Becoming the Leaders We Need
Discover how to use the dynamic duo of
connection and challenge
to accelerate positive change in your company and community.
Keynotes
Empower your audience to elevate their game and create lasting impact.
Workshops
Come together to tackle tough problems and learn new practices.
Consulting
Supercharge your organization by drawing on Malik’s deep experience.
Have you met these “villains” in your organization?
Burnout lurks behind driving hard to get things done.
Lack of accountability stifles progress.
Ego overshadows collaboration.
Doubt and fear betray innovation.
Unresolved conflict poisons teamwork.
Caution leads to cowardice.
All too often in our efforts to make other people’s lives better, we get delayed and deterred.
But we have important work to do. Our businesses, schools, and communities are tackling tough issues. We need courageous, compassionate leaders at every level.
We need leaders who are willing to step into their superpowers.
I’m Malik, and I work with communities and leaders who want to rise up as the courageous, compassionate champions we need.
When we understand ourselves and our critical role in the community, we can be more powerful and impactful.
We can rally around transformative practices to build healthy, successful organizations. We can create powerful change.
I’m a storyteller at heart. I lean into the African tradition of the griot, sharing experiences so that you can find your own meaning in them.
A good framework can cut across context to teach important principles. You can see yourself in the framework, and you see opportunities to grow.
No hiding at the back. We invite everyone in to learn and connect. In our circles, everyone can speak and listen from the heart.
The highest manifestation of what we say is what we do. Practices allow us to learn and implement actions that push us and create something new.
I invite you to explore topics that I teach about most often. Or send me a note so we can talk about how a presentation, workshop, or consultation could help your organization.
What People Are Saying
“Malik gives you the confidence that you can do it and the motivation that it's important to do it.”
Conor Neill
Senior Lecturer of Leadership Communications, IESE Business School
“Malik creates change, organizationally and personally, because he cares about the humans behind the titles and roles. He makes the connection and he challenges us to elevate our game.”
Steve Satterwhite
Founder & CEO, Entelligence
“I highly recommend Malik as a speaker. He has consistently led impactful conferences and workshops for our district, always receiving highly favorable feedback. Malik's ability to engage and inspire through his expertise in Restorative Practices and School Culture is exceptional.
His fresh insights and dynamic delivery captivate diverse audiences, sparking meaningful discussions. Malik's professionalism and tailored approach ensure a seamless and impactful experience. He will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on your audience.”
Ruth Turner
Deputy Superintendent, Rochester City School District
“Each time I engage with him…I walk away with new knowledge of self and of how to really take this journey of being more restorative.
I learn something new every time. And I think the research ties into the real life with Malik. ”
Latasha Smith
Restorative Practice Specialist, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
“Dr. Malik Muhammad has greatly benefited our company over the years. His expertise in social dynamics has fostered a culture of transparency and accountability, improving workflows and patient care. Tools like the Social Discipline Window and Restorative Questions have enhanced our communication. Dr. Muhammad's contributions have set a new standard for excellence at our company.”
Steve Showalter
Founder & CEO, STATLINX
“Not only is Malik's work going to impact students, it will impact your staff. And if you're starting the work from a district level, it impacts your entire organization.”
Vanessa Gomez
Director of Equity and Access, San Jacinto Unified School District
“Malik is one of the most impressive speakers I've ever heard.”
Alan Cheung
Managing Director, GreenAcre Capital Management Limited
“Malik is a great speaker for audiences of people who lead others. And for people who are looking to understand how they show up in relationships and have a desire to show up in a better way.
Malik never, ever disappoints. He’s got a great ability to engage the audience and just bring everyone to their feet.”
Brian Brault
Founder and CEO, Legacy of Significance
“Getting to know him is getting to know someone who's remarkable. He's brilliant, he's diverse, and he's an extraordinary thinker.”
Warren Rustand
CEO, Summit Capital Consulting LLC
About Malik
For nearly three decades, Dr. Abdul-Malik Muhammad has been serving both youth and adults as an educator, transformational leader, entrepreneur, and author.
His core message of the power of leadership to build healthy community functioning derives from his experience as a community, educational, and corporate leader.
Throughout his journey, he has launched 18 schools and specialized programs, led a staff of 2,400 across 11 states and spoke on leadership and community building in 5 continents.
He has been a faculty member of the Global Leadership Academy and Regional Leadership Academies of the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) since 2015.
He is the founder and CEO of Akoben LLC, a professional development company, and Transforming Lives Inc., a provider of alternative education services. Through this work, he is continuing to diligently “transform lives, one community at a time.”
Malik’s books include:
The Restorative Journey: The Theory and Application of Restorative Practices
We Can Save Our Boys of Color: Promising Practices from the Field
He has a BA in International Affairs from Franklin & Marshall College, an MA in Educational Leadership from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, and an Ed.D in Educational Leadership from the University of Delaware.
He is a proud father of two grown people and lives in Delaware with his wife, Dr. Christina Watlington, and their 2 dogs.
Keynote & Workshop Topics
Bringing people together to overcome tough challenges and elevate leaders at all levels.
We’ll create an experience tailored to your group and goals. From inspirational keynotes to interactive workshops, here are some the themes Malik speaks about most often.
I need to…
-
Hold people accountable without damaging our supportive culture.
When a supportive "no problem" team is making no progress, you need stronger commitments. But it's not about command or control. Neuroscience research and experience prove that you need both connection and challenge to work with others in an impactful way.
Recommended Talk:
The Time is Now, The Solution Is Us -
Help my team convert learning into action.
Tools like frameworks and coaching are invaluable for providing a structure and guidance in moving from ideas to implementation. It’s also helpful to ask good questions
Recommended Talk:
Drive Achievement: Putting Theory into Action -
Lead my organization through a particularly difficult time.
Times of crisis force us to rise as leaders. When we do it right, these difficulties become the catalyst for growth and positive change. Restorative leadership practices and the social discipline window are good places to start.
Recommended Talk:
The Time is Now, The Solution Is Us -
Leverage my role as an entrepreneur to create meaningful change.
Unlike other leaders, entrepreneurs have built the institutions we lead, most often leveraging both innovation and disruption. We can wield those same superpowers to work on the most critical issues of our times, like racial and social justice.
Recommended Talk:
A Leader as a Community Builder -
Restore my team from burnout and create a culture of wellness.
Start with shame and stress. How do they show up in yourself and others? Explore tools for understanding and managing these responses. From there, you can use four E's of Fair Process to empower team decision-making.
Recommended Talk:
Harambee: A Blueprint for Workplace Wellness -
Better align our actions with our core values.
Core values can be a source of power, but only if they’re more than a list on the wall. Work together to identify what each core value looks like in action, and build consensus around the concrete ways you'll use them for decision-making going forward.
Recommended talk:
Nia: Leveraging Core Values for Strength and Unity -
Create a sense of belonging within my community.
Coming together is inevitable; being together in a community is intentional. Our most effective leaders help people come together in a conscious way that encourages both connection and challenge. By working with each other, you can develop intention and belonging.
Recommended talk:
Ubuntu: I Am Only as Strong as My Community -
Unify individuals to move forward as a collective.
How do we build a better village? The essential ingredient is ujima, which describes collective work and responsibility in Swahili. Reflect on what you're doing now and challenge each other to address issues of equity and justice. Humor and vulnerability ease the way.
Recommended talk:
Ujima: Moving Toward Equity as a Collective -
Strengthen leaders at every level of our organization
Leaders aren’t just at the front. We need individuals in our companies, schools, and community groups to step up as leaders working within and beside each other. Let’s talk more about how I can facilitate a workshop tailored to meet the needs of your organization. – Malik
Key Takeaways
Being the Leader We Need
Leadership remains the decisive factor in all organizations, whether they are businesses, schools, agencies, faith-based organizations or families. How do we lead in a way that others need and respond to while maintaining our authenticity?
As leaders we are faced with leading in times of success and struggle. We need to alter our approach based on the circumstances surrounding us. These sessions are designed to meet you where you are in your current state of leadership to give you the tools you need to help yourself and others thrive.
The Time Is Now, The Solution Is Us
Understand the core principles of Restorative Leadership
Learn how some uses of our authority build community & connection, while others promote exclusion & lack of productivity
Explore the Change Formula, a framework for leading through difficult times
A Leader as a Community Builder
Connection + Challenge = Change: A powerful framework to accelerate change
Social Discipline Window: Learn to tie our equity, trauma-informed, and strengths-based work together
Identify practices that build community and respond to harm
Leverage innovation and disruption to solve challenges
Drive Success: Putting Theory into Action
Accelerate change with a framework called Do the Right Math
Learn how a Natural Operating System leads to success
Understand and implement restorative questions and coaching practices
Umoja: Building Community
The term “umoja” means unity in Swahili, and it suggests not just pulling things and people together, but reaching in deep to understand how they harmonize and align to accomplish something greater together.
Our most effective leaders bring people together in a conscious way that encourages both connection and challenge. These sessions are designed to focus on building communities that build better lives.
Harambee: A Blueprint for Workplace Wellness
Four E's of Fair Process: A framework for decision making that empowers the team
Compass of Shame: Learn to identify and manage shame in yourself and others
Stress Continuum: Learn to identify and communicate stress
Nia: Leveraging Core Values for Strength and Unity
Living your values: A 3-step process to integrating values into daily life
Walk the Talk: Identify the friction points in your life where values illumniate the path
Hands on work: Explore the dynamic tensions between work/study; connection/challenge; theory/action
Ubuntu: I Am Only as Strong as My Community
Intentional community: Strategies to consciously engage the commuity using tools of connection and challenge
Engage: Discuss how foundational restorative theory shows up in community leadership
Presence: Show up as a restorative practioner inside your community
Ujima: Moving Toward Equity as a Collective
The Lens of Equity: Discuss alignments between restoriative practices and equity
Creating Circles: How to engage the community to address equity deficincies
Walk the Path: Interupting systemic inequities while avoiding derailments
How can I help your leaders step into their superpowers?
It’s easy for us to begin working together.
Connect with me using the form below.
We’ll talk about your organization’s needs and tailor a program based on your most pressing challenges.
Your leaders will be empowered to lead with courage and compassion and you’ll be building a community that can have a greater impact in the world.
I also invite you to connect with me on LinkedIn to share experiences and get updates on these topics and upcoming speaking engagements.
Other Ways to Connect with Malik and His Team
Akoben provides trainings, consulting and keynotes to transform individuals, organizations and communities. We believe that these principles are interrelated and essential in the work: Restorative Practices, Cultural Relevancy, Trauma Informed, and Agency and Assets.
Transforming Lives Inc. serves youth directly through schools and programs focused on academics, mental health, and behavioral support. We also work with teachers, schools, and districts to ignite a passion for learning in your students so they can thrive in any environment.
Imara is a new nonprofit organization that will bring the learnings and work of Dr. Malik Muhammad and his colleagues to a broader audience.