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decisions, decisions...

Few people recognize the spiritual and emotional battles that I faced when I took the risky decision to leave a high-paying and prestigious position at McKinsey & Company to return to Nigeria to establish a then, no-name nonprofit, called the FATE Foundation. In retrospect, it clearly was the right decision…but few would have advised me to make the move at the time.

Yes, God had given me a passion for entrepreneurship development, especially among women. He had given me a vision for my own nonprofit – NIA (Ndu – Life, Ike – Strength & Akunuba – Wealth   - an organization that would be focused on empowering women to achieve their highest potentials in life through entrepreneurship training. I had even created a mini-proposal for this concept and shared it with a few friends. However, back in 1999, and only 24 years old at the time, I just did not believe that I was ready. As I contemplated my next career upon graduating from the Harvard Business School, I had few options. “Go back to McKinsey…you need more managerial experience,” many advised. Others said, “you are too young, who will take you seriously? Why don't you focus on getting your business school debt forgiven and saving up some money…Nija is no place for a pauper…you need some deep savings!!!” This advice all sounded pretty logical. After all, I was completely broke and I owed McKinsey $60,000. They had given me to money to cover my tuition and books and required that I work with them for two years, after business school, in order to have the debt forgiven. Any decision to break this agreement would require that I repay the firm immediately.

How did I end up making the transition from a McKinsey consultant, with a burning passion for NIA, to the pioneer executive director for a different nonprofit called the FATE Foundation? The answer is simple – I took a risk because I felt with complete certainty that it was a good one – and more importantly, a GOD decision (I bet you didn't know that the word good comes from the word God!).

The skeptics among you may wonder if this decision was as simple as I make it seem. Honestly, it wasn't...

Five months after returning to McKinsey, I was basically sitting in my apartment in Chicago on a Saturday morning in February 2000 when I received a telephone call from a successful Nigerian entrepreneur called Fola Adeola. He basically said that he heard that I wanted to move back to Nigeria and that he wanted to offer some jobs to me. (Without any mention of interviews! Hmmm??? Convinced about a God-decision yet?) He basically mentioned four positions in the Nigerian private sector, and the 5 th option was that he needed someone to help him start a nonprofit focused on creating wealth in Nigeria through entrepreneurship development for youth. I clearly knew that I was not interested in anything but the fifth option. Then and there, I told him about NIA, and my plans for establishing something similar for Nigerian women…we went back and forth about the merits of helping youth versus women…and neither of us could convince the other. Before I realized what I was saying, I heard myself promising to give him an answer in a month!

During that month, I consulted with my mentors, family members and very close friends. The reactions and advice that I received were very mixed. Some said, “this is a great opportunity, it sounds just like NIA, go for it, life is too short.” Others said, “Ndidi, if you are going to join an organization in Nigeria, why don't you consider going through a more formal and robust recruiting process, so that you can compare your options…What if this big shot – Fola - runs out of money?...We hear he is a devout Moslem and you are a strong Christian…hmm, is this really a move?” Yet, others said, “What level of the Nigerian society do you want to come into? Stay at McKinsey for a couple of years and then you can return to Nigeria as a minister of finance or trade, instead of joining a non profit.” Still others said, “what is pulling you to Nigeria? Is there a man that we don't know about?” and to them I responded, I wish. (Isn't it always true that whenever you decide to move to a new state or new country, you suddenly discover all the gems in your own back yard…or they discover you…)

From a financial perspective, the options were simple, (1) Stay at McKinsey until Oct. 2001, that way you will owe the firm nothing and have tons of savings. 2) Stay at McKinsey until at least December, by then you will only have worked at the firm for 14 months, use your fat end of your bonus to repay your remaining debt to the company 3) Leave now, take a 70% pay cut by joining FATE, and repay McKinsey at least $45,000 (O.K. I got to set my own salary, but could not justify paying myself a U.S. salary in a start-up nonprofit environment, in Nigeria!)

From a spiritual perspective, I felt completely at peace! Every time I prayed about the option, I felt a sense of urgency about the need to make a move immediately…and by May 2000, I DID!

Three years later, I am thrilled that I took option 3! Through the wonderful support of Fola Adeola and the Ford Foundation, and the hard work of a committed board, amazing staff and over 200 volunteers, I was able to successfully establish FATE. Today, the organization operates offices in Lagos and Port Harcourt, has received numerous international awards and is recognized as one of the most professionally managed and performance-driven nonprofits in Nigeria. I remain actively involved as a board member and supporter of the FATE. ( www.fatefoundation.org )

Happily married (to an old friend that I reconnected with in Nigeria…this was all part of the Master's plan, but I did not realize it when I made the move), Debt-free (Thank God!), I have started a new nonprofit organization called Leadership Effectiveness Accountability & Professionalism (LEAP) Africa ( www.leapafrica.org ) Guess What? During the summer of 2003, with support from the Association of Women's Rights in Development, NIA will be born!

A little older, and hopefully, a little wiser, I have learned more than ever before to lean on God's direction rather than advice from any man or woman. For what it is worth, if you are faced with a major decision concerning your career, consider the ten prerequisites that God has placed in my heart…and may they be a blessing to you:

1. What are your passionate about? What gets you excited?   If you are still unclear about what you are most passionate about, make a list of the things in life that make you angry! Rank them in order of priority! (In my case, poverty in Africa makes me angry. Intelligent black people performing below their potential makes me MAD…hence the rationale behind LEAP! In your case, it could be that the lack of a good African restaurant in Boston makes you angry)
2. What are you good at? What comes naturally to you? Now, I don't mean technical skills…but softer skills. (e.g. I never realized how much I absolutely loved public speaking and training until I was put in a position in which I had to do it repeatedly. In your case, it could be that you make everyone around you feel comfortable, regardless of their social, economic and racial backgrounds)
3. Are any of the skills that you listed above directly relevant to the passions that you noted in question 1? (e.g. since I love training, I believe that I could help more Africans improve their personal effectiveness by organizing Leadership Institutes. In your case, it could be that since you love spending time with all types of people, and are deeply upset about the absence of good African restaurants in Boston, even if you hate cooking, you could consider opening a restaurant! You can always find someone else to do the cooking…while you focus on attracting and retaining the customers)
4. Would you be willing to do this for free? (Does the option still look attractive to you if you take all financial considerations out of the equation?) Success will always follow passion and talent! This will not happen overnight, so you need to have enough passion to see you through the empty bank account. Believe me, if you are passionate enough about something, you can always convince others to part with their money or time.
5. Would you be willing to do it even it did not carry a prestige factor? (Often times, we are trapped in resume-building mode and are only concerned about adding brand names to our repertoire. Have you ever considered the fact that you can create your own brand? Oprah is a brand! Believe me, fame follows passion and talent!)
6. When you pray about this opportunity, do you feel at peace about the opportunity? (Of course, you have to be at a place in your walk with God, when you can distinguish his voice from all others. Are you living a life that is Holy and Acceptable unto God? Do you spend time in his presence? Are you humble before him?)
7. Is this the right time? Are there any signs from God that indicate that this is the right time to pursue the opportunity? (By “signs from God” I mean what many of us call unexplained coincidences such as people popping into your life, open doors, unsolicited advice that is surprising “on-point” etc.)
8. Do your close friends think that this is a good move? (e.g. only talk to two or three close and consistent friends who have always told you the truth, even when it hurts!) If you don't have a prayer partner, it may be wise to find one…consistent spiritual support is critical to success.
9. Do your progressive family members think that this is a good move? (e.g. believe me, when you step out in faith, you always need all the support that you can get, especially from your spouse and progressive family members!)
10. Are you prepared to remain committed to God and humble in spite of any success?

If your answer to most of these questions is YES! Then, make the bold move and step out in Faith!

God Bless!

By Ndidi O. Nwuneli

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