the food would not be enough for us), where people came to for advice, both young and old. Their lifestyle taught me the importance of respect, character, fairness and charity. Today, they are still selfless, humble, kind, very generous and they continue to support, encourage, give advice and pray for me. They are my support system and they inspire me everyday to be better and be the best that I can be. Not everyone had or has this kind of opportunity and so I count myself blessed.
