Workplace Multiplier by Tola Akinsulire

April 27, 2026

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

Are You Growing the Pie or Just Protecting Your Slice?

Howdy ,

People rarely want your seat.

They want more room to move.

At some point in your career, you begin to ask a different kind of leadership question:

Is my presence helping people grow, or keeping the chain stuck?

I ask myself this now and again.

Can someone on my team take over parts of my role?

Are there people who are ready for more?

Am I creating space for their next step, or unconsciously protecting mine?

Of course, it is not that simple.

I cannot pretend I no longer want the pie.

I am still in the game.

I still want to deliver.

I still have ambition.

So the better question is not, “How do I give away my pie?”

The better question is:

How do I make the pie bigger?

Because when the pie gets bigger, people do not need to fight for crumbs.

They can take on work that matches their appetite.

And here is the important part:

I try not to guess their appetite.

I ask.

Now and again, I ask people on my team:

“What else would you like to do?”

“What kind of responsibility are you ready for?”

“Where do you want more room?”

Those conversations have taught me something.

Most people are not trying to take your seat.

They want ownership.

They want visibility.

They want the chance to prove what they already know they are capable of.

That is good news for everyone.

Because when I create that room, I do not shrink.

I stretch.

The team gets stronger.

The output gets bigger.

The next leaders begin to emerge.

And the pie keeps growing.

The real leadership question is not:

“Am I still needed?”

It is:

“Am I creating the conditions where everyone…including me…can go further?”

That is the shift.

From protector of position

to architect of possibility.

Here is a question worth sitting with this week…Are you expanding the pie, or quietly guarding your slice?

Keep winning at work and in life.

Tola Akinsulire

Your Strategic Workplace Mentor