Confessions Of A Near Alcoholic....

Halfway through the seventh glass, I am jerked awake to the reality of a new me...
In the name of activations and taste

A typical office setting @ GOL

testing, many a sip have I taken. Undiluted concentrates of alcohol tinged with exotic African plant extracts.

How can I pretend or even say ‘NO’ when I am surrounded by four bosses (2 Indians and 2 Nigerians), who without pause gulp their drinks as served in the tot glasses-from flavored gin to brandy to dark rum to schnapps.
In the first few weeks I wrinkled my nose, not exactly in total disgust, but at the array of alcoholic drinks in every office...I wondered why the only decorations were of bottles of gin and the likes. I thought office walls and tables held photo frames of loved ones and beautiful artistry but then need I ask such silly questions? What more can be expected of a company whose key brand is the No. 1 elders’ drink in Nigeria recently described on LIB (Linda Ikeji’s blog) as the original ‘kainkain’ drink....*laughs*
Sorry I didn’t mention! My internship experience took me to Grand Oak, the marketing arm of Nigeria Distilleries Limited makers of Seaman’s Schnapps, Dark Sailor, Calypso liqueur, Bacchus Tonic wine, Sazzy liqueur and many more.
Meetings for most people usually mean discussions, deliberations and brainstorming...ours meant tasting and comparing. I sat through numerous of such and the first time left me knocked out after only a few gulps of some funny mixture on an empty stomach- I caused it, I know, but the meeting was so impromptu!

LBS alumnus, Asst. QS mgr, me, LBS alumnus

Almost 3 months in Grand Oak and I am already a connoisseur...I know all the various categories of wines and spirits and can even tell them apart by mere tasting! In fact, the alcohol content I have consumed in my stay here is 5 times more than the volume I have  taken in my entire life prior to GOL.
My innocent cat-like eyes have been opened to the world of Lagos street life.
From joint to joint we have trudged in the name of marketing
research;
Market to market in the name of trade visits...

You see, my project centered on the launch of a new alcoholic product, so mingling with the boys and men in the motor park was very necessary.
I traded my sexy dresses for sturdy jeans and my stilettos for baby shoes in a bid to avoid ogling and discomfort.

Our product on the backdrop...St. Lauren

I turned night crawler in a matter of weeks. Many a night we drove around town in search of consumer joints at ridiculously odd hours (now normal hours
to me)....I remember my first and only trip to the infamous African Shrine, (I can’t really talk about this because my team lead made me promise not to EVER say anything about what I saw) but if you have been to Fela Anikulapo’s shrine-you must know!
Amidst all the craziness,I must say I had massive fun rolling with the marketing team. Any other department in the company would have paralyzed me....and one of the nicest things that happened was my being the recipient of an award,*hehehehehe*. It was on behalf of the company though....

(P.S- my return to school for the 2nd leg is with plenty calypso and swagga for all the gentlemen).
*wink wink*

Yours in the System,
Oyinlola Sobowale

The Chauw Experience

 “First of all ehmmm”(in Victor’s Voice)  I would like to welcome you all to LBS and promise you it’s going to be a wonderful and exciting experience ... “No Long Thing”
My experience in the First year was really exciting meeting lots of interesting people and facilitators. I remember the brush up period when we were all looking fresh and clean

Me during brush up...

( I used to go to Lekki Phase one to have my hair cut...I never hala yet)...staying up all night reading my brush up binder (J.J.C) and forming fresh kid on the block...LMAO...then could remember everyone was participating in class..Feeling intelligent... The party at Ozioma’s house (oh Lord that Goat meat ehn)... Buchi’s Birthday party... Gidado’s Birthday party me, Sweezy, Jonathan trips at Elegushi... damn we were ruling the world...the MBA program wasn’t as bad as I thought... then October came!!!
ABP... For the first time in my life I felt dumb (instead of reading my case study hand book I was busy finding babe)... Spent a full month without participating in ABP class (Thank God for Ayo Momodu’s Chewing gum... if not ehn)... I remember when my name was mentioned by Yetunde among those that had low class participation in ABP, I felt like my world was crashing... I had to get my priorities right.
 

Me and GE Financial Advisor

Okonjo Iweala and I

Reckitt Benckiser CEO and I

Career fair with Muyiwa

CFA... Dr Owolabi’s cold calls... hmmmmm... just make sure you read your cases.
Management Communication was cool maybe because I loved writing.
Business Ethics was the bomb... Never felt so intelligent like when I participated in that class (give the facilitator what they want)... Thanks to Biggy Chu that gave me the push to talk on a controversial issue during Business Ethics Class (Biggy that doesn’t mean...our war is still on).
Met some interesting guys in my class like Raymond, Jide, Jonathan, kingsley “Fruit Salad”, Gbolahan, Mayowa, Muyiwa, Asonye, Ogunlesi, Ezeh BoBo, Dotun, Morah, Davido, Allen, JMJ, AdeBee, Emmanuel, Othuko, Samuel, Terseel, Seun, Gidado Dusty, Michael and many more interesting girls (Uju I see u)
I enjoyed Networking with the EMBA’s and SMPS (You do not know when you would need such Networks)
By the time the heat was being turned up and cases started getting longer... Everyone forgot their fine boy status (Jungle done Mature)... even those that participated well before stated yarning dust (“Please discontinue” in Owolabi’s Voice)... I remember the night of ABP exam, staying up all night at Abbey's house till 1am trying to solve the case with almost 60% of the class... Drinking coffee to the point coffee made me sleep deeper... Staying up till 3am reading CMA cases (Prestige Telecoms) and EEB (Interest rate aligned after all)... not forgetting career session... which can be annoying especially when you have 4 cases to analyse the next day (Apart from Reckitt’s Career Day and the special gift *winks*winks*)
By the Third Term everyone had blended into the system... No forming... Always merry (Gazebo Things Fridays)... Tunji’s Strategy class were our eyes were open (Golden Handcuff things)... Marketing Research Class (Lounging)... Damn the first year was fun.
Advice for you all... Make friends... Don’t see participation as competition... Strive to add value to yourself... Learn and most of all Network.
 
See you all soon...
Mr Chauw “No long Thing”

THE LBS MBA EXPERIENCE

Welcome to LBS
Where do I start from?
Like most of you (and my other colleagues), I heard many horrifying stories about how you will have no social life, many sleepless nights and many other such stories. Then brush up started and I kept asking myself when that time will come (Yes, overconfidence was worrying me). When it started, I wanted to drop out, but the sunk cost kept me going.

My humble self, Moyo Awopegba

  
This isn’t to scare you or anything, but darling, the time will surely come.

There’s so much to say but I will “keep it short and simple” (in Dr. Owolabi’s voice).

The choice to come to LBS, as you will find out soon enough, is one of the best decisions you have ever made.

LBS: Never get carried away by the ambience of the school (Owolabi’s voice yet again). LBS is essentially what you make of it. You will be given equal opportunities but what you get out of it lies in your hands (you will be asked the “Why you are here” question severally).

Displaying that “learning has taken place”

 
The people (staff and colleagues): The staff, hmm...I am certain by now you will have been initiated to the “ENJOYment”. You have some of the most qualified and highly connected facilitators, try to make friends
 with them and ensure they don’t ask you...“how do you sound?” (in Salami’s voice). Note that some of them may appear very “not-nice”, its all a charade.
When I came to LBS, I thought to myself that I must be a smartass to “meet the cut”, but you will soon realise that you have even smarter colleagues and a lot to learn (especially from helping others).

ABC Conference: with the accounting gurus Jumoke and Enoor

The binders: I don’t have much to say on this, especially as I hated them so. Study the necessary and internalise the ones you have read...so that learning can take place.

The grooving: DO NOT miss out on this part. Trust me this is really were the bonding happens. I made some friend (Mayowa, especially) here. Let your hair down, cause all work and no play...can run you mad... MBA is for the living, I cannot kill myself.

With Eze Bobo

You: Above all, Know thyself...cause that is what will make the difference. Be guided by what you want to make out of the MBA program. No matter how vague that may sound, it will seperate you from the crowd if you live by it. When the time comes, you will understand that part well.

Once again, Welcome!!!
   













Moyosore Awopegba
MBA 11
President, SME Logic

A word from Eze BooBoo

Dear MBA 12, 

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT LBS?

I am glad to tell you that you couldn’t have chosen the LBS experience at a better time.

Increased globalization is bringing about a meltdown of international borders. Consequently, businesses are beginning to think less national, and more regional and global. Like most members of the elite MBA clique worldwide, your ambitions have brought you here in search of the “X-Factor”; those skill-sets that stand you apart from peers in your chosen career or business.

One of those sleepless nights

With Nigeria being tipped as one of the promising frontiers for global growth, the MBA at LBS will help you develop comparative skill-sets with MBAs from Harvard, London Business School, INSEAD and Hong Kong UST Business School. But that is not the spice. The good news is that YOU will soon join the league of the privileged few who know better than anyone else, how to put information together about the Nigerian, and indeed the African business environment.
But before the glory, you will need to live the story… and trust me; it is not all rosy.
 

NOW YOU ARE IN… WHAT DO YOU ANTICIPATE?
On our first day in school, we interacted with interesting people like the Dean, Enase; MBA Director, Nubi; and one of our dear facilitators, Henrietta (iron lady). But I will never forget when the Facility Manager, Mrs. Matilda Ubajiaka mentioned that LBS will open its doors to us at 6.30am, and will be glad if we leave in time for it to shut down at 8pm. In response to this, I remember my friend and group member, Mayowa, muttering under his breath, “wetin man pikin go dey do here reach that kind time?”

Burning it up at 1am

Don’t be in a hurry, though. When the time comes, you will know.
As the age old saying goes; “who no go, no fit know”.  Time has definitely revealed lots of things that kept us in school till 8pm. In fact, it became common for LBS to drive us away at night, only for my group to converge at Bie’s crib or Christie & Oyinlola’s crib. On such nights, sleep was elusive. You will encounter those unfortunate days like when Dr. Owolabi expected a group analysis of 10-year financial reports for Guinness and Unilever in PowerPoint by 9.30am. Or like when Dr. Salami asked for the submission of printed one-pagers by noon, describing in summary, the entire Nigerian Financial System… And you will learn, like we did, to stay over in each other’s houses to burn the midnight candle, in pursuit of deadlines.
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?
There is no question as to whether you are smart or not; you scaled through the rigorous admission process of the LBS MBA programme, didn’t you? However, on this journey with you are 60-something equally (if not more) brilliant individuals. Some of their contributions in class will make you doubt your ability to think.
 

Mayowa breaking it down at almost 8pm

When Adebayo or Seun (Mrs.) speak, I ask myself, “abi no be the same case me and these people dey read so?” Ayo, Othuko and Ayowole regularly sent me free-falling through off-tangent, deep and well thought-out analysis.
But guess what? It is not a competition. Prepare well by reading those cases and technical notes. “Internalize your binders”, as Owolabi would say it. Speak with confidence and clarity when you participate in class discussions. As you gradually identify your areas of strength, feel free to express yourself and share with others. You will discover by the end of the first year, how much of your most desired/admired skills you would have absorbed.
 
WELCOME TO AN EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME
When next you get to class, please take a good look at the faces of all those wonderful people. Some of your best friends will be made here. Surprise birthday parties will be hosted by these strangers who have become an integral part of your future. Marriages have been birthed on this programme. Many successful businesses started in LBS.
The LBS experience is whatever you make of it. Beyond the grind of your daily school routine, find time to get to know each other. With the help of your lecturers, your colleagues and the many people you cross paths with within the next 21 months, you are set to create some of the best memories you will cherish for the rest of your life. I hope you make the best of it; and as the LBS cafeteria staff like to say, I sure do hope you “Enjoy it”.
 
Best Regards.
Kelechi Okere
Class President, MBA 11