Workplace Multiplier by Tola Akinsulire

July 2, 2026

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

Steve Jobs Was Fired. Then Called Back

Howdy ,

1985

Apple's board fired Steve Jobs from the company he founded.

Not because he lacked talent. Because he was unpredictable, difficult to manage, and his results did not map to what the board needed at the time.

Twelve years later, Apple was weeks from bankruptcy.

Who did they call?

Jobs.

Same man. Same instincts. Same edges.

What changed was not Jobs. What changed was the board's understanding of what his results meant to their survival.

In 1985, his vision looked like ego. In 1997, his vision looked like the only way out.

This is the second lever of trust. Not just "can they predict me." But "do I understand what my results mean to the person who has to answer for them."

Most competent people stop at effort. They deliver good work and wait for it to be noticed.

But your boss is not scoring you on effort. Your boss is scoring you on what your work does to the number they are being measured on.

Three questions worth sitting with:

What is my boss actually being measured on this quarter?

Does my best work move that number, or just look impressive next to it?

If my boss had to defend my work in a room I am not in, what would they say?

Being good at your job and being useful to your boss's survival are not the same skill.

The second one is the one that gets you called back.

Keep winning at work and in life

Tola Akinsulire

Your Strategic Workplace Mentor