Self-awareness: A career-defining attribute
One recurring theme in my last two articles is the concept of self-awareness. The more I think about various limitations and barriers to career advance, the more I realize that most of the foundational issues are internal to the individual. An important part of this discussion is self-awareness which is the ability to yourself objectively and understand […]
On proactiveness and career advancement in the workplace
A good friend once shared with me her frustration with her manager shortly after her performance evaluation. “Tolu, can you believe that my manager did not approve my promotion, despite all my hard work this year” I gaped in disappointment since I knew how much she was really wanted that new role. “What was the […]
On self-awareness, body language, and workplace relationships
You have probably come across folks who strongly believe they are awesome at connecting with people, especially colleagues at work. They brag about their “excellent” social skills, but coworkers and colleagues find them to be annoying, aggressive, obnoxious, or difficult to work with. At the core of this lack of self-awareness are two issues – […]
The Impostor Syndrome Paradox
Not quite long ago, I was chatting with a dear friend who had mentioned an open leadership position at his workplace, but really did not want to put himself forward for the role despite being highly qualified for the role. When I probed further for the reasons for his hesitation, I realized he was worried […]
Excuse me, emails are driving me nuts!!
As a professor, my work involves a bit of national/ international travel for research and academic purposes. While away on such trips or on annual vacations, I usually set my email auto-reply to let colleagues and other external senders know that my responses might be delayed. But I usually return from those trips back to […]
Online Communication Etiquettes Still Matter
As a kid, I grew in a family of teachers; dad taught math while mom taught English. Calculus, trigonometry, essay writing, and learning “big” English vocabularies were part of our daily family dinner discussions. My mama (I call her Iya Tolu) had a unique parenting style forged from a blend of British (middle-class) life style […]
Pragmatism: A time-tested leadership strategy in the Marketplace
As someone who migrated to North America as a young adult, I am always fascinated by Nehemiah’s story (in the bible) because his leadership experience as a professional and immigrant in Persia. Learning about his leadership qualities has helped me answer one of my most burning questions: “Why do leaders with brilliant and innovative ideas […]
Smart Work Strategies for Leaders: Improving your Organization’s Productivity
As a soccer fan, I am always amazed at the track record of successes and trophies European football clubs, such as Real Madrid FC, Manchester United FC, Liverpool FC, FC Barcelona (to name a few), have amassed over the years. These clubs, many of which were founded in the late 1800s and early 1900s have […]
Adaptability: The key to Managing your Manager
Prior to going to grad school, I spent a year working as a business analyst in one of the multinational management consulting firms in Nigeria. As a 25-year old, fresh out of college, I had thought of pursuing a career in management consulting. During the first two weeks of orientation, I was both excited and […]