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The Lesson from Patmos and Promotion from The Branch To Lead Your Company

The Lesson from Patmos and Promotion from The Branch To Lead Your Company

He survived boiling oil. The Roman emperor Domitian, unable to destroy him, sent him away—to Patmos, a rocky island in Greece. It was a common punishment then, yes exiling as punishment. From Athens, the signposts still point toward those island towns—Kos, Thessaloniki, Patmos. On that forgotten island, John received the Revelation, the most futuristic Book of the Bible.

As a Scripture Union boy in secondary school, it was the one Book I refused to read at night—too vivid, too cosmic. Stars, beasts, horns, angels—each verse unveiling dimensions of realities yet to come. I call it the Future Book, for hidden in those visions are the codes of what science is yet to name.

Domitian was terrified. When the boiling oil failed to harm John, the crowd in the Colosseum bowed to the message. The emperor feared the next miracle might shake his throne. So, he sent the man away—to a far island, away from the noise of Rome. But it was on that island that the greatest revelation of all time was born.

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Sometimes in life—and yes, in companies—your “Patmos” may come as a transfer, a sidelining, or a supposed punishment. The headquarters may conspire to send you to the branch office in Kano, Uyo, or Kigali. But if you keep your mind tuned like John’s, your “banishment” can become your blessing.

Many great men and women have seen their revelations from faraway branches—when the politics of the headquarters could no longer distract them. From Patmos, John saw the universe. From your own Patmos, you can see the future of your company, your industry, or your destiny. It is in the wilderness of isolation that true vision incubates. If John had remained in Rome, there would have been no Revelation. It was exile that gave him clarity.

And that lesson continues today. In Coca-Cola, Walmart, UBA, and beyond, some of the most transformative leaders were discovered in the “branches”—in Patmos. UBA once picked a man from its Port Harcourt office to head its New York branch. Later, he became an Executive Director.

So, when Patmos comes, do not resist it, even though we do not seek for exiles! In that faraway place, the noise fades and the revelation begins. The next vision for your mission—your Revelation—might just be waiting in your own Patmos. Simply, that exile may be your elevation.

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