Workplace Multiplier by Tola Akinsulire

June 29, 2026

Welcome to the Workplace Multiplier newsletter. Published Monday to Friday, equipping you to achieve your professional goals faster and without burnout or overwhelm.

Your circle is either a ceiling or a staircase

Howdy ,

This weekend reminded me of something most people underestimate: the people around you are either compounding your growth or capping it.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were very fruitful. Not because of what I did. But because of the company I kept.

I found myself in a series of conversations that elevated me.

The people growing the fastest are not always the ones working the hardest. They are often the ones asking better questions. And sitting in rooms where better questions are being asked.

That is the multiplier most professionals miss.

We obsess over our skills. Our strategies. Our next career move. Our next certification.

But one of the invisible accelerants of growth is the conversation environment we place ourselves in.

Who you speak with regularly shapes what you think is possible.

It calibrates your ambition. It quietly teaches you what “normal” looks like. And over time, that becomes either a ceiling or a staircase.

If your current circles never make you feel slightly stretched…If they never challenge your assumptions…If they never expose you to a higher quality of question…

They may be comfortable.

But they may not be compounding you.

So here is my question for you this week: When was the last time a conversation genuinely raised your ceiling?

Not informed you. Not encouraged you. Not validated you.

Raised your ceiling.

If you cannot remember, that may be the work.

Keep winning at work and in life,

Tola Akinsulire

Your Strategic Workplace Mentor

P.S. If this email landed, you may already know your circle needs an upgrade. I built something for exactly that moment.

The Mastermind Builder Session is a live 45-minute implementation session where we close the gap between knowing you need better rooms…and actually building them. Details here