Today on Pearls And Heels, we interview Josephine Osumo, who has had many amazing career opportunities and will tell us how she did all this.
Josephine Osumo, who also goes by the name Jos or JO in the Toastmasters community, studied Radio Production and Presentation. She has worked in the media as a producer and director, both on the radio and on TV. She was among the very first Certified Event Planners in the country, and she did a short stint as an Events Planner before moving on to other things.
In recent years, she has concentrated on Coaching, Leadership and Mentoring. She is a Maxwell Leadership Certified and also Leadership Circle Certified for both individual and corporate training. The Leadership Circle assessment provides leaders with feedback on their leadership style, specifically focusing on Creative Competencies (strengths) and Reactive Tendencies (areas for development). In addition to this, she is also certified to offer PULSE, which is a survey process used to track and measure the progress of a leader’s development against their established goals within a set period of time.
How did she get here?
This is what she says.
“In 2009, a young lady approached me, She wanted my assistance in getting ready for a job interview. I was taken aback by the request for a number of reasons, the first and most glaring one was that at the time I had been out of work for years; how could I, who had been unable to land an interview, help someone prepare for one? Nevertheless, I told her, yes, I was available and would be willing to help. I did, and lo and behold and with what I believe was God’s help, she got the position. This was not the first time someone had approached me to help them gain clarity on something, nor was it the last. It was, however, the one that struck me the most, because of what I was asked to do. Something that I had been unable to get for myself, yet against all odds, I was able to work with the young lady and prepare her to get what she wanted.
I help my clients gain clarity for their next steps. I do this by helping them master skills in various ways, through public speaking, one-on-one or group coaching and sometimes through training and facilitation. I am a mother of one to many, one biological, many who call me Mum, just because they love me that much, and an aunt to various others. I am also a friend, a sister, a daughter. I am a businesswoman. Above all these and the one that’s most important, I am God’s Favourite.
I honestly cannot tell you what I am passionate about. God, my family and my friends. Well-cooked food and roads not backed up by traffic. I love my coffee and have a sweet tooth, and I always have chocolate somewhere. I am usually reading more than one book at a time, simply because my brain cannot follow one story through for an entire day. Yet I am a unitasker, which simply means I cannot multitask.”
What do you do? What impact do you think it creates in your industry or the world?
Some years ago, I had someone say, when they have children, that they want to be in a position to take them to the school of their choosing, as a parent, not to the one they can afford. That’s what I do. I help individuals clarify their next step in order to focus on the actions they need to take to make a meaningful and positive impact in their lives or the lives of those around them. I help individuals move from stuck to clarity, from muddled to focused and from insignificance to impact. Be it in their life, business or career.
In my world, it creates positive change. It creates confident individuals. When one is confident, they are able to pursue their dreams, speak up for what they want and go after jobs, careers and/or start businesses that elevate them. This in turn opens doors for them to make decisions about how they live, which results in them living their lives the way they want to and not the way they have to. That’s why I say I help you live your life by design, not by default.
I am also a Toastmaster. Toastmasters is a global organisation that helps individuals improve their public speaking, leadership and communication skills. As a Toastmaster, I have held various leadership positions, currently, I am the Program Quality Director (PQD) in Division B, District 114. For those who may not be aware and need a brief on how this looks, a club is made up of at least 13 individuals, an Area at least 4 clubs and a Division at least 4 Areas. Our Division has 17 Clubs in 4 Areas serving approximately 300 – 350 people. As the Program Quality Director, I plan, organise and direct the Division’s Training programs to ensure the quality and effectiveness of club meetings so that members can meet their goals.
What things would you change along the way if you had a chance to go back to the past?
Not sure I would change anything. All that has happened has brought me to the place I am now. I once read a book in which the heroine had what I will call third sight; she was able to go back into the past and forward into the future. As the story unfolded, she met a man, they fell in love, got married, and then one day, he disappeared. She did all she could to find him. She was told she could go on living, not knowing what happened, or go back and change the outcome. She was, however, given the opportunity to see how a little change in the past could affect the future. So no, changing the past might mean not doing or experiencing some of the best things that have happened or missing some of the painful moments, but even the sweetest-smelling rose has thorns in it.
What would you say are the top three skills needed to succeed at your current job?
I would say active listening – listening to understand not only what is being said, but also what is not being said, what is being implied and what is left hanging. This leads to reframing – the ability to put what has been said in a different way to get the same implied meaning or to better understand it, and this helps the client hear what they said in a new way, which gives them a different perspective. Finally effective communication – being specific in the questions you ask, giving feedback and asking for feedback, being open.
What do you love to do that makes you light up when you talk about it? It could be a passion, hobbies, or your career? What about it makes you light up?
A lot of things make me light up. It would be easier to list those that don’t. Hahaha.
Speaking to people about mindset, not just the abstract idea of how mindset affects our lives, but their mindset in particular, when I have a discussion on how to elevate our lives.
I enjoy discussions that move people forward, regardless of the forum. I love it when a client comes to me with a problem, and during the discussion, they suddenly have an AHA moment. This gives me so much joy.
Then too, organising events that bring people together in spaces where they are free to learn, to connect and to collaborate. I daresay I am an awesome events coordinator. If you have a big event you are planning and wondering how to bring things together, get in touch with me and let’s work together.
What motivates you to keep going?
Two things.
The first – As long as I wake up, God is not done with me yet.
Secondly, the fact that no one else knows what I know in the way that I know it. Yes, we may all have the same information, but our lived experiences make that information different to each of us.
How do you define success?
Managing to do that which I have set out to do, and if today all I want to achieve is going out for lunch with my daughter, then at the end of the day, if I managed to do that, I succeeded. When I can check off my goals and see that I managed to do them, then I succeeded. When I see that I did not manage to do them, but learned something along the way, then too, I succeeded.
What is more important for you, passion, purpose or both? Why?
Both. You cannot have one without the other. A simple example that many may not like. Jesus Christ. His purpose was to reconcile us to God, that’s the long version, the short one is, He was born to die. Why, because He is passionate about us, about His love for us. Without the passion, He would not have had the purpose.
A lot of people like to talk about success, but not failure. We are told to embrace failure on our road to success. Is there one time you failed at something you were working on that taught you valuable lessons that you can share? What lessons were those? You can also share what you failed at if you are comfortable sharing.
I have failed several times. The one that quickly comes to mind is a time I contracted a digital marketing firm to promote one of my events, and as we were drawing closer to the day, I saw there had been no sign-ups. On asking, I was told Kenyans are last-minute people and they will show up. They did not. I ended up paying for a service that did absolutely nothing for me. My lesson: know what is happening, learn what you need to know. I am still learning about the digital marketing space and how to show up there.
Have you ever faced impostor syndrome? How do you deal with it?
Yes. I check on myself first, since impostor syndrome won’t knock and say “Hello, I am impostor Syndrome” sometimes one won’t know. It can be insidious and show up as so many other things. Procrastination, perfectionism, and being selfless in giving of self, also known as serving. Knowing how it shows up for you is important. Then, reminding myself, I may not know all there is to know, but what I know is enough for what I need to do.
What advice would you give somebody just starting out in your line of work?
Don’t wait for perfection, it is an illusion.
Be clear on what you want to achieve, even if that clarity is only for that day. Get a mentor. A mentor does not have to be someone you are in touch with, but someone from whom you can learn. The internet these days has information; study up on what it would take to move you from that first step. All you need to know is just enough to move to the next step. Ray Bradbury said, “Jump and build your wings on the way down.”
Are there specific books or movies, or podcasts you would recommend to somebody for them to get a better sense of what success is or what success could be like? This is an auntie moment to pass wisdom
I think the first thing before going to look or listen to what success could look like is to define what success is for you, as an individual. My version of success may be to be able to have 1 million shillings in my bank account, yet to someone else, that is pocket change to them.
After you have done that, go online and listen to Paul Martinelli; he does not define success, however, he speaks about how you can become the success you want.
Then listen to The Law of Success Mastermind and Jim Rohn’s Trainings on Success, finish off with Mastering Your Happiness by Usnah Living, to learn how to work through challenges that come your way.
In terms of books, I would recommend Death by Meeting, by Patrick Lencioni. You will learn why conflict can be good and how not to be boring. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, if you don’t have this book in your bookshelf, go out and buy it and read it at least once a year. Napoleon writes about how to lead a productive and albeit meaningful life through aspects of faith, desire and even autosuggestion. It is the first place I came across the concept of Masterminds, and to think the book was written in 1937, such goes to show you some things we take for granted actually work.
- What do you like to do outside of work?
Reading – I read a lot. Crafts – help me unwind, especially cross-stitch and tapestry, colouring and completing puzzles. Or having a nice Tea Service set up for me. I am a firm believer in 4 O’clock Tea.
- What would you like your legacy to be?
Here lies a woman who loved God and loved humanity. She believed everyone had potential and deserved to live their lives by design.
Find Josephine Osumo on the following social media handles. On LinkedIn, Instagram and on Facebook.
