24. Alinafe & Tenji on the myth that leaders must have all the answers

Alinafe is back for the third installment of the Real Talk series. Alinafe Thupa is a management consultant and my dear friend. Today we discuss the problem with believing that leaders should have all the answers. We’ve found in our own experiences that the best leaders create space for their teams to explore ideas, problem-solve together, resourcefully gather insights from experts and, effectively, create a container in which the answer can be found. However, when we were new managers, we fell into the trap of thinking that we needed to know everything and have an answer to every question – which limited our effectiveness. How do you avoid falling into the same trap?

Topics discussed:

• The leaders that have made us feel most safe and the environments they created for us
• What the real role of the leader is
• The insecurities we had to overcome so that we could become more expansive leaders
• What to do if your superpower is in asking the right question vs. giving the perfect answer?
• How we have to learn to market ourselves so that we’re recognised for our leadership skills vs. content knowledge

Learn more about Alinafe and follow her on Instagram @fashion_kill_her

The Real Talk series is a regular segment where I’m chatting casually with my friends about our on the ground career and leadership experiences. I hope these relatable conversations inspire you to have chats of your own with friends that you trust about what’s going on at work.

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