Against All Odds, I Persevered

The SPDH Project InspireMe; FTSE series, with Mr Uche Adiele

SPDH- There were quite a number of lessons to learn from our last interview... But, guess what? the thrill's just getting started. In this week's edition, we get to switch gears. Yeah, it's our debut also (hold on), not off Project InspireMe but off "From The Stake of Experience (FTSE)" series where we'll be featuring seasoned professionals from different areas of field and practice, and have them share their stories of the journey from student hood to the ideal professionals and mentors we look up to today. We've got Mr. Uche Adiele in our midst... Can we get to meet you sir?

Mr. Adiele- My name is Uche Adiele. I am a Finance, Analytics and Consulting professional. I am trying not to make this seem like I'm being interviewed for a job, so I am not going to go through my credentials as such. I started my professional career in 2013/2014 and I worked briefly in a bank and then switched to consulting. For almost 4 years in Nigeria, I worked with PwC, where I was involved in strategy and finance consulting. I also started off my professional designation, ACCA around same time and then moved to Canada. I joined EY where I worked for almost 2 years as a transaction advisory professional. I just started a new role with Johnson & Johnson as a Senior Financial Analyst.
I am also a student, taking my Master's program while working. It has been very intense and challenging but we are pushing it.

Asides work, I love having fun. I play chess a lot, and for me, chess is my go-to thing. I love and play tennis too. I am also a family person and I spend time, now virtually, catching up with my nephew and niece as well as my mum and other family members. That's basically about me, but I guess from the other questions you will get to know more. The only thing I missed from that is, asides my job and personal life, I spend time doing lots of volunteer activities such as mentoring new migrants to Canada and engaging youths on topics such as “life after school”, etc. Thank you.

SPDH- From your LinkedIn profile, we noticed you were actively involved in Students' Union activities during your undergraduate days, taking up leadership roles. How were you able to balance them with studies?

Mr. Adiele- I have always loved taking up leadership roles. I did that during my undergraduate studies (several leadership roles) and I am currently the President of my program (section) at Queen’s University here in Ontario, Canada. I’ve always told myself that everywhere I go, I want to be a person of impact, to take on the burden of leadership, support people and to see how I can give my own quota. That has always been the case. The drive here has been the need to share, the need to impact, the need to lead and not just because of the clout of being called "a leader or a president", it's more about lending my voice.

It’s common to find a situation where people aren’t keen on speaking up and that’s what I have always wanted to do (speak up); to be that voice and bridge the gap. It wasn’t easy obviously, I had to study harder. But I think what helped me was understanding myself. I knew when I could study and assimilate faster and I did that. I am also very principled and when I set my mind to do something, I just get it done. I knew I wanted to leave UNN with a good grade and to be one of the best students in my set and I think I did that. So, I had to study more. Did I fail? Yes. I failed two courses in school. Did that stop me? No! And that is something I’ve learnt. I just had to go back and try again. It wasn’t an easy journey and that’s just what I wanted to point out here.

SPDH- Having studied Statistics/Economics, how were you able to transit to the Finance and Business Consulting world?

Mr Adiele- Initially, I always knew I wanted to do something related to numbers as I loved and was good with numbers. I joined PwC and was posted to the Advisory line of service and that was the start for me. I ended up liking what I was doing and I told myself (while I was working) what I was going to do to improve on myself and add to my qualifications. Being someone who loves learning and developing myself, I decided to start my professional certification (starting with ACCA and continued). To be very sincere, I didn’t know from day 1 that I wanted to be a business consultant or a finance professional. Things happened and then I was able to do that.

Funny enough, I still use my statistics and economics background because I do lots of data analysis. I try to look at the big picture, seeking to know how the things I do impact the micro or macro-economic environment.

Just to qualify what I have said and also throw more light to people who will read this, you don’t always get to know what you want to do from the start and that’s normal. As time goes on, as you walk through life, and take up a job, you realize, "okay I don’t like this, I like something else" and gradually, you push through. Figuring out the job I liked, there was a lot to do and gradually as I walked towards the path, I found myself in Finance and Business Consulting today.

SPDH- What skills and development strategies would you suggest /recommend for someone interested in Finance, as well as, the Business Consulting Industry?

Mr. Adiele- For Finance and Business Consulting, here are a few things you need to know and do. You must not be afraid of numbers. You must love numbers because the Finance spectrum deals a lot with data and you should be able to understand these numbers, and as well as interpret them.
Now, the other thing is that you should have a curious mind and must be willing to dig deep to find out what the issue is. The thing about consulting is that you want to find out what the problem is, solve it and you want to make things better. That’s something that you must be willing to do. These two skills will set you apart as a good Finance and Consulting professional.

Another thing you should also do is to be ready to develop yourself. The finance role, the accounting role or the consulting role of 20 years ago or 30 years ago is different from the one of today, everything is evolving. You must be willing to learn, use the internet and talk to people to get insights too. Be willing to learn and improve on yourself, that is it.

Furthermore, understand that the finance space is broad. There are strictly accounting and audit professionals, investment bankers, etc. And then you need to take a professional course specific to your area. In the consulting space, there are several areas of specialization. You can be a HR consultant, a Strategy consultant, and even be a Finance consultant (which is also very broad). I could go on and on.

In summary, find out and understand the space you want to play in, seek how to develop yourself in that space and work towards it. I hope that answered the question.

SPDH- Principles as we know are like tools which have been tested and worked overtime under various conditions. What principles would you say, have made a difference in your career and journey through life?

Mr. Adiele- Talking about principles, I would say one principle I have is, "to never stop learning, and never stop doing what I’ve found out to be successful." That’s one thing I’ve told myself. And the other principle I have also learnt and taken to heart is the fact that there are people in worse situations than I am, or I’ve been. And when I face challenges, I remind myself of that, plus it’s not an excuse for me to fail, or to decide to let go and stop trying. These for me, have kept me going.
There are other principles that I definitely take seriously, but these two aforementioned are the major ones that I want to point out here. Thank you.

"Never stop learning, and never stop doing what you’ve found out to be successful."

SPDH- Definitely there were challenges you faced along the journey to where you are now. Do you mind sharing some you encountered, and as well, how you got to handle/overcome them?

Mr. Adiele- Looking at my life’s journey, one of the challenges that I faced that defined me and still defines me is losing my dad. I lost my dad very early (I was 11 years when my dad died almost 20 years ago). It was a tough one. At a point in my life, I felt I wasn’t going to succeed but I remembered a conversation I had with a mentor of mine years ago and that was just before I entered into the University. He said something, “Your father died, yes, that didn’t take God unawares so that is not an excuse to fail." Those words stuck in my mind till today and have kept me going.

So every single time I meet people, young friends or colleagues who are going through tough times and are wondering, "ooh, I don’t have this, I wish I had this, I wish I had that," I remind them that there are people who are in worse situations and also pointing out the fact that they have no excuse.

Also, I recall that in one of the questions I answered earlier, I mentioned the fact that I had failed in the University; 2 courses. First was a Computer Science course and that was my first time. Imagine getting A’s in all my departmental courses and then an F in this. I felt so downcast but the only thing I could do was to stand up, dust myself and try again. I tried again, got a wonderful grade but then, failed again in my third year and I was tired. Once more, I sat for the course again and had a good grade too. So those incidences, one, losing my dad, secondly, having to fail twice in the University as an undergraduate and still finish with a very strong CGPA. I am happy that I didn’t let those circumstances define me, and was able to push through.

SPDH- We can also deduce from your profile that you are a man of impact, having volunteered in various capacities, giving to the betterment of humanity. How was the experience volunteering? Also, did it shape your view about life and in any way, contribute to your career?

Mr. Adiele- Volunteering is something I love. Every single time in my life and my career journey, I have been eager to volunteer and give back. I started playing chess from volunteering (that’s a story for another time). I started volunteering as a teenager and haven’t stopped; I taught in a school during my undergraduate days and also volunteered in a school while undergoing my National Youth Service program. At every point in my life, there were people who didn't owe me anything but supported me, advised me, gave resources and, I asked myself, what I could do in return. That has always been my driving force for volunteering. It's all about, "I have been given, let me also give back." That is my whole interest in volunteering.

The other thing I would say is that it has contributed to my career because I realised that (especially in Canada) where I live now, there is so much focus on volunteering. Sometimes, employers are not only interested in your work experience, but they are also more interested in what you do/did outside your job. Even if you didn’t have a job for a period, were you able to volunteer, to take out some time and do something? Those are the things that people should take into consideration. I for one, I’m in support of volunteering. Ensure that you are impacting, giving back, as well as supporting someone. You don’t know how fulfilling that can be. And yes, volunteering is part of me. I have pioneered a program to support people. I’m currently running one on LinkedIn, engaging foreign-trained professionals and settling into a new environment.

So, it has always been my lifestyle. It’s something I enjoy doing, something that has changed me personally.

SPDH- Getting such recommendations from people you previously worked with, as being the go-to-person, someone willing to share his knowledge with others, a great team player, making the often challenging world of deadlines and deliverables, fun for everyone with his sense of humour and wit. That is quite a whole lot. We are quite curious as to how you got to build such enviable people skills over time.

Mr. Adiele- I don’t want to wait until one year before you start getting value from my relationship. That’s always the case and I’m happy that my former colleagues, my friends, and my classmates saw, at different times in my life, the value I brought to the table and were able to recognise it on LinkedIn and share recommendations. Truth is, I was just being me, I always wanted to (and still do) bring something to the table and that’s one thing I would love people to understand. For every relationship, ask yourself, "what am I bringing to the table?" You can’t just come in and keep taking. You need to have something to offer. You may not have the money, but you have the time. You may have the advice; you may have learnt something online and you should share it with the people around you. Always bring something to the table and that has helped my interactions.

There are some things I also had to learn but then, I had to leverage on relationships. Relationships are key. It’s a currency that sometimes money can’t buy, so build relationships. Someone you know today might be there to help you tomorrow. Don’t look down on anyone. For instance, I try to engage people who are higher than me, lower than me and even my peers, just to build that relationship and communication.

SPDH- If you were to recommend just one book, which will it be and why?

Mr. Adiele- Ok if you don't mind, I'll mention two books...

SPDH- That would be great sir, we wouldn't mind.

Mr. Adiele- Alright, the first book, I read it 2 years ago and oh my, it changed a whole lot in me. It’s by a professor but he’s late now. The book is titled, "The Last Lecture" by Randy Paush. There’s something that was said in the book I took to heart, "We cannot change the cards that we are dealt, just how we play the hand." In life generally, you cannot change where you are coming from, you cannot change what happens to you, but you can change how you react and what you do with it. And that’s one book I’d recommend.

The next book I have in mind is "Failing Forward" by John C. Maxwell. I’m not a fan of motivational books really, but that book helped me. Funny enough, the day after I got the result for the course I had failed in school, I went for a meeting and the book was on a seat in front of me. Someone was reading it and I asked the person to lend it to me and I read that book which changed my whole concept of failing. I realised that the fact you failed once doesn’t make you a failure. It is when you fail and decide to wallow in your failure and decide not to stand up, that’s when you are a failure. Once again, failing doesn’t mean you are a failure, it just means that route or opportunity or that style didn’t work. Go and try again. Those are the 2 books in that order. Thank you.

SPDH- That's amazing... If you were to be in a room to rapport with 5 legendaries in the business and finance world, who and who will they be?

Mr. Adiele- To be very sincere, when it comes to people I'll like to meet I really don't want to box it into Finance and the Business world 'cos sometimes you can learn something related to such from people who are not necessarily in the world of Business and Finance.

5 people, I'll like to meet.
- Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, the Chinese billionaire. (I’ll want to know more about his journey from humble beginnings).
- Warren Buffet. (I love his support for charity).
- Barack Obama. (He set a pace for me in politics and in leadership)…I love politics too.
- Based on the recent Netflix series "The Last Dance," Michael Jordan. (He is someone that has faced challenges I can relate to. I mean he lost his father and he pushed on, doing the best he could and he stands out in the Basketball world.
- Also, Prof. J.N Adichie, the first professor of Statistics in Nigeria and the father of Chimamanda Adichie. He recently passed on but I wish I had another chance to meet him. When I was the President of my Departmental Association, Statistics, in UNN, I interacted with him. I really wished I had spent more time with him, understanding how he was able to set that pace in the world of Statistics in Nigeria and how he remained so humble.

(laughs)...
Yeah, I know some people would have wanted me to mention Dangote. Dangote would be someone that will be nice to interact with but yeah, as I said I learn a lot of things from people and it must necessarily be... You can learn Finance and Investment from someone who isn’t a typical business person.
You can learn about business from someone who is in the academic world just by interacting with them. So, I really don’t want to drive down into that lane. There are so many business people in Nigeria I’d want to learn from and interact with... what’s her name, the chair...the chairman of First Bank. How can I forget her name?

SPDH- Mrs Awosika...

Mr. Adiele- Yeah. I love that woman (Ibukun Awosika). I really want to meet her in person and like, seat with her and learn from her. She is awesome, speaks the truth, she really has so much to offer... There are really a whole lot of other people if the list was endless but yeah if you can expand mine from 5 to 7... yes these are the 7 people... (laughs)

SPDH- Any advice as regards personal development for students, specifically for undergraduates.

Mr. Adiele- Okay, for my younger friends who are students, especially undergraduates, the University doesn't teach you everything you should learn, it doesn't. Does that mean you would come out of school and not be able to compete? You still have to compete with people from different walks of life, different Universities. I had my first degree in UNN then and currently doing a Master's in an international University, studying with people from all over the world. I am competing every day with people around the world, so understand that. The world is becoming smaller and smaller daily.

The University doesn't have a specific course that says, "life after school." So, learn. There are people who have gone ahead of you; engage them. Don't be comfortable being friends with your peers alone. I have several friends who are younger than I am, and also, lots of friends who are older than I am 'cos I want to learn from them, learn & give back to my friends/peers, and also see how I can give back to people who are younger, and also learn from them. I am learning every day.

My advice to people, especially undergraduates and students is, to engage people. Have mentors, have senior friends that you can call, bounce off ideas and speak to them. That's the only way you can grow. There is a story that was told about... the tortoise or so? The mother asked him how many times something would happen before he learnt, and he said 5 times, 2 times, 1 time, and his mother said No. When something is happening to someone else, you should be learning.

“Experience is the best teacher, I agree; but guess what, it must not be your own experience.” I will end with that...

The University doesn’t have a specific course that says, "life after school." So, learn.

SPDH- Your life is a Newspaper, what will the headline be? And lastly, any parting words?

Mr. Adiele- "Against All Odds, I Persevered." It sounds motivational-ish but I think it’s also my story because I’ve had odds at points in my life and as well, scaled through them.

And then, my final words to the readers would be: Don’t underestimate yourself, you have a lot to offer. I remember someone telling me some time ago; He said, "if you’re walking by the beach or seashore, and you look back and see that the waves have blown the water and wiped away your footsteps, go back and walk again because you’re too important to be forgotten." Meaning, if at any point in time in life you realise that you might have gone on a route without leaving an impact or giving value and you have a chance to go back, ensure that you leave a positive impact in someone’s life. It could be one person, it could be two people, don’t leave someone, somewhere, someplace the same way you found them. Always make it better. Those are my last and final words to the readers.

SPDH- Wow, that was a whole lot... One could literally have your story as a manual, to navigate through life. It’s really, a super inspiring one, and we’re glad to have had you kick off the FTSE series. We’re grateful sir.

Mr. Adiele- Thank you so much, SPDH for having me.