BUILDING COMMUNITIES WITH THE OCTOPUS

Hi There,

I spent 2 and a half hours recently with the top management of a government agency, having a deeply practical conversation on:

Moving from Silos to Synergy: Collaborations Across Functions.

But the conversation went much deeper than collaboration.

We explored how to bring the best out of the people around us.

Sometimes, what looks like a performance problem is actually a belief problem.

Sometimes, what looks like resistance is a response shaped by experience.

Sometimes, what looks like poor collaboration is simply people operating from different values, expectations and emotional realities.

That is why effective people development requires more than training.

It requires training.

It requires coaching.

And sometimes, it requires creating the space for people to understand and work through trauma responses.

This is exactly what I have been doing with my MTN Customer Fulfilment client team.

We dig deeper into why people do what they do.

We localise their behaviours and performance limitations.

We analyse how they respond to our actions.

Then we co create better ways forward through beliefs, values, empathy and shared accountability.

Last Saturday, I took the same principles to the NSPPD UK Volunteers in an explosive session on Emotional Intelligence. (Guess what? I’ve been invited for a 3rd and 4th session holding next week. #CanYouBelieveIt!!!!!)

And this has reinforced something I have come to believe strongly:

Every community is fundamentally human.

A business community.

A work team.

A customer base.

A partnership.

A volunteer network.

A project team.

A membership community.

If you want people to contribute more towards a shared outcome, you must first understand the human beings behind the contribution.

You must understand their emotions.

Their psychology.

Their aspirations.

Their fears.

Their motivations.

Their physical realities.

And their sense of belonging.

This is why I am hosting:

HOW TO BUILD COMMUNITIES THAT WORK

A one day, 40 participant Guest Masterclass designed for people who want to build communities that actually produce collaboration, loyalty, value and shared accomplishment.

The original value of this masterclass is from N500,000.

For this special Guest Class, I am offering it at 20 percent of the original cost.

N100,000 only.

Date: October 10, 2026

Venue: Abuja Continental Hotel

And yes, it is one day after my birthday.

Consider this my birthday gift to you.

Registration has commenced and some seats have already been secured.

There is also room for organisations and businesses to mount their banners at the venue and insert their fliers into the class manual.

Group registration of 3 people or more attracts a 10 percent discount.

Payment details:

CERCA AFRICA ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS LIMITED

Providus Bank

5403914592

If you lead people, build communities, manage customers, run memberships, coordinate volunteers, manage projects or simply want to understand how humans work better together, this class is for you.

Only 40 participants.

Contact Stella on 07035953367 to secure your seat.

Let us build communities that do more than gather people.

Let us build communities that work.

m a k t u b !!!

Sam Obafemi, DBA (Honoris Causa)

The Octopus 🐙