Tolu Oniru (popularly known as Toolz) is a big name in the Nigerian media industry. She was born into the royal Oniru family. Toolz is an on-air personality, talk show host and radio presenter. Currently, Toolz hosts The Midday Show on Beats 99.9 Fm and anchors her show called The Juice.
Everyone knows she is one of the best when it comes to radio presenting. But what exactly sets her apart from her colleagues? What drives her? How has she being able to create a name for herself in the media industry over the last few years?
Here are four career lessons we can learn from her:
Hard work
“Hard work does not necessarily guarantee success, but no success is possible without hard work.” – Dr T.P. Chia
While hard work might not necessarily guarantee your success; it definitely improves your chances of being successful in your career. I define it “as that extra effort you put into achieving your desired goal.” Toolz has carved a niche for herself, created a name and built her image through her relentless effort and hard work.
Be passionate about your work
“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.” – Simon Sinek
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines passion as “a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something.” Passion for one’s work goes a long way in having a successful career. Toolz’s passion for celebrities, entertainment, music, and media has helped grow her career.
She loves what she does and she makes sure she puts her best into it. Whether she’s airing the Midday show or anchoring the juice, you can tell from how enthusiastic she is about her job from the way she relates with her audience.
Whatever career path you find yourself in, ensure that you have a passion for your work and use it as a source of motivation and direction.
Be willing to start
There are so many ‘what ifs’ in the career field. “What if things go wrong? What if I am not cut out for this? What if I make a mistake on air?” I am guilty of this habit too; I worry about the ‘what ifs’ before giving myself a chance to start. Before Toolz moved back to Nigeria, she worked with MTV Europe and Walt Disney pictures. These two companies gave her the confidence she needed to go far in her career.
In an interview with The Daily Mail, she talked about how her interest in broadcasting grew as she worked at a radio station in London. That prompted her movement to Lagos in 2009.
So no matter what career path you are aiming for, give yourself a chance to start. You will be surprised how far you will go. “If you take another step, and another, you will be surprised to know how far you can go from the point you thought was the end.”
Have a support system
According to socialwork.buffalo.edu, a support system refers to “a network of people- friends, family, and peers that we can turn to for emotional and practical support.”
In an excerpt from her interview with The Daily Mail, Toolz said, “my family have been supportive, but they don’t really get involved – my father wanted me to be a doctor/lawyer, so he wasn’t particularly thrilled with my decision to get into entertainment. Now he sees me on TV, in magazines, hears me on radio and he respects how hard I have worked.”
Having a good support system goes a long way in building one’s career. They are the people who encourage, support and stand by your side; they do not give up on you. In this present time where people seem to burn out easily, having a strong support system can help keep you going even when you want to give up.