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An Interview with… Ife Obasa

How did you get into public speaking and why do you enjoy doing it?

It all began in June 2022, when a friend invited me to feature and speak on a panel at the Institute of Student Employers Conference in Brighton. Initially hesitant due to feeling underqualified, my friend's encouragement, recognising my strong oratory skills, propelled me to seize the opportunity. Joining the panel to discuss how employers leverage cultural cues to connect with underrepresented audiences marked the start of an upward journey, with my most recent international engagement at the SHE Conference in Norway.

The question of why I enjoy public speaking is intriguing. For me, each speaking opportunity presents a chance to empower others. At my core, I strive to leave audiences transformed and inspired after every talk. Recognised as an orator from a young age, teachers and peers consistently praised my natural ability to communicate effectively. Even as early as year 2, my teacher remarked on my exceptional communication skills.

What sets me apart is my knack for distilling complex concepts into understanding language, ensuring that everyone can grasp the message I convey. This unique ability allows me to connect with diverse audiences, making each speaking engagement a fulfilling experience.

What strategies do you implement to help you manage your many different responsibilities?

Mastering the art of organisation is essential for managing multiple responsibilities effectively. From a young age, I've embraced an organized outlook on life, a trait that continues to serve me well now. Organisation breeds discipline and provides a framework for success. Notion, a productivity app, has become a useful tool for aiding the organisation of my life. Additionally, I rely on the Business PA Planner by 'My PA Planners' to further streamline my organisational efforts.

Learning the art of time management has been a journey, honed during my Sixth Form studies while balancing roles as both a House Captain and Senator. Utilising effective organisation systems and managing my time efficiently then has translated into ongoing benefits in my current pursuits.

One strategy that greatly aids me in time management and organisation is structuring my year into four quarters, each approximately 90 days long. By aligning my schedule with these quarters and utilising calendar blocking techniques, I allocate dedicated time for tasks such as writing LinkedIn newsletter posts and content creation.

Intentionality is paramount in managing diverse responsibilities. As a law student, I prioritise my degree while also pursuing speaking engagements. Being intentional about the current season of life allows me to focus on mastering my responsibilities and effectively juggling multiple commitments.

You’ve worked with some incredible people and organisations! Is there an experience you’ve had which has been particularly notable?

Yes, truly I have, and I am deeply grateful to God. My faith plays a crucial part in my life. At the core of who I am is Christ, and it is truly a blessing to carry my faith with me wherever I go—I do not take it for granted. Similarly, I cherish the people I have met along my journey. There have been many remarkable individuals I have encountered, too numerous to mention.

A particularly notable experience was meeting Lord Blunkett at the Labour Party Conference in October 2023. His research on me prior to our joint participation on a panel addressing the current skills gap, took me by surprise. Speaking alongside such a distinguished figure, a politician, was a significant moment for me. It symbolised the culmination of my efforts in championing causes I am passionate about, such as bridging educational inequality and reforming the education system. Lord Blunkett's down-to-earth and approachable demeanour made the experience of meeting him truly worthwhile.

I'd like to extend a massive shoutout to the Edge Foundation and many other organisations I have worked with that do fantastic work in addressing issues within the current education system and inspiring young people. Many opportunities I have had the privilege to participate in have stemmed from their initiatives.

Additionally, attending the first-ever EU UK Youth Delegation in October 2023 was another noteworthy moment for me. Bringing together 120 youth to discuss strengthening relationships between EU and UK youth and providing solutions to challenges faced by young people in both regions within society was a memorable and impactful experience.

Who is your biggest inspiration and why?

My greatest inspirations are my parents. I was born to them when they were very young and struggling to make ends meet, they taught me the power of dreams. From them, I learned that no dream is too small, and one should never confine their mind to their present circumstances—the possibilities are limitless.

My parents instilled in me the values of hard work, excellence, and unwavering determination. Through their relentless efforts, they have not only overcome obstacles but are now enjoying the rewards of their perseverance.

What advice would you give to young women who are just beginning to think about developing their personal brand?

I define a personal brand as a portfolio that represents oneself. A personal brand encapsulates a holistic representation of who you are. An excellent personal brand has gone through an extensive thought process to ensure that what people see is what the individual planned.

For any young women embarking on the journey of developing their personal brand, here is my advice:

1. Define Your Identity: What do you want to be known for? What would you like your brand to attest to? When I started on LinkedIn, I decided that the core of my brand would be empowerment. I wanted people to think of me as an individual who provides empowering content or that when I speak, in whatever capacity, I empower. Those are the depths you need to go to when considering your brand.

2. Strategic Action: What steps are you taking to make that personal brand a reality? A personal brand does not sprout from thin air. As I mentioned it is a portfolio of who you are. It gives you credibility. Start by curating your narrative across various platforms that you are on. Building a personal brand requires mastery over time in the niche you want to be known for.

3. Do not copy others: Be unique in marking your brand. Be known for something unique to you.

For more insights on crafting a personal brand as a young person, you can subscribe to my LinkedIn newsletter, 'The Authentic Leader', where I share tips and guidance.

Great Female Economists: Elinor Ostrom

Written by Jessica Williams

Born in 1933, Ostrom's upbringing during wartime instilled in her a profound commitment to cooperation and resource conservation, principles that permeated her groundbreaking research. One of Ostrom's most renowned contributions lies in her reevaluation of the tragedy of the commons. The tragedy of the commons posits that natural resources, which are rivalrous and non-excludable, are inevitably subject to over-exploitation due to the self-interest of individuals, leading to both environmental degradation and the eventual collapse of society — traditional economic theory thus advocates for government or private sector intervention to regulate and manage such resources.

Imagine you're a farmer with access to a communal grazing pasture. Without any regulating authority limiting your livestock, the incentive to maximise individual profits continually leads you and every other farmer to add more animals to the pasture. Consequently, the pasture becomes overgrazed, resulting in depleted grass and losing all farmers' income. To rectify this market failure and environmental degradation, conventional economic theory asserts the necessity of government intervention. However, Ostrom proposed a new perspective: advocating for the efficacy of collective action and self-governance in managing shared resources. She suggests that societies will establish social or official institutions for sharing said resources so that social norms may prevent over-exploitation for one's self-interest.

However, challenges exist with Ostrom's proposal. Notably, a lack of incentive exists to establish these institutions – this idea is fascinating! If you want to explore this further, I recommend delving into the video link at the end of this article, which offers a game theory-based explanation. Another challenge with Ostrom's proposal is how we can overcome the issue of mutual enforcement. Additionally, many economists, like Dani Rodrick, highlight a critical concern: "The problem with self-enforcing agreements is that they do not scale up".

Yet, Ostrom's ideas provide optimism in tackling global challenges like the overexploitation of natural resources. Through empirical evidence from case studies of communal irrigation systems in Spain and forests in Nepal, she demonstrated the efficacy of self-organised common property institutions.

In essence, Ostrom's work emphasises the importance of local governance, offering a blueprint for addressing complex environmental and resource exploitation issues. Her work is so pivotal that her papers have had around 10,000 more citations than Friedman's!

💡OPPORTUNITIES💡

For Year 11-13 Students

Morgan Stanley Summer Academy: https://morganstanley.tal.net/vx/lang-en-GB/mobile-0/brand-2/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/2/opp/17040-2024-Morgan-Stanley-Summer-Academy/en-GB

BNP Paribas Discovery Day: https://careers.bnpparibas.co.uk/jobs/london-2024-bnpp-early-careers-discovery-day/

For Uni Students

Bright Network Internship Experience UK: https://www.brightnetwork.co.uk/internship-experience-uk/#apply

Brunswick Summer Internship: https://boards.greenhouse.io/brunswickgroup/jobs/7229218002

Thanks for reading another issue! See you in the next one - Erin McGurk

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