About Lọ́lá Béjidé
No Experience is wasted . .
Before founding Soluman Consultancy, I obtained 20+ years of corporate experience as an Snr Business Manager & Global training lead. My experience has been gained from leading organisations such as Merrill Lynch, Zenith Bank (Nigeria), HSBC, JP Morgan, ABN AMRO, RBS and Barclays.
During my corporate career, my chosen side of the desk role included mentoring/coaching, numerous Entry-level employees. With a special focus on talent from ethnically diverse communities and low socioeconomic backgrounds.
A primary focus was supporting them in successfully adapting to corporate culture and equipping them with the tools and strategies to map their career trajectory. Addressing how to navigate the bumps in the journey & ultimately transform them from employees to “architects of their careers” empowered them to take charge of their career trajectories.
What I do today . .
My past experience is used to aid my work with organisations by creating holistic developmental frameworks for ALL entry/rising talent and embedding inclusive and equitable leadership behaviours for 1st-level leaders.
As a certified career coach, I equip professionals to navigate their corporate careers in those crucial formative and developmental stages and support first-level leaders create team cultures that are underpinned by equitable and inclusive values.
Social justice and being an equitable opportunities evangelist underpins the majority of my extra-curricular activity past and present, from being a Christians Against Poverty LifeSkills Manager, a consultant for an African Caribbean racial equity network and a serving governor of voluntary aided primary school where I serve as Chair of Personnel & Finance and the Anti-racism governance lead.
My Why
Whilst mentoring new entrants to the corporate world, a significant number were unprepared for the challenges corporate environments can throw at you; gradually, their enthusiasm and confidence deflated. They no longer felt “safe” and were fearful of making errors, equating to not fully trying, resulting in the organisation not receiving all the value their entry talent had to give.
Managers/Leaders rarely set out to be non-inclusive when leading a team. However, non-inclusive leadership is prevalent in many organisations, leading to those on the “peripheral edge” feeling excluded, overlooked and their potential unnoticed. The result = is higher attrition rates due to an undetected “leaky pipeline”.
I see wasted potential as a crime, hence my desire to support early-career talent and 1st level leaders to create “safe” places for them to learn and, if needs be, fail, learn from their “fail” and grow. We are all capable of greatness; we all have our USP (Unique Sprinkle Powers) that brings value to the table. Sometimes we require support to unravel our Value Added Talent, which is why I do what I do!
My How
Working with me is fun but hard work as I subscribe to a no-nonsense approach to ensure the work is put in to achieve goals and make sustainable changes. The three words most commonly used to describe me are Passionate, Supportive, and High Energy & once you work with me, you will see why!
My What
I am an ardent advocate for equitable opportunities for everyone regardless of race, gender, class, or sexual orientation. Whilst conversations are ongoing regarding how to bring this to fruition, my equitable employee engagement workshops support those organisations that have moved from talking about it to the DOING stage.
Each workshop/programme/coaching session provides attendees with several “a-ha, lightbulb experiences” that enable them to identify where they are in their journey, why they are there, what changes need to be made, and why.
We identify the development areas required to shine and keep on top of their game. We work through the challenges, find methods to break through barriers and celebrate successes together!