If you could wear the same hairstyle to work everyday without feeling judged or having to put up with people giving you the is everything well? curious looks, what hairstyle would you choose? Twists? Locs? Permed hair? Having your hair packed up in a bun? And if you could go on a date day with a corporate badass you admire, it would be? ? While you muse on these, read career denizen- Owen Omogiafo’s answers to our Career Questionnaire.
What is your number one hack for dealing with difficult colleagues/bosses?
Truthfully, I do not buy into the concept of difficult colleagues or bosses, everyone has different ways of expressing themselves. This is one of the lessons I’ve learnt in my career. Basically, we need to understand where the “difficult” individual is coming from and the individual’s perspective – this can be achieved by having a conversation that covers the barriers you have working together and how the working relationship can be better.
The concept of effectiveness comes to play here, you can only change what you have control over, and the person I can most influence is myself; I need to see how my work style can be adjusted to align with that person. To be clear, it’s not easy, but it helps to keep your eye on the goal.
2 things you do when you are having a bad day?
It greatly depends on what it is. Sometimes, I play Ludo, via an app on my phone. There’s something about the familiarity and uncertainty of the game that helps keep me calm. Other times, I take time out to listen to music, workout, swim or just take a walk. I have also found that hanging out with my children or husband helps greatly too.
A very important thing about having a bad day is to be aware and if possible, stay away from people so that there is no transferred aggression to those around you. I also find that social media is a good escape zone!
When you are creatively stuck, you…?
I take a break from what I am working on to do something else. It could be something of a routine, but basically something different. If what I am doing is so urgent, with a pressing deadline, I call a friend, a mentor or someone who does something similar. Bouncing ideas or talking to someone about your predicament help ideas flow freely. When working on something confidential, I refer to the internet to get inspiration. There’s really nothing that has not been done these days and if I cannot get anything on the internet, I go back to the beginning and work my way through to where I am again, new ideas will come.
2 tips for navigating office politics?
The first step is to be aware that office politics exists. The next step is to understand it and how it affects you. Map it out, how does it exist and who are the influencers? As much as possible, if you can, stay out of it or figure out how to work around it. Politics exists everywhere, it’s understanding how to thrive regardless.
If you could have a lunch date with one woman you admire – who would that be and what would you ask her?
Meghan Markle. Her story and the barriers she has crossed excites me. How do you go from being an actress, mixed race and American to becoming the Duchess of Sussex? I will be very interested in knowing how she took that bold step, how she decided to take that step to let go of her freedom and still retain her initial identity? I would love to have the conversation on how she preserved her original brand and not allow it to be swallowed by a new one.
If you could wear the same hairstyle to work every day, it would be?
My hair packed in a bun.
That lipstick hue that leaves you feeling “badass” is?
I am more of a lip-gloss girl… I will say rather, that, putting on eye makeup leaves me feeling ‘badass’
About Owen Omogiafo
Owen Omogiafo is the MD/CEO of Transcorp Hotels Plc. There, she is responsible for driving positive transformation in Transcorp Hilton Abuja and Transcorp Hotels Calabar. Prior to becoming Managing Director, Owen was the Executive Director, Corporate Services at Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc. (Transcorp). There, she drove operational efficiency across the Transcorp Group. She boasts of an impressive profile, having taken on senior leadership roles within the Heirs Holdings Group – including being Director of Resources for HH, and Chief Operating Officer, Tony Elumelu Foundation. Prior to Heirs Holdings and the UBA Group, Owen worked with Accenture as an Organisation and Human Performance Consultant, specializing in Change Management. She is a certified Change Manager (Prosci Institute of Change Management, US) and a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, UK. She holds a B.Sc. (double honours) in Sociology and Anthropology from the University of Benin and an M.Sc. in Human Resources from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
