In this episode of Relationships WithAI, Iyabo Oba sits down with tech transformation consultant and TurnTroop founder Rola Aina for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, purpose, and building with AI.

Rola shares how her faith and upbringing shape her mission to make AI adoption both ethical and inclusive. She explains how TurnTroop is using African talent to help businesses implement AI responsibly, creating social impact while solving real enterprise problems. They discuss why generosity is not a soft skill but a strategic one, and how emotionally intelligent leadership can slow things down to build faster, fairer systems.

Rola also reflects on her use of AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude, why nuance and judgment still belong to humans, and how real connection and kindness must remain at the heart of how we build and lead in an AI-driven world.

Takeaways

AI as a Tool for Equity and Empowerment: Rola sees AI as a powerful tool to level the global playing field, particularly through her startup TurnTroop, which helps businesses adopt AI responsibly while building talent pipelines in Africa. She believes Africa doesn’t need saviours or more charities—it needs CEOs and commerce rooted in dignity and purpose.
Leadership Grounded in Purpose, Generosity, and Emotional Intelligence: Rola champions emotionally intelligent leadership, rejecting the “move fast and break things” culture. She promotes slowing down to reflect, empowering teams, and building systems that include everyone. Her values of generosity and purpose shape how she leads, builds tools, and envisions ethical AI.
Human Connection Must Remain Central in an AI-Driven World: While Rola utilises AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude as “chiefs of staff,” she emphasises their limitations, particularly in terms of nuance, judgment, and emotional presence. She urges founders and leaders to stay human, stay kind, and stay emotionally connected, especially in distributed teams.

Links

https://www.turntroop.ai/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rola-aina/

133. Rola Aina: Why Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Will Win With AI