Dear Diary,
Thursday was an interesting day, not because anything overly dramatic happened, but because I was reminded once again that there are some things you can’t just learn in class.
It was 2017. I’d pretty much just joined Avon HMO, barely two months in or so and I started the day by picking the wrong shirt. I’d never worn it to work, and my poor identification of colours confines me with going with safe blues, blacks, whites, greys. Let’s just say I dressed for a Friday on a Thursday.
I picked wrong that day, thanks to Kanayo O Kanayo having a field day in the company of my village people. 1-0.
Work was normal, Peter raised an eyebrow when he saw me, but the Head of HR sits close to me, and since she didn’t say anything, I told Peter to let me be.
Work was normal till our CEO came in and said Deji and I that we would be going along with her to HH for a meeting on the digital side of our business. Translation, we would be in a meeting with TOE.
And I wasn’t with a jacket. In essence, Chiwetalu Agu had joined Kanayo and my village people. 2 – 0.
Anyway, I had the misfortune of sitting under the vents. It was my first time meeting TOE in close quarters. I was just a face before then.
It was cold in there. I was sitting directly under an AC vent, so I shivered quietly while discussions went back and forth on different issues. Someone raised an idea on what we could add to boost our presence and improve the customer journey. It wasn’t an idea I agreed with, but I kept quiet. I wasn’t going to interrupt when my seniors were talking.
Suddenly, TOE turned to me and said, “Ehen, you, what do you think?”
For a minute, my mind scrambled with the Efe virus, and I thought, “Me? Who I be?”
What the hell do I know? I’m just an Avon baby, and I’m a writer, not a talker.
But I had to talk, so I did, more than I thought I would.
Just as they were about to move on, TOE turned to me again and said, “So if I didn’t ask, you wouldn’t have said anything even though most thought it was a good idea? Don’t you people talk at Avon? Simbo, is that how your people use to do? You don’t talk?”
My boss just looked at me and smiled.
I said I didn’t want to just cut in and it seemed like the basis was covered.
“Not at all, what you said now made is think about it differently. Don’t just keep quiet, if you think there’s something we should know, say it.”
“Yes, sir.”
From that point, he would look at me occasionally, and I would chip in.
Towards the end, he turned to Deji and me while talking to Simbo and said, “Your new boys know what they’re doing, but they need to speak more.”
In my mind, I was like, “You people should leave me jare, I only know how to write.”
I was still freezing.
Fortunately, we closed, but not before he said, “Simbo, this your young man, is dressed for Friday o.”
Damn, was hoping he wouldn’t notice but who was I kidding, oga notices everything.
Then when he passed by me, he remarked again, “Ha, and he’s even wearing chinos! Have I told you guys about how I wasn’t properly dressed one day early in my career, and my boss sent me home? I thought he was the worst person in the world that day, but dressing is important. You never know when you’ll be going out for a meeting.”
Only saving grace was that I had a tie on.
About Wobe Diaries
Unfiltered. Barebones. Raw. In this Diary, I simply record notable experiences that occur in Lagos — buses, motor parks, the streets, church, work etc. — whenever I leave the safety and quiet of my apartment.
LOL we all have our TOE “speak up” moments. Good story.
LOL! I can look back and laugh now. Was a bag of nerves at the time.
Thanks, Ifesinachi.
Lol. Safe to say that its a tie between you and the village people. This was really humorous. You should probably wear the multi-coloured shirt to the office more often.