: An Examination Examining the Construction of Skyscrapers

Recently, I reconnected with Fola Adeola; if you're familiar with Guaranty Trust Bank [GTB], then you know him as the founder. Although you might think my first job in banking was with PGD, it was actually with him. It was Fola who inspired me to continue my career in banking and as he has achieved such success, he remains a mentor to me. After gaining my degrees from the UK, I decided to come back to Nigeria and take part in my youth service. I had two choices: I could join the oil sector, or I could work at a bank. I chose the latter and I was lucky enough to get to meet Fola Adeola, the owner of a cool bank at the age of 40. GTB offered something quite different at that time; it was about lifestyle and people, and even the coworkers addressed each other by their first names. Even though there was structure and governance, there was also the opportunity to detect the sentiment of the team. The bank also rewarded employees with small, unexpected bonuses that were signs of appreciation and understanding of the situation. Fola was able to sense what was going on and act on it accordingly. Fola encouraged an environment of openness and accountability with his open door policy, which allowed even someone as young as I to go to the MD and report any issues with other colleagues. He made sure to always hear both sides of the story directly, preventing any room for hearsay and gossip. This system he implemented allowed even the most junior employees to hold leaders accountable - if something was said or done, it was the leader's task to answer questions and provide justification for it. Any leader who dared turn around and say "who are you to question me?" would not have had much luck at GTB. GTB was not centred around banking, but rather people, which is also the case at Diamond Bank. Therefore, the change in culture when I joined was not drastic. What was key to both organisations was that they successfully created an atmosphere that was conducive to bringing brilliant individuals together, in order to assist people. We were essentially furnishing banking facilities to help people. Fola Adeola and PGD were trailblazers in the financial services industry, leading the first wave of what we would now call fintechs. These pioneering companies were innovative, nimble, and focused on customer experience. I have sought to emulate this approach with my own company, Sparkle, and I am proud to carry the torch for this type of banking. Recently, when I spoke to Fola about Sparkle and our conversation about life, I was left feeling energised [and I am grateful that two decades later, I am still able to learn from him]. He expressed admiration for the extended elevator pitch of Sparkle, noting that any idea with a high level of integrity (a point that is particularly salient in the Nigerian economy, where trust is in short supply) is likely to be successful. His sentiment was like music to any entrepreneur's ears, as he showed recognition for the purpose driving the impressive products they had created. His subsequent point was that we are constructing from the base up. The groundwork of a construction isn't the attractive part — it may not enthuse everybody; but similar to when a skyscraper is being erected, the bulk of attention comes at the time of unveiling. But to appreciate and enjoy a spectacular structure, you must layout the foundation. For a single-story house, the foundation may not be extremely deep. For a skyscraper, however, the foundations have to be vast. Sparkle is aiming for many tales — skyscraper heights. We are not aiming to be a shallow one-story building. Hence, over the last two years, few have had the chance to witness the intensity of intricacy of the foundation phase. I have always used the phrase "Nail it to scale it" to describe my attitude, but Fola Adeola succinctly captured the Sparkle mindset with a much more precise analogy. As is usually the case with him. The years 2022 and 2023 were instrumental in laying the groundwork for us. We implemented automation, created products based on consumer feedback, acquired licences, established solid relationships, and established customer service to address any issues. Additionally, I opened up my door to all Sparkle employees, wanting to ensure that everyone's opinion was heard in order to ensure that our methods and approaches were continually improved. to the stars. By 2024, we will have constructed a grand structure reaching up to the heavens.

Source: https://blog.startupstash.com/building-skyscrapers-55192bbadab2?source=rss------fintech-5