Monthly Archives: March 2017


It’s been said that everyone has goals, whether we know it or not. We have goals to keep our current job, or to get a different one. We have goals to save for the future, or to travel, take a vacation, or purchase the things we need and want to make our lives more enjoyable. Goal setting is something that everyone tries to do, but only a few people can actually make it work. The challenge most people face is committing them selves to the desired outcome they like to have. As soon the journey begins, obstacles and hurdles come up, and this is where most people end up quitting. Whether you’re setting personal goals or professional goals, this guide will explain everything you need to know.

  1. Dream, but be motivated: When you set goals for yourself, it is important that they motivate you: this means making sure that they are important to you, and that there is value in achieving them. Motivation is key to achieving goals. The very first thing you need to achieve a goal is a reason and deep desire to achieve it. The path to achieving goals is fraught with boredom, excuses and difficulty. You will have a lot of opportunities to talk yourself out of the goal. But if you can keep going back to the reason and your desire for the goal, those will help you stay on track.
  2. Be specific: Top achievers know that to reach their goals, the brain must know exactly, precisely, what they are trying to accomplish.  Generalized goals are unhelpful because they don’t provide sufficient direction. Remember, you need goals to show you the way. Make it as easy as you can to get where you want to go by defining precisely where you want to end up.
  3. Set measurable goals: How are you planning to make your goal a reality? You need concrete steps to get to your destination. Making your goals measurable will help you know when you’re making progress, when you’re on the right track, and it will motivate you to take action.
  4. Set achievable Goals: Goals need to be realistic to be achievable. If you set an unrealistic goal, it will discourage you from taking action and even taking the first step. Accomplishing a goal that you didn’t have to work hard for can be anticlimactic at best, and can also make you fear setting future goals that carry a risk of non-achievement. By setting realistic yet challenging goals, you hit the balance you need.
  5. Timely: Setting a deadline will dramatically enhance your focus and motivation. If you’ve ever worked under the pressure of time, you know how fast you can produce great quality work. Your goals must have a deadline. Again, this means that you know when you can celebrate success. When you are working on a deadline, your sense of urgency increases and achievement will come that much quicker.
  6. Write your goals: Writing out your goal is your commitment to achieving the goal. Writing a goal is a powerful statement in comparison with half-formulated thoughts in the back of your mind. The physical act of writing down a goal makes it real and tangible. You have no excuse for forgetting about it. The act of writing your goals down vastly increases your chance of success. Write it down! Then, keep your notes where you can see and read them every day.
  7. Share your goals: We are far more likely to stick to our plan and reach our goals if we know our friends and family support us. Being part of a team increases our determination, our stamina, and our courage. If you are certain you will be supported with the accomplishment of your goals, share them.
  8. Highlight your visuals: Visualization has been proven over and over again not only to be effective in improving performance, but also in changing behaviors and achieving big goals. A ‘vision board’ can be highly motivating. Create a vision board of your own by collecting photos, cutting out magazine pictures, clipping inspirational quotes and sticking them to a cork or poster board.















You’ve been asked to manage a project for your organisation. The task might feel daunting at first, and all of a sudden it seems the questions are endless. How will you manage all of the details? No phase is more important than the other and each phase plays a crucial role in getting your project off the ground, through the race, down the stretch and across the finish line. Project management is solely based on the idea that a project goes through a number of phases characterised by a distinct set of activities or tasks that take the project from conception to conclusion. Below are the FIVE phases a project should undergo:

  1. Initiation: In this phase, ideas of the team identifying the needs of a project are formally accepted. Ideas for projects will be carefully examined to determine whether or not it benefits the Organisation. During the initiation phase you’ll appoint a project manager who in turn, based on his or her experience and skills will select the required team members. This is when you will research whether the project is feasible and if it should be undertaken.
  2. Planning: This phase typically begins with setting goals. These should outline the objectives of the project. Write out your goals in your project plan so it’s clearly communicated and easily shared. Effective planning is very critical to any project’s success and more so for small projects. It is an ongoing process and never ends during the lifetime of a project.
  3. Execution: Putting Project Plan into action is nothing but Project execution.  A project deliverable is developed and completed, adhering to a mapped-out plan. It requires co-ordination among the team members and resources. This is the phase where deliverables are developed and completed.
  4. Monitoring and evaluation: This is about measuring project progression and performance and ensuring that everything happening aligns with the project management plan. A large portion of your time is spent observing, talking, and listening so you can evaluate, document, and report the project’s progress and limitations. Project managers use key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate performance and objectively communicate how the project is progressing.
  5. Closure: This includes a series of important tasks such as delivering the product, relieving resources, reward and recognition to the team members and formal termination of contractors. Once a project is complete, a PM will often hold a meeting sometimes referred to as a “post mortem” to evaluate what went well in a project and identify project failures. This helps to understand lessons learned so that improvements can be made for future projects.




If you love organising schemes, resources and people, a career as a project manager may suit you. As a project manager it is your responsibility to deliver projects on time and in budget, by planning and organising resources and people. Project Managers are tasked to initiate projects from the most fundamental stages and carry them through total completion and documentation. The job involves managing personnel, hiring, planning, working with contractors, navigating the regulatory climate, and answering for all aspects of the project. A project manager’s role depends on the organisation and its industry.




Job description of a Project Manager


No matter how varying the functions of a Project Manager, there are some functions that are relatively common. These functions are evolving over time but still there are some general ones, which are more or less common.

  • Setting objectives in line with your organisation or client needs, which may include scope, content, timings and budget;
  • Develops project plans and facilitates resolution of all issues to reach project goals.
  • Monitoring project progress and performance.
  • Managing project scope and change control and escalating issues where necessary.
  • Participate in client meetings, contract finalisation, and development of requirements and specifications.

How much do project managers make?

PM’s work in so many industries and on a vast diversity of projects, it is difficult and sometimes misleading to discuss the average salary of Project Managers.  Project Managers with a lot of experience tend to enjoy higher earnings.

According to Salary Explorer’s report, the average monthly salary of a project manager in Nigeria is 729,157 Naira.