THE NIGERIA I SEE: CHRISTINA OLUSILE

Christina Olusile works as a corporate trainer and leads the Consulting team at LYD Consulting Limited. She has been in the Consulting space for a few years and most recently worked at KPMG Nigeria where she rose to the position of Senior Consultant. She received the Shining Star Award and the Improving Communities Award.  Her love for teaching and training led to her transition to a corporate training role, which has been very fulfilling and rewarding for her.

Christina is a First class graduate of Economics from Babcock University and an Associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. She is also an alumnus of Lagos Business School's Venture-In-Management Program and Young Talent Program. She has received various soft skill training on topics including Communication and Business writing skills, Time Management, Critical thinking and problem solving, Personal Branding, Sales & Marketing, negotiation and conflict management etc.

Christina is very passionate about youth, women and financial literacy. She finds expression for these interest areas through her volunteer activities with a number of NGOs including Live Your Dreams Africa Foundation Junior Achievement Nigeria, Pillars International and Engraced lifestyle

TNIS: Why do you do what you do? (What drives you?)  

  

Christina: The primary reason for all I do is to impact lives and add value to organizations while sharing my gifts with the world and fulfilling purpose.

TNIS: Can you quantify/qualify the impact of your work so far?

Christina: It is almost impossible to quantify the impact of my work. That is the reality of every teacher. It is even more difficult to quantify these days because alternative media (e.g. social media) has made it possible to create impact without physical contact.

Drawing from the kind of feedback I receive daily, I will qualify the impact of my work as transformational. 

TNIS: What challenges have you had to overcome in the course of your work?

Christina: Well, quite a number. Two I will mention are partnering with like minds and minimizing distractions. In recent times, the focus of the average youth has shifted to making money to fulfil short term desires. Things like making an impact and fulfilling purpose seem to be trivialised. This phenomenon makes it harder to partner with like minds because quite a number of people are all about ‘what is in this for me in the short term’.

Another major factor is minimizing distractions. There are at least 7 dimensions to life that an individual must cater to daily some of which include spiritual, emotional, relational, professional, etc. Amidst all these are distractions which sometimes come in the guise of an opportunity. Every day presents me the challenge of staying focused on my goals and minimizing distractions.

TNIS: Where do you see this work in the next 5-10 years?  

    

Christina: I see my work impacting young professionals across the globe. I am very keen on helping young professionals achieve self-leadership. The purpose is so that they can lead in the various dimensions of their life. This is the big picture which I have split into short and long term projects that I am working on.

TNIS: What is the single most daunting challenge Nigeria faces in your sector?

Christina: I will say awareness. This is because the existing education curriculum doesn’t prepare professionals for the non-technical aspect of life and work. The average graduate is really lacking in basic soft skills like communication and presentation skills, emotional intelligence, etc. these are necessary life skills that young people require, in addition to technical skills. A lot of people are oblivious to the need for these soft skills. Unfortunately, not all corporates place importance on providing non-technical skills training.

TNIS: What policy changes would you like to see in your sector?   

     

Christina: I will like to see policies that will transform our education sector into a system that helps people discover their talents, and match those talents with employable/entrepreneurial skills. I will also love to see policies that infuse soft skill training to the learning curriculum of primary to tertiary institutions.

TNIS: What is the Nigeria you see?  

Christina: I see a Nigeria that maximizes its natural and human resources in a way that becomes a learning point for other nations of the world

TNIS: How will your work help achieve that?

Christina:  While industries focus on developing natural resources, my work in the learning and development space is focused on helping professionals apply themselves to their work in a manner that maximizes their potentials and encourages creativity.

TNIS: Recommended books?    

Christina: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

TNIS: Encouraging word to the young folk… 

Christina: Dear young professional, your dreams are valid. To achieve them, however, you need to anchor your life on character and values, not on emotions and possessions.

TNIS: Thank you, Christina, for your time. You can follow Christina on Instagram @christina_not_christiana and look out for her #DearYoungProfessional posts every Monday. Thank me later!