Why I Said No To a "Crowning Moment"

First, hello from the corporate side!

I’m your host, Dr. Taiwo Ash, and this is publication is where I focus on my coaching program— helping high-capacity professionals build visible authority so they can secure their next strategic role.

Thank you for being here. Now, to today’s issue:

I have been playing the LinkedIn game intensely for some time now. As an opportunity creator, one has to show up courageously and expansively on that platform. Content, conversations, comments—the whole shebang.

Recently, I was approached by an unfamiliar and decorated professional and invited to come and speak at a career development conference.

See, for anyone, being invited to share your expertise is a win. But specifically for someone who’s literal program is about building visible authority; that was a crowning moment.

Proceedings began. I was sent a formal invite which contained the theme and my topic. And then I saw a phrasing that unsettled me.

This event was apparently about helping entry-level professionals become a “high-income” player in an industry they were just about to enter.

I wrote back that the theme was against my values, and that I was not comfortable proceeding.

Why, though? What’s wrong with becoming a high-income professional?

I found it unscrupulous that this professional would sell such an idea to the public: join this career path so you can earn highly.

I bet that event will be well attended, though, because that is indeed how a lot of professionals think. They think with the benefits, the income, the title, the work life balance— first.

They lead with what they want to get and not what they want to give. I’ve seen this mindset in many professionals looking to pivot. Young and experienced alike.

And it’s a problematic mindset.

It strips you of the creative power that is the launchpad of true authority.

Authority exists to solve problems and create value. It does not exist to just collect benefits. By insisting on a higher mental posture, I challenge professionals—beginners and pros alike—to build authority that lasts.

My personal trajectory reflects this truth. I had a clear path to a high income career as a physician. I could have proceeded to the most niche, highest paying specialty, maybe cerebrovascular neurosurgery, and lived superficially happily ever after.

Going against the grain, I followed the path of purpose and curiosity, assured that by following the rainbow of ingenious problem solving, I will inevitably end at a pot of gold—with the journey itself being the focus. Affluence is an inevitable result of the scale of value I am building now.

It’s the reason I tend not to align with clients who just want a better income. My playbook is to fall in love with solving the problems that light you up, and let impact and wealth catch up.

What’s your stance on this—go for the bag first, or fall in love with creating value by default?