FBA Mentoring Programme Hosts an Insightful Career Development Session with Tosin Adebayo Yusuf

The FUMI BABINGTON-ASHAYE FOUNDATION (FBA) Mentoring Programme recently hosted an engaging and thought-provoking mentoring session themed “Beyond Hard Work: Building a Career That Positions You for Leadership.” The session was facilitated by Tosin Adebayo Yusuf, Chief Commercial Officer at Prudential Zenith Life Insurance, who shared practical insights on how professionals can move beyond simply working hard to intentionally building careers that prepare them for leadership.

The session brought together mentees and participants for an insightful conversation on career growth, professional development, strategic positioning, and the importance of being deliberate about one’s career journey.

Beyond Hard Work: The CVIP Framework

At the heart of the session was the CVIP framework, which identifies four essential pillars for building a successful and sustainable career:

• Competence: Developing the knowledge, skills, and expertise required to excel in one’s chosen field. Participants were encouraged to continuously improve their capabilities and seek opportunities to strengthen areas where they may have knowledge gaps.
• Visibility: Ensuring that one’s contributions, achievements, and professional value are recognised. The facilitator emphasised the importance of communicating results, documenting achievements, and making meaningful contributions beyond assigned responsibilities.
• Influence: Building trusted professional relationships, demonstrating leadership, collaborating effectively, and developing the ability to positively influence people and decisions.
• Positioning: Intentionally preparing oneself for future opportunities by taking on challenging assignments, developing relevant skills, building credibility, and demonstrating readiness for greater responsibilities.

The facilitator stressed that career advancement is not determined by hard work alone. Rather, it requires a combination of competence, strategic visibility, meaningful relationships, and intentional positioning.

Turning Everyday Responsibilities into Meaningful Impact

A key highlight of the session was the discussion on going beyond routine job responsibilities to create measurable value within an organisation.

Drawing from his professional experience, Tosin shared an example from his time as Head of Claims, where analysing claims data revealed patterns and concentrations across certain geographical regions and insurance products. Rather than simply processing claims, he used the insights to make recommendations that could inform product improvements and business decisions.

This example reinforced an important lesson: professionals must learn to look beyond the tasks assigned to them and understand how their work contributes to the broader objectives of their organisations.

Participants were also encouraged to document the outcomes of their work, communicate their impact confidently, and demonstrate how their contributions solve problems or improve organisational performance.

Building a Reputation That Opens Doors

Another important conversation centred on the professional qualities that make individuals dependable and worthy of leadership opportunities.

The facilitator highlighted the importance of reliability, strategic thinking, excellence, collaboration, and integrity. He explained that a strong professional reputation is built through consistent actions and that people are more likely to recommend individuals they can trust to deliver results.

Participants were reminded that being visible does not necessarily mean seeking attention. It means ensuring that one’s work speaks through tangible contributions, consistent performance, and the value brought to a team or organisation.

The session also explored the different levels of organisational leadership, from junior and middle management to senior management and executive leadership, emphasising the need to develop the mindset and capabilities required at each stage.

From Career Reflection to Deliberate Action

Moving from theory to practical application, participants were challenged to reflect on where they envision their careers in the next five years.

The facilitator encouraged everyone to identify a specific career goal and develop a personal 30-day career action plan built around five key areas:

1. Competence: Identify one skill or business area to strengthen.
2. Relationships: Identify one person to learn from, connect with, or seek guidance from.
3. Leadership: Identify one leadership behaviour to demonstrate consistently.
4. Opportunities: Pursue one stretch assignment or opportunity that provides greater exposure and professional growth.
5. Action Steps: Set specific dates for each activity and review progress after 30 days.

Participants were further encouraged to share their career goals with someone who could hold them accountable and to seek constructive feedback on their professional development.

One particularly important takeaway was the reminder that career setbacks should be treated as data, not identity. Challenges and disappointments should provide opportunities for reflection, learning, and strategic adjustment rather than become limitations to future growth.

An Interactive and Reflective Experience

The session featured contributions from participants who shared their career experiences, reflections, and perspectives on professional growth. Discussions highlighted the importance of being intentional about career decisions, building a reputation for reliability, seeking opportunities for development, and taking ownership of one’s professional journey.

Participants also reflected on how careers can sometimes begin unexpectedly, but long-term growth requires deliberate effort, continuous learning, and a willingness to take responsibility for one’s advancement.

The interactive discussions provided an opportunity for mentees to examine their current career paths, identify areas for improvement, and consider practical steps towards their leadership aspirations.

The Journey Beyond the Session

As the session drew to a close, participants were encouraged to complete their reflection questions, develop their 30-day action plans, and remain committed to taking intentional steps towards their career goals.

The central message was clear: Do not leave your career to chance. Build it deliberately.

Hard work remains important, but competence, visibility, influence, and positioning are what help transform professional effort into meaningful career progression and leadership opportunities.