“I started working with Kemi almost a decade ago and still consider her the most influential leader I've ever witnessed. She set the benchmark for the kind of people leader I aspire to be. Kemi has the rare balance of razor sharp intellect, broad business acumen, deep humility and true authenticity. She's a people first leader who knows how to build a culture of trust, connection and transparency while also cultivating deep strategic rigor. Although we no longer work together every day, Kemi and I have gotten the chance to partner together on a couple organizational effectiveness and leadership development projects. Her calm and steady coaching style, backed by decades of deep operational experience, makes her an idea support to drive high functioning teams. ”
Services
Contributions
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Your team is split on strategy decisions. How do you choose between innovation and tradition?
Honor your roots but create spaces and practices for experimentation. I've led teams that had very strong traditions embedded into the culture of the organization. At times, I may have overlooked the value of those traditions to be honest - because they seemed to "get in the way" of innovation. I learned that taking an honest look at what's no longer serving us (ways of working, products/services, etc.) while honoring what parts of those things ARE serving us - can create buy-in and clarity around reimagining the future as a team. From there, you can take an approach that blends traditions and innovation by creating new structures for innovation - including funding/resources to showcase quick wins.
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You're facing clashes in work styles among your team. How do you bridge the communication gap effectively?
I've found that focusing on breaking down "listening bias" is key to improving communication. With different workstyles, people are filtering communication from others based on personal bias (helpful or unhelpful). For example: Do I trust what this person is telling me? Do they have credibility? Clashes can stem from listening bias - filtering people out, only listening to the parts you want to listen, not fully understanding what is being said or worse yet, making assumptions or judgment about what has been said. To counter this, teams need increase awareness of their listening bias, be more open and curious to others' ideas and make sure sure to check for understanding.
Activity
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It's rough out here. Organizations are laying people off without notice. Nonprofit and school district budgets are preparing for a new…
It's rough out here. Organizations are laying people off without notice. Nonprofit and school district budgets are preparing for a new…
Liked by Kemi Akinsanya-Rose
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And drum roll.....excited to share the actual Season 1 episode with you all! Cheers to learning and unlearning things to help us take our good to…
And drum roll.....excited to share the actual Season 1 episode with you all! Cheers to learning and unlearning things to help us take our good to…
Shared by Kemi Akinsanya-Rose
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I've been thinking a lot about the health of our men - especially young men - and came across this rich list of books to deepen our knowledge base…
I've been thinking a lot about the health of our men - especially young men - and came across this rich list of books to deepen our knowledge base…
Shared by Kemi Akinsanya-Rose
Licenses & Certifications
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Six Sigma Black Belt
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Issued -
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Volunteer Experience
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Board Member
Nimbus Dance Works
- 2 years 1 month
Arts and Culture
nimbusdanceworks.org
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Honors & Awards
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Pahara-Aspen Fellow
Pahara-Aspen Institute
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Global Leadership Award
American Express
Exclusive award given to top 5% of global leaders at American Express who have exemplified the highest level of leadership relative to employee engagement/satisfaction and business results.
Languages
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Spanish
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Recommendations received
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