My career in finance began as a cleaner

When Kennedy Osano joined a bank in January 2009, he was part of the cleaning crew, earning a net monthly salary of Sh18,000. At the time, he harboured a secret ambition of being a journalist but he was open to whatever chances that would come his way. Today, at 32, he is the Group Head of Treasury at Anvil Shield Group. He credits emotional intelligence as one thing that has largely got him to where he is. 

Why credit emotional intelligence for your success and not hard work?

Well, the then branch manager at the bank says that she noticed me because of the confidence I had in dealing with mishaps. See, my parents died when I was pretty young. So, when you are an orphan and poor, you have to fend for yourself. I had to stand up for myself a lot and still learn to get along with people. After I joined as a cleaner, I asked a lot of questions; I was eager to learn. Down the line, she put the right goals in front of me on my path to success. Emotional intelligence is knowing when to say what and to who. And knowing when to be quiet. I am able to meet you at your level of comfort. That is a valuable thing to have.