Introverts and power

A lot of successful banking career stories seem to start with someone talking about starting at the very bottom of the banking chain; as a clerk or graduate trainee. Sheila Kimani’s is not different. A graduate programme from USIU got the banking bug biting her.

Then came a graduate clerk which saw her work in every role imaginable at Standard Chartered Bank #ticker:SCBK .

Basically, making her bones there before leaving to work in other banks— GTBank as group head transactional services; Nimble Group as country head — before coming back in 2021 to be the CEO of StanChart Venture Solv Kenya, which helps micro, small, and medium enterprises grow their businesses by connecting verified buyers and sellers to ease access to finance.

“We are here to rewire the DNA of banking,” she told JACKSON BIKO over a recent lunch. Solv Kenya opens the platform in the next quarter.

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Tell me about the tattoo on your upper chest.

It’s over 10 years old. I can't remember which year I got it, but I was young. It’s a tattoo of dolphins. I think they're nice creatures. Gentle. Loving. We {me and the dolphin} don't like chaos. I like helping, they guide the ships. There's a bit of leadership but very subtle.

So we're not loud, we're not all over the place and trying to commandeer our presence. But in a very subtle way, we have our presence. So I think that's why I could relate to a dolphin. They have a gentle rhythm.

Did you have to be gentle to lead people to get to where you are in the corporate world?

It’s my personality. I’m a Scorpio, so we’re very guarded in terms of who we let into our space. Back to what I was saying about being loud, I don’t like being loud about how I do my thing. So has it helped in my leadership?

I would think so but also the silence is misread because people then think you’re a snob, and not interactive. I’m also a bit of an introvert, I think. So I prefer one-on-one engagement. I’m not into crowds.

I like to explain things to people, I believe people support you when they have an understanding of where you're coming from. You'll not always buy-in, but I always like to give people a fair hearing. I'd like to explain why we’re changing to this rather than thump my chest and try to get my way around.

What do you want now in this period of life?

Where I am right now, peace is so important. Peace is everything. Because once you have peace then you can achieve anything you want in any space that you want to go into.

What is peace? Describe what it looks like.

What kind of question is that? (Chuckles) Peace is good health, my family is in good health. It’s that space of even when things don’t go my way or I feel out of control, I’m still calm and I know that we can get this thing back to the course.

And that’s in all areas of life. Peace is generally just feeling like I can overcome and I have clarity of mind that whatever I'm dealing with, I’m able to tackle it.

How are you pursuing peace now?

Meditation. I also enjoy exercising. I run. I do boxing. And of course, being with my children is peaceful.

What fears do you struggle with currently?

Like most women, imposter syndrome. Sometimes, you question if you are up to speed. I have those few moments when I feel that maybe I’m not. I also fear not living long enough to see my children mature and have a life of their own.

I feel very fortunate and blessed that my mom and my dad are still alive and I know what it means to have your parents at this age. The other fear is I don’t want to be broke when I’m old. [Laughter] I don’t want to be dependent on my children.

At the beginning, you mentioned that you’re not a very loud person, when was your life the loudest…figuratively?

I can’t get into it because it’s personal and it’s difficult to share certain details. But that event made me stronger. It made me realise that I could get things done on my own. You never know your strength until you have gone through certain challenges in life.

You mentioned your love for travel, what city/ town do you think you love?

I’m Diani. It’s a good place to retire. Retirement for me is when you’re chasing your hobby. It’s no longer money. You’re doing things that you enjoy to stay alive. I don’t think I can actually retire and just sit in the house.

I don’t see that for me. I’d wake up, exercise, then make my turmeric ginger tea. I’d enjoy that in the morning, then sit by my balcony and watch the ocean. I will probably read a book. I’m starting to enjoy a lot of podcasts, so I’d probably just be playing a podcast as I’m doing my things at my beach cabin house.

I’ll have already checked on my children that they are fine wherever they are in the world. I don’t know how realistic this is, having a wooden beach house. I just love the feel of wood.

What advice would you give your 25-year-old self?

(Pause) It’s the same thing I always tell my teens. Do what you’ve been hired to do, if you need to go above and beyond please do because there’s a God who watches and rewards.

So put in a lot of patience in what you do. It’s okay to look at people who have achieved much more than you but don’t forget that they’ve had a head-start in life, maybe their age.

Be patient and diligent. Do what you need to do, even if you don’t get your reward in that institution or whatever space that you are in, your reward is coming for sure. Work like you’re working for God, not for man.