Dr Flavius Akerele III's The E Team Education blog

  Don't misunderstand me. The individuals recognized as "40 Under 40" are often exceptionally talented and deserving of recognition. But it does make me wonder what message we send about experience. We celebrate potential. We celebrate rising stars. We celebrate rapid achievement. Those things matter. But what about the leaders who have quietly spent decades mentoring others, solving difficult problems, preserving institutional knowledge, and helping organizations succeed year after year? Their contributions may not be as headline-worthy, but they are often the foundation upon which future leaders build. Perhaps the question isn't whether we should recognize young professionals, we absolutely should. Perhaps the better question is why we don't place the same value on sustained excellence, long-term service, and the wisdom that comes from decades of experience. In a time when organizations are struggling with leadership transitions, succession planning, and the l...

  One lesson I've learned over the course of my career is that being busy and creating value are not the same thing. I've worked in education, healthcare, nonprofits, consulting, and the military. Despite their differences, I've noticed they all struggle with the same leadership challenge: confusing activity with impact. We've all worked with people who seem to be in constant motion. Their calendars are full, their inboxes never stop growing, and they always appear to be working. They're committed, dependable, and often put in a full day's effort. Organizations need people like this. But I've also worked alongside people who approach their work differently. They identify problems quickly, develop effective solutions, complete their responsibilities efficiently, and then move on to the next challenge. They're not trying to impress anyone or make others look bad. That's simply how they operate. The interesting part is that many organizations ...

  Growing up as a member of Generation X, many of us were taught a simple lesson: give 100% . There is nothing inherently wrong with working hard. In fact, I believe hard work, commitment, and accountability are values worth preserving. They are values I worked hard to pass on to my own children. But I also taught them something equally important. Take care of yourself. Take your lunch break. Exercise. Read a book you enjoy. Pursue hobbies. Spend time with the people you love. Protect your time away from work. Somewhere along the way, many organizations began celebrating the idea that giving 100% meant giving everything to work. We skip lunch to answer emails. We don't use our vacation because we're afraid of falling behind. We come to work sick because we don't want to burden our coworkers. We wear exhaustion like it's a badge of honor. That's not dedication. That's burnout waiting to happen. The reality is that if you give 100% of you...

  Leadership books often promise revolutionary ideas. They introduce new frameworks, new buzzwords, and new ways of thinking. Yet after more than two decades in education, higher education, graduate medical education, nonprofit leadership, and consulting, I've come to a different conclusion. The best leadership lessons are rarely new. They're often the simplest. Do the right thing, even when no one is watching. Lead with good intentions. Treat people with courtesy and respect. Take care of yourself so you can take care of others. Build organizations where people can succeed without sacrificing their well-being. Somewhere along the way, many organizations lost sight of these fundamentals. Success Shouldn't Require Self-Sacrifice We've created workplaces where skipping lunch is viewed as dedication, where using vacation time can feel like letting the team down, and where employees hesitate to take sick leave because they know someone else will have to absorb t...

  You hired someone with a doctorate. What exactly did you expect them to do? Doctoral education is not simply about earning a title. It is years of learning how to research complex problems, analyze information from multiple perspectives, identify patterns, evaluate evidence, manage long-term projects, and develop solutions. As a result, doctoral-level employees often see challenges differently. They ask questions. They gather data. They look for root causes rather than symptoms. After collecting enough information, they will usually begin offering recommendations and proposing improvements. Don't mistake this for arrogance. They are not trying to show anyone up. They are not trying to take over. They are not trying to impress leadership. They are doing exactly what they were trained to do. Organizations spend considerable time and resources recruiting highly educated professionals, yet, sometimes become uncomfortable when those professionals begin applying the very ...

  As I watch the job market, follow the news, and scroll through social media "influencers," I find myself thinking about how we misuse certain words and phrases. I am Gen X. That means I absolutely understand the value of respect, but I am probably not what many people today would consider politically correct. My generation could throw hands, curse you out, and tell jokes that would probably get us canceled in today's environment. We were far from perfect. What we were not, however, was rude. Lately, it seems that being rude is being confused with being politically incorrect. They are not the same thing. Being politically incorrect means saying something that challenges social norms or accepted conventions. Being rude means treating people poorly, showing disrespect, or behaving without basic courtesy. My generation also understood something that seems to be missing today: consequences. If you ran your mouth recklessly, there was a good chance you would have to...