At IBG, we realise that there’s a lot of information out there for entrepreneurs but a gap exists for those who are in careers and loving it. So, our #9-5Chick feature celebrates women who are climbing the career ladder, making impact and enjoying every minute of it. We hope that by featuring these women, we will be able to learn, share and increase knowledge on key career tips for every #9to5chick!
Meet Alex Ohai
Alex is a Learning and Development Specialist with Etisalat Nigeria. She describes herself as an efficient Talent Development Specialist and Performance Coach with experience in developing capabilities across diverse strategic business units. In her career so far, Alex has acquired competency in coaching, leadership development, performance management, customer focus, sales, project management and process optimization, while developing leadership capabilities.
IBG: How did you get into your present job/career-path?
AO: I did not set out to become a Learning and Development (L&D) Specialist but in some way God was charting my course for me. I have always been passionate about impacting on the people around me, I love to learn and to me the logical path after I have learned anything new is to teach the people around me. I however did not have that in mind when I started my formal career journey. I worked briefly as a Marketer with CrusaderSterling Pension for less than a year, before moving to work in the call centre as a Contact Centre Executive. I held that role for 3 years. An opening came up in my organization for an L&D Specialist, I applied and as God would have it, I got the job. As they say, the rest is history!
IBG: What have been your greatest successes at your job?
AO: I can honestly say that I am a long way from where I was, when I took this job about 5 years ago. Personal successes for me has revolved around coming into my own as a lady in a Nigerian workspace. Regardless of how we choose to look at it, I do not think that many people will deny that in many ways, our work environment is male dominated. When you have grown up believing that you need to automatically defer to a colleague simply because he is male, it requires conscious effort to know that as a lady, you have the right to speak and your ideas are as valid everyone else. Within the last 4 years, I have grown and matured in leaps and bounds, in realizing my own worth and being able to stand up for myself. In my career, success has revolved around growing my skills and competencies to match what is required from an L&D Specialist working in an international organization and seeing my direct line manager recognize my growth trajectory. This happened so much so that it seems like with each passing week, I get more tasks assigned to me; even more than my “older” colleagues. It is a great feeling to know that I am actually able to deliver value.
IBG: What peculiar challenges have you faced along the course of your career?
AO: A major challenge for me was confidence in the work place. I had to push myself to speak up even when I was not sure that what I had to say would make a lot of sense or would be accepted. Another challenge was understanding that my job did not revolve around just facilitating classroom training but that it was one part of a whole value chain of activities that goes into meeting an organisation’s strategic learning objectives. So, I had to expand my scope of reference. As a front-line support staff, my job has also required that I travel to meet our front-line staff wherever they are. The amount of travel can be daunting because it sometimes requires that I am away from home for up to 4 weeks at a time. As a mother with a young child, it is always a challenge for me.
IBG: What mistakes do you think women in the workplace make that have negative effects on their career progression?
AO: Two things stand out for me as misconceptions that women hold with regards to their career. The first is that as a working married woman, you cannot have it all. People say or believe that you have to choose between raising a family and having a successful career. I choose to disagree. I however think that if women want to keep running their homes as has been done in time past, it will be difficult to have a successful career. Working full hours, coming home to cook, handling homework for a number of children, bathing them, putting them to bed and then waking up to repeat the cycle over is a sure path to burn out. For me, the way out is to outsource as many of these responsibilities as you can while working with the full support of your partner. So, you can get someone to come in over the weekend and do your shopping, washing, house cleaning and so on. These days there is no limit to the number of things that can be outsourced and families can take advantage of it.
The second misconception is that you have to handle work like a man. While I believe that performance at work is not gender based, I however think that the way my male counterpart would handle something will be different from the way that I would just because he is a man and I am a woman. I do not need to be apologetic for my point of view. Our differing approaches is what creates a richer work environment and it is important that as ladies, we do not allow ourselves be bullied into conformity. There are considerations that must be made for a woman that will not be made for a man, for example, when it comes to issues like our monthly cycle or maternity needs.
IBG: What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you navigate it?
AO: Work-Life balance for me is the ability to be able to pour out your authentic self into all facets of your life and being able to live from a place of integrity and wholeness. What that basically comes down to is understanding what is important to you as a person, what sacrifices you are will to make, and living free from external pressures. For me, my family comes first always and every decision I make revolves around them but we have come to an understanding that I will not be able to always play the traditional role of home keeper because of my work demands. When I am at home, I try to make up for lost time and ensure that we spend quality time together. That means that I will not spend all my time in the kitchen but in the things that actually build up my family (These activities are personal to each family). Being intentional is the name of the game.
IBG: Where do you see yourself in 10 or 15 years’ time?
AO: There are so many gaps that I see in the way that we do Learning and Development in the country today. I am currently working to set up my own organization that will address these challenges while helping Nigerian organisations up skill to match up to their counterparts in other parts of the world. I plan to also extend my reach to early childhood education and equip parents to be able to support their children to develop skills necessary to survive in the 21st century. So, 10 years from now, I will have an established organization that provides tailored solutions for pan-African organisations and parents/teachers/schools with young children in the area of 21st century skill development.
IBG: If you weren’t working at your current career, what other career route would you have toed and why?
AO: I would probably be a doctor. That is another career that I have always had a passion for and I believe that at the most fundamental level, it is the same driving passion that creates a successful doctor that would create a successful trainer.
IBG: When you’re not working, what do you do to unwind?
AO: I love to read and learn new things. I love conversations that stimulate my mind and expand my horizons. I love movies (especially when it’s from Marvel Comics) and series. I am a thrill seeker and a lover of adrenaline-fuelled adventures. I love driving fast especially when I can get access to cars with big engines! I enjoy cooking new things, I am big on kitchen experiments. I enjoy hanging out with friends and just talking. And music, music is a very important part of my life.
IBG: What advice on career would you give a young female who is looking for her first job?
AO: First, I would say if you can listen to Steve Jobs’ Commencement Speech at Stanford university, please do. It’s a talk that was given to young people who are on the cusp of starting their adventures in life. I would also say follow your heart and do what you are passionate about. True fulfillment and success is only found in doing what is meaningful to you at an emotional level. Jobs in the country are hard to find and becoming harder as time passes by, so take what you find but do not lose sight of what is important to you, be creative in finding ways to merge what you do and what you would love to do. Find opportunities to practice what you are interested in, you never know when a volunteering opportunity will lead to something more concrete. Always remember that you are worthwhile and you have a voice, so never keep quiet or lose your voice. Live in integrity and authenticity, life is easier to navigate when you are not fighting unnecessary battles. Enjoy the moments in between, even when it is difficult – time flies faster than you think. Build your bucket list and make sure you chase each item down until you have achieved it. You are beautiful inside and outside, do not let any tell you otherwise.
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