Workplace Multiplier by Tola Akinsulire
September 3, 2026
Welcome to the Workplace Multiplier newsletter. Published Monday to Friday, equipping you to achieve your professional goals faster and without burnout or overwhelm.
Who do you become when the stakes rise?
Howdy ,
You do not really know an executive's trust architecture when everything is going well.
Pressure reveals it.
Watch what happens when:
the number will be missed;
a senior stakeholder challenges them;
someone makes an expensive mistake;
bad news arrives late;
their preferred decision is rejected.
Do they remain truthful?
Do they become disproportionate?
Do they punish the messenger?
Do principles suddenly become negotiable?
Do yesterday's standards change because today is inconvenient?
This is why Pressure is a Trust Test.
Calm behaviour in calm circumstances tells us very little.
The deeper question is whether your identity survives consequence.
People study leaders under pressure more carefully than leaders realise.
One explosive reaction can teach a team to hide the next problem.
One act of political self-protection can make candour expensive for months.
One proportionate response can do the opposite.
So here is a harder question:
What kind of bad news do people around you hesitate longest before bringing to you?
The answer may tell you more than "Do people trust me?"
Keep winning at work and in life.
Tola Akinsulire
Your Strategic Workplace Mentor
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