Mentor bawo?! 10 lessons for business & life from the Don Jazzy/Wande Coal fight

by Chi Ibe

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In the aftermath of the too-juicy-to-ignore public confrontation between head of Mavin Records, Don Jazzy and his former label mate, Wande Coal, entertainment industry players and indeed everyone else has been paying attention – trying to draw lessons where they lie, and predict the future for the actors, or just lapping up the entertainment. For the young person looking behind the smoke however, there are crucial lessons for business and life that should be rather obvious, but yet underline this cautionary tale. Find 8 of those below

The young shall grow

As the Yoruba say when someone has wildly missed the point, ‘mentor bawo?!’ From Psquare to Clarence Peters, there is an entire host of entertainment industry movers and shakers who believe all it takes to get the loyalty of a person is to mentor that person and bring that person up, and the person will be indebted for life, grateful for the lessons, for the guidance, for the relationship. That’s just not the way it happens sadly. When people grow into thjeir own, they really do. Whether they choose to remain in a genuflecting position is really a choice that is left to them.

Ingratitude is a fact of life

Without prejudice to who is right or wrong in this particular matter, the truth is that people hate to be indebted. Rare is the person who wants to feel his success in life depended on jjts one person. Human nature ensures we always feel it was about us – our talent, our perseverance, our wisdom, our anything. To shake free of any mental hostage-taking, people will find any excuse to stamp on gratitude and have it forgotten. There’s a reason the good book asks you to do good and expect nothing in return. It’s for your blood pressure.

[READ: ‘No padi for jungle’: 7 lessons for artistes from the D’banj/Don Jazzy leaked emails]

Don’t expect that when you attack people, they fold

How is it people believe all it takes to defeat the opposition is one snarky statement, one dismissive tweet, one roaring statement? That’s not life sorry. Even if people are wrong, calling them out in public or anywhere else doesn’t mean they will suddenly have an epiphany – and be oh so sorry. Never. When attacked, Average Joe goes into defemsive mopde, emotional clouded, prejudices woken up. If repentance is what you are looking for, fire and brimstone is not the magic bullet.

People aren’t against you, they are just for themselves

To hear those who know, Wande Coal didn’t leave Don Jazzy because he is suddenly ungrateful, or the Mavin boss is no longer a winning producer; he left because he felt he wasn’t a priorarity. This isn’t really a fight againt Don Jazzy – as his pained ‘I served you for 10 years’ tweet shows – this is a fight for himself, for his own survival, for his own place in history. It is a fight many of us are familiar with.

A friend today can be a rabid enemy… today

Isn’t even a year yet since Wande Coal lashed out as wildly on Twitter, that time for Don Jazzy? D’banj had just left, his producer and boss was under a certain siege, and – apparently without internal approvals – Wande made a public showing of the fact that everyone had taken sides against D’banj. What a difference 12 months make (do take note Tiwa Savage and the Don). That friend yesterday has clearly become an enemy to be dissociated from with a press release. Things change people, things change. It took Wande 1 year? Sometimes the same person who just hugged you calls you a bastard 5 minutes down the road!

Don’t let your emotions guide you

It is very tempting to act in anger, frustration, lust, exhilaration… whatever range of emotions you can find. It is foolish however to act in that moment – especially when you’re in business. Actions have consequences, and therefore require thought, deliberation, strategy. You may be right, and you may have the wind behind your back, but one false move and you can bring your own righteousness all-crashing down, and with it disdain for squandering the opportunity. Sometimes silence is the best way. Sometimes the best way to attack is to hold your fire.

Have people who can lead you gently away from Twitter

Sometimes, there is no greater tool on your email application than ‘Save Draft’ and no greater way to use Twitter than the ‘Log out’ button. Even for his defenders there is very little doubt the across-board disappointment that this mogul would wash legal and business laundry in public. Makes him look small. The hurried press release sent out the next day which hinted at but didn’t expand on legal options make clear even he realized his mistake. It is hard to see what he has gained from this apart from giving Wande the publicity he needs at a time he is breaking new songs. If only there was someone close by with enough sense.

Never underestimate anyone (seriously, never)

What has happened to that hungry-looking young boy from Mushin who was spotted at a show by Don Jazzy those distant years ago? Well, he become a pop star, then he rubbed shoulders with other big boys, then he travelled around the world, then he opened his own competing label, then he poked his fingers in your eyes, and then he got a matching telecoms deal without your bloody help. That ‘small boy’ can end up challenging your world in a big way. As the world-wisened executives behind the Coke brand have shown us over the years, you take weaker people and products for granted at your own risk.

[READ: No mo’ hits! 10 reasons it’s Don Jazzy who will lose the most]

Life is – and always will be – a cycle of people going up and others coming down. Gba be.

 

One comment

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