Konnected Minds Podcast

Host: Derrick Abaitey
Episode Segment: Know What You're NOT Good At – Find the Right People and Put Them in the Right Roles
Date: February 1, 2026

Overview

In this rich and personal episode, Derrick Abaitey and his guest dive into the crucial leadership and success principle of knowing your limits—specifically, understanding what you’re not good at and leveraging the strengths of others. Sharing candid stories, practical insights, and cultural reflections, the conversation explores how embracing your weaknesses and trusting in others can be your biggest business superpower.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Recognizing and Embracing Limitations

• Story of Partnership and Delegation

  • The guest recounts letting a partner handle a negotiation and being astonished at the outcome:
    • "He came out with 50% more than they were owing us. Wow. So that's... That's a life skill, you know." (00:17)
    • Recognizes that others may possess unique skills as important as one’s own.

• Learning from Upbringing and Experience

  • Attributes ability to delegate and value others’ strengths to lessons from his father.
  • “Once anybody is good at something, I’m like, ‘please, collect.’ That’s one less thing for me to worry about.” (00:39)

Partnership and Knowing Your 'Circle of Competence'

• Staying in Your Lane

  • Citing Warren Buffett:
    • “Your number one job is to know your circle of competence and to stay in it and deepen yourself in it. So it’s a foolish person that has a desire to be everything.” (01:22)
  • The conversation highlights how effective leaders focus on their core strengths and find people skilled where they are weak.

• Realization through Observation

  • Guest describes being fascinated by colleagues who could “walk magic” through people skills, noting the power of emotions over intellect in some settings. (01:40–02:05)

Cultural Barriers to Partnership and Trust

• The Scarcity Mindset Rooted in Poverty

  • Identifies poverty as a “powerful reality distortion machine” that perpetuates distrust in partnerships:
    • “Poverty has bent people into a crab shape. They believe they have to behave like crab... So it’s poverty. Poverty has become a self-reinforcing loop...” (02:21)
  • Discusses how cultural narratives, media, and personal experiences reinforce scarcity and undermine trust.
    • “You’re watching a Nollywood movie... the person you leave, you try for, you come back, they’ve taken over your business. As a child, you learn that growing up, you learn scarcity culturally.” (03:41)

• Practical Approach to Building Trust

  • Emphasizes the need for both trust and strong structure.
    • Trust in self, the universe, and others (05:26)
    • Creating processes and systems provides accountability and reduces opportunity for malfeasance.
    • “Once you have structure, structure takes care of half of the problems.” (05:53)
    • “I have never, ever accused a person of theft in my life... There has to be processes. You can’t accuse a person of theft. It’s such a vile thing. You have to be sure.” (06:44)

Hiring and the Value of People

• People as True Assets

  • Calls out hypocrisy in companies claiming “people are our greatest assets”—often just empty words.
    • “Most people that say ‘people are our greatest assets’ are lying. They are saying that because it’s good on TED Talks.” (07:53)
  • For those who truly mean it, investing time in finding and empowering the right people is the “greatest hack.”
    • “To put a square peg in a square hole is the greatest hack in any business.” (08:09)
    • References Jim Collins’ idea of ‘return on luck’—the greatest return comes from luck with people.

• Case Study: Transformational Leadership

  • Shares a personal example of hiring a remarkable CEO:
    • Prior to hiring: organizational chaos, high attrition, anonymous complaints.
    • After the right hire: “Calm. I see calm. Like calm. Growth, stability, 95% retention rates.” (08:40)
  • Attributes peace of mind and business success to this key personnel decision.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Delegation:

  • “Once anybody is good at something, I’m like, ‘please collect.’ That’s one less thing for me to worry about.” — Guest (00:39)

• On the ‘Circle of Competence’:

  • “Your number one job is to know your circle of competence and to stay in it and deepen yourself in it. So it’s a foolish person that has a desire to be everything. So foolish. It’s so unnecessary.” — Guest, referencing Warren Buffett (01:22)

• On Scarcity and Partnership:

  • “Poverty is a powerful reality distortion machine...Poverty has become a self-reinforcing loop...” — Guest (02:21)
  • “We live in a culture that teaches us... scarcity. And that scarcity comes from prolonged poverty.” (05:13)

• On Trust and Structure:

  • “You have to build the capacity for trust. Trust in the universe, trust in yourself, trust in other people... But secondly, you have to build structure.” (05:28)
  • “Once you have structure, structure takes care of half of the problems.” (05:53)

• On People as Business Assets:

  • “To put a square peg in a square hole is the greatest hack in any business.” (08:09)
  • “The greatest return on luck I get is the return on luck with people.” (08:15)

Important Timestamps

• 00:17 – Story of delegation and learning from a partner
• 01:22 – Reference to Warren Buffett and ‘circle of competence’
• 02:21–03:41 – Discussion on poverty, cultural scarcity, and crab mentality
• 05:26–05:53 – Importance of trust and building structure
• 07:53–08:15 – People as greatest assets and value of right hiring
• 08:40 – Case study of effective leadership transforming a business

Conclusion

This episode serves as both a practical playbook and a philosophical reflection for ambitious listeners. By candidly addressing cultural, emotional, and structural barriers, Derrick and his guest highlight that self-awareness, trust in others, and properly structured systems are the bedrock for scaling success—not just in Africa, but universally. The episode urges listeners to shed the urge to “be everything,” and instead, to consciously identify, empower, and trust in the right people for the right roles.