Welcome to my Leadership Series.
I believe that the best way to learn is to listen to and engage with people who are experiencing notable wins in the area of life you wish to excel at.
In this series, we will share our discussion with notable leaders (in various fields) whom we believe you will both learn from, and be inspired by.
This week and next we are showcasing Christy Adoga, Director of Administration & Finance at Axios Foundation, Nigeria.
Enjoy!
Lizspire: Good afternoon Madam. To kick off our conversation could you please introduce yourself; tell us a bit about yourself, your background and what role you fill right now.
Mrs. Christy Adoga: My full names are Christianah Anu Adoga. Friends call me Christy or Anu.
I am a financial manager with over 22 years’ experience working with NGOs (Non-Governmental organizations) in various capacities. I have on the job experience in Finance, Admin and Human Resources Management. I currently work with Axios Foundation Nigeria which is an associate of Axios International as their Director for Finance and Admin.
Related Reading: Balancing Your Work & Life
Lizspire: I know the question foremost on the minds of Lizspire subscribers will be ‘how did you get here?’
Mrs. Christy Adoga: It’s been a journey that entails hard work and dedication.
I started my NGO journey as a National Youth Corper (1996/97) and my passion for humanitarian services was kindled right there.
We know for a woman to achieve great things in our society, you need hard work, dedication and passion.
Hard work came easy having the kind of father I had growing up. When you are dedicated to what you do, someone will notice you! I tell people, stay the course, do the best you can and naturally success will find you at the place of your assignment.
I was also fortunate to work with people that recognized the potential in me and nurtured that potential. I had great mentors that showed me that hard work does pay…
Lizspire: Amazing. Have there been any sacrifices you have had to make in your professional journey? What did you give up, delay or turn away from to get to where you are?
Mrs. Christy Adoga: Oh plenty sacrifices! I have a personal goal for zero error in vouching for expenses and accounting in general (learned this from my very 1st boss), to achieve this, extra effort in reviewing before approval was needed.
Sometimes I have to carry work home in other to meet up with processing payments.
My son at a time told me “Mum, you don’t have time for me!”
At that point, I had to make sure I spend quality time with him during the weekend.
At a point I was running my master’s program, working and had a family to attend to! My social life that was barely nonexistent at that time also had to go…but it all paid off at the end.
Lizspire: You direct Finance & Administration (including Human Capital Management) for a bustling NGO in West Africa. You get to meet a lot of young people. What one word would you say describes the current crop of school leavers entering the workforce? And why did you choose this word?
Mrs. Christy Adoga: I will use the word ‘impatient’. They are hurrying to no destination.
They have to be ready to crawl, walk before running.
Life is process, they must be ready to identify and learn from mentors; mentors will teach you what no university or formal education can ever teach you.
I had great Mentor(s) who gave me the foundation the work ethics I hold to till today.
I have also met wonderful young men and woman burning with a passion to learn, for those set it is easy to create opportunities for them to excel in the career.
Lizspire: Tell us more about Christy Adoga the woman; what makes her tick? What are your aspirations? And why?
Mrs. Christy Adoga: Christy Loves life, am simple and a passionate lover of Children, I am into children ministry, spending time with them makes me come alive. I love to learn and constantly look out for opportunities to do so.
Also, I look forward to when I can fully run my personal business.
In addition, I aspire to start my NGO at a point, empowering women in vocational trade to make them self-sufficient.
My first love is for women and children as both of them are fragile…
Lizspire: What is your opinion about leadership (business leadership, not political leadership) in Nigeria currently?
Mrs. Christy Adoga: To be a successful business leader in Nigeria, I believe you need to exhibit certain traits; with the hostile business environment we have in Nigeria you will need to be courageous, ensuring that a bad experience does not deter you from your goal, make rational decisions as the boss yourself, we have seen some businesses thriving that the owner delegated decision making and those people not understanding the vision themselves have crashed such businesses.
Be Responsible for either bad or good outcome of your business; when your workers don’t get it right own it and make amends and when they do get it right, ensure you reward your workers.
Lizspire: How can we create an environment where women can both aspire to and become formidable leaders in our business environment? What responsibility is placed on the existing female leaders?
Mrs. Christy Adoga: Our current business environment seems to be male dominated, so to bridge this gap, existing female leaders need to mentor other women and replicate what they will like to see!!
Before a successful female leader can consider herself successful, she should have ensured she has grown several others to realize their full potential.
Related Reading: Career Advice for Women
Lizspire: What are your passions and interests outside your normal 9 to 5? And how do you juggle them?
Mrs. Christy Adoga: Outside of my Job, I run my retail/fashion brand “Touch of Royalty”, it’s a fashion and accessory business specializes in providing women clothing and accessories like jewelry, bags etc.; we also sell ready to wear Afrocentric female clothing (including ankara, jumpers, shift dresses, boubous etc.) in quality material and prints.
I currently run my business weekends and leverage my social media presence. Touch of Royalty hosts trunk-shows, sales events and lots more. Our most recent (sold out event) was in July 2018.
Lizspire: That’s great! So if one wanted to contact Touch of Royalty, how can we go about that?
Mrs. Christy Adoga: Get in touch at…
Instagram – @touch_ofroyalty,
Facebook: Touch Of Royalty,
E-mail: touchofroyaltygl@gmail.com ,
Business Line: +234 (0) 705 636 5789.
Lizspire: In your opinion, what skills does the 21st Century professional woman need to have to excel in today’s business world?
Mrs. Christy Adoga: The ability to quickly and confidently assimilate change. We live in interesting times, where businesses are not confined to a physical store alone, we need to educate ourselves on current trends and be abreast of the technology to reach people widely, we can’t be ignorant of what is happening around us.
Lizspire: As we round up, could you share advice for the new crop of entrepreneurs looking to disrupt the business environment?
Mrs. Christy Adoga: You need to have a clear vision.
When I started my business, it was an idea that started on my bed while praying.
I identified my business name, registered it, nobody wants to do business with unknown entity.
Research similar businesses, evaluate your threats, find opportunities and run from there… Start small but be consistent.
Lizspire: I’d like to say a big than you for your time and for your commitment to improving the employability of our youth.
Any last words for our readers?
Mrs. Christy Adoga: Go out there and make a difference…
Mrs Adoga has our thanks for her candor and willingness to share snippets of her experience with us.
Do you have specific questions for her, feel free to send them in.
In the meantime, do you dream of standing out in your career as well? Do you aspire to climp to the top of your professional pinnacle?
Then you will need some inspiration. My book 45 Reasons not to be Ordinary is available as a download. Visit the Lizspire shop and grab your copy.
Don’t miss out on the next Leadership interview with Le Cordon Bleu Chef Emeka Vincent Eloagu who has worked hard and made his dreams come true! Subscribe to the newsletter and have it delivered to your inbox every Friday.
