Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Agile Innovation Leaders


Apr 5, 2021

“Make the days count…”

Bio:

Jane Egerton-Idehen is the Head of Sales for Facebook Middle East and Africa (MEA). Prior to that she was the Country Manager, Nigeria, and Regional Sales Manager, West Africa at Avanti Communications Group Plc (a satellite company). She is a Master’s degree holder from Warwick Business School, UK and an Executive Education from Harvard Business School and Yale School of Management.

In 2019 she received the 50 Leading Ladies in Corporate Nigeria Leadership award. In 2021 she was featured as one of the Change Makers by University of Warwick.

Her passion is seeing women like herself fulfilling their purpose, growing their careers. She has a history of promoting girls in STEM (science, technology engineering and mathematics). This can be traced to her undergraduate days when, as a member of the International institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE), she co-founded IEEE Women In Engineering Nigeria.

 A quintessential extrovert, Jane enjoys golf, cycling, and salsa. She is married to Egerton Idehen and they have a son, Asher and a daughter, Sarah, who inspires Jane to continue to push for diversity in male-dominated fields.

--

Complete show notes available here: www.agileinnovationleaders.com 

--

Guest website/ contact/ social media:

Authors (and books) mentioned*:

 

Interview Transcript:

Ula:  01:49

So, I have with me a very special guest that I'm very excited to introduce. She is a Tech Executive, an author and also a speaker - Jane Egerton-Idehen. Welcome!

Jane: 02:02

Thank you so much. It's good to be on your platform and on your show.

Ula:  02:08

My pleasure. Now I know that my listeners will be excited to hear your story. So, Jane, let's start off with knowing a bit more about you as a person, can you tell us a bit about your childhood?

Jane:  02:19

So, I was born the second child of four kids. So, my parents had four of us. I have an older sister and two younger brothers – so, yeah kind of in the middle. The middle kids is kind of… sometimes ignored… because either people focus on the first ones to make them role models, or on the last ones to keep them together. But I did have a very interesting childhood. My dad was so driven, he wanted to give us the best education because he was exposed. So, even though he wasn't educated, you know, he was working for companies where he got that exposure like, well, if I give my kids a good education, that’ll be good for them. So, there was a huge importance given to education in the whole.

We went in like, we're very humble beginnings, we’re just people, humble beginnings. But I think some things happened sometime around 1983, that didn't really work out well. So, we really became like, went downward like, now humble beginnings like - we really went down. Because my dad at that time had resigned, he was running a bakery business, and the government had banned the importation of flour. And I think that moment started an evolution for us as kids, because now this is us; we sit at the table and have discussions with our parents about school fees. And they'll be very transparent that they can't afford it. They would they would recommend you go to school, but if the school sends you back then you know, we have to figure it but he can't afford it right now.

So, I think that was just the whole awakening, realizing sometime when I was six that, ‘wow, this is not as easy as we thought.’ But I did love my parents for somehow imbibing that passion back to us. Because it's one thing to desire, you know, good education for your kids, and you can't afford it, is another thing for your kids to buy into that idea and want it for themselves. Somehow, they found a way of selling it to us, and we wanted it for ourselves.

So, even… I was fortunate… even though I was living in the slums in Lagos, Nigeria, in a place called Ajegunle. And normally I would have just gone to one of the public schools, which I did go, but I had taken an exam for a government sponsored federal school, which is like a school for the middle class, quite good. It was actually sponsored by the government. So, it's a very good school.

Ula:  04:26

The Federal government schools. Yeah, yes. I know that. Yeah.

Jane:  04:30

So, after I had taken the exams, even when the names came out, I didn't you know, nobody saw my name. So, you know, I just went on to the public school, which was very depressing. I write about that in my book. It was a depressing six weeks, like it was chaotic. We used to show up in class. Sometimes the teachers don’t show up. The kids did whatever they wanted. Sometimes they didn't show up themselves. The students didn't show up. You know, classes were so chaotic. It was almost like… it was depressing for somebody that wanted more to be in that kind of situation, because it just felt, ‘how are you ever going to pass external exams, nobody's teaching!’ But I was just fortunate, I came back home one day, and there, you know, I got this admission to this Federal school.

So literally, my parents sold whatever they could, borrowed money. I knew they did and they sent me and I think that started the whole journey for me as a young Jane, because there (at the Federal school), I got exposure. I say one of the biggest things I got from that experience was just being exposed. You know, we talk about kids having dreams and vision and something to work towards.

If you are a blank slate, you don't know what to work towards. You don't know what… you don't know what to dream about. Sometimes what you get from exposure or the environment, you find yourself, it starts to give you, ideas and pictures of all the possibilities. And that's what happened to me when I went to that boarding school. And from there, you know, came out of boarding school, went to university, I studied engineering, which is a whole long story.

Ula:  05:55

And so, we went to the same university, same department. So, yeah. <Laughter>

Jane:  06:01

And we have a lot of mutual friends together.

Ula:  06:03

We do - I married one of them. So... <Laughter>

Jane:  06:10

He (Ula’s husband and Jane’s friend/ classmate) was one of the people I hung out with, because we shared the same passion and drive and things I say, you know, being eh… kids, you know… it’s always good to find yourself in environments with like-minded people, because you rub off on each other, and you help each other.

So that's why I went through the engineering and graduated got, into the workforce, quite a series of journeys to that one as well. But I think all through the process, like I was thinking last night, someone was asking me, ‘what would you have said to the younger Jane’? And I said what I would have said to the younger Jane is, ‘stop being too anxious.’ I was very anxious as a young Jane, because I felt I was fighting against all odds. I was in environments where I wanted more, but it always looks like my hands were tied. I couldn't afford to feed myself, I couldn't afford to buy my books, school fees, sometimes were the big issue, you know, but you just wanted more out of life, and you kept pushing.

So, when I look back, I'm very grateful for my childhood. You know, I think all of those things made me who I am today. The grade I got, you know the determination and drive for wanting honors in a First Class (degree). So even though you don’t get it, you've been to a process of knowing how to work it. And when you apply those principles again. So, I'm so grateful, because I think all of those things have just created and made me who I am today. So that's a quick summary of my childhood.

Ula:  07:29

Wow, it's very inspiring. And like I told you, before we started recording, I’d just started reading your book a few hours before the recording. And there are so many aspects of your story I relate with. For example, my father didn't have anything beyond the primary school education, but he knew the value of an education. So he was, you know, self-educated in various ways, he worked hard, and he kind of instilled that drive that passion in us. And basically, there is this saying about, you know, the butterfly, when it goes into the cocoon; it’s the struggle when it's emerging from the cocoon that actually strengthens its wings. Because if you just help it out, it's just going to die. So, if this struggle is part of the preparation for greater things. So it's amazing the person you've become, and I know that there is more even ahead that you're yet to achieve. You did mention you actually had one of your children en-route to the hospital. It’s that part of the, you know, ‘let's get things done?’ (attitude).

<Laughter>

Jane:  08:37

I always laugh because we tease her (Jane’s daughter)… because I have two kids… I have a son, he's twelve my daughter, she's nine.  So, they were like, on her birth certificate and they say she was born at the junction of Jefferson and Richardson.

 

<Laughter>

So, it was one of those… I don't want to call it funny experience, because it wasn't funny, then. You know, I, my first child I had had him, I was induced and I had epidural because, like, you know, being the you know, the engineer, I am like, if we've got good technology, why am I wasting time trying to be in pain, like…

Ula:  09:07

There's no prize for suffering pain (in childbirth unnecessarily). <Laughter>

Jane:  09:11

I'm not trying to be a super woman, just give it (the epidural) to me. So even before you know, you had this discussion with your doctor, how you want the birth to go. So, I think because, you know, I went through that and I was being induced, I had epidural, so it didn't feel painful. So maybe pressure. So, it worked really well.

So, I think with my daughter because she was coming early. I couldn't really tell. I know, the first few, like when she was about, you know, 36 weeks, I felt some force, you know, kicks and I was told that ‘they’re false (labour signs), you have about four weeks to go.’ So, I just took it easy. But I was an active mom, even as a pregnant woman, I was very active. I will take my son to daycare. And when he is back from daycare, we will figure out where to go. We made a plan, we’d go to the Science Museum, or we go to an Art Museum. We just figured out; we just have to keep ourselves engaged. So, I like being active.

So, I think maybe that did help - walking around a lot. Because it was just about 40 weeks when I you know, one of these days that I didn't even think it was pain, you know, one of those… I just felt pressure. I thought I wanted to use the washroom. It was actually my husband that noticed ‘You’ve been going to the washroom like every 10 minutes, what’s up?’ I'm like, ‘It’s okay, I think I'm pressed. I don't know why it's taking a long time.’ He's like, ‘No, no, is that how it should be?’ But because I've never really felt labor pains, I couldn't tell, ‘Was it pressure, was it pain?’  I think when it got really bad, I walked out of the house. I'm like, ‘Bye, guys. I'm walking to the hospital.’ My husband said, ‘But you can’t walk there!’ But I’m like, ‘(Based on) how I am feeling now, I'm gonna be walking. I'll just keep moving.’ So that's how we got a taxi. I got in the taxi and by the second traffic light, ‘Boom!’, the baby was out!

Ula: 10:45

Wow! Wow!!

Jane:  10:48

He was like, see my husband was there. He said it was chaotic. Like a movie. Maybe the taxi guy panicked and he just took off. I think he was in a state of shock. My husband was on the phone (to the hospital). The doctor had gone to Mexico for vacation or something.

Ula:  11:03

Oh, my goodness.

Jane:  11:05

My son was screaming in the background, because he could hear me in pain screaming as well. ‘I just don't know what's happening to Mommy. Why is Mommy screaming?’ But we did have the baby and my husband delivered the baby with the help of the doctor on the speakerphone telling us what to do. And she was actually breech. It was quite interesting. It was a breech birth. She came with two legs first, but it all worked out well.

Ula:  11:28

Wow! Wow!!

Jane:  11:33

I remember the doctor screaming at my husband (over the phone) like, ‘Tell me what you can see’ and he says, ‘I can see the legs.’ The doctor said, ‘No, you check again. Tell me what can you really..?’ ‘…But I can see the legs…!’ And he’s (the doctor is) like ‘Okay, don't panic. You're going to do this.’

So, it was an interesting story, but I'm so happy we had it. I think holding her in my arms initially, we were both shocked like ‘Is she okay?’ She was still, you know, when she came to life, the ambulance came and helped us. The police were there. So, I think they saved the day and I'm so grateful to them. And we went to the hospital. But it was an interesting one you know; it could have gone any other way.

Ula: 12: 04

Your story is like something I thought would only happen in movies. And with the twist of the breech as well. It's just… wow!

Jane:  12:12

It could have gone any other way, you know. You could never have told. Sometimes, you know the breech babies have some complications but we are so grateful. And she became the inspiration for my book, you can see. Interesting…

Ula: 12:25

She definitely is a special child.

Jane:  12:28

I think she challenges me as well. Because some of those things for a nine-year-old, she doesn't, she sees it slightly differently and then you’d be like, ‘Wow!’ I think, because we've been in it for too long. I remember reading a book. So, I was doing a research for my book. And it was about the whole idea of women and location and women getting into workforce. It was a book I was reading, but she couldn't go to bed. So, we decided to switch - we do that a lot: ‘You read and I’ll read and I'll tell you what I read, and you tell me what you read’. So, hers was a bedtime story, so she explained it to me - it was easy.

So, I tried to explain to her the concept of the book that, you know, just 50 years ago, 150 years ago, women were not allowed in colleges, even Ivy League schools as we know them today. Women were not allowed to these colleges. Sometimes they allowed them to do remedial courses but they were not allowed to literally go to university and study. And she was surprised. So, you know, I tried to explain to her. ‘Yeah, yeah, you know, people had to fight, talk about it. There's a lot of… you know, why some people thought women didn't have brains as smart as men. You know, there was all kinds of debate going on until finally somebody… some schools started to do co-ed and from co-ed other schools came on board. She looks to me like, ‘So how are they expecting them to train smart kids if they didn’t let them go to school?’

Ula:  13:45

Wow!

Jane:  13:46

And I told her… I said, ‘You couldn't have said it better!’ ‘cos I didn’t even see it from that viewpoint.

Ula:  13:52

She summed it up nicely.

Jane:  13:55

‘You want them (women) to train the kids to be smart, and you will not allow them to have a good education?’ So, I thought she's an amazing girl. She's very smart.

Ula:  14:03

Well, she has an amazingly smart mother, what do you expect? This segues into your book, Be Fearless.

Jane:  14:05

Yeah.

Ula:  14:13

So, you said… you've already mentioned your daughter was the reason for writing the book in the first place. How has the writing process shaped you?

Jane:  14:25

I think sometimes you don't know yourself. I tell people, ‘We're all on a journey - we are evolving.’ And I think that book, one of the things it has done also is like put a mirror before me, to show me all kinds of ways I could also push myself. I actually used to tell people I love reading books. I read a lot of books. But I'm not a writer. I don't write. I didn't use to write. The best you could get out of me was my emails in the office. But I had a coach there though, that was like, always telling me, ‘You have so much to share. I wish you could share this with the younger generation.’ And I told her, you know, ‘I'll mentor them. But I don't want to write.’ But you know, one of those days, you know, bored, nothing to do. I decided, ‘Okay, I’d just write something.’ And I wrote it. And people were like, all impressed, you know with it, and they were grateful and thankful, and all kinds of comments.

So I started writing articles. I wrote for magazines and newspaper houses, sharing my career experience with discussing topics in my sector. And after while people were like you know, put it in a book. And I think that's how it all started. I think I really got impressed to do that. When I started, contemplating at some time how I wanted to pass so much to my daughter. And she was young then. I think she was about four. I was so impressed by that emotion that ‘I’m mentoring a lot of young girls, how can I pass some of these things to my daughter?’ I thought the best way to do would be to document it.

And that's why when I initially started writing the book, the title of the book for a long time was A Letter to My Daughter, because I felt it was a letter I was writing to Sarah. So, in so many ways, I think it shaped me. I tell people that sometimes I will literally struggle with a chapter for like months, because you were trying to be true and real to your daughter. If it was somebody else, you’d tell them what you want them to hear and what you expect them to hear. But to your daughter, you want to be vulnerable and transparent and real. Because I thought you have to let her know. So that when she takes this journey, she's equipped, don’t give her a half-truths; give her the truth and let her know, ‘This is my perspective, but I'm giving you the truth as I know it.’

So, in a way it forced me to put a mirror and to really see things for what they are. And you know, some of the principles of lean agile, one of them is to respect others. You know, even in my writing, when I was telling the stories, especially when there was other people involved, I had to respect their part of the story. Because I'm telling the story from my perspective, doesn't mean you don't have to respect other people that are part of that story. So, it was really important for me to write the story and make it known that this is my perspective. At that point, in my journey, this is how I saw it. Any other person in the story could have seen it differently. But this is my perspective. I think in that way, it forced me to hold myself accountable to a higher version of myself.

Ula:  17:17

I respect and admire the candor with which you wrote the book. And that makes it more authentic. You're never stuck in a situation. There's always a way out.

Jane:  17:27

You said it so well.

Ula:  17:28

Thank you. I'm trying to be like you, Jane. So, you've mentioned the respect for people, were there other principles that you applied to the writing process?

Jane:  17:38

One of the things I'll say I took from these principles, which I really used was, ‘Reducing waste’. And I know that the concept sounds strange, because uhhh... but this is not manufacturing and this is not software engineering. But the whole idea of reducing waste could just be over processing things, spending unnecessary time, trying to use unnecessary information. You know sometimes, where you're writing and you're in that zone, you could just go off on a tangent. And then I’d come back (and ask myself), ‘What am I really trying to say again?’

You cut out all the waste; you actually want them to be focused on the core message. You know, all those extra parts of it, which I'm sure you like, and you’ll like to tell for you but I don't know, for the reader, if it's valuable.

One of the things I held dear for the book was like, if I was going to do a book, then it has to be good quality. It's also like, a respect for the readers’ mind; you want to give them some work that is quality, so that they know that you're committed to that craft. You're not just writing a book for writing sake and let it be known. So, I really took time out, did my research. The whole year, this is how important it was. From the time I decided to write the book to the time I sent off the entire book, to the first editor (so, I had two editors, that was how important the quality was for me), I refused to read any other book because I didn't want to be influenced. There's a tendency to want to sound like someone; some authors you love and respect and I'm like, ‘No. You have to be your authentic self and let it be Jane telling the story.’ People should read and (be) like ‘Oh, that’s Jane’s voice;  that's how she will say (it).’

So, I took (time) off reading. For the whole year I didn't read any book.  Literally the day I submitted the work to the editor, I went shopping like the next week and I bought like 20 books. Like I was so starved of buying new books, I like shopping! I paid for editing, proofreading. And it's so important. No matter how wonderful, you think you're a good writer, because you write all these wonderful articles, I think it’s good to get a professional so the quality of the work is at par as what it should be. So, I did get professional editors to edit the work.

Ula:  19:35

It does sound like you thought through the process and you took a structure...

Jane:  19:40

So, when I first decided to write the work, one of the things I did was seek out professional help. So, I was like looking around. You know, who's written a book before? My husband pointed me in the direction of a friend in church. She was a professional editor and a ghost writer.

So, you know, I had that conversation with her. ‘I'm trying to do this, but I want to do it the right way.’ And she told me like, ‘If you really want to do a good work, the first thing I think you should do is write a book plan.’ I spent quite a reasonable amount of time just… And a book plan is what it is; it’s just a plan, it’s not the book. It talks about target audience. You know, ‘What you want the audience to take away? What kind of English you want to write? You know, what kind of books are in that category? How many words do you want to go, how many chapters you want to go? What do you want to relate?’

This is not even writing the book. This is just a plan on how to write the book. I'm so grateful for that process because it guides you so that you don't lose the core message. Or you don't deviate from why you're writing the book. Because there's a tendency to write and want to change. Sometimes I will write a chapter (but then) when I read the framework of what I put in the plan, I'm like, ‘No, I didn't address this, this and this.’ I wanted to address those themes. And I need to go back and address that. Because that’s what I'm trying to pass on to the readers that I owe it to them. You're not just telling stories for stories’ sake. You're trying to address the themes there. So yes, that was some of the steps I took.

Ula:  21:01

As an executive in the telecommunications industry as well, you must have a demanding day job with family responsibilities and then you have the book and of course I'm aware that you also do lots of speaking engagements, mentoring, etc., etc. How did you manage to fit it all in?

Jane:  21:22

I always say you have to dare to be bad; so, some things I had to give up. You have to tell them, ‘I cannot do it all.’ Give them up in faith. I became aware that I didn't have enough time. I was getting overwhelmed.

So initially, one of the things I did… I love golfing. I stopped golfing, like, three months into writing the book, because I realized I needed time. But four months into writing the book, I stopped going to the gym entirely - because I used to go to the gym. But I needed those hours because I was working a full-time job. And my job requires a lot of travel, and I have my kids.

So, you know, I was just giving up things. I was giving up things because you have to prioritize the things that were core. And I had to focus on those ones and every other thing became secondary, you know, we start to de- prioritize. If we had to delegate, if we had to outsource, I was doing a lot of that, you know, in those periods, just so I could focus on this project.

So, that means some of the fun things I had, you know socializing, you know, I had to get off the list for most people – I didn’t show up for those things. But I also tried to be in environments that helped me so I went for like-minded people. I joined a writer’s club, that's one of the first things I did. And a good thing with joining a writer’s group, I had similar people like me trying to do the same thing. So, we're all learning from each other. Because you come together, you read each other's work, you critique, you give feedback, you enforce. So, you’re learning. It’s almost like they were like your better readers. So, they will also help you on that journey and you were learning from them as well. So that was very helpful.

Because that helped me work with a goal and keep the rhythm. Because it's so easy for most of us to say, ‘I want to do this’, then halfway into the year or halfway, you lose the rhythm, and you just can't get back. But because I was committed to showing up every two weeks with an article written, I had to show up every two weeks, and I must have written something. So sometimes I'm writing on the plane. I'm like, ‘It’s six hours before I get off this plane, I must make sure I finish!’ I got to a point where I think it was just two months ago that I changed my alarm clock. My alarm clock was now set at 4:30am. Because I needed that one hour before the whole house gets up and starts the routine for the day. I had to put that one-hour in.

Ula:  23:31

Wow, I mean, I like the fact that you mentioned you can't have that - it’s all about prioritizing. So, in ‘agile speak’, you'd have your backlog of items, but you always would have very limited capacity to do what you needed to do per time. So, it's really about prioritizing what needed to be done by when.

Jane:  23:50

And it's so funny that we tend to apply these principles so well in the office, on projects. You know, but, when it comes to personal life, you kind of throw them out of the window but some of them are really effective to also use personally when you do personal projects or when it comes to your personal life.

Ula:  24:06

It does apply. Definitely. With respect to the book you've already launched, how has the current COVID situation affected the plans? Did you have to change some things? Have things gone exactly as planned?

Jane:  24:22

Just like any project, you've got to be ready for the unexpected. So, I had a, you know, I had a whole launch team, we had a plan and we launched very well. It became an Amazon bestseller.

Ula:  24:32

Congratulations!

Jane:  24:34

Thank you. I’m so proud of that. But of course, the plan I had in place we had to change, we had to pivot. Because I launched the book, I knew I wanted to go on a road show. We were going to do bookstores and book shops. I was going to do reading clubs, I was going to visit universities, because I really wanted young adults to read the book and I thought it was beneficial if they read it. And I wanted to prepare them to engage and discuss but then with the whole COVID, there was a lockdown, quarantine and all that - you couldn't move. I think for the first couple of weeks I struggled a bit because I didn't know what to do. Because I already had a plan and I’m like, ‘What happened?’ It's like, you throw the plan out of the window because it wasn't relevant anymore.

So, I had to start figuring out talking to people, trying to understand, ‘What can I do? How do I adapt this plan?’ I literally had to re-craft the plan. So, one of the things I did was start doing podcasts. I told myself, we can’t go physically anywhere, but you can use online means to share the story and reach out to people. So, I was doing a lot of podcasts. I've been doing a lot of virtual readings, you know, the book clubs, we do virtual sessions on Zoom.

So, I had to literally pivot, you know. Like, almost the entire plan is just sitting there. I don't know if it would be relevant… maybe till sometime next year because it requires travel. And right now, I don't see myself traveling till the end of the year. It requires being physically present in places. And I think people can’t gather in groups for a couple of months, people will probably avoid that. So, I had to like re-craft the entire (plan), you know, go for webinars, go for podcasts, and I did - even when I did radio programs, we did them by Skype.

The good thing with planning is that planning puts you in the frame of mind to be able to adapt. It doesn't necessarily mean that the plan will be 100% perfect, but I think the purpose of creating the plan itself, puts you on your toes that you're able to adapt, if things change, because you're already aware that there could be risk, even sometimes they do come like in the case of COVID, nobody would have seen it coming.

One of the risks, I thought, because early part of the year when I was putting the plan together, actually, the biggest risk I was thinking of managing was how to manage my family time. Because it was clear that I was going to be on the road quite a lot, almost every weekend. And I was thinking, ‘How do I manage it?’ I spoke to a lot of other authors; how do they manage it? I had to have a conversation with my husband. I was really concerned that the weekends are time but this is me taking the weekends for this project. So, we're thinking of ways to work it out and… that didn't even come to pass! It was like the least challenge we had. So yes, couple of things changed.

Ula:  27:22

Somehow everything seems to have worked out well. Because I would imagine you're reaching a wider audience than if you were traveling physically from location to location per time.

Jane:  27:35

I've been physically restricted. So, when I was planning the lunch, I told myself, I'll launch the book in Nigeria and in Ghana. Then depending on how it goes, I might decide if I want to go to other countries. So, my focus was really the Nigerian market. But with the whole COVID and me pivoting, you know, like the book is… Yesterday, I had a podcast (interview) with Olivia in Canada. For the past four weeks, I've been having podcast (interviews), most of the podcasters in the US. And the book is getting into the US market, people are being aware of it. So, I'm really impressed like you know, it's actually evolved better than I thought.

Ula:  28:08

Definitely there's always a silver lining, you know, something good comes out of even the most…

Jane:  28:14

Most challenging times

Ula:  28:16

Exactly

Jane:  28:18

So just a perspective, it could be the glass, half full or the glass.... So, it’s your perspective which way you're looking at it and that’s the fun of something new.

Ula:  28:25

Yeah. You said you didn't read any book during the year you were writing your book. And you later on went out to read books. This kind of segues into our wrap up questions. What books did you buy? What kind of books do you buy?

Jane:  28:38

I bought five of Toni Morrison's books. So, the first thing I did in December was read Beloved, which is one of the books. I had been so looking forward to reading it.

So, I'm trying to read the others. I bought Michelle Obama's book, I have bought it, you know, earlier, but I couldn't read it; Becoming. Condoleezza’s Political Risk. You know, these are people that I admired and for me reading your book is like getting into your mind and trying to understand how you think; how it plays out for you.

So yes, those are some of my top ones up there. I do love Malcolm Gladwell. So, I literally buy any of his book I lay my hands on. So that's another person I so respect. There were so many other books, but those are the ones on top of my mind I was so itchy to get to, I had to get to quickly.

Ula:  29:22

I share your love for books as well. I feel like it's a way of getting mentoring from people you might never meet. Some of them might have left the earth or are late and it's just a way of getting into their minds and learning how they think. So, do you have any ask of the audience, Jane?

Jane:  29:42

So, one of my biggest asks is that people actually read the book. That's, that's a priceless gem. When you read the book, you send me a comment, you send you a review. Or you just ask a question about something you've read; you’ve just made my day! Because I feel that that's the best thing I could have done. What I really wanted to do in writing that book was to speak to the younger Jane. You know, giving the younger Jane a platform to say, you know, ‘I just want to tell you - this journey, you can do it, you know, you can work it.’ This is my own way of inspiring that younger Jane. And the only way is for the younger Jane to read it. So, my desire is that people read the book.

Ula:  30:18

Great. And how can the audience get this book?

Jane:  30:20

The book is on Amazon and we’ve got the paperback, we have the hardcover, we have the E book or Kindle version on Amazon. And there are some other local publishers, publishers as well that you can get the book for those in Nigeria: Okada books, Bambooks, Litireso - you know, in all those local platforms here.

Ula:  30:38

We will definitely have all the links to the books and relevant sources in the show notes. How can the audience reach you? Are you on social media?

Jane:  30:47

I’m always teased that I’m everywhere on social media. But I have not decided what I'm going to do with it. But I'm on LinkedIn, I'm on Facebook, I'm on Twitter, I'm on Instagram, as Jane Egerton-Idehen. You definitely can’t miss it. I love to interact with people on social media. I also have a website, Janeegerton.com. So that's another platform you can get me on.

Ula:  31:09

Again, we'll put all these in the show notes, so that's fine. It's been a great conversation, Jane. Before we conclude, what final words of advice do you have for the audience?

Jane:  31:24

I would like to say… looking at the whole situation and I know we didn't talk much it – you know, what we are all going through with the whole COVID crisis, the pandemic. The other day I asking people, what do you want to remain after this whole crisis. You know, what for you, from the whole couple of weeks, the whole journey will be, what would you want to remain?

What I realize is that, I would really want to make the days count. And that's my final word for anybody listening, make these days count. There will never be another COVID crisis, maybe not in this manner, not in this way, or maybe not in your generation. So, it's important that you make the days count. When you look back and you have to talk about this period. You want to be saying from a point of, I'm so happy I got this. I'm so happy I did this. I’m so happy I learned this. So, make the days count. So important.

Ula:  32:19

Great words of wisdom, Jane. Thank you so much for your time once more. It's been a pleasure having you on the podcast.

Jane:  32:25

Thank you for having me.

 

* Note that the links to the books are Amazon affiliate links. This means that we may get paid a commission by Amazon at no extra cost to yourself if you go on to buy the book from their website via this particular link.