This month marks the 2nd year work anniversary of Oge Zogie-Odigie.
Her many talents, professional skills and positive personality make her a great asset to the CI Projects team.
In this interview, Oge reflects on some of the lessons she has learned in her journey so far with CI Projects as well as some of the personal values she holds.
What is your current role at CI Projects?
I am a Business Change Manager and I work with clients to prepare for and implement transformation and achieve measured improvements as a result.
What attracted you to work for CI Projects?
Pivoting from a teaching background into the corporate world, most employers only saw me as one thing – a teacher. CI Projects recognised and valued the broad range of my transferable skill set especially in people and process management. The variety of long and short term projects across multiple sectors presented a fantastic opportunity for growth. The vibe at my interview was a great balance of both professional and personal interest that made me feel valued as a whole person. I instinctively knew it would be a great work environment.
What do you most like about CI Projects?
I love the flexibility of working remotely (at times) and having some choice on the projects that I want to work on. Outside of projects, being part of a small business means you play different roles that your strengths base. This creates a culture of innovation and an opportunity for growth. I have honed my creative and soft skills by taking the lead in PR, Marketing and Communications activities.
What has been your favourite project with CI Projects and why?
My favourite project so far is my work with the Hillingdon Hospitals Trust Estates department because of the transformation our work has brought to their Water Management Process. It gave me great pride to support the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What have you found most challenging in driving change?
Driving change is challenging when there is no clarity for everyone involved (especially the ‘doers’) about the need for and benefits of change. People do not like change for change sake so it becomes challenging to carry them along when they can not see the benefits. Another challenge is when the system in place or resources allocated are not adequate to support the desired change. It can lead to frustration and is a risk to the sustainability of any change.
How does it feel to work as part of a remote team?
It is pretty much the same as being part of a regular team with the added bonus of drawing from your colleague’s experiences in projects that you are not a part of. Technology allows us to communicate easily and we held monthly face to face team meetings before the lockdown.
Three words your co-workers may use to describe you and why?
Calm, because I am able to keep my cool even when under pressure. Collaborative because I love facilitating or being part of exploring ideas to solve a problem. They might also say I am Competitive, because I like to win at team events! I’m impressed that my three words were alliterative – how cool is that?
What has been your biggest learning experience whilst working for CI Projects?
For me it has to be belief in people and the power it wields. As an employer or business leader if you believe in your staff, their work commitment would be 100% or even exceed that. In order to influence your clients, they have to believe in you first before they believe in your solution. That means being passionate and amplifying your strengths in a way that adds measurable value and having integrity.