In leadership, there are moments that define not just what you do, but who you become. For Afolake, one of those defining moments was her journey with the Aleto Foundation X DMG Media Leadership Programme- an initiative founded by Sir Ken Olisa OBE, CStJ, FRSA, FBCS, the first Black Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London and a passionate advocate for diversity in leadership.
What started as a search for professional development became something far more profound: a masterclass in how real leadership multiplies itself.
The Beginning Entering with Design Eyes, She first joined as a delegate in 2024, carrying with her the analytical mindset of a product designer. In her day-to-day work, Afolake was used to breaking down complex user problems, understanding pain points, and initiating solutions until they actually worked for real people. She didn’t know it yet, but this approach would become her secret weapon in leadership.
The programme was intense. Sessions on strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and inclusive leadership challenged delegates to examine their assumptions about what it means to lead. For Afolake, each module felt familiar yet foreign — the problem-solving frameworks resonated, but applying them to human dynamics rather than user interfaces required a mental shift.
“As a designer, I’m constantly asking ‘What does the user actually need?’ and ‘How do we know this solution works?’ ” she reflects. “The programme taught me to ask those same questions about leadership: What do people actually need from their leaders?
How do we know our leadership approach is working?”
The real test came through team challenges. Afolake’s group was tasked with addressing youth unemployment in urban communities — a complex problem with no obvious solutions.
While other teams immediately jumped to brainstorming, she insisted they start with research.
“We spent the first two days just listening,” she recalls. “We interviewed young people, spoke with community leaders, and mapped out existing resources. My teammates were initially frustrated — they wanted to start solving. But I kept saying, ‘We can’t design a solution for people we don’t understand.’”
This approach paid off. Their final proposal wasn’t just creative; it was grounded in real needs and feasible implementation. They won, but more importantly, Afolake discovered that her design background wasn’t separate from her leadership potential—it was central to it.
The unexpected call back:
When the programme ended, Afolake assumed that was it. She’d learned, grown, networked, and moved on. Then came the call in early 2025: would she return as a buddy mentor for the new cohort?
The request caught her off guard. “I thought, ‘I literally just finished this programme. What could I possibly teach someone else?’” But after reflection, she realized that question itself revealed something important about her growth. The fact that she could even consider mentoring others meant she’d internalised the lessons more deeply than she’d realized.
Accepting the role meant confronting an uncomfortable truth: she now had knowledge and experience that others needed. This wasn’t about having all the answers — it was about being willing to share the questions she’d learned to ask.
Mentoring through design thinking:
Approaching her new role, Afolake did what came naturally: she treated mentoring like a design challenge.
Each of her assigned mentees became a unique user with distinct needs, goals, and obstacles.
She started with what she calls “empathy interviews” — deep conversations to understand each person’s background, fears, and aspirations. Marcus, a software engineer, struggled with imposter syndrome in group settings. Sarah, a marketing professional, had brilliant insights but couldn’t articulate them confidently. James, a recent graduate, was overwhelmed by the programme’s intensity.
“I realised that effective mentoring isn’t about giving advice — it’s about helping people discover their own answers,” she explains. “Just like good design isn’t about imposing solutions; it’s about creating frameworks that empower users.”
For Marcus, she developed structured ways to contribute to discussions that built on his analytical strengths. For Sarah, they practiced storytelling techniques that helped her communicate ideas more powerfully. For James, she broke down the programme into manageable pieces and helped him build confidence incrementally.
The breakthrough came when she stopped trying to mentor them the way she wished she’d been mentored, and started mentoring them the way they actually needed to be supported.
The real learning curve:
Being a buddy mentor wasn’t just about helping others — it forced Afolake to articulate her own learning in ways she’d never had to before. When Marcus asked, “How do you know when to speak up in meetings?” she couldn’t just say, “You’ll figure it out.” She had to break down her own decision-making process.
“I had to examine my own leadership development much more critically,” she admits. “What has actually changed in my thinking? What frameworks was I unconsciously using? Explaining my process to others made me understand it better myself.”
This meta-learning — learning about how she learned — became one of the most valuable aspects of the mentoring experience. It solidified concepts that had been floating abstractly in her mind and gave her confidence in her own leadership voice.
The mentoring also challenged her assumptions about what new leaders need. She’d expected to focus on confidence-building and strategic thinking. Instead, she found herself having conversations about identity, authenticity, and the courage to lead differently.
“Sarah once asked me, ‘How do you stay yourself while becoming a leader?’ That question stopped me cold,” Afolake recalls. “I realized that was the real challenge — not becoming some generic version of leadership, but figuring out what leadership looks like when you do it.”
Recognition and Reality Check:
At the programme’s conclusion, Afolake received an award for her outstanding mentoring. The recognition was gratifying, but what mattered more was seeing her mentees’ transformation. Marcus had started leading technical discussions with confidence. Sarah had proposed a major initiative at her company. James had decided to apply for a management role.
“The award was nice, but watching them find their voices — that’s what made it real,” she reflects. “You can’t fake that kind of growth.” The experience also gave her clarity about her own leadership philosophy. She’d entered the programme thinking leadership was about having answers. She left understanding that it’s about asking better questions and creating spaces where others can discover their own solutions.
Design Meets Leadership: A New Framework
The intersection of her design background and leadership development led Afolake to develop what she calls “Human-Centered Leadership” — an approach that applies design thinking principles to leadership challenges.
The framework includes three core principles:
Empathy as Foundation: Just as designers must deeply understand user needs, leaders must genuinely understand the people they’re leading. This means moving beyond assumptions and actively listening to understand context, motivations, and barriers.
Iterative Growth: Both design solutions and leadership skills develop through experimentation and refinement. Leaders should test approaches, gather feedback, and adjust their methods based on what actually works, not what sounds good in theory.
Systems Thinking: Individual leadership actions exist within larger organizational and social systems. Effective leaders consider how their decisions ripple through these systems and work to create positive, sustainable change.
“It’s not revolutionary,” she emphasizes. “It’s just applying the same human-centered approach I use in product design to leadership situations. The tools are transferable; you just have to be intentional about using them.”
The multiplier effect
Perhaps the most powerful realization from Afolake’s journey is how leadership development creates exponential impact when it’s done right. Her mentees didn’t just improve their own leadership skills — they began applying these principles in their teams, organizations, and communities.
Marcus started running more inclusive technical reviews at his company. Sarah launched a mentorship programme for junior marketing professionals. James began volunteering with a youth development organization, using frameworks he’d learned to help high school students develop leadership skills.
“That’s when I understood what Sir Ken Olisa meant about leadership being a responsibility,” Afolake says. “When you develop as a leader, you’re not just improving yourself — you’re creating the potential for others to grow too.”
Beyond the Programme: Real-World Application
Back in her product design work, the leadership development experience has fundamentally changed how Afolake approaches her professional responsibilities. She’s more intentional about inclusive design processes, more strategic about stakeholder engagement, and more confident in advocating for user needs in organizational discussions.
“I used to think my job was to design good products,” she explains. “Now I understand that my job is to create products that empower people and to lead design processes that bring out the best thinking from my team.”
This shift in perspective has made her more effective as a designer and more valuable as a team member. Colleagues have noticed her increased ability to facilitate difficult conversations, build consensus around design decisions, and advocate effectively for user-centered approaches.
Looking Forward: Leadership as Legacy
Afolake’s progression from delegate to mentor to recognized thought leader illustrates something important about modern leadership development: the most effective programmes don’t just create individual leaders — they create systems of leadership that continue expanding.
She’s now working on initiatives that combine her design expertise with leadership development, including frameworks for other organizations to create effective mentoring programmes and workshops that help design teams integrate inclusive leadership principles into their work.
“The programme taught me that leadership isn’t about reaching some finish line,” she reflects. “It’s about continuously growing while helping others grow alongside you.”
The real lesson
What makes Afolake’s story compelling isn’t the awards or recognition — it’s the authenticity of her growth and the tangible impact on others. Her journey illustrates that effective leadership development happens when programmes create opportunities for real contribution, not just personal advancement.
“I thought the programme would teach me to be a leader,” she concludes. “Instead, it showed me that I already had leadership capacity — I just needed to learn how to use it in service of others.”
Her experience with the Aleto Foundation programme demonstrates how well-designed leadership development can create lasting change that extends far beyond individual participants. By combining her product design expertise with inclusive leadership principles, she’s become the kind of professional who can drive meaningful change across industries and communities.
The full-circle journey from delegate to mentor represents more than personal growth — it embodies a new model of leadership that prioritizes multiplication over accumulation, authentic growth over superficial development, and real impact over impressive credentials.
As she continues building her career in product design and technology, this spirit of human-centered leadership remains central to her approach. For Afolake, leadership is not just about vision — it’s about responsibility, authenticity, and the courage to lift others while you rise.
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