Who was the 9 to 5 designed for?

A few years before the pandemic, I was recruiting for a head of HR role. I had headhunted the candidate, so I was selling. The company, the...

When Teaching Becomes Learning

My work is very humbling. Even if I wanted to live my life unchecked, I can't. Whether as a business owner or as a leadership trainer, I have...

Are They Really Working? The 5 Big Concerns Leaders Have About Remote Work

A CEO once asked me: “Adora, are they really working when I can’t see them?” He’s not alone. Since I began researching remote work, I’ve had...

The Day I Pressed Send and Ran Away

It was October 2009, six months after I had resigned from my job. I wasn’t very clear on what was next, only that I craved independence and...

Passion or Paycheck

When I graduated, I didn’t follow my passion. Infact, I did the opposite, and it’s one of the best career decisions I ever made. At the time,...
HR Bootcamp Part 7

HR Bootcamp Part 7

Spoiler Alert: Only proceed after reading the first 6 parts of this series, else you would be reading the end first and miss out on the build up. Some important updates since 2009: Lola Esan is now a partner at EY. All the speakers are now at the pinnacle of their...

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HR Bootcamp Part 6

HR Bootcamp Part 6

On getting to the venue, Lanre was already there. He had set up the registrations table. A few people were already in the hall. He had taken their attendance. I had brought the printed agenda with me and placed them in blue, plastic pouch files. One for every...

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HR Bootcamp Part 5

HR Bootcamp Part 5

I knew I should sleep but the anxiety got the better of me. I stayed up. Set my phone alarm, just incase I dozed off. I still kept waking up all through the night to check the time. At about 6am, I headed to the bathroom. My laptop was on the other side of the bed,...

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HR Bootcamp Part 4

HR Bootcamp Part 4

I started preparing nonetheless. The registrations continued to drip in. The flyer had promised light refreshments would be served, so I sourced for snacks and drinks on a very tight budget. Another payment finally came through. My heart gladdened. Then a few more...

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HR Bootcamp Part 3

HR Bootcamp Part 3

As the song goes, 'I did my best, but I guess my best wasn't good enough.' A week later, still nothing. I had to check whether the email really sent. To my surprise it was still there in my sent items. What else could I do? I decided to continue. Forwarding emails to...

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HR Bootcamp Part 2

HR Bootcamp Part 2

Reality had dawned on me. People needed to know about the seminar and it wasn't clear to me how. So, I thought I would begin by sending emails of the flyer to people on my mailing list and any other mailing list I belonged to. I scavenged my emails for mailing lists....

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HR Bootcamp Part 1

HR Bootcamp Part 1

The year was 2009, sometime around October. I had quit my job in April and had concluded on a few freelance gigs. I wasn't sure what next career wise, but I remember I was praying a lot. Praying for clarity of purpose. I do that sometimes when I feel stuck. I...

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Problems With Remote Work

Problems With Remote Work

So a company just fired several employees for working multiple jobs during remote working. The issue wasn't conflict of interest as most the additional jobs were of a different nature. The key issue was that the jobs required dedicating a certain number of core hours...

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On Interviews And Biases

On Interviews And Biases

We proceed with the interview. I ask about the nose ring. I couldn't help myself, mostly because I could see a part of it sticking out of her inner nose. It looks out of place, even for a nose ring. She enlightens me that it's the hook. 'I see', I acknowledge. She...

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