{"id":10352,"date":"2026-09-01T21:50:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T20:50:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/?p=10352"},"modified":"2026-09-01T21:51:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T20:51:19","slug":"locked-in-chidinma-eke-on-focus-growth-motherhood-and-making-every-day-count","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/2026\/09\/locked-in-chidinma-eke-on-focus-growth-motherhood-and-making-every-day-count","title":{"rendered":"Locked-In: Chidinma Eke on Focus, Growth, Motherhood and Making Every Day Count"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an age of endless notifications, competing priorities and shrinking attention spans, “locking in” has become more than a social media catchphrase. <\/em><\/p>\n

For Chidinma Eke, Head of Human Resources at Africa Prudential Plc, locking in is about focus, discipline and making intentional choices that move life forward.<\/em><\/p>\n

From navigating a demanding career to raising young children, Chidinma has learned that success is rarely about talent alone. It is built through consistency, planning, resilience and the willingness to keep showing up, even when things get difficult. In this conversation with \u2018Deoye Falade, she shares lessons from her career journey, the realities of balancing work and family, and why she believes it’s never too late to start again.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DF: Let\u2019s start with the obvious question: what does \u201clocking in\u201d mean to you personally? Is it discipline, focus, saying no to distractions, or something else entirely?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CE:<\/strong> For me, locking in is first and foremost about focus, although discipline is a big part of it too. I’m naturally someone who wants to do a lot of things at the same time, and while that can be a strength, it can also become a source of distraction. Over the years, I’ve had to deliberately train myself to focus on what matters most in the moment, address one priority properly before rushing to the next, and resist the temptation to spread myself too thin.<\/p>\n

I’ve realised that progress comes faster when your attention isn’t fragmented. Locking in means being intentional about where your energy goes and making peace with the fact that not everything can happen at once.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DF: Was there a point in your career when you clocked that talent alone wasn\u2019t going to get you where you wanted to go, and you needed to become more intentional about your growth? What changed after that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CE:<\/strong> I learned that lesson very early in my career and I guess being in HR where you\u2019re appraising everyone will do that to you (LOL). Talent is important, but it quickly became obvious that it isn\u2019t enough on its own. The reality is that competition is stiff and continues to get stiffer every year.<\/p>\n

I also came to a very important realisation: no one can be as invested in your growth as you are. Managers, mentors and organisations can support you, but ultimately you are responsible for your own development. Once I accepted that, I became much more intentional about learning, seeking opportunities, building skills and positioning myself for growth. By God’s grace, that intentionality has translated into tangible progress over the years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DF: We often talk about big goals, but what are the small, unglamorous things you consistently do that have made the biggest difference in your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CE:<\/strong> Honestly, showing up is half the battle. It sounds simple, but consistency is powerful. Every day, I show up and try to be a little better than I was the day before.<\/p>\n

I make a conscious effort to learn, unlearn and relearn. The workplace is constantly evolving, and the moment you assume you know it all, you begin to fall behind. The small habits aren’t glamorous, but they compound over time and create meaningful results.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DF: How do you decide what deserves your attention and what simply isn’t worth your energy? Have you become better at saying no as you’ve progressed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CE:<\/strong> Absolutely. I’ve become much better at prioritising. I try to identify the wildly important goal (WIG), because that’s usually the thing on which many other outcomes depend. Once that’s clear, I can organise everything else around it.<\/p>\n

I’ve also learned the value of saying no, including saying no to myself. If something needs immediate attention because delaying it will create a bigger problem later, then I address it as quickly as possible. If not, it can be phased appropriately. I’ve come to understand that not everything is urgent, and not everything deserves the same amount of energy.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

DF: Everyone has had a period where they felt stuck, distracted or like they weren’t quite living up to their own potential. Have you experienced that, and how did you get yourself moving again?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CE:<\/strong> Definitely. I’ve had those seasons, and some of them were as difficult as they can be. There are times when life feels overwhelming, motivation is low and you’re not operating at your best.<\/p>\n

What gets me moving again is a simple but powerful truth: no one is coming to save you. I remind myself of that often. As harsh as it sounds, it’s incredibly empowering because it shifts the responsibility back to me. Once I accept that, I stop waiting for perfect conditions and start taking action, however small the first step may be.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DF: What’s one thing you wish you’d started doing much earlier in your career? And, conversely, what’s something you wish you’d stopped doing sooner?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CE:<\/strong> I wish I had started investing much earlier. At the beginning of my career, I learned the importance of saving, which was valuable, but I wish I had also learned how to safely multiply those savings through investments. That knowledge came much later, and sometimes I genuinely mourn the lost time.<\/p>\n

On the flip side, I wish I had stopped saying yes to everything much sooner. Early in my career, I felt the need to take on almost everything that came my way. Over time, I’ve learned to be more discerning with my time and energy. These days, I prefer to ensure that my commitments serve a clear purpose and contribute to a meaningful medium or long-term goal.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DF: \u2018Locking-in\u2019 isn’t just about work. What area of your life do you think professionals often neglect while chasing career success?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CE:<\/strong> Health and wellness, without question. Many of us begin our careers when we’re younger and feel almost invincible. We can function on very little sleep, push through exhaustion and assume we’ll always bounce back.<\/p>\n

Then one day you’re in your thirties and realise your body doesn’t negotiate the way it used to. The habits that seemed harmless begin to catch up with you. I genuinely wish more professionals would take health and wellness seriously from the start. If we did, I believe we’d see fewer lifestyle-related health issues later in life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DF: September also means back to school for many parents. Has becoming a parent changed the way you think about preparation, discipline and getting your priorities in order?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CE:<\/strong> Significantly. Becoming a parent has a way of reinforcing lessons you may have learned before, but never fully appreciated.<\/p>\n

You quickly realise the importance of planning, structure and prioritisation. With young children, life becomes organised around school schedules, routines and responsibilities. If I think about my typical day, it’s split into three shifts. The first shift is getting the children ready for school (my kids are still quite young), the second is my professional workday, and the third is dinner, homework, bedtime routines and preparing for the next day.<\/p>\n

When you’re managing all of that within the same 24 hours, distractions become extremely expensive. You learn very quickly that spending time on things that don’t matter can create major setbacks elsewhere. Parenthood has strengthened my discipline in ways I never expected.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DF: What has parenting taught you about \u201clocking in\u201d that you now apply to your professional life, and what has work taught you that helps you show up better as a parent?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CE:<\/strong> Parenting has taught me to stop overthinking and just get things done. The same 24 hours that felt insufficient when I was single are the same 24 hours I have now, and somehow everything still has to fit in. We make it work, admittedly with some fairly high cortisol levels at times (LOL!).<\/em><\/p>\n

On the other hand, work has reinforced the importance of planning, preparation and continuous improvement. Every day with children requires some version of planning, implementing, reviewing and adjusting. School days don’t begin on school mornings. Often, preparation starts days, weeks or even months earlier.<\/p>\n

The more organised and prepared you are, the calmer the experience becomes for everyone involved. Children are incredibly perceptive, and they quickly pick up on stress and disorganisation, so preparation is a gift you give both yourself and them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DF: If you had just 90 days to make a meaningful difference in your career, finances, health or personal life, what would you prioritise?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CE:<\/strong> That’s actually a difficult question because I try not to completely deprioritise any of those areas. My answer would depend heavily on the demands of the moment.<\/p>\n

Right now, I would probably prioritise career and finances because they’re closely linked. Progress in one often creates opportunities in the other. That said, I believe balance matters, so even while focusing on one area, I’d still try to ensure the others don’t suffer unnecessarily.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DF: What’s one lesson you’ve learned about ambition that you didn’t understand when you were younger? Has your definition of success changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CE:<\/strong> Interestingly, my definition of success hasn’t changed dramatically because I’ve always viewed success as something fluid rather than fixed. I don’t believe in boxing myself into one destination. We achieve one milestone and then begin working towards the next.<\/p>\n

I’ve always wanted to be able to afford a good life, experience meaningful things, support my family and positively impact the people around me. I’ve never been comfortable with the idea of lack or insufficiency, and I’ve always understood that achieving those aspirations requires effort and excellence.<\/p>\n

I realised quite early that I wasn’t cut out for shortcuts or anything outside the straight and narrow. That meant I had to become really good at what I do. Even now, I’m still growing and developing myself to meet the demands of each new season.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DF: Let’s end with a challenge: if someone reading this interview is thinking, “I’ve wasted most of the year; it’s too late to do anything meaningful now,” what would you tell them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CE:<\/strong> I’d tell them it’s never too late to begin.<\/p>\n

Every day presents a fresh opportunity to make a different decision and take a different action. We often underestimate how much progress can be made when we start immediately instead of waiting for the perfect moment. The truth is that momentum only comes after movement.<\/p>\n

So make a move. What\u2019s that saying about a moving man (or woman)\u2026..? I\u2019ll leave you to complete that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In an age of endless notifications, competing priorities and shrinking attention spans, “locking in” has become more than a social media catchphrase. For Chidinma Eke, Head of Human Resources at Africa Prudential Plc, locking in is about focus, discipline and making intentional choices that move life forward. From navigating a demanding career to raising young […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":10353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover","category-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10352"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10355,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10352\/revisions\/10355"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}