E55: Growing Companies Through Authentic Leadership with Sope Agbelusi

Today, Sope Agbelusi gets as real as real gets, helping clients shift their mindsets and become comfortable with risk and uncertainty. Born in Nigeria, Sope moved to the UK when he was a teenager and later realized that he was living a life to please other people and behaving in ways that were not aligned to his true inner self and his true inner character. From then on, he made a decision to not live for others, but to live for himself. As an executive coach, Sope helps leaders in organizations and startups grow to develop, as well as lead themselves and their organizations really well. He helps clients understand the value of inclusion, equity, and belonging to help create a culture that embodies these values in a practical way. Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation: People over profit Sope’s struggles as an immigrant in the UK Asking people how you can help them grow The idea of belongingness as you work from home Disruption from the lens of authentic leadership Episode Highlights: The Value of People Over Profit In business, our people are your greatest asset. But a lot of times, people haven't been focused on. You see resignation and people just leave their spaces that they are no longer willing to tolerate being treated a particular way. Because now they have more options and opportunities to go to other places and because they've been treated as commodities, rather than being valued. Organizations need to focus more on their people and look after their mental health. They have to create spaces where people can grow, evolve, and develop so you're going to be the best that profit just naturally follows. Building a Culture of Trust When you ask people how you can help them grow, a lot of times, they're taken aback by it. They think you're trying to trap them because they’re not used to it. But when they start to get to know you and you start to share a bit about yourself, they will realize that you're genuinely interested in them as people. The more you get to know them, the better you'll understand what motivates them, not just inside of work, but also outside of work. Then the more opportunities you're able to create for them. When you approach people that way, the way they're also going to say thank you is to work hard. If you look after your people, you get the profit back. The Idea of Belongingness When You’re Working From Home The reason why people are crying out for change is that sometimes they feel unheard and they feel powerless to do anything about it. It's so easy to slip into a space and you start to deceive yourself into thinking you belong. When you're at home, you can be yourself. You can wear what you want to wear and eat whatever you want to eat. But when you're at work, you're spending so much of your mental energy to fit into the crowd and to get involved with conversations, or to present yourself in a very particular way. All of that drains who you are from a mental aspect, and then it flows into your physical psyche. Disruption from the Lens of Authentic Leadership Disruption isn't necessarily a bad thing. First, it creates some fear and some anxiety. That's why you get peer pressure or conformity. But in authentic leadership, you don't get that fear because you're leaning into curiosity. Balancing yourself and balancing others are centered around self-awareness.