Page 110 - LKM70

THE LAST WORD
I CAME IN THE YEAR OF 70
BY ZEINA OTONJO
There is no right way to prepare for a new job. Even bigger if it’s a field you have never ever worked in.
On my first day at work, I bumped into this young man in the lift, my curious eyes kept searching him for a tag, I was a little shocked to spot the Identity card - UBA! No, do not misunderstand me, of course young people worked here, I just didn’t think they would be this young.
Considering my thoughts on the bank. It was old, it had stood the test of time- a greater populace of management should be old right? What was this new burst of life all over the building?
That’s exactly how your conscience goes into a spiral of thoughts. I was impressed and baffled at why I assumed an old bank would equate to old staff. Oldie but goodie, I guess.
The entire system was much more than
I presumed. The departmental heads were cool, safe to say they were ‘woke’ - aware and involved and that was enough for me.
The truth about professional growth
is in modern times it transcends the knowledge of your field. Lifestyle and emotional intelligence are essential
and my office was soaked with that. I had an induction ceremony with some of the brightest minds, I had ever met. Watching these teachers unearth and dismember financial lingo word by word reminded me why school was one of my favourite places. I truly feel excited to learn something new, but I love it the most when I understand.
The UBA Academy is the flight of stairs you are required to take part of to enter
the building (the organization). It is easy to assume you already know some of the things you’ll hear but one outstanding lesson I learnt here was that education
is general but inclusion is special to the environment. The Academy let me un- derstand why the core values of enter- prise, excellence and execution guide the bank.
Let me say this, I am not a banker. Yes, I don’t have any certifications that let me profile or project the numbers in 5 years but what I do have is a skill that lets me be part of the bigger picture. I had to unlearn what I did not need and learn what was peculiar to this distinguished institution.
I learnt about policies but I also studied about products. To effectively pass my message across I may not need to know how many customers joined yesterday but I needed to know what drew them in, what will keep them here and why after 70 years UBA was still a trustworthy financial partner.
I have learnt a lot of lessons about team- work, distribution and pushing bound- aries. You don’t turn 70 by sitting in the corner of the world waiting –you go out every day, affect a life, get bruised and get back up. That’s my lesson!
I may be one of the thousands of soldiers who make this territory so versatile but my journey here steadily reminds me to appreciate perseverance, resilience and unity.
Let me just say whether you are a trained accountant or a graphic designer, film maker or economist, there is a place for you at UBA. You are never too old or too young. I came in the year of 70 and I couldn’t be happier that I did.
110 | The Lion King | Commemorative Edition | January - April 2019