Meet Aji Oliyide

Ali is the PMO mission lead at Google’s search with over a decade of operations and management consulting experience. Ali has an interesting background both personally and academically as she has lived around the world. Solidifying her expertise in both educational and professional settings and produces her podcast Eat.Plank.Live which features business executives who explore the intersection of fitness and professional success.

From Mechanical Engineer to Management Consulting

Starting out with a job from Eaton, Aji decided to go this route because she was interested in having a job with a business focus. Her job took her to move around the country and she lived in various states, mostly focused on the aerospace industry. After several years of working in plants as a mechanical engineer, Aji decided to take a couple of years off and attend business school at Duke in North Carolina.

While working in management consulting for several years in the financial industry, Google reached out to Aji and asked her to work for the technology giant.

As a child, her parents taught her to do well and keep her head down and that she would be recognized. In today’s world, Aji realizes that only doing well isn’t going to get you recognized. In addition to being great at what you do, you also need the ability to speak about yourself, what you do, and your personal brand.

Discover how her experience at Duke expanded her understanding of the world, why speaking about yourself is part of your job and personal brand, and why consulting is all about the perception of you and your personal brand.

Here’s your highlight guide to the episode:

[03:10] Aji tells her about her interesting background growing up in Georgia.

[08:34] Why her experience at Duke business school was life-changing for Aji.

[14:53] How growing up as a first-generation American has shaped her identity.

[21:54] Why being great isn’t good enough – you have to speak up for yourself.

[24:30] Her personal brand attributes and how she brings those into her career.

Quotes

“My experience at Duke significantly shaped who I am and how I see myself in this world.”

“Having your head down just isn’t good enough anymore. You have to be able to speak about yourself for people to recognize you.”

“It’s always good to have some level of discomfort and high expectations for yourself.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

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