Redefining Leadership: Lessons from Yetunde Hofmann
Our International Women's Day masterclass with Yetunde Hofmann, board director, founder, author, and TEDx speaker was a session that has stayed with us!
Yetunde walked us through a career that has spanned FTSE 100 boardrooms, manufacturing shop floors to global executive suites. But it wasn't the impressive list of titles that made us all lean in. It was Yetunde’s honesty, warmth, and clarity she brought to questions that so many of us quietly wrestle with.
"The most important lesson? Believing in myself."
When asked what had shaped her leadership journey most, Yetunde didn't hesitate. Belief in yourself, she said, isn't a nice-to-have — it's the foundation everything else is built on. "I cannot wait for somebody else to say, I believe in you. It's got to start with me."
That sounds simple. But we know it isn't. Yetunde was candid about the moments that tested her own self-belief, from applying to over 100 jobs after returning to the UK, to being the only Black person in senior management in a company of 45,000 people. The kind of resilience she describes isn't born from confidence alone. It's built through practice, reflection, and critically preparation.
Prepare on two levels: the what and the how
One of the most practical insights Yetunde shared was around finding your voice in high-stakes environments. Her advice was to prepare not just for what you want to say, but for how you want to be experienced.
Before a board meeting, a town hall, even a difficult conversation, ask yourself those three questions.
- What am I going to say?
- Why does it matter?
- And how do I want to show up?
- Then journal afterwards. Not to dwell on what went wrong, but to capture what went right. "Women, we tend to underplay ourselves," she said. "What was I great at? Not 'not so good at.' Great at!"
It's a small shift in language. It makes a significant difference in how you build and own your confidence over time.
Being different is your superpower
For women navigating male-dominated industries, Yetunde had a message that was direct and quietly radical: don't allow being in the minority to hold you back. Use it.
"The fact that you're different — that is your superpower."
She spoke about the importance of finding allies, being intentional in every conversation, and being clear on your ask. Not networking for the sake of it, but building real relationships with purpose. And when it comes to sponsorship, which she drew a sharp distinction from mentoring, her three-meeting strategy was one of those things you want to write down and stick above your desk.
Love, leadership, and results
Perhaps what set this session apart was Yetunde's leadership philosophy, which centres on three principles: love, leadership and results.
For Yetunde, love in leadership is not about sentimentality. It is about courage, empathy and accountability.
“It’s recognising that every person you meet has a story behind them,” she explained.
“Leadership means appreciating the human being in front of you while still holding each other accountable for results.”
"Love is the unconditional acceptance of all of who I am," she said. "When I accept me, then I make room to accept you."
It's a philosophy she has lived, not just preached. And in a conversation full of insight, it was, we think, the most powerful thing she said.
