Theo* swears by some principles; one of them is not making demands. He simply does his job and expects his bosses to pay him what he deserves. He tries to stay out of trouble but took the risky move of dating a co-worker.
What have you experienced as a working adult that nothing prepared you for?
The first is how much people lie to pull other people down or just to further their careers. It's so messed up. I experienced that as a teenager.
I started working many years ago after I finished learning a technical skill; my instructor retained me and gave me a stipend every month. My boss once sent me to fix a client's device, which I did. But the client told my boss I didn't do it well. Whereas, what he was looking for was for us to come again and fix a different device.
Another thing I learned from another job was that if you're good at what you do, work does not get easier. Once my boss knew that I was fast and great at what I did, he used me a lot.
That was when I realised that if you don't ask for what you're worth, you'll be underpaid. The person who recommended me for the job and also works there earned more for doing less.
The same happened when I did a teaching job, I was teaching three subjects and getting paid ₦20,000. Another experience I had was finding out how important a certificate is in many traditional corporate settings.
I was one of the best teachers in the school, loved by the management, I even took up extra tasks that I didn't get paid for. But when the school was experiencing money issues, I was considered to be laid off because I didn't have a certificate. But I was reconsidered after a colleague left.
One thing my boss told me—I believe he did this because it favoured him then—which I have used as a yardstick for my life is that, "You are a young man, don't chase money in the early days, chase learning."
And that has been my go-to strategy in life; well, until Tinubu became president and the economy became what it is. So I have to start chasing money. But I try to be relevant anywhere I work.
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I was initially surprised with how people were willing to exploit others. My parents, uncles, and aunties have told me about how private establishments over-use you when they know you're good at what you do.
I also experienced people trying to bring you down.
I eventually found myself in a company that didn't do any of the things I'd initially experienced. I found it unbelievable. That wasn't my idea of the corporate world. I got to work with a wonderful supervisor and a great boss. And I was able to work with a team.
I also experienced the "dog-eat-dog" attitude that occurs in the corporate space. Everybody tries to push each other down; nobody watches out for anybody. What matters is who gets what done, sharing blame, and pointing fingers.
What lessons have you learned from these experiences, apart from what your boss told you?
I've worked with traditional businesses, done freelancing, worked for schools, worked with a startup, and also worked for a mini corporate company. The common lesson I've learnt is to try to do good work and you'll be recognised, and be as kind to people as possible.
I also learned a lot of patience in dealing with people. It's one of my early jobs that probably reinforced my introvertedness, because it was easy to be treated unfairly and looked down on by people who meet you.
I discovered how to work with diverse teams while working with the startup and corporate company, how to be a specialist, and how to delegate properly.
Would you say you have a superpower when it comes to work?
I don't think I do. I don't think I'm as smart as most people think I am. But, if you want to send someone on a diplomatic mission, I'll probably be the one. I'm usually not the subject of attack (sometimes, I am).
But a strong trait I have is to be able to notice patterns early enough. Those patterns help me to draw a lot of insights and understand people. This makes people see me as being creative. Though it might take time, I grow on people. I like to experiment. I don't think any of these is a superpower. I know it's something that people will have if they pay attention. By the way, I've been lucky with my bosses.
Do you feel people you've worked for noticed these "superpowers" and exploited them?
I'm not sure they've noticed it except for two bosses that I've had who are observant, but I won't say they used me in that sense. It only brought me more responsibilities so I could stay relevant.
Can't say the same for other places. I should also mention that I'm a calm person and likely not going to push back even when I feel I'm being cheated.
But here's what happens, I don't push back when I don't care about the job; I'll just mentally check out until I leave. And when I do, I most likely won't keep in touch again. But if you see me argue or push back, it means I still care about the company.
Do you have any experience of being adventurous at any of your jobs?
I don't think most companies allow you to take risks. If you mean risk in terms of trying something I've not done before, yes. For example, I've been given responsibilities I didn't know I could handle.
I accept them regardless and figure it out. I've taken up the role of a secretary before where I had to start managing books and inventory. I've never done that before, but I accepted it anyway. In another job, I started experimenting with data, even when numbers have never been my strong suit.
But, if you mean risk in terms of doing something that could put my work in danger, I'm not sure I've done that. I've always tried to play it safe.
So, you've never gotten into any trouble in your professional life?
I don't think I have since I'm a calm person, and I try to do everything by the books, follow the rules, be in my lane, and don't step on anybody's toes. I've had a few clashes with colleagues, though. But I won't outrightly break the rules.
On second thought, the riskiest thing I've done is dating a co-worker, and luckily for me, the company didn't kick against it. Aside from that, I play by the books.
I've even had to use my money for office runs without asking for a refund. I don't know how to demand things, I just blend in, and if it doesn't work for me, I don't try to change it, I just check out mentally and leave. Or if I'm in a position of authority, I try to change what I feel needs to be changed.
What do you think has influenced this laid-back approach?
I think it's a combination of personality, upbringing, and past experiences. I used to be very loud, talkative, and outgoing in secondary school, but I started withdrawing into my shell close to the end.
Don't get me wrong, I'm going to speak up when I see the need to, it's just that I don't see the point in a lot of things or a need to make a fuss about them.
When it comes to upbringing, I got a blend of both personalities from my parents—being laid back and also demanding what you deserve—more of being laid back, though.
I've mostly had bosses who have taken a liking to me, so I don't see a need to make a fuss. I don't know if it's my calmness that has made my bosses calm towards me. I've noticed that I'm personable due to my calmness, and people often confide in me at work because of my perceived level-headedness.
There's a caveat, to be safe, I'm always watchful of the kind of company I am. I'm not going to stay in a company if I know that all the effort I'm putting in will not get noticed, because I will not really demand anything.
I feel there's a base level of understanding and trust I'll have in you if you can spot the work I'm doing and choose to reward me for it. And I've had this luck with a couple of bosses I've worked with.
I want to put the burden on you to give me what you know I deserve, if you don't give me, I won't ask, I'll leave and go somewhere else. And going by the job-hopping principle, I know that if I leave you with the job experience I have, I'm getting something better than what you're offering in a month or two. If I care about the company, I'll probably ask.
It's just that I have some kind of expectation from people to do certain things by default. But, I'm learning to ask when I absolutely need to ask.
Some people consider this personality as a lack of ambition. But ambition, for me, is to keep learning, growing, and finding opportunities to be better at what I do.
What privileges have you enjoyed as a young working adult?
Entering the tech space as early as I did was a big privilege. My starting salary was 5x what I was collecting at my first job. It was a big deal.
Since then, my earning power has grown; I've gained exposure, increased my network, and gotten close to influential people globally. Another privilege is travelling within Nigeria, Africa, and Europe, for work reasons.
The biggest privilege is the opportunity to learn so much; it feels like I've been in the space longer than I have. Another privilege is being surrounded by smart people. I've also had great bosses that I have good relationships with. Thinking back to the course I studied, I shouldn't be where I am now.
So, do you think these privileges affect your outlook on work?
It does affect how I think about my work. It made me feel like I could do anything I wanted, even if I didn't have the skills yet. I have the confidence that if there's something out there to be done, I can do it. Having great bosses has largely meant I'm usually not worried about my job security even when things are not going well.
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