Insights on leadership from an award-winning CFO
From an enabling environment to giving back, Kola Oladimeji shares how to become an effective leader.
With more than three decades of experience collaborating with multinational conglomerates, local governments, and not-for-profits, Kola Oladimeji CPA, CGA is a beacon of successful leadership.
Drawing from his wealth of experience, Kola emphasizes that, while technical skills are undoubtedly crucial, they must be coupled with emotional intelligence and human skills for true leadership success. Empathy, understanding, and active listening form the bedrock of effective leadership, regardless of team size.
“Guide your team, but let them make mistakes,” says Kola, who is currently the Senior Director of Finance at the McMan Youth, Family, and Community Services Association.
This seemingly counterintuitive advice carries immense significance, according to Kola. He underscores the importance of granting your team the freedom to make mistakes and, more importantly, to learn from them. “Micromanagement stifles growth” says Kola, but providing an “enabling environment empowers your team to learn, grow, and excel.”
Kola champions “two-way transparent engagement.” He firmly believes leaders must foster open communication and actively seek insight and advice from their team. In turn, Kola openly shares his plans, solicits valuable input, and fosters a collaborative and transparent work environment.
As a previous CPA Alberta Distinguished Service Award recipient, Kola believes high standards and unwavering integrity are common traits among leaders. “Leaders must embody and inspire their teams to strive for excellence,” says Kola.
Kola has three invaluable pieces of advice for aspiring and junior accountants to help them gain insight into their own roles:
- Thoroughly comprehend stakeholders’ requirements and actively seek clarification when in doubt;
- Prioritize workloads to ensure urgent and significant tasks receive prompt attention; and
- Embrace the concept of teamwork, understanding how individual roles and contributions support each department within the organization, which is pivotal for both career growth and making a lasting impact.
Beyond his professional achievements, Kola is extremely passionate about ping-pong, a sport that has ignited his enthusiasm since childhood. He even convinced his mother to invest in a ping-pong table, which he then rented out to finance his education. As Kola’s skills developed, he competed at the state level while studying at university. Despite his busy schedule, Kola’s passion for ping-pong remains steadfast to this day, and he continues to enjoy playing ping-pong recreationally.
Despite his demanding commitments, Kola actively gives back by volunteering as a mentor and coach for junior accountants, sharing his knowledge and expertise to support their professional growth. Kola believes true leadership goes beyond personal achievements. “When you become a successful leader, it is crucial to give back and help others,” he emphasizes. “Giving back is a fundamental characteristic of a true leader.”