Leading with Love and Choosing Freedom: Prof. Modupe Akinola

I am excited to be joined today by an utterly fascinating guest, Modupe Akinola! Modupe is an Associate Professor of Management at Columbia Business School where she also serves as the Director of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership & Ethics. Additionally, she is the host of the incredibly popular, TED Business Podcast, and has written for numerous academic journals.   What I love about Modupe is that she asked herself early in her career, ‘What are the things I’ve always loved?” And took stock. She listened to her gut, got comfortable with the uncomfortable, took a courageous leap of faith, and followed her true passion in life.   In our conversation together today, Modupe shares about the ways in which she is a leader, her philosophy in life, how she leads in the five dimensions of leadership (know yourself, expand your consciousness, speak your truth, activate your mastery, and inspire love), how she discovered her unique strengths, and what she wants the world to know as a black woman, scholar, and leader.   Key Takeaways: [:49] About today’s episode with special guest, Modupe Akinola. [1:26] Welcoming Modupe to Fifth Dimensional Leadership! [1:37] Telling the story of how Modupe and I first met. [2:32] Modupe shares her side of our first meeting. [4:05] The magic of taking action when you feel a connection with someone. [4:33] Modupe begins telling the story of her incredible journey. [10:55] The importance of listening to your gut and following your passion. [12:16] Modupe shares the ways in which she is a leader. [14:29] What does inspiring love, and leading in love, look like and mean to Modupe? [16:28] Modupe shares about her recent year-long sabbatical and what she learned from it. [20:44] We all have a choice — but it takes a lot of courage. [22:13] Modupe’s philosophy in life. [25:27] One of the five dimensions of leadership is ‘expand consciousness.’  What does consciousness mean to Modupe? How does it intersect with her philosophy in life? [27:07] The importance of being grateful and expressing gratefulness.[29:55] How did Modupe discover her strengths? [33:40] As a black woman, scholar, and leader, what does Modupe want other people to understand about race and gender around the world? [38:27] The responsibility that we also need to take as black people in order to heal. [41:16] Modupe shares about a recent interview she led with Jennifer Eberhardt on understanding and disrupting racial biases. In this interview, they also discuss this concept of ‘friction.’ Modupe shares what this means and gives some examples. [43:13] Would implementing a competency-based assessment framework when hiring, constitute friction? [44:37] Modupe shares her vision for the future and what we can do as leaders to fortify ourselves and align ourselves to be able to show up. [48:59] Thanking Modupe for joining the podcast.   Mentioned in this Episode: Modupe Akinola TED Business Podcast with Modupe Akinola Career Mapping: Charting Your Course in the New World of Work, by Ginny Clarke Ho'oponopono: The Hawaiian Forgiveness Ritual as the Key to Your Life's Fulfillment, by Ulrich E. Duprée  The Book of Ho'oponopono: The Hawaiian Practice of Forgiveness and Healing, by Luc Bodin M.D., Nathalie Bodin Lamboy, and Jean Graciet TED Business Podcast Ep: “How to Understand and Disrupt Racial Bias | Jennifer L. Eberhardt” Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do, by Jennifer L. Eberhardt Ph.D.   About Fifth Dimensional Leadership & Ginny Clarke Fifth-Dimensional Leadership is a podcast about leadership — knowing yourself, speaking your truth, inspiring love, expanding your consciousness, and activating your mastery. As an executive recruiter and career expert currently leading executive recruiting at a Fortune 20 tech company, Ginny Clarke is a passionate and authentic thought leader with a unique and deliberate perspective on work and life. She synthesizes aspects of her life as an African-American single mother who has successfully navigated corporate America for over 30 years. She has inspired, uplifted, and changed the lives of thousands and is intentional about bringing conscious awareness to people of all ages and stages.   Every other week, a new edition of Fifth-Dimensional Leadership will include fascinating guests, covering a variety of topics: power, personal branding, self-awareness, networking, fear, and career management   Stay Connected! To find more episodes or learn more, visit: GinnyClarke.com Connect with her on social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Youtube