{"id":57,"date":"2014-12-22T19:25:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-22T19:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/Blog\/index.php\/2014\/12\/22\/bidding-2014-farewell-the-year-in-review\/"},"modified":"2023-01-19T13:54:30","modified_gmt":"2023-01-19T12:54:30","slug":"bidding-2014-farewell-the-year-in-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2014\/12\/22\/bidding-2014-farewell-the-year-in-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Bidding 2014 Farewell: The Year In Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Soon the curtains will close on 2014.

As you bid the year farewell, look back on your endeavours and be thankful for the \u2018golden\u2019 opportunities that came your way.

You may have had some disappointments but take stock now and realise that you overcame them all.

In the same vein, do not be hard on yourselves for not being able to tick off every item on the (now) unrealistic \u2018to do\u2019 lists, which, in the spirit of new year resolutions, you had made in January. No, I am not advocating a spirit of laxity or a life without purpose. I am aware that as professionals, it is important for personal fulfilment and career advancement to set up goals and to strive to achieve them. And yes, failing to complete plans you had deemed truly necessary would be disappointing.

But here is the thing: You are alive; you are (hopefully) healthy (which, in the wake of the Ebola scourge, is a relief); and you are blessed with strong support from family and trusted friends. 

And that makes you valuable<\/em>.

So to the pessimists \u2013 no matter how bad you think you had it this year, or how unrewarding you consider your lives, if you are reading this blog via your desktop, smartphone, tablet or any other affordable device, then you are better off than you think. Indeed, you are better off than thousands of hungry, disease-stricken and suffering people who would trade places with you in a heartbeat.

Therefore, for whatever successes or disappointments you have had in 2014 (nothing is finite), re-assess your goals, be grateful for what you do<\/em> have and prepare for a year of limitless opportunities in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Editor\u2019s Picks Of Blog Posts In 2014<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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At the risk of sounding biased, there are a couple of articles I recommend that you read and forward to your networks. These posts have been selected because of their evergreen <\/em>status and relevance to career development, management and\/or workplace dynamics. I also spent considerable time researching, writing and editing them. They are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I) Communicating For Success: 10 Sure-Fire Tips To Master<\/a><\/strong> 
 

Improving your communication skills would take your career to new heights. Take a bold step towards success with the advice given.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2) From Politics To Corporateville \u2013 Top 5 Mistakes Leaders Make<\/a><\/strong> 
 

In the wake of the Malaysian Airways MH17 tragedy and the #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign, learn how to avoid crucial mistakes of political leadership, explained without all the political jargon. The post also gives tips for corporate leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3) The Dying Art Of Managing The Psychological Contracts Of Employees<\/a><\/strong> 



Do you know what a psychological contract is? Well, every professional in gainful employment has one. At 2,600+ words, this detailed article draws upon findings from researchers in the field of organisational behavioural science and gives practical tips for managing psychological contracts for favourable results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4) Boosting Corporate Reputations With Effective Communications<\/a><\/strong> 



This gem of an article captures the essence of this blog\u2019s mission \u2014 improving business performance with communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loaded with useful suggestions, you will learn how to leverage strategic communications for the competitive edge. Share this article liberally and be viewed as a good source of information for your business contacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Engagement Session With Shell Nigeria<\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I was honoured to have been invited by Shell Nigeria<\/a> to an engagement forum with \u2018online influencers\u2019. The event took place on 10 December 2014 at the prestigious Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lucille Ossai \u2013 first row, fifth from the left<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In attendance were bloggers, journalists, social media personalities, young social entrepreneurs, and those interested in social activism and corporate social responsibility. Questions were asked; suggestions were made; and misconceptions about Nigeria’s largest international oil company were tackled.

It was an interesting session whereby Shell shared information about its operations in Nigeria, as well as its social investment plans. One of the initiatives highlighted was LiveWIRE, a programme that provides finance and training for young entrepreneurs in the oil-rich Niger-Delta region, and also supports Nigerians with physical disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Representatives of the oil giant also stressed a desire to strengthen the company\u2019s digital reputation by sharing more of its stories. To my knowledge, no other international oil company operating in Nigeria has had the foresight to engage with \u2018non-traditional stakeholders\u2019 in such an interactive forum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


A thoroughly engaging session! Well done Shell Nigeria!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wrapping It Up\u2026 <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n


<\/strong>Well, that concludes what I consider a productive year for me and this blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wish you a very Merry Christmas in advance and hope you enjoy the New Year celebrations.
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You also have my permission to eat copious portions of turkeys, cakes, puddings and other goodies these holidays. Go on, spoil yourselves a little :-).<\/p>\n\n\n\n


See you in 2015!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kindly post your comments below, anonymously if you prefer. 


Don\u2019t rush off just yet. Please remember to:<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n


1) Share this article in your social media networks by clicking on the icons at the top of this post or below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


2) Sign up for updates in the blog\u2019s right sidebar so that you are immediately<\/strong> notified via email when a new blog post is published. Never miss an article again!<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Need help crafting business content?<\/em><\/strong>

I am here to help. Hire me for a writing assignment, some consulting work and\/or coaching sessions in communications. 

Contact me by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A) Sending an <\/strong>email to Lucilleossai@gmail.com. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

B) Calling for advice and a free<\/em> <\/em><\/strong>consultation:<\/strong>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nigeria<\/strong>:                0704 631 0592<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

International:      +234 704 631 0592<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

N.B\u2013<\/u> <\/strong>First image is courtesy of Salvatore Vuono via freedigitalphotos.net. Second image is courtesy of Stuart Miles via freedigitalphotos.net. Group picture is courtesy of Shell Nigeria. Christmas animation is courtesy of gifgifs.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\nAs 2014 wraps up, catch up on news about the Rethinking Business Communications Blog, including details of the engagement forum with \u2018online influencers\u2019 organised by Shell Nigeria. Also bookmark the editor’s picks of articles for the year!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[420,494,561,645,649,741,754],"class_list":["post-57","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-online-influencers","tag-communications","tag-engagement-forum-with-shell-nigeria","tag-livewire","tag-management","tag-rethinking-business-communications-blog","tag-shell-nigeria"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":54,"url":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2015\/03\/28\/three-years-of-blogging-in-memorable-quotes-part-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":57,"position":0},"title":"Three Years Of Blogging…In Memorable Quotes (PART 1)","author":"Lucille Ossai","date":"March 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Rethinking Business Communications Blog is celebrating its third anniversary. Memorable quotes from articles have been compiled in a two-part segment as part of its celebrations. Catch up on the original articles you missed.","rel":"","context":"In \"blogging.\"","block_context":{"text":"blogging.","link":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/tag\/blogging\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-XrTkYnGYTfQ\/VRaR6gJgWXI\/AAAAAAAACzA\/ViNTUr0wZ4o\/s1600\/Happy%2B3rd%2Bbirthday%2Bcelebration%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.net%2BStuart%2BMiles.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-XrTkYnGYTfQ\/VRaR6gJgWXI\/AAAAAAAACzA\/ViNTUr0wZ4o\/s1600\/Happy%2B3rd%2Bbirthday%2Bcelebration%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.net%2BStuart%2BMiles.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-XrTkYnGYTfQ\/VRaR6gJgWXI\/AAAAAAAACzA\/ViNTUr0wZ4o\/s1600\/Happy%2B3rd%2Bbirthday%2Bcelebration%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.net%2BStuart%2BMiles.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-XrTkYnGYTfQ\/VRaR6gJgWXI\/AAAAAAAACzA\/ViNTUr0wZ4o\/s1600\/Happy%2B3rd%2Bbirthday%2Bcelebration%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.net%2BStuart%2BMiles.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53,"url":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2015\/03\/31\/three-years-of-blogging-in-memorable-quotes-part-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":57,"position":1},"title":"Three Years Of Blogging…In Memorable Quotes (PART 2)","author":"Lucille Ossai","date":"March 31, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"And the second segment in this celebratory series takes off\u2026\u00a0 6) \u201cHappy workers increase productivity, go the \u2018extra mile\u2019 and become willing cheerleaders\u2026of companies\u2019 brands, thereby boosting their reputations\u201d. Post: Discussion Forum #2 \u2013 What Would Make You Happy At Work?\u00a0 Date: September 2014\u00a0 URL: https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/27\/discussion-forum-2-what-would-make-you-happy-at-work\/ Description: Job satisfaction and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"blogging.\"","block_context":{"text":"blogging.","link":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/tag\/blogging\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-x4McgkT-FiU\/VRrPwk_PrpI\/AAAAAAAACz0\/joLiWg3LyuI\/s1600\/3rd%2Bbirthday%2Bpresent%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.net%2BStuart%2BMiles.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-x4McgkT-FiU\/VRrPwk_PrpI\/AAAAAAAACz0\/joLiWg3LyuI\/s1600\/3rd%2Bbirthday%2Bpresent%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.net%2BStuart%2BMiles.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-x4McgkT-FiU\/VRrPwk_PrpI\/AAAAAAAACz0\/joLiWg3LyuI\/s1600\/3rd%2Bbirthday%2Bpresent%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.net%2BStuart%2BMiles.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-x4McgkT-FiU\/VRrPwk_PrpI\/AAAAAAAACz0\/joLiWg3LyuI\/s1600\/3rd%2Bbirthday%2Bpresent%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.net%2BStuart%2BMiles.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28,"url":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/14\/five-years-of-insightful-blogging-in-memorable-quotes-part-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":57,"position":2},"title":"Five Years Of Insightful Blogging…In Memorable Quotes (PART 1)","author":"Lucille Ossai","date":"March 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve been blogging for half a decade!Now that feat might not seem like a herculean task to some but it has been both challenging and rewarding for me.Challenging, because although I\u2018m passionate about communications and always striving to improve my skills and elevate my knowledge, there are times every month---and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"blogging.\"","block_context":{"text":"blogging.","link":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/tag\/blogging\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QqlKJq85nXE\/WMfNy06x6mI\/AAAAAAAADjE\/O4ek32dVmKMLQnME3BKB3MNeX8da7IXMgCLcB\/s640\/3D%2Bmen%2Bcelebrating%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.net%2BCooldesign.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QqlKJq85nXE\/WMfNy06x6mI\/AAAAAAAADjE\/O4ek32dVmKMLQnME3BKB3MNeX8da7IXMgCLcB\/s640\/3D%2Bmen%2Bcelebrating%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.net%2BCooldesign.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QqlKJq85nXE\/WMfNy06x6mI\/AAAAAAAADjE\/O4ek32dVmKMLQnME3BKB3MNeX8da7IXMgCLcB\/s640\/3D%2Bmen%2Bcelebrating%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.net%2BCooldesign.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2261,"url":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/31\/effective-communication-the-secret-to-influencing-people-and-thriving\/","url_meta":{"origin":57,"position":3},"title":"Effective Communication: The Secret To Influencing People And Thriving","author":"Lucille Ossai","date":"May 31, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Effective communication is the 'secret' weapon you'd need to influence people and thrive in your field. Lucille Ossai reveals the key elements of her new communication blueprint 'Influence and Thrive' and provides compelling reasons you should buy the book and do what it says if you want results that stick.","rel":"","context":"In "communication"","block_context":{"text":"communication","link":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/category\/communication\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Influencer-on-mobile-Pixabay-Markus-Winkler.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Influencer-on-mobile-Pixabay-Markus-Winkler.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Influencer-on-mobile-Pixabay-Markus-Winkler.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Influencer-on-mobile-Pixabay-Markus-Winkler.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Influencer-on-mobile-Pixabay-Markus-Winkler.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1837,"url":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2020\/09\/30\/what-nigerians-need-to-know-about-effective-communication\/","url_meta":{"origin":57,"position":4},"title":"What Nigerians Need To Know About Effective Communication","author":"Lucille Ossai","date":"September 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Nigerian professionals, entrepreneurs, and business leaders need to upgrade their communication skills to inspire action and boost results. 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As its founder and editor, Lucille Ossai celebrates its anniversary, she shares quotes from the insightful articles that she wrote in the period being reviewed. 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