Many organizations have beautiful slogans about “putting customers first.” Yet customers still leave frustrated, angry, and ready to complain online.

Why? Because customer service is not delivered by logos or mission statements. It is delivered by people and people come with brands.

Every time a customer interacts with your organization, they meet a human being; not a building. That receptionist, support agent, technician or sales executive becomes the company in that moment. Their attitude; their tone; their patience and their empathy.

All of that is personal branding in action.

So when a customer says, “This company has poor service,” what they often mean is:

“One individual with a poorly managed personal brand just ruined my experience.”

Technology can automate processes and policies can guide behaviour, but only personal branding shapes character.

Strong personal brands in customer service show up as empathy instead of impatience, solutions instead of excuses, and professionalism instead of pride.

You can train people on scripts and systems, but you must build them as people. Great customer service is not just a skill; it is a mindset.

Whenever service goes bad, grammar disappears too.

“Madam calm down.”
“No be me do am.”
“That one is not possible.”

The problem isn’t English; it’s brand consciousness. When employees understand that their behaviour is their reputation, everything changes. Courtesy becomes natural. Follow-up becomes normal; Respect becomes a habit.

Products can be copied. Prices can be matched. But how customers are treated is the real competitive advantage. That is why personal branding is not a motivational luxury; it is a customer service strategy.

Remember, your brand is not what you say it is. It is what your customer experiences.

The milestone was formally highlighted at a press briefing led by Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, the head of the Civil Service of the Federation, who commended Galaxy Backbone for its sustained support and contribution throughout the implementation of the programme.

GBB has played a critical role in enabling this transition by providing secure, scalable, and shared digital infrastructure that supports the digitisation of government processes across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Through the 1Government Cloud, MDAs have been empowered to migrate from paper-based workflows to digital platforms, improving efficiency, collaboration, data security, and service delivery across the Federal Civil Service.

In addition, GovMail, GBB’s secure government email platform, has strengthened official communication, enhanced records management, and reinforced cybersecurity standards, key pillars in sustaining a paperless operating environment.

Galaxy Backbone acknowledges the collective efforts of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Permanent Secretaries, Directors of ICT, consultants, partners, and dedicated public servants whose commitment and collaboration ensured the smooth delivery of this initiative.

Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, the managing director/chief executive officer of Galaxy Backbone, was represented at the press briefing by Akintayo Bamisaye, acting group head, Research, Digital Innovation and Skills Department (RDIS).

According to the statement signed by Chidi Okpala, head, Corporate Communications at Galaxy Backbone, GBB describes the achievement as a strong close to 2025 and reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Federal Government in building a modern, efficient, and digitally enabled public service.

From AI certifications to cloud computing badges, from product management bootcamps to data analytics masterclasses, our workforce is acquiring knowledge at an impressive speed.

But beneath this progress lies a critical gap that often goes unnoticed: We are building skills, but not building self-awareness. And in today’s world, skills without self-awareness lead to misalignment, career stagnation, toxic work cultures, and missed leadership opportunities.

The African tech space is booming. Governments are investing in digital economies, startups are scaling, and global companies are tapping into African talent. As a result, professionals feel a constant pressure to “upskill or die.”

Learning is good but learning without introspection creates a problem; You may become qualified but not effective; You may have competence but lack clarity; You may gain technical skills but lose the ability to connect, communicate, or collaborate; You may be good at your work but unable to explain your value. This is where self-awareness becomes indispensable.

Self-Awareness: The New Competitive Edge

Self-awareness is not motivational jargon. It is the foundation of Personal Brand Leadership, the ability to understand who you are, how you show up, the value you bring, and the impact you create.

Professionals with strong self-awareness; Communicate more clearly, work better with teams, identify their strengths and blind spots, Make better career and business decisions, build stronger professional relationships and attract opportunities aligned with their identity and values.

In tech, where collaboration, innovation, and leadership are critical, self-awareness amplifies your skillset and makes you a differentiated professional.

The African Tech Workplace Is Changing

Today’s organisations no longer reward only technical expertise. They reward:

• Problem-solvers who think beyond tasks
• Professionals who show initiative and ownership
• Leaders who can communicate vision and influence teams
• Talent that aligns personal values with organisational goals
• Teams that work with emotional intelligence, not just intelligence

Yet many talented individuals struggle because they focus solely on skills while ignoring the development of the self behind those skills. Your skills help you work, but your self-awareness helps you grow, lead, and sustain.

There are three major factors why many African Professionals Avoid Self Awareness work:

1. Our education system prioritises knowledge, not identity.

We are trained to pass exams; not to understand how we function, think, or lead.

2. Workplace culture often discourages introspection.

Many organisations reward “busyness,” not reflection or personal development.

3. Personal branding is misunderstood.

Some see it as packaging, aesthetics, or online visibility. But real personal branding starts with inner clarity.

…to be continued

“Even individuals need to develop a brand for themselves… Whatever area of expertise, you can take steps to make people think of you when they think of your field.” — Accelepoint Webzine

I still remember sitting in a meeting back in 2016, surrounded by senior executives, when the CEO said something that stopped me in my tracks: “In the face of the changes going on in our world, we need to start branding ourselves.”

As someone who has spent two decades in the ICT industry and dedicated the last several years to helping individuals shape their personal brands — that moment felt like a powerful confirmation of what I’ve believed and taught for years: Personal branding is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’.

It’s a necessity; not just for entrepreneurs or celebrities, but for professionals, teams, and entire organizations.

We’re now in an era where organisations thrive not only on infrastructure or strategy, but on the authentic expression of the people behind the scenes.

Whether it’s a network engineer, customer experience lead, software developer, or systems analyst — your people are your brand.

The more visible, confident, and value-driven they are, the stronger your organisation becomes. Global trends now point to what William Arruda described as “The Rise of the Social Employee” — professionals who are not only excellent at what they do but are also empowered to tell their story, amplify the brand message, and become trusted ambassadors both online and offline.

Forward-thinking organisations are beginning to invest in building their employees’ personal brands, not out of fear they’ll leave — but because they understand the multiplier effect of visibility, engagement, and purpose-driven performance.

So if you’re a leader worried about employees becoming “too known,” ask yourself this: ‘Would you rather lead people who hide their light… or people who shine so brightly that they uplift your whole brand while they’re with you?

What Happens When You Build People First

Here’s what I’ve learned from working across public and private sectors in ICT:

1. Everyone Wins, Everyone Grows

When professionals understand their strengths, clarify their values, and build a brand rooted in purpose, they don’t just grow — they show up differently.

They contribute more meaningfully, own their work, and align personal wins with team goals. Personal branding isn’t about ego; it’s about alignment. It helps the organisation, the customer, and the individual all win.

2. You Attract More, Compete Less

In a noisy world, people trust people. When your employees are visible, credible, and consistent, they become magnets — for opportunities, for clients, and for great talent. Instead of shouting louder, your brand earns trust through real people and real stories.

3. Trust Builds Culture, Culture Fuels Innovation

At the heart of every great brand is trust. When organisations empower their people, and when people believe they are seen, valued, and heard — they don’t just perform, they innovate.
And trust doesn’t mean perfection. It means authenticity, accountability, and alignment.

4. Legacy Becomes Shared

We talk a lot about legacy as founders or leaders. But legacy is built together.
When you help your team build meaningful careers, when you invest in their identity and voice, you leave behind more than systems you leave behind people who will carry the mission further, with heart and commitment.

If your dream ends when you leave, then it was never big enough.

Let’s Lead the Change

Imagine a tech industry where people are not just building solutions; but building their voice.
Where organisations are not just solving problems, but creating ecosystems of impact. Where personal branding is not a threat, but a tool for long-term success, visibility, and collective growth.

That’s the world that will last and last. So, here’s my challenge to you; whether you’re a CEO, HR leader, team lead, or rising professional: Invest in the harnessing and nurturing the value and voice of your people so you can grow together and leave a workplace; a thriving Africa, and world better than you met it.

He has spent over 15 years in the Information Technology space creating a niche for himself in Corporate Branding & Communications.

He is passionate about building corporate brands, but today he is much more passionate about building Personal brands for leaders & aspiring leaders in corporations; helping to transform them into unique strengths for corporations in a way that it effectively helps drive success and business growth.

He is an alumnus of the Aberdeen Business School (Robert Gordon University) in the UK, where he gained an MSc in Business Management with core emphasis in Brand & Marketing strategy development for organizations.

He commenced his Career with Computer Warehouse Group as a Marketing Communications Assistant, from there he grew, over a short period to becoming Group Head Marketing & Communications for CWG, helping the organisation expand its territory into the Sub-Saharan African space.

He moved from there to DATAFLEX, where he led the transformation of the brand into becoming one that is felt within the IT space today.

He has led Corporate Communications and currently, heads Marketing at Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB).

During the period he has been there, Chidi has transformed the organisation greatly by bringing the organisation into the market via communicating effecting how GBB is transforming Nigeria’s Digital Economy through its world class Digital Infrastructures.

Chidi Okpala is the first REACH Certified Personal Brand Strategist in Nigeria. He has spoken at a number of Conferences and has helped a number of organizations develop the Personal brand of their people.

Some of these organizations include; Unigloves Nigeria, British High Commission Lagos, Premium Times, Computer Warehouse Group, Mayakorp, CLEMESIS Associates etc.

The event had in attendance the over 200 hundred members of Staff of Galaxy Backbone from across its Head Offices in Abuja, and regional offices in Lagos and Enugu where the organization has physical offices.

Speaking at the event, Professor Muhammad Abubakar, the Managing Director/CEO, extoled the dedicated and hard work of the members of Staff across the organization, especially those that were recognized for exceptional service at the gathering.

In reviewing the success of 2020 and 2021, he acknowledged that Galaxy Backbone has recorded a number of achievements from Staff Welfare to service improvement due to the support received from the Staff.

In his words, ‘As an organization, Galaxy Backbone grew its internal capacity, saved over a billion naira for the government, engaged in new partnerships that has expanded service offering and launched its South East and South South Connectivity and Hosting Services under the name STORM.ng and in partnership with its partners Interra Networks’.

Professor Abubakar also highlighted the challenges of COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 in which Galaxy Backbone, through its people and infrastructure, performed exceptionally as it provided the Unified Communications platform that was and is still being used by the Federal Executive Council for its weekly meetings.

The same service is now being provided to a number of Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

This service helped provide business continuity to organisations at their greatest time of need.

The expertise and dedication shown by most of Galaxy Backbone’s technical team is part of what was celebrated at the New Year Gathering.

The Galaxy Backbone Staff New Year Gathering was also an opportunity for the MD to set the tone for the year and highlight the Corporate Objectives for 2022.

In his words, ‘We decided at the last Management Retreat which took place in December 2021 that as an organization, we shall focuse on three core pillars of the six pillars disclosed at the beginning of 2022. They are: Financial Sustainability, Customer Satisfaction and Operational Excellence’.

He went on to encourage all Staff to put in their best so that GBB can achieve these set objectives.

He reminded the Staff that GBB is a technology company, hence must act like one with the potential to provide world class service, hence everyone must work together as a team.

GBB celebrated Members of Staff who have spent 10 years within the organization, while also recognizing and awarding with various cash prizes, Staff who had exceptionally lived the GBB values within the period.

The Managing Director’s award was also introduced and a number of Staff went home with exciting prizes.

Galaxy Backbone is a technology services company focused on the provision of connectivity, hosting and Security services to organisations within the public and private sectors