40+FAB Blog

Structure for it

For thousands of years the great civilisations have always built great cities and monuments on the basis of a plan. Take for instance the Egyptians who built the pyramids that are still standing till date, or the Greeks that built amphitheatres of such grandeur, or the Chinese that built the great walls. These cities and structures were not haphazard whimsical projects being executed as the builders saw fit, but rather they were carefully thought out designs given the very best of materials and men to execute.

The first house I remember living in when I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria was close to the town planning office. They ensured that houses were built according to the plan of the state and each property would be allocated the necessary utilities like water, sewerage and electricity provided in that plan. As the city grew, the philosophy of town planning seemed to get lost and development spiralled out of control. This led to many complications in the city like people building over areas marked for natural drainage thus causing flooding in several places.

Up till today, Lagos struggles with many issues because the population grew faster than the planning for it did.

Human beings have a characteristic to grow and also to grow things. That business will grow, the family will grow, the career will grow, interests will grow, hobbies will grow, cities will grow and so on. Whatever it is, the structure for it should be put in place long before it gets off the ground. Structure the business before it starts, structure the family before you marry, structure the city before it is built.

Don’t make the classic mistake of not being prepared for growth. You have to structure to facilitate growth, you have to structure to manage growth, you have to structure to prevent growth from retarding. Whatever you do, structure for it!