Mandela transitioned from the Customer Success team to Product Management in less than two years. Somewhere in-between that time, he had a short stint on the Sales team as a Partner manager.
In this spotlight, he tells us how he's been able to make that happen, what he currently does, and his plan to make that happen.
When and how did you get into Kudi?
I joined Kudi in August 2020 as the prominent Coronavirus ravaged the globe. Joining Kudi as a Customer Success Associate was a career switch I did not anticipate as I thought I was done with that role but I saw a bigger picture.
How did you transition from customer success into product management?
I believe in excellent work ethics and in putting my best into whatever I find myself doing. Maybe fate or excellence was at work. I transitioned to the Sales Team as a Partner Agent Manager in 6 months. I didn’t do anything different; I kept my eyes on excellence and value creation.
While in Sales I worked closely with my line manager, who has a prodigious background in products and sales, to come up with documentation for certain features. We refer to these documents as Product Required Documents (PRDs). I did not anticipate a move to product, but my line manager guided me, encouraged my writing prowess and viola, here I am.
What transferable skills did you need for such a switch?
To mention a few, leadership, collaboration with teams, writing, and problem-solving.
Why product management?
The core of every business is the consumer. Product Management because I have the consumers at heart and making their lives easier all of the time through shipping excellent products is what I live for.
What does the future hold?
The future is now. The plan is to continue to be an excellent person through personal development and on-the-job learning. There is an exigency to bridge the gap between products and people( consumers) and I aspire to lead the products and people just like an old mentor and friend, Mr Otuyemi Otule who was Chief Products and Information Officer (CPIO) at Etisalat Nigeria. In my case, I will work towards becoming a Chief Products Officer (CPO) .
Advice for aspiring product managers?
For aspiring product managers, have a passion for people (consumers), Have a strong leadership orientation, especially in people management because an automated system will not answer you on time. More importantly, self-development is key. No one is ever going to teach you everything.
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