Leadership Doctorate Helping Akande Broaden Career in Executive Coaching at Netflix and Beyond

As a Director of Executive Coaching at Netflix, Tolu Akande spends his days empowering top-level employees to achieve their career goals. In the last few years, he’s also been pursuing an important goal of his own: earning an Ed.D. in leadership from Trevecca.

It was a networking conversation that first introduced Akande to Trevecca. Though he initially started a doctoral program at another school, he quickly realized it was not the right fit. He was looking for a hybrid experience, something with both in-person engagement and online flexibility. He also knew that the specialized nature of his career required a curriculum that matched his goals and significant experience. He found the right track in Trevecca’s Ed.D. program and his decision was made.

“The coaching and consulting track drew me to the program because of the background that I have,” Akande said. “The professors are not just in the academic world, they are also in the professional world. That makes a difference.”

The online format helped him stay on track academically while balancing his career and family and the hybrid model offered the added benefit of monthly trips from his home in Atlanta to Nashville.

“I’d fly in Friday afternoon, spend the evening studying, and then be in class all day Saturday,” Akande said. “It became a nice weekend rhythm, I had focused time for learning and connecting.”

He found it especially valuable to be a part of a close-knit cohort as he navigated the challenges of doctoral-level work and maximized his understanding of the subject matter.

“I love the cohort model because you develop relationships and friendships that last,” Akande said. “And with the in-person classes, you can ask questions, disagree and talk through ideas. These were people who understood the real-world demands we were facing as leaders and made the content applicable.”

His dissertation, titled “Internal Coaching Practices: Identifying Differences in HR Strategies, Staffing Models and Executive Perceptions,” reflected both his professional experience and his curiosity about innovations in his industry. Akande looked at internal coaching practices globally; studied how they were pioneered, sustained and staffed; and gathered perspectives from employees and executives.

He describes this type of coaching as a goal-oriented partnership offered within organizations.

“Professional coaching helps the individual or team being coached hit their goals and aspirations through reflection and action,” Akande said. “Coaching positions the person being coached as the expert, and the coach as the facilitator, helping them get to their desired destination. Many organizations are now seeing it as a beneficial way to help their employees with leadership development and career aspirations.”

His passion for coaching started with his own experience. Years ago, when he was transitioning from a nonprofit ministry into the corporate world, a leader offered to coach him through the process.

“I had no idea how to navigate that transition. One of the leaders of that ministry said, ‘I hear you're in transition, let me coach you.’ I had no idea what that meant, but I knew I needed help,” Akande said. “Three months later, I had the job I wanted, in the city I wanted, with the compensation and travel I wanted. I decided then that I wanted to do for others what my coach had done for me.”

Since then, he has worked for companies like The Home Depot and Ernst & Young. Now at Netflix, he is putting his passion into action on a large scale, understanding the needs of employees in the niche and high-performing world of streaming content.

“I’ve had to ask, ‘what are some strategic initiatives that this organization is working on? What are the needs of particular leaders?” Akande says. “I couple that with my coaching skill set to provide a customized and contextualized approach that someone external might not be able to bring.”

In addition to his work at Netflix, Akande leads his own coaching business, where he offers individual coaching, training and consultation services.

Before earning his Ed.D., Akande completed a master’s degree in international relations and conflict resolution from Kansas State University.

“I had a desire to be a diplomat or ambassador, maybe still do,” Akande said. “What has stuck with me from that time is the importance of having a global lens. If you can step back and understand different worldviews and cultural experiences, it opens up creative, empathetic and inclusive leadership.”

Balancing doctoral studies with full-time work and family was no small task. Akande and his wife have four children under the age of eight, and he appreciated the embedded dissertation approach which allowed him to complete his coursework and dissertation at the same time. As he nears the conferral of his degree in August, Akande is ready to apply what he’s learned.

“The coaching and consulting track gave me everything I needed to grow my own practice,” he said. “It wasn’t just about finishing a degree. It was about building something that lasts.”