"You can't fix what you refuse to see clearly."

I've never liked soft-focus films or blurred photographs. They conceal the real, the raw, the imperfect. They offer a false lens on dreams, visions, and the work of engaging reality. In a world obsessed with curating perfection, clarity has become radical. And nowhere is this more urgent than in leadership.

The Business Context: Execution is no longer about having the right methods or tools. It’s about having the right mindset. Yet in today’s corporate culture—increasingly shaped by risk aversion, social validation, and institutional safeguards—the act of taking initiative has become the exception rather than the norm. Not because the ideas aren’t good, but because the context discourages action.

Recent data from the DAK-Psychoreport 2023 reveals that 43% of working professionals feel overwhelmed by others' expectations. Even more telling: 61% are primarily worried about making mistakes when taking on new tasks—not about the potential impact of their work. The result? A quiet epidemic of innovation avoidance.

The Wisdom of Ifá: Reality Requires Courage In the Yoruba tradition, Ifá teaches that Ashé—the power to make things happen—is rooted not in certainty, but in alignment and intent. Ashé doesn't wait for validation. It does not fear imperfection. It acts, reflects, adjusts. And that is where most modern leadership fails: in its desire to be unassailable, it becomes sterile.

Our systems are built to prevent abuse, but they are increasingly weaponized to avoid responsibility. Layers of governance, feedback mechanisms, and escalation procedures create what might be called a "responsibility firewall." The more visible you are, the greater your risk of critique. So many retreat into invisibility.

Cultural Consequences: We have pathologized imperfection. Early ideas are dismissed instead of developed. First drafts are punished instead of prototyped. According to a 2022 ifo-Institute study, 47% of employees say they hold back at work for fear of embarrassment. This isn’t a personal flaw. This is structural mistrust.

What We Must Reclaim: The crisis isn’t one of competence. It’s a crisis of fortitude. We don’t lack knowledge. We lack the inner resilience to act without assurance.

Three Strategies for Leaders and Entrepreneurs:

1. Reward Action, Not Just Perfection: Create safe zones for experimentation. Honor the courage to try, even when outcomes aren't guaranteed.

2. Model Imperfection at the Top: Share early versions. Admit past missteps. Make imperfection part of your leadership narrative.

3. Redesign Systems to Empower, Not Shield: Ensure that governance mechanisms enable decision-making rather than delay it. Allow people to own their choices.

Final Thought: Responsibility is not a comfort package. It is a burden—and that's what makes it transformative. Organizations that want real results must stop softening reality. Because blurred visions don't build futures.

Engagement Prompt: Where in your organization has risk-aversion replaced responsibility? What would it look like to lead with more Ashé and less assurance?

Sources:

• DAK-Psychoreport 2023: https://lnkd.in/epUX_x-v

• ifo-Institute (2022): Arbeitswelt und Risikovermeidung https://lnkd.in/ef-nfp3T

In her writings, Hannah Arendt was clear: real power is not the force of one over many. Real power arises between people—in the spaces where plurality is honored and collective action is possible. Power is not possessed. It is produced, moment by moment, in the public sphere where people come together to speak, act, and decide.

This insight may sound radical in a business world still saturated with command-and-control models, where power is seen as leverage, hierarchy, title. But Arendt offers a very different lens—one that finds powerful resonance in African traditions like Ifá and Ubuntu.

Ifá and the Power of Shared Destiny

In the Yoruba spiritual system of Ifá, leadership is not about domination. It is about alignment—with truth, with the community, with the ancestors, and with the collective unfolding of destiny. The Odu Ifá are filled with stories that remind us: when a leader acts without the wisdom of the group, they lose more than credibility—they lose protection.

In the Odu Obara Meji, we are told:

Power, in this framework, is not about independence. It’s about interdependence.

Similarly, the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu teaches:

These teachings—Arendt’s idea of plurality, Ifá’s notion of communal destiny, Ubuntu’s ethic of interbeing—all converge on one essential truth:

Beyond the Myth of the Strong Leader

Modern leadership culture often idolizes the singular genius, the decisive voice, the solitary disruptor. We celebrate “founders,” “visionaries,” “CEOs who changed everything.”

But Arendt reminds us that this obsession with the lone figure can blind us to the true nature of power. Real power, she says, is relational. It emerges when people come together in public, in dialogue, in coordinated purpose.

And African traditions agree. In both Ifá and Ubuntu, the leader is not above the people but accountable to the people. Leadership is not a spotlight—it’s a stewardship.

This has real implications in organizational life. If we want cultures where innovation flows, where people bring their whole selves, where justice is possible—we must stop building systems that reward only individual brilliance. We must begin cultivating shared space, shared voice, and shared power.

The Plural World Is Not a Threat

Plurality—difference, diversity, the presence of others unlike ourselves—is often seen as a source of risk in institutions. It complicates consensus. It slows down efficiency. It threatens certainty.

But for Arendt, plurality is not a problem. It is the very condition for freedom. It is the field where ideas evolve, ethics sharpen, futures form. Without others, we do not speak—we echo. We do not lead—we command.

Ubuntu insists on the same truth. There is no I without We. The existence of the Other is not a threat—it is a mirror of our humanity.

Ifá makes this relational ethic sacred: when an elder speaks, the community listens not because of their authority alone, but because their voice is considered part of the collective memory. Wisdom in Ifá is always distributed. It does not belong to one.

From Control to Connection: Rethinking Power in Practice

What does this mean for today’s executive, founder, or team leader?

• It means that control is no longer the currency of strong leadership. Connection is.

• It means that instead of chasing efficiency alone, we must build spaces of participation.

• It means asking not just “What decision should I make?” but “Whose voice is missing from this decision?”

Power that is not shared will be resisted. Power that is shared has the chance to become legacy.

The Circle Is the Symbol

Imagine a circle: no one at the head, no one behind. This is the visual geometry of Ubuntu. It is also the ritual formation in many Ifá ceremonies. And it is, implicitly, the space Arendt believed true politics lived in—a space where every person is seen, heard, and called to responsibility.

Leadership in such a circle is not passive. It is profoundly active. But it does not center on the ego—it centers on the we. On building trust. On holding difference. On staying when it would be easier to exit.

That is power. Not the power to rule, but the power to remain in relationship.

Closing Reflection: The Plural Leader

The future belongs not to the loudest voice in the room, but to those who can hold the room open for many voices to speak. To lead with Arendt’s insight and Ifá’s wisdom is to know that power is not a throne—it is a bridge. And to walk across that bridge, together, is the most courageous form of leadership we have.

💬 Reflect With Us

• How does your organization define power?

• Where are you making space for plurality—in decisions, in design, in culture?

• What would leadership look like if rooted in Ubuntu, not ego?

Tag a colleague who leads from connection. Or share how you are building power through people, not over them.

Ashé!

Tilo Plöger de Àjàgùnnà
DAILY IFÁ BUSINESS

When Hannah Arendt wrote The Human Condition, she wasn’t offering a management theory or a political campaign playbook. She was asking a much deeper question:

What does it mean to act—to truly act—as a human being in public life?

For Arendt, action was not mere activity. It wasn’t efficiency. It wasn’t doing for the sake of doing. It was something far more sacred: the beginning of something new—a gesture into the unknown that revealed who we are and what we stand for.

And here, once again, the ancient African wisdom of Ifá offers a stunning parallel.

Where Arendt speaks of action, Ifá speaks of Ashé—the generative life-force that lives in speech, in movement, in moral conviction. If Arendt names the condition, Ifá names the power that flows through it.

Ashé: The Energy of What Matters

In the Yoruba worldview, Ashé is not just energy—it is agency.

Ashé is the force that animates a word when it is spoken with alignment. It is what gives a prayer its power, a song its soul, a decision its consequence. And crucially, Ashé is not neutral. It depends on Ìwà—on character, on moral clarity.

Ifá teaches that every act is a spiritual and social intervention. There is no such thing as inconsequential leadership.

Similarly, Arendt reminds us that true action—real action—is always public. It’s how we appear in the world. It’s what we set in motion, intentionally or otherwise. It’s not measured by productivity, but by impact over time.

In both systems of thought, to act is to begin. And to begin is to bear responsibility.

Busyness vs. Legacy

One of the quiet dangers in contemporary leadership is the cult of busyness.

The calendar is full. The inbox is endless. Decisions are fast. Motion is constant. And yet… what is being set in motion?

It’s entirely possible to move quickly and go nowhere. To speak often and say nothing. To do much and change nothing that matters.

Arendt would call this labor—the repetitive, exhausting maintenance of systems. Ifá would call it acting without Ashé—movement disconnected from destiny.

And so the real question facing leaders today is not, “Are you active?” It’s, “Are you intentional?” “What are you actually invoking with your words, your strategy, your presence?”

The Ashé of Speaking Truth

Arendt once wrote, “Speech and action reveal the unique identities of human beings.”

In Ifá, this is beautifully echoed by the proverb:

When we speak with alignment—when we move from integrity—our actions ripple. They create legacy. They carry weight beyond our titles, our resumes, our quarterly results.

The Babaláwo, the Yoruba priest or diviner, does not merely recite verses. He awakens Ashé through ritual speech. His words are not ornamental. They are catalytic. Every utterance is made in conscious relationship to consequences.

Executives, entrepreneurs, and consultants could learn from this. You don’t need a shrine. But you do need a practice of speaking with intention, pausing to consider: What force am I releasing into this room, this system, this future?

Because leadership is not just about what gets done. It’s about what gets remembered.
And what gets remembered depends on what is spoken, what is acted upon, and what is risked.

Acting When It Counts

Legacy is not always built through grand gestures. Sometimes, it’s the quiet moment when you decide to say something unpopular in a meeting. Or when you name the truth that others are avoiding. Or when you choose to change a policy that “works” but doesn’t work for the people it affects. In Arendt’s world, these are acts. In Ifá’s world, these are movements of Ashé. In both, they are sacred.

And unlike trends or tactics, these kinds of actions live on. They shape cultures. They change futures. They become part of the story others tell when you’re no longer in the room.

Closing Invocation

We are all creators of legacy. Not through what we plan, but through what we set in motion.

• Ashé reminds us: energy follows intention.

• Arendt reminds us: action reveals identity.

So as you move into your next decision, next pitch, next hire, next conversation—pause. Ask yourself:

• Is this action aligned with the future I want to build?

• Does this decision carry the weight of my Ashé?

• Will this moment be remembered for its truth—or forgotten in its convenience?

Leadership begins not with power. But with a word. A step. A choice.

Choose well. Move with Ashé.

Reflect With Us

• When was the last time your action truly changed something—not just for today, but for the long arc ahead?

• How do you recognize when your words carry Ashé?

• What would it mean to lead less for outcomes, and more for legacy?

Tag someone who leads with intention. Or share how you bring Ashé into your leadership journey.

Ashé!

Tilo Plöger de Àjàgùnnà
DAILY IFÁ BUSINESS

In a fluorescent-lit courtroom in Jerusalem, a man named Adolf Eichmann stood on trial for his role in organizing the Holocaust. He didn’t appear evil. He didn’t sound fanatical. He claimed he had simply followed orders. “Just doing my job,” he said.

This moment would give birth to one of the most haunting insights of the 20th century.

Hannah Arendt, observing the trial, coined the phrase “the banality of evil.” Evil, she argued, is not always perpetrated by monsters. Sometimes it is executed by quiet bureaucrats, polite managers, obedient professionals—people who stop thinking for themselves, stop questioning, stop remembering.

It’s not always hatred that destroys civilizations. Sometimes, it’s indifference.

And this is where the sacred African tradition of Ifá—the philosophical and divinatory system of the Yoruba people—offers a parallel that is both urgent and timeless.

Ifá and the Memory of the People

Ifá is not just a religion or a ritual—it is a living archive of wisdom passed down through poetic verses called Odu Ifá. These verses carry stories, ethics, cosmology, and warnings. They serve the same function that strategic planning documents or organizational histories aim to: to remind a people who they are, what they’ve survived, and what they must not forget.

At the heart of many Odu is a concept called Ìtàn—story, memory, history.

In Ifá, forgetting the Ìtàn is not simply a cultural loss. It is a spiritual and moral failure.

Odu Ògúndá Méjì tells us:

It’s not nostalgia that Ifá encourages. It’s accountability. Because where Ìtàn is absent, ethical judgment erodes. Where stories go untold, wrongdoing goes unchallenged. And where memory is erased, power becomes unmoored from responsibility.

Ifá and Arendt agree: when thinking stops, and memory fades, evil does not need to march—it only needs to blend in.

Boardrooms, Best Practices, and the Modern Machine

We live in an age of optimization. Metrics rule. Playbooks proliferate. Leaders are trained to ask, “What’s the ROI?”before they ask, “What’s the story we’re shaping?”

In this machinery, something subtle happens.

• A marketing team fails to flag a harmful stereotype in a campaign—not out of malice, but because the brief didn’t say to check.

• A multinational expands into a region with a traumatic colonial history, but the strategy deck never mentions it.

• A diversity report is shelved quietly after a change in leadership. No one protests. It simply disappears.

This is not about villains. It’s about silence.

We often think evil requires intention. But Arendt reminds us—and Ifá insists—that evil sometimes only requires forgetfulness, convenience, and conformity.
And the boardroom, just like the courtroom, can be a stage where forgetting is rewarded.

The Lion’s Story: Leadership as Ethical Memory

Here is where Ifá provides a path forward—not just a warning.

The Babaláwo, or diviner, is not merely someone who predicts. They are custodians of communal memory. They recite the Odu not to entertain, but to recall truths that have been hidden, misused, or ignored.

In many ways, the modern executive must become a kind of Babaláwo—not in ritual, but in responsibility.

1. Because leadership, at its core, is not about control.
   It is about narration.

2. To lead is to decide which stories are told, which are silenced, and which are worth remembering even when they are inconvenient.

3. The hunter always has a strategy.
   But the lion has a memory.

And in today’s organizations, the lion is often everyone who has been left out of the story: the frontline employee, the whistleblower, the intern with a bold idea, the elder with context, the client who remembers a broken promise.

Returning to Ìtàn

So what does this mean for you, as a leader, a strategist, a founder?

• It means the next time you're in a meeting where the convenient narrative is being served, pause. Ask: “What are we forgetting?”

• It means when someone shares a story that challenges the official version, resist the urge to smooth it over.

• Let the discomfort teach. Let the silence be broken. Let memory return.

Because in breaking the silence, you do more than just protect others.

• You protect your own humanity.

• You resist the machinery.

• You refuse the banality.

Closing Reflection

Both Arendt and Ifá are clear: The greatest danger is not hatred. It’s forgetfulness.

To remember is an act of resistance. To speak, when silence feels safer, is an act of courage. To lead with story is to lead with soul.

Share Your Voice

• What stories in your company or community have been silenced?

• Who remembers what others prefer to forget?

• When have you seen silence become complicity?

Ashé!

Tilo Plöger de Àjàgùnnà
DAILY IFÁ BUSINESS

This is the first in a four-part series exploring the deep connections between the political philosophy of Hannah Arendt and the sacred teachings of Odu Ifá. At DAILY IFÀ, we believe that ancient wisdom is not a relic—it is a resource. Let us begin where all things begin: with birth.

About Ifá and African Philosophical Wisdom

Ifá is a spiritual, philosophical, and ethical system originating with the Yoruba people of West Africa. At its heart lies a vast oral literature known as the Odu Ifá — poetic, story-based teachings that guide individuals and communities toward alignment with destiny, character, and balance. Ifá is not just a religion or divination system. It is a comprehensive worldview, with concepts like Ìwà (character), Ashé (spiritual power or agency), and Ìtàn (ancestral story/history) that offer profound insight into leadership, ethics, and renewal.

At DAILY IFÀ, we integrate these Indigenous African frameworks into contemporary business and leadership conversations—bridging ancestral intelligence with modern strategy.

What if leadership wasn't about control or charisma, but about birth?

In modern leadership literature, we hear a lot about vision, grit, strategy, and execution. Rarely do we hear about birth. Yet, for Hannah Arendt, natality—the fact that we are born, and that we can begin again—is the foundation of human freedom.

This insight may seem abstract, even poetic, but it has profound consequences for how we lead, govern, and build. Natality is not just a metaphor. It is a leadership principle.

In the sacred system of Ifá, this principle finds echo in the concept of Ìwà: the evolving essence of character. In the Odu Ifá known as Ìwòrì Méjì (one of the divinatory texts in the corpus), we are reminded that the self is not fixed. Destiny is not a script. Life is not a prison. As long as one breathes, one can be reborn through conscious choice and ritual alignment.

This isn't just about personal growth. It's about institutional renewal. It's about cultural reinvention. It's about remembering that in every system, there are moments where leaders must stop managing the past and instead midwife the future.

Why Natality Matters in Modern Leadership

In corporate and political life, we are trained to think in terms of continuity and optimization. What worked yesterday must be scaled tomorrow. Innovation is often reduced to iteration.

But what if your team doesn't need iteration—it needs interruption?

Arendt tells us that natality is a disruption of the status quo. It is the courage to do the unprecedented. It is the imagination to act where others merely react. She contrasts this with mere labor or work: routines that sustain life but do not renew it.

Ifá complements this with a moral dimension: we are not here merely to produce, but to transform. Through story, ritual, and reflection, Ifá teaches that rebirth is available not just to individuals but to collectives.

Ìwà: The Ethical Core of Rebirth

In Yoruba wisdom, Ìwà is often translated as "character," but this does not do justice to its depth. Ìwà is dynamic. It is your soul's relationship with time, action, and community. In Odu Ìwòrì Méjì, we learn that misalignment with Ìwà leads to stagnation, while alignment renews both self and society.

In business terms: your brand, your leadership culture, your decision-making frameworks—they all reflect a form of Ìwà. When strategy is no longer in alignment with deeper values, rebirth is needed.

But rebirth is not random. It is a conscious invocation of ashé—a Yoruba concept representing the power to make things happen, to speak and act with consequence.

Three Takeaways for Executive Leaders and Entrepreneurs

1. Design for Natality, Not Just Efficiency
   Build spaces and moments in your organization where new beginnings are encouraged—not punished. Ritualize innovation. Allow for failure-as-rebirth rather than failure-as-death.

2. Develop Your Leadership Ìwà
   Reflect on your core character as a leader. Are you performing old scripts, or are you evolving with intentionality? Remember: destiny is not fulfilled through repetition but through alignment.

3. Become a Midwife, Not Just a Manager
   In times of disruption, your job isn't to force control. It is to hold space for emergence. Arendt calls this "the miracle of action." Ifá calls it "returning to the source."

A Closing Word: The Ashé of New Beginnings

Ifá teaches us that every dawn is a question: What will you give birth to today?

Arendt reminds us that action is not about dominance, but disclosure—revealing who we are through what we begin.

To lead in today's world is not just to guide. It is to renew. Not just to plan. But to birth.

Next in the Series: We explore how Arendt's notion of "the banality of evil" intersects with Ifá's warnings about forgetting Ìtàn (our sacred stories), and what that means for ethical leadership today.

What do you think?
Are today's leaders too focused on continuity and not enough on creative rupture? Have you experienced a moment of professional rebirth? Let's talk.

Ashé!

Tilo Plöger de Àjàgùnnà
DAILY IFÁ BUSINESS

In today's dynamic business landscape, the concept of shared leadership is gaining significant traction. Organizations are increasingly moving away from traditional hierarchical models, recognizing that distributing leadership roles across teams fosters innovation, enhances employee engagement, and bolsters organizational resilience.​

Insights from Leading Institutions

Research from esteemed institutions underscores the advantages of shared leadership:​

• Harvard Business Review highlights that transitioning to shared leadership transforms decision-making processes and alters relationships among team members, fostering a more collaborative environment. ​

• Deloitte's Global Human Capital Trends Report emphasizes the shift from traditional hierarchies to networked teams, noting that organizations embracing distributed leadership are more adaptable and responsive to market changes. ​

The Problem with Traditional Leadership Structures

The conventional model of a singular, authoritative leader is increasingly inadequate in addressing contemporary business challenges:​

1. Complexity Requires Diverse Perspectives
   Modern organizations operate in intricate, rapidly evolving environments. A singular perspective is insufficient to navigate such complexity effectively.

2. Employee Engagement and Retention Are at Stake
   Studies indicate that employees are more engaged when they have a voice in decision-making processes. Traditional top-down leadership can suppress this engagement, leading to higher turnover rates.

3. Innovation Thrives in Distributed Power
   Research shows that environments where leadership is shared promote psychological safety, enabling team members to take risks and share ideas without fear, thereby fostering innovation.

African Wisdom: The Original Shared Leadership Model

Long before contemporary organizations recognized the merits of shared leadership, African societies were practicing these principles:​

1. The Ifá Wisdom of Shared Responsibility
   In Yoruba tradition, the Ifá divination system teaches that wisdom is not centralized but distributed across the community. The Babaláwo (spiritual leader) facilitates discussions, allowing collective intelligence to guide decision-making.

   Business Insight:
   Executives should act as facilitators, creating environments where diverse voices contribute to strategy and innovation.

2. Ubuntu: Leadership as a Collective Experience
   The South African principle of Ubuntu, meaning "I am because we are," encapsulates the idea that leadership is relational and communal. Nelson Mandela exemplified this by involving multiple stakeholders in decision-making, ensuring leadership was a shared responsibility.

   Business Insight:
   Organizations can implement leadership circles, rotating leadership roles within teams to promote collaborative decision-making.

3. The Ashanti Confederacy: Decentralized Leadership for Resilience
   The Ashanti people of Ghana have a history of governance through consensus leadership. The King (Asantehene) is advised by a council of elders and regional leaders, ensuring decisions reflect collective wisdom.

   Business Insight:
   Corporate governance structures should include advisory councils that incorporate diverse perspectives from employees, customers, and stakeholders to guide decision-making.

The Yoruba Obas: Ensuring Balanced Power

The Yoruba people of Nigeria have long practiced a sophisticated system of checks and balances within their leadership structures:​

• The Alaafin (King) of Oyo: While the Alaafin held significant authority, his power was balanced by the Oyo Mesi, a council of seven principal chiefs, and the Ogboni, a respected assembly of elders and religious leaders. This structure ensured that decisions were made collectively, reflecting the will and wisdom of various societal segments.​

• Oyo Mesi Council: Led by the Bashorun (prime minister), the Oyo Mesi had the authority to question and even compel the Alaafin to abdicate if he was deemed despotic, serving as a critical check on royal power.​

• Ogboni Society: This assembly of elders held significant religious and judicial influence, ensuring that both the Alaafin and the Oyo Mesi acted in the community's best interests, reinforcing accountability.​

Business Insight:
Establishing internal councils or committees within organizations can serve as a system of checks and balances, ensuring that leadership decisions are made in the best interest of all stakeholders.​

Three Practical Strategies for Implementing Shared Leadership in Your Organization

1. Create a Leadership Ecosystem, Not a Hierarchy

   • Shift from a singular leader to multiple leaders across teams.​

   • Encourage shared decision-making within projects and cross-functional teams.​

2. Foster a Culture of Mutual Accountability

   • Implement peer accountability models, where team members hold each other responsible for results.​

   • Encourage mentorship between employees at all levels.​

3. Develop Rotational Leadership Programs

   • Rotate leadership roles within teams, allowing different individuals to lead based on expertise and situational needs.​

   • Train employees in facilitative leadership, aiming to bring out the best in others rather than exert control.​

The Future of Leadership is Shared

As the global business landscape evolves, so too must our approach to leadership. Organizations that harness the collective power of their people are better positioned to thrive. Shared leadership is not just a contemporary trend—it reflects enduring principles practiced in various cultures for centuries.​

👉 What leadership practices does your organization use to empower collective decision-making? Let’s discuss in the comments!

Ashé!

Tilo Plöger de Àjàgùnnà
DAILY IFÁ BUSINESS

Sources:

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6. November 2023 — Our 2024 Global Human Capital Trends research reveals that a focus on the human factor is emerging as the bridge between knowing what shifts ...

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9. Januar 2023 — Your organization and its leaders are facing a pivotal reframing moment as business and societal shifts continue to change the trajectory of ...

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9. Januar 2023 — Deloitte's 2023 Global Human Capital Trends survey polled 10,000 business and HR leaders across every industry, with 105 countries participating ...

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"The word is an egg; once it drops, it cannot be taken back." – African Proverb

In many Western corporate cultures, the written word reigns supreme. Memos, emails, reports, and policies form the backbone of business operations. However, in Afro-American and African traditions, the spoken word carries a power that transcends mere documentation. Ifá divination, Griot storytelling, and the call-and-response dynamics of Black churches all illustrate that words are not just communicative tools but vehicles of influence, transformation, and legacy.

What if we applied this understanding to the way we lead, hold meetings, and shape company cultures?

The Primacy of the Spoken Word in Afro-American Wisdom

In African and Afro-American traditions, speech is action. Words are infused with "Ashé"—a Yoruba concept signifying the power to bring things into being. To speak is to create, to shape reality. This contrasts with the Western corporate fixation on documentation, where the assumption is that if something isn’t written down, it doesn’t exist.

In Black oral traditions:

• Oratory is Leadership: Think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, or Maya Angelou. Their words mobilized movements, not because they were written, but because they were spoken with intentionality.

• Call-and-Response Builds Engagement: Unlike one-way communication in corporate boardrooms, Afro-American traditions thrive on participatory dialogue. This could revolutionize how meetings are conducted.

• Verbal Contracts Hold Weight: In many African cultures, breaking a spoken promise is as serious as breaking a written one. This could redefine how trust is built in leadership.

The Problem with Over-Reliance on Written Communication in Business

The modern corporate world is drowning in emails, PowerPoints, and lengthy reports. But does all this documentation translate into action?

1. Meetings That Feel Lifeless: Many meetings are structured around agenda points that participants read passively rather than engaging in active discussion.

2. Leadership Without Presence: A CEO who communicates primarily through memos and emails lacks the human connection necessary for true influence.

3. Trust Without Voice: Employees may follow written policies, but they trust leaders whose words resonate authentically in real time.

If we recognize the power of the spoken word, we can reshape how businesses operate.

Applying the Power of Word to Leadership and Meetings

1. Redesign Meetings as Storytelling Circles

Instead of rigid, agenda-driven meetings, adopt the Griot model—where oral historians passed down wisdom through engaging narratives. A leader can open meetings with a story that provides context, energy, and a sense of mission. Research shows that storytelling enhances memory retention and engagement far more than bullet points.

Try This: Start meetings with a compelling anecdote or metaphor rather than a slide deck. Let team members respond, creating a dynamic exchange rather than passive reception.

2. Emphasize Verbal Commitments Over Bureaucratic Red Tape

In Yoruba tradition, a word given is a bond sealed. Instead of overloading teams with excessive documentation, shift focus toward verbal accountability. When leaders articulate clear expectations and employees affirm their commitments vocally, a deeper sense of responsibility emerges.

Try This: At the end of meetings, have each participant state out loud what they are committing to, rather than just noting it down. This activates a psychological sense of ownership.

3. Reclaim the Art of Oratory in Leadership

An inspiring speech can ignite action in a way no email ever could. Leaders should cultivate their ability to speak with clarity, intention, and power. Think about how great leaders like Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama used the rhythm, tone, and cadence of their voices to inspire movements.

Try This: Invest in executive speech training, drawing from traditions like African storytelling, Baptist church sermons, or spoken-word poetry. The goal is not just to speak, but to move people.

Final Thought: What If We Led With Our Voices?

What would happen if corporate leaders embraced the African philosophy of words as power? If meetings were designed not just to document decisions, but to spark engagement? If leaders spoke not just to inform, but to inspire?

Words shape reality. In business, as in life, the most influential leaders are not the ones who write the longest reports, but those who can speak in a way that transforms minds and moves hearts.

So, how do you use your voice to lead?

Ashé!

Tilo Plöger de Àjàgùnnà
DAILY IFÁ BUSINESS