The robots are coming but not for our job, says the technology team at Africa Prudential. Okay, maybe not in those exact words, but the vibe is the same—Technology will ‘change your life.’ Forgive the cliché, but those guys? They mean business. By guys, we mean two men and one woman—Odeyemi, Kelvin and Nnenna—Africa Prudential’s coolest kids who are part of the innovation hub at Ilupeju. Wait. Before you roll your eyes and wonder if they are not your ordinary colleagues scrambling to meet deadlines and transform Africa, be assured that HHPeople did a thorough investigation and can verify that they bleed, cool. In this cover feature, we spotlight the important work they are doing, revealing the quirks and interesting facts you would never have guessed about them. First things first, let’s meet the Cool Kids.
Nnennaya Okereke a.k.a The Preacher, with experience in Software, Agile, Retail Marketing and Digital Marketing. She wants to spread the gospel of Technology and low key tries to be a Fitfam enthusiast.
Oyedemi Abiola a.k.a Robot Man, an avid artificial intelligence follower who likes to play chess and listen to Nina Simone. He is also a DevSec Operation Engineer and even though we don’t know what that means, we like that it sounds cool and important.
Kelvin Orhungul a.k.a Design Guru who is currently in charge of designing the pixel perfect user interface of computer programs. He is also an experienced Java Trainer.
So, now that the hard Tech stuff is out of the way, who are these guys, really?
On How They Start the Day
Oyedemi: I wake up too early and foggy headed, so I usually reach out for a cup of coffee. Super important!
Um, cough-cough, does that sound familiar?
Kelvin: Well, I start my day with Tea instead because I feel Coffee is toxic.
*evil laugh*
Nnennaya: Not to jump into this Coffee vs Tea conversation but if by tea you mean “oyibo” tea (steeped tea), then I prefer coffee. If you mean Nigerian tea (Beverage), then tea wins it for me. Basically, I’m in favour of anything that goes with cream.
On How They Dress to Work
Odeyemi: Business casual
Kelvin: Hahaa, jeans, T Shirt and sneakers, of course.
Nnennaya: a casual dress, a cute short skirt, depending on how I feel.
On Becoming Productive
Odeyemi: I get into my productivity zone by playing Enya, Yanni or Era. My Tech inspiration is Harold (Wren) Finch, reclusive but controlling all the information within his fingers. Having all the power but still humble to earth. He is fictional by the way.
Kelvin: When I need to get work done, I get alone. I zone out. This doesn’t mean I am an introvert, it’s just that I can get easily distracted. In fact, the thought that someone might distract me is already a distraction for me.
Nnenaya: I scribble, I listen to music or I close my eyes and I mentally wander off to a land where I am living the problem I am trying to solve.
On the Meaning of Innovation
Odeyemi: Simple. New solutions to old problems. Finding ways to answer problems where answers have previously not existed.
Kelvin: Two phrases – Creative Thinking.
Nnennaya: The ability to improvise. To connect things that exist today and develop things that will exist in the future.
On Handling Team Disagreements
Oyedemi: Disagreements is natural in a team. My job is to listen to all sides and find a middle point for all the parties involved. Of course, with the end goal of leading back to company growth.
Kelvin: I remind my team members of our agreed objective. That gesture will remind everyone that we are all working towards the same goal.
Nnneaya: While conflict is not necessarily unhealthy, if not managed carefully it can have a significant amount of negative impact on a product team.
Honestly, it can be tempting for the team to agree with the person with the loudest voice or the person that ‘appears’ to make the strongest point. One can get swayed if not careful, which is why self-awareness is very important. I have found that listening carefully and creating a consensus within the team is often the best path to take. I would usually either have an open voting amongst team members, where majority decides on the right direction to follow. This way I ensure trust and respect amongst team members.
Again, in reality it is not always easy breezy. Sometimes not everyone is willing to bend. At the end of the day, the team is made up of unique human beings, individuals with strong opinions and all wanting to be heard. In this case, the meeting will be adjourned after assuring all team members that everyone’s opinion is valuable. I would either proceed to speak one on one with each team member or speak with the tech lead, and further do some research to arrive at a final decision.
Two things are certain regardless of what route is taken. Firstly, the team must bond again. Whether over a hot slice of pizza, or over jokes on a team member, it remains very critical to me that these disagreements don’t linger or breed bad blood and that the team remains trusting of each other.
Secondly, something(s) must be learnt from every conflict.
On Who Is Their Tech Inspiration
Oyedemi: My tech inspiration is Harold (Wren) Finch, reclusive but controlling all the information within his fingers. Having all the power but still humble to earth. He is fictional by the way.
Kelvin: I go with Jack Ma. This is because his main objective is to build solutions that solve problems for the masses – money is just the reward for this noble cause.
Nnennaya:
Lulu Cheng (product manager at Pinterest) because she seems passionate about solving problems and user-centered design and Eric Ries (Author of The Lean Start-up)because he is invested in start-ups, lean and agile all of which I happen to have keen interest on.
