6 Months after… [WEMA Bank]
At first glance, moving from one organization to another could seem like an interesting flight, but this becomes difficult when you must leave a space where you were valued and have had the chance to rise and thrive. I wasn’t exactly sure that I was ready to leave a family I had grown to know who gave me my first chance at a 9 to 5. My WEMA/ALAT journey started right here on LinkedIn with a direct message from a recruiter.
‘Hi Solomon, Trust this finds you well. I am sourcing for an Innovation Manager role and your profile caught my attention. Could you share your profile with me for further engagement on this if the role interests you.?
![January 4 2022 — My first day at 54, Marina Lagos [WEMA Bank’s HQ]](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1*P201z1DLurIciwHqz3aBqg.jpeg)
Before this, I had been nursing some ‘subtle dissatisfaction’ at work, after my Line Manager [Ibifuro Apiafi] resigned to join another organization. I had also spoken to the acting head of the team about my resolve to fully transition into innovation management. I even began some level of personal development. So the call came as the trigger I needed to embrace the new and to dive into an unknown ocean. This came after 7 years and 7 Months with my family- a place where I had grown from a contract staff to manning the ‘corridor of power’ of the organization.
Quick Backstory
After I got my offer, I spoke to a few people [Oiza, my parents, my pastor, Samora, Busayo Moraks, Busayo Oyiza, Dr. Ruby and Uncle Victor Adewusi]. For me, these people represent several areas of my life and are probably the most instructive voices in my life. I needed to get their thoughts, counsel, ideas, prayers and reaffirm the inkling in my spirit. I am an unapologetic lover of Jesus Christ and regardless of my flaws, I am unashamed to say that my decisions are always premised on the leading of the Holy Spirit- this is how I WIN. So I prayed and I made a decision to take on the offer.
On the 4th of January 2022, I resumed at 54 Marina, Lagos. It was a mixture of excitement, fear, thrill and a stalwart decision to KILL IT. Before my resumption, I had done a couple of things; I spoke with my Line Manager to understand his expectations, deal breakers and what success means to him. I also asked questions around reporting lines, governance and structure. In addition to this, I spoke with the erstwhile Innovation Manager, who I connected with through a church member, before proceeding to confirm my resumption date. He gave me a clear insight of the stakeholders, their dynamics and what I should expect. However, I didn’t approach the organization with these preconceived notions — I resumed with an open mind to learn for myself and also from the information I had access to.
I knew my job sat on the fence between the old and the new. It perched between vague interpretations of my job description and unrealistic expectations. As a young, energetic and impact-driven individual, I knew I needed a strategy in delivering the right kind of value to my stakeholders and finding peace with the work I would be doing. I knew I needed a TEAM, a formidable one. I knew I needed PEOPLE.
The current exodus in the industry wouldn’t allow us create so much magic, so I resolved to get 8 interns onboard [1 Product Manager, 3 Product Designers, 2 Front End, 2 Back End Engineers]. To me, this was like when God told Gideon he was going to fight the enemies with 300 Men. I didn’t know how it would happen but I was ready to take the risk of investing in these newbies who had wildly curious minds, hard work and raw talent. All I needed to do was sell the vision to them and throw them into the deep ends of the work. I am eternally glad I made this decision, because my girls [Interns] are really making me proud.
I wasn’t expecting my first 6 Months to be the easiest, not because I got thrown into an already-decided but fantastic strategy but because I only had a few days to jump into the work to either recalibrate the direction of the strategy or commenced implementation immediately. There are a couple of things that stood out for me; the flexibility and willingness of my line manager, the openness of the management and readiness of the internal stakeholders. So two weeks after my resumption, I needed to start off the plan for the Hackaholics Programmes.
Wema Bank’s Hackathon (themed Hackaholics) is a yearly program that has gained a lot of public attention and helped to put the bank in the minds of many as one of the most innovative banks in Nigeria. Compared to the last edition, which was an acceleration program that featured startups who were already in business, we were charged to take Hackaholics to campuses across Nigeria, where we were expected to work with students and youths who had solid and potentially scalable business solutions.
In February, we kicked off with FUTA and while we were wrapping up the pitch session, we got the news that ASUU had commenced a warning strike. UNIBEN, which was supposed to be our next stop, became practically impossible. Hence, we pushed to host the second leg of the pitch to Babcock University and then proceeded to Lagos where we hosted UNILAG at the Bank’s facility in Ilupeju, Lagos.
Considering the divergent challenges we’ve had to face and surmount, we got over 1,540 young persons to register for the Hackaholics, across 11 Campuses in Nigeria — a clear 40% over last year’s application and engagement. Asides this, we got over 4,000 New to Bank customers for the enterprise, curated a pipeline of over 600 hirable tech talents for our Human Capital Team and got over 2,500 new followers across our social media platforms.
Whilst working on the Hackaholics, we took a bold step in democratizing the Design thinking workshop that the team had also hosted in Lagos. We call the Design Thinking Workshop — The Rumble Workshop. The Rumble Workshop has been set up to unleash the workforce’s full creative energies, win staff commitment to the bank’s strategy and radically improve the Bank’s processes and procedures. So, in the bid to encourage inclusiveness within the workforce and the resounding successes recorded in the previous editions of the Rumble Workshop, the Innovation Team decided to hit the terrible roads in Nigeria.
For me, I believe in casting the BIG vision for my team to run and align with. My goal has always been RESULTS. I understand people won’t celebrate your bare effort, energies, or the grammar you’ve spoken — they are after the result. In the past three editions we’ve hosted; we’ve delivered innovation frameworks for our Human Capital Team, Credit Management module for our retail business, revamped the onboarding suite of one of our major solutions, and developed an internal tool for productive and overall product knowledge.
I am eternally glad that I have been able to take the Innovation team within the bank from ‘What exactly are you doing?’ to ‘Thank you for delivering these results. Please we want more’. From revamping the bank’s internal innovation portal to building an AI-based business finance management solution; it is so easy for me to shout about these results, but the results that gladden my heart the most are intangible. The story of Victory Soetan who attended our Design Thinking workshop and switched careers from a Treasury Operations Specialist to Product Designer. Precious who used to work as a Marketer in our Abuja Region, who has now transitioned to Product Management. These are the stories that gladden my heart. These are my bankable laurels.
The story of Dorcas, an intern who joined my team and has gone ahead to build an experiential solution that the bank used for her 5th Year anniversary or the story of Evelyn, also an intern [Front End Developer], who has also developed solutions the entire bank now uses. These are my achievements — the people, their lives. The confidence these people now exude, the tangible growth I can see, the magic I see them make, the way they manage stakeholders, the way they hold the forte in my absence, the maturity in their email, the resilience with which they handle difficult projects.- this, for me, is success
As I look forward to the next 6 Months, I am beyond convinced about the limitless possibilities that are yet to unfold. My commitment is to keep investing in people. It is only people that can change systems, structures and communities.
Solomon O. Ayodele
11 July 2022.