This is the fifth time I’d pick up my phone to make this post and to be honest, I’ve not had the right words to share my experience while working at the bank. I’d just mention a few things.
1. I’d start by saying that working as a Product Manager is better than taking different courses here and there. At the early stage of my PM career, many people told me that it wasn’t about taking multiple courses. Now, I can’t agree less. It’s been 6 months and let’s say I’ve had to learn, relearn and unlearn a lot. It’s not been about how much courses I’ve taken but how much I’ve explored in real life— beyond the word, teaching and theory.
2. Every system is different. I’ve read experiences from my friends in other organizations and they are different from mine. Working in an organization with over 3,500 staff members can almost throw you off balance especially because as a PM, you must be able to talk to everyone and anyone to get what you need for your product or team. It’s been a lot doing that, though enjoyable. It has gained me relationships.
3. Initially, I felt I didn’t know what I was doing or Product Management wasn’t even for me. I almost gave up. Three months after and I was just done. I was asking myself who sent me work, lol. I now understand when they say Tech is blood money that sucks your blood— I had a really amazing boss who made things “difficult” for me. Talk about a really sound person who also expected same from you. It kept me on my toes and made me willing to learn. You’d feel like this but calm down, evaluate and push again.
4. I’ve learnt to read emails and documents at least 5 times before sending them. I can’t count the number of times I’ve sent mails saying “kindly find attached” without attaching anything. Or sending mails with the wrong font or language, or missing deadlines. God! It made me feel inadequate but again, I always tell myself there’s nothing I can’t do and it was time to prove myself right. I’ve been on it and I’m still doing it. You’d make mistakes. Learn, move past it and get better.
5. Every boss is peculiar. I’m really jovial and it gets me into relationships quickly. I’ve seen this play out in the bank. I’ve related with bosses from different departments and no one is alike in style, passion and communication. Thankfully, I’ve had the privilege of holding some line managers dear to me both closely and from afar. Thankful to my bosses Mr. Solomon Ayodele, Mr. Oluwatomi Adeogun, Mr. Olamide Jolaoso, Mr. Babatunde Mumuni, Ms Morolake, Mrs Falola; and every manager and senior manager I have engaged with directly or indirectly in the past 6 months.
6. Be ready to put in the work. Getting to any height is not easy. It requires resilience, determination and a learning spirit. PRDs are not the same everywhere. Acceptance Criteria is not written the same everywhere. These are the least of what you need to learn about. Don’t fall for the hype of just being called a “tech bro” and “tech sis”. Do the work— for yourself, your team and the organization you work with. It drives even more impact for you.
7. No one rewards effort. Everyone wants to see results. I can’t count how many times my boss has said this but it makes sense for me while I do the bank’s work and engage in other things. While I put in the effort, I must be sure to bring out the best results I can.
One of the results these 6 months gave me is the privilege of managing the team (and product) that worked on the bank’s solution to enlighten marketers, staff and customers on the products and offerings of the bank through WEMA Wiki— the Wikipedia of WEMA Bank (https://wiki.wemabank.com) and while I’m managing the product’s MVP 2, I’m currently managing the team working on the Personal Finance Management solution on the ALAT by WEMA app.
It’s been six months of so much. I’ve not gotten a hold of ALL I need to learn but I’m not the same way I got in here. I’ve evolved, learnt and seen better ways to be a better Product Manager.
I’m thankful to all my team members, Solomon Ayodele, Oluwatomi Adeogun, Moyinoluwa Akindele, Chukwunonso Orijiakor, Praise Ayoola, Evelyn Ita, Dorcas Popoola, Kehinde Adesina, Victory Soetan, Patience Jolaade, Robert Eru, Smith Apkhere, Oghenekeno (I just wrote these names offhand, loool)
Thankful for all my friends who have contributed to my growth and definitely for The Women Techsters Fellowship by Tech4Dev for the training and push for my career in Product Management.
To every other young Product Manager out there like me, trying to get their foot and stabilizing in their roles, I’d just tell you that it’s inevitable to feel like you don’t know what you’re doing, have a bit of imposter syndrome or running away at some point. What has helped me is staying true to myself and always being ready to learn with any opportunity given and of course, put my best foot forward without seeking external motivation or validation.
I’m excited about the rest of the year and the amazing results we’d produce as we maintain the drive to make impact for the bank.
Thank you for reading.