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21 episodi
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The Spotlight Iwalola Sobowale
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- Tecnologia
The Spotlight is a podcast that discusses topics around Product Research and Strategy. This podcast is for curious minds and aspiring innovators who are leading the charge in the research revolution. We dive deep to discuss inspiring, informative, and offbeat conversations on Product Research and Strategy!
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Things to Know Before You Take that Product Management Course
On this episode of the podcast, we were joined by Abimbola Omotoyinbo, Program Manager at ProductDive.
Follow Abimbola and ProductDive on LinkedIn
We talked about:
What ProductDive does
Benefits of choosing ProductDive
Things to consider before taking a product management course
ProductDive’s success stories and the future of ProductDive
Breakdown:
0:00 Intro
01:23 Icebreaker
04:32 About Abimbola
05:46 From quality control to program management
09:10 Getting into program management
10:23 What ProductDive does and how Abimbola joined the team
13:10 What makes ProductDive stand out
16:07 ProductDive's success stories
17:52 Getting into ProductDive
18:39 Things to consider before getting into the program
20:37 Resources for someone looking to get into product management
22:14 Product management launchpad
23:20 The future of ProductDive
24:27 What else ProductDive is working on
25:14 Final words
26:12 Outro
We referenced:
Product Manager Blueprint Program
Product Management Foundation Program
Pivot to Product Management
Growth Product Management
Don’t forget to follow The Spotlight Podcast on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. You can also subscribe to our YouTube and newsletter
If you have any suggestions or questions, please complete the Q&A intake form or send me an email at iwalola@thespotlightpod.com
P.S: If you are interested in appearing on The Spotlight Podcast, please complete this form to indicate your interest. -
Survival Tips for Early-Career Product Managers
On this episode of The Spotlight Podcast, we were joined by award-winning Product Manager, Elizabeth Ajao.
Follow her on LinkedIn and Twitter
We talked about:
Shooting your career shot
How she went from customer support officer to product manager
What product managers do
Why product management probably shouldn't be your first job and the importance of internships
Transferable skills from other roles and skills every product manager should have
Giving valuable feedback and accepting feedback
Measuring success and the importance of being people-driven
Breakdown:
0:00 Intro
1:44 Icebreaker
6:34 Elizabeth's background
8:21 Going from customer support to product management
12:42 How customer support prepared her for product management
16:17 What media is Elizabeth consuming?
17:30 Elizabeth's career highlights
19:53 Being impact-driven
23:04 What being a product manager entails
27:30 Can one be an effective product manager with little leadership experience?
32:28 Skills every product manager should have
35:20 Working with UX designers
39:20 Tools every product manager should master
45:23 Is product management as glam as people make it out to be?
49:02 Elizabeth's perspective on product management interviews
51:29 Challenges Elizabeth has faced as a product manager and how she handled them
54:42 Dealing with problematic stakeholders
57:35 Measuring success as a product manager
59:55 What you should know before getting into product management
1:01:49 Resources and advice for aspiring product managers
1:07:33 Elizabeth's socials
1:08:09 Other things Elizabeth is working on
1:09:35 Outro
We referenced:
No-Code Tech Summit
VFD Group
Enyata
Polaris Bank
People in Product
The Builders Summit by Founders Connect
The 7 Perspectives of Effective Leaders: A Proven Framework for Improving Decisions and Increasing Your Influence
Jira
Trello
ClickUp
Azure
Miro
Whimsical
Confluence
Notion
Google Analytics
Mixpanel
Amplitude
MySQL
The Product Book by Product School
Lenny's Newsletter
Become a Product Manager | Learn the Skills & Get the Job
Don’t forget to follow The Spotlight Podcast on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. You can also subscribe to our YouTube and newsletter
If you have any suggestions or questions, please complete the Q&A intake form or send me an email at iwalola@thespotlightpod.com -
Managing Nigeria’s Tech Talents: The Unique Dynamics
On this episode of the podcast, we spotlight the one and only Emmanuel Faith, a wonderful HR expert.
Follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter
We talked about:
His HR journey and his work providing consulting services through HR Clinic
The dwindling pool of mid-level talent in Nigeria’s tech pipeline
The importance of succession planning for sustainable businesses
The wisdom in hiring talent your business can reasonably afford instead of chasing “shiny” people
Breakdown:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:55 Icebreaker
00:05:35 About Emmanuel Faith
00:13:07 Getting into HR
00:17:40 Best temperaments for HR professionals
00:20:58 Emmanuel's proudest achievements
00:28:35 Emmanuel's superpowers in HR
00:34:17 Challenges faced while recruiting talent
00:38:56 Why we don't have mid-level tech talent in Nigeria
00:44:40 How HR Clinic helps organisations
00:49:25 Unique strengths of Nigerian tech talents
00:53:16 The technical talent vs non-technical talent conversation
00:58:47 Emmanuel's perspective on The Peer shutting down
1:05:24 Are people hiring "shiny" talent because of the lack of mid-level talent?
1:10:42 Hard skills vs soft skills
1:12:33 Advice for aspiring HR professionals
1:14:18 Other things Emmanuel is working on
1:18:31 Final words
1:19:14 Outro
We referenced:
Cowrywise
BCM
Fervora’s African Women’s Football Report
SHRM Podcast on Spotify
HRCI
Why You Act the Way You Do by Tim LaHaye
Spirit-Controlled Temperament by Tim LaHaye
Myers-Briggs Personality Test
16 Personalities
ProductDive
AltSchool
Geneza Brands
Geneza School of Design
Innovating Africa: The Rise of Tech in Nigeria by Peace Itimi
HR Clinic
Bloomberg
Asana
No-Code Tech Summit
Luminous Consult
Don’t forget to follow The Spotlight Podcast on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. You can also subscribe to our YouTube and newsletter
If you have any suggestions or questions, please complete the Q&A intake form or send me an email at iwalola@thespotlightpod.com -
Is Data the Answer to Nigeria’s Problems?
On this episode of The Spotlight Podcast, we had data expert and Dataphyte CEO Joshua Olufemi with us.
Follow him on LinkedIn and follow Dataphyte on Twitter
We talked about:
How he went from a secondary school Economics teacher to the CEO of Dataphyte
How data can drive change and social impact
Nigeria’s data problem and the unique challenges of collecting and reporting with data
The importance of having a focused and reliable team
Breakdown:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:00 Icebreaker game
00:03:32 Fun facts about Joshua
00:05:37 From economics teacher to CEO
00:09:39 Being a part of the National Endowment for Democracy Fellowship
00:14:44 Proudest achievements of Dataphyte
00:21:20 The Dataphyte and Goloka teams
00:28:54: Major challenges in collecting accurate data
00:37:37 How can Nigeria be more data-driven?
00:43:55 Joshua's dream for Dataphyte and Goloka
00:45:24 Advice for people building something around data
00:47:42 Final words
00:48:30 Outro
We referenced:
Dataphyte
Goloka
National Endowment for Democracy
Don’t forget to follow The Spotlight Podcast on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. You can also subscribe to our YouTube and newsletter
If you have any suggestions or questions, please complete the Q&A intake form or send me an email at iwalola@thespotlightpod.com -
Notion to Figma to Framer:Designing Your UX Portfolio in 2024
On this episode of The Spotlight Podcast, we had product designer Ayodeji Olagbaiye with us.
Follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter
We talked about:
What your portfolio MUST contain if you want to land a UX design role in 2024
What NOT to do when designing your portfolio
How to get your first UX design job
The best platform to host your UX design portfolio
How often you should update your portfolio if you want to stay relevant
Breakdown:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:52 Icebreaker
00:11:02 Deji's background
00:13:03 Working with developers
00:15:50 What media is Ayodeji consuming?
00:17:18 How Ayodeji got into UX design
00:25:34 Joining Kuda
00:29:06 Working remotely
00:30:05 What he would have done differently
00:34:00 Getting your first job and having a portfolio
00:36:30 What he wishes he knew when building his first portfolio
00:43:26 Key things in a portfolio
00:50:50 Updating your portfolio
00:54:46 Can you get a job without a big project on your portfolio?
00:58:40 What not to do in your portfolio
01:01:39 Is there a best place to host your portfolio?
01:09:06 Can AI help with your portfolio?
01:10:54 Unpopular opinion about design portfolios
01:13:45 Some of the best portfolios Ayodeji has seen
01:21:40 Resources to build your portfolio
01:24:10 Advice for designers
01:31:22 Outro
We referenced:
Tintype
Daniel Abayomi
Notion
Framer
Webflow
Wordpress
Wix
Polywork
Kuldar
Ekemini's portfolio
Dennis Snellenberg's Portfolio
90% of designers are unhirable? | UX Collective
UX Collective
Dribbble
Behance
Layers
Don’t forget to follow The Spotlight Podcast on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. You can also subscribe to our YouTube and newsletter
If you have any suggestions or questions, please complete the Q&A intake form or send me an email at iwalola@thespotlightpod.com -
The Unpredictable Realities of Market Penetration with Tochy Udunwa
After a long hiatus, we're back with a new episode.
On this episode, the amazing Tochy Udunwa shared some insights on marketing, the unpredictability of the industry, and how to navigate it.
Follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram
We also we talked about:
Conversion and brand loyalty
The role of branding in marketing
Picking the right strategy for your organisation
Defining success in marketing
What to know/do if you want to become a marketer
Breakdown:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:02:05) Icebreaker
(00:11:35) Digital Marketing vs Traditional Advertising
(00:12:43) Conversion and community building
(00:18:49) The role of branding in marketing
(00:22:30) Tochy’s background
(00:31:25) The importance of domain experience in marketing
(00:35:47) Tochy’s superpower (project management)
(00:36:37) Tochy’s career milestones
(00:47:25) How to pick the right strategy for an organisation
(00:51:45) What makes the industry so unpredictable?
(00:54:32) Navigating the uncertainties
(00:57:40) Tochy’s future publications
(00:59:31) Defining the success of your strategy
(01:05:10) Advice for aspiring marketing professionals
(01:13:42): Tochy’s online presence
We referenced:
Google Project Management: Professional Certificate | Coursera
Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate | Coursera
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate | Coursera
EDai
MyShopLauncher
GradientFI
Microsoft Clarity
Pretty Little Marketer
Mad Over Marketing (M.O.M)
Capturing the Moment: Maltina Cans Drop from a Billboard on a Lagos Street
Don’t forget to follow The Spotlight Podcast on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. You can also subscribe to our YouTube and newsletter
If you have any suggestions or questions, please complete the Q&A intake form or send me an email at iwalola@thespotlightpod.com