“If you believe strongly in something then there would be no limit. Many at times we just don’t believe enough”. These were the words of the CEO of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh, as he took his turn as the guest speaker at the virtual convocation of the Springboard Roadshow.
Selorm Adadevoh, in encouraging the teeming youth who joined the virtual convocation, noted the need for the youth to break away from the limitations they place on themselves. He urged the youth to be positive-minded and believe in their abilities to bring about change. He said when people believed in themselves, there will be no limits to the successes they could achieve.
Narrating his journey to becoming the CEO of MTN Ghana as an example, Selorm recounted how he left Hewlett-Packard (HP) Consulting at a point when he was earning so much to come to Ghana to pursue his dream of becoming a CEO. As a result, he dedicated time to acquire more knowledge to place him in a better position to achieve that dream.
He said, “the risk we take and the choices we make in life determines our success ultimately. Even if you have bumps on the road, you need to persevere if you truly believe in your cause and journey. ln pursuit of my dreams and vision, I took several risky decisions because I strongly believed,” he said.
Mr. Adadevoh used the occasion to share several attributes and traits of a leader. He mentioned resilience as key to leadership. He explained, “building trust is a fundamental value in leadership shaped by consistency and not intensity. The ability to stay focused and not give up is a key trait of leadership.”
Selorm noted that while challenges would come along the way in the leader’s journey, the youth needed to be bold and determined, while remaining focused on their ultimate objectives.
The Executive Director of the Springboard Road Show Foundation, Mrs. Comfort Ocran, addressed participants and explained that after years of inspiring and mentoring many young people to go into entrepreneurship, the organization decided to take a new initiative this year.
The initiative dubbed, the ‘Springboard Youth Dialogue’ is meant to connect young people to opportunities and policy interventions meant to accelerate their progress, especially in the area of business.
Other speakers on the day were Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance who was the Special Guest Mentor and Nathalie Gabala of the Mastercard Foundation.