Dear Missie
Call me "King'ang'anizi, Kupe" or any other name, but I still believe in the power of blogs and the stories that we can share in order to learn through each other's experiences. Soooo, here I am, trying again to revive the M.P blog as a platform for constructive conversations.
And to make it more fun, I would love to take a different turn on the type of content we post and share in here. Let's touch on those CORPORATE LIFE Untold Stories that we live and go through, every day.
What do I mean?
Well...
I started my corporate life journey in 2010 at a rather young age. I was the youngest officer at the work place which had over 300 employees, it was quite interesting. Being a young, sassy, fashionable and quite a head strong girl, I saw my share of the good, the bad and the ugly realities of the Tanzanian corporate world. I want to share these with you, in here.
With over 10 years experience in this corporate life, I have also witnessed and heard quite amazing and crazy stories too. The crazy ones are majorly coming from my young sisters and brothers who have just started their jobs/work experiences and I must say, they really need some guidance to navigate this maze.
This is by far the reason that pushed me to re-engage you all through this blog. I believe through sharing our stories, we will be able to help at least one person out there.
With that said, I will be receiving your stories through missiepopular@gmail.com from today....and I will be posting them anonymously. Please help us to make your story very clear in order for all of us to understand and learn from it.
Those young corporates who have specific questions are welcome as well. Please send in your question through missiepopular@gmail.com and I will post it here for everyone to help you.
I am super excited to engage with you all and I think we will have a superb platform, here forth.
xoxo
Missie Popular
If there is something in my career life that I would have done differently, is claiming my spot very early on and not let everyone walk all over me. There is a lot to unpack from that sentence, so let me try and hopefully it will help someone in their career development, today.
I started my official employment at the age 25, being the youngest at an organization of 600+ people. My first position led me to the Public Relations office where I served for almost a year, and thereafter, I joined my favorite department, Sales and Marketing. I love marketing! I was on fire! Which means I burnt bridges, created pathways where there was none and sometimes, I burnt myself too...but that is a story for another day.
Being the youngest means you are hardly taken serious, especially when you are in an industry that is quite male-dominated. So I had to learn to tame myself and let others talk on my behalf, or sometimes do what I am told even when I knew things could have been done the other way. This worked for the first 2 years, until the frustration that was building inside me, couldn't take it any more. I started to act out and just be stubborn for no reason. As you can as well guess, I received several discipline letters and was called to the HR for insubordination issues. I was ready to quit.
Then one day, my dad asked me to share exactly what it is that frustrated me. Ooooh I had a lot to say! Him being the patient and cool collected man, he listened until i was done. He waited for me to cool down (I was literally sobbing). Then he calmly asked me, "Let alone the activities that you do, what do you see as your role in that organization?"...I was dumbfounded. I had never before, thought beyond my position and the activities I performed for the organization. It took me few minutes to actually come up with an answer, I said " My role is to create a platform that connects the organization and its potential customers/stakeholders."
He smiled and said, "That's correct. Now, are you 100% in control of that role?" I shook my head "No"...because that was indeed the root cause of my frustration. I felt that I was not in control of the role, but I still received all the blames when things went wrong. My dad gave me a long talk about understanding the organization structure and claiming my spot without apologizing for it. He talked about how leadership is about pushing things forward and breaking the barriers that I come across, daily. At the end of our almost 3 hours talk, he bluntly told me, "You are a young lady with so much fire in you. You can do amazing things if you learn to claim your spot, work hard and earn everyone's respect. I believe in you kiddo, don't shrink yourself for anybody". With tears in my eyes, I promised to make him proud.
When I got to work after that weekend, I brought the fire with me. It took less than six months for my then boss to call me, and asked if I wanted to take on more responsibilities. I said YES! I went on to out perform all tasks related to Events Planning and coordination, which was a big part of the Marketing activities. And after serving for 6 years, my boss gave me his blessings when I asked if I could leave and go to a job that was specifically Events Coordination, at a different organization.
5 years now and I am loving every single challenge that comes with Event coordination. From organizing events in Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana and almost every major city in Tanzania...Coordinating events that bring together former and current presidents, heads of various regional organizations and African countries, private sector etc... It has been such a ride, and quite fruitful. I am forever grateful for my father's advise that day.
Let me come back to you. What is that career thing that is currently troubling you? Let's share and discuss in the comments below
Missie Popular
1. Your accessories should always be in layers, and it looks best when the layers are three. The area above your shoulders, the mid section and the feet.
Above the shoulders may involve a pair of statement earrings as seen on the above picture, or a statement hair style, or a head scarf/hat/fascinator that calls for attention etc.
The mid section involves a waist belt, a bag/clutch or waist beads etc. Of course, all this is apart from the pants, skirt or anything that you wear, but rather what you add into it.
And the last part is the feet area. This mostly involves the kind of shoes you wear, in terms of style, color and ornaments that come with the shoes. It can also involve stockings, socks, anklets etc
3. Mix the various sizes of your accessories. Depending on where you want to direct people's attention to, your choice of accessory sizes should factor that in. If you want attention on your face, then choose big earrings or a fun hairstyle/head scarf/hat etc. The same with your shoes, if you are wearing an outfit that you think might look boring/dull, then you may shift people's attention to your feet by choosing statement shoes.
I hope you have gathered one or two helpful tips, as I keep sharing whatever new that I learn everyday. As usual, let's continue the conversation on my social accounts Here
Missie Popular
It is its majestic architecture and resilient people that inspired me to do this photoshoot. Interpreting how beautiful my city is, the strength and pride its people has and of course, the fashion and style that can be found here. The green color goes with our attempt to embrace sustainability in most of what we do, while the exaggerated moves matches our very own pride and egos as Dar es Salaam dwellers. If you have ever been to this city, you will understand that last part better. No matter who you meet and what their social status is, the pride and ego is of the same size!
But we laugh at every situation we go through. Be it the April rain and floods, the usual crazy traffic jam or getting into the bus through the window, it is never that serious :) You will always hear that same phrase, this is Bongo!
I accessorized the look with ivory colored bangles, earrings and shoes, as a way of showing my sincere optimism for the economic development of my city, which can be contributed by the formalization and development of the fashion industry. I have hope that this East African fashion hub can be able to manufacture and distribute fashion items to the whole of Eastern and Central Africa. We can go beyond fashion designing and events, If only we try.
As I celebrate this, I also congratulate the likes of Khadija Mwanamboka, Kemi Kalikawe and Ally Rehmtullah, who own fashion institutes that groom more designers for the East African market. I urge more investors to take on various opportunities in this sector, and together we can create a bigger impact
Missie Popular
Collaborations, Partnerships and Endorsements are what I am looking for, this year. This will be in the areas of Lifestyle and Fashion, specifically on Travel, Brands PR and Corporate fashion. I am looking forward to great conversations with you here on the blog, on my Instagram page @MissiePopular and meeting you all in various events.
I am super ready, are you? If you have a product/service that aligns with my corporate brand, link me up and let's collaborate/partner and make 2021 a great year!
Happy 2021!
Missie Popular
Enough about the colors, how grateful are we to see 2020 gone?! The year was full of turbulences, amazing lessons and for some, such devastation. Families were torn apart, economies are still being tested, and life is never the same. In the end, I cherish every family moments I get to spend with my loved ones, and I must say, I don't take it for granted!
I wish 2021 will be better for everyone, especially in returning back those job opportunities and raising the economy to a better place. We need people back to work, traveling and most importantly, healthy. I wish this for you and your loved ones
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year 2021
Missie Popular
So, I said to myself, why not try to find some local designer piece that exudes the summer vibe while giving you that modest cover? And guess what, this Bijoux Trendy two piece is that and more!
The material is super light and hugs to your body every time there is wind, brushing the skin so delicately. As I celebrate and showcase my city of Dar es Salaam, I recommend you check out this brand too.
Moreover, my birthday month is loading.....and I promised to use the whole of January to showcase various designer works through my Instagram page @MissiePopular and here on the blog. Which designer would you recommend I showcase their work? Leave me a comment below :)
Makeup: Neema of Atsoko
Stylist: Irada
Wardrobe: Bijoux Trendy
Accessories: Kuskus Jewels
Missie Popular