Name: Oluwayomi Olabanjo

Title: CEO

Organisation: Toniceli

Passionate about building seamless digital infrastructure that unlocks growth for businesses and markets, Yomi Olabanjo has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Toniceli Since June 2021. He had previously served as the lead consultant in the same company in which he helped the company scale its operations and customer base. Prior to rejoining Toniceli, Yomi had extensive experience as the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Coverdor, an Insurance Technology Company, and also as co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Funaabpay, a financial technology company. He had also gathered experience with the International Center for Professional Development (ICPD-FUNAAB), Denuy Technologies, and earlier as a developer with Toniceli.

Yomi graduated from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta with a Degree in Computer Science and is a member of the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria. He serves as a mentor with UNIDO-GCIP helping sustainability businesses scale their operations with innovation and technology. He also serves on the board of several businesses and organizations as a technology and management advisor.

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1. As a leader, how do you build trust with employees, customers and other stakeholders?

I build trust by having open communications with stakeholders, setting clear goals, and making sure our communication line is constant. I also make sure value is being created for everyone onboard.

2. What do 'VISION' and 'MISSION' mean to you? And what does it actually look like to use them in real-world business?

Vision and Mission for me is a clear destination of where you're taking your organization or project to. In the real world of business, Vision and Mission can only be talked of when you have clearly broken them down into definite milestones and goals.

3. How can a leader empower the people they're leading?

As a leader, you empower the people you're leading by giving them adequate room to express their originality in the accomplishment of the goals at hand; by allowing some room to make non-critical mistakes, learning from it and growing; and also by having open communications with your team as to what they need in accomplishing the goals at hand.

4. Who are some of the coaches or mentors in your life who have had a positive influence on your leadership? Can you please tell a meaningful story about one of them?

One of the mentors with a great impact on my life is Mr. Kazeem Lawrence. I had the privilege of working with him at the FUNAAB International Center of Professional Development. I won't forget the day I saw him take up the task of cleaning up our office when the janitors didn't quickly show up. As the Center Manager, that came to me as a big surprise. Since then, I've learned that one key quality of a leader is the ability to operate in any function, no matter your profile or perceived importance.

5. Leadership is often more about what you DON'T do. How do you maintain focus in your role?

I maintain focus by starting my day quite early and having adequate time to think through the day before I'm in the office. That helps me to play up the possible scenarios and the appropriate response for that.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Everyone plans differently. How do you plan for the week, month and years ahead in your role?

One key foundation of my planning is adequate communication. I love to consult as many key stakeholders as possible for their views and perspectives while building and updating my plan for the year or for the projects ahead. Carrying people along has really worked for me.

7. What advice would you give to a young leader who is struggling to delegate effectively?

My advice to a young leader who is struggling to delegate effectively is to have a coach or consultant who puts him or her through. It's quite difficult to resolve issues effectively when neck-deep in them, but having great people around you gives you the opportunity to see different perspectives and preferred solutions to issues.