Carole W. Kamangu

I attribute my success to several factors and people.

First, to God who is my most important business partner and leader. My spiritual journey is one of the most important parts of my life. My relationship with God helps me stay grounded and gives me resilience when things are tough, especially when I go through the roller coaster of entrepreneurship, and the stress and rewards of juggling multiple life demands as a business leader, wife, and mother. Staying close to God has helped me many times and allows me to stay humble when I’m successful and not to give up on my dreams because I remember that I am here for a specific purpose. 

Second, to my mother who has always been a role model and the first Influential Woman in my life. She has set the bar high for entrepreneurship as a lifestyle in our household since I was 6 years old. She gave me my first job at 13 doing inventory on Excel even before I understood what that was. Today, all of her five children own one or more small businesses. She is a woman of faith who instilled in me the importance of putting God first, having integrity and putting my gifts to good use to help others.

Third, I am very collaborative and I believe that to do good in the world, we need to surround ourselves with people whose strengths complement ours. My professional, personal and business mentors and coaches play a significant role in my ability to run a business that is making a real impact in the world. Additionally, the partners, experts and team members that I choose to collaborate with bring an added wealth of knowledge and expertise to the work that I do.

I am a firm believer that no one succeeds alone and I live by this truth every day. 

“You know more than you think you know so don’t be afraid to share what you know and are passionate about.” 

Many of my mentors have said this to me throughout the course of my career. As a healthcare and public health professional by trade, one thing I know has been embedded in our culture is humility. In many circles, that humility diminishes the confidence of professionals who choose to downplay their strengths and prowess for fear of being labeled as proud. Unfortunately, this is a disservice to others because, in the end, no one can benefit from our wealth of knowledge and talents when we keep them private.

When I started feeling comfortable with sharing my knowledge, especially on social media as a consultant and business leader, I realized just how much I knew and could share to support organizations that needed my help. This approach has helped me meet the best people and leaders I have ever worked with. I do not regret stepping out of my comfort zone when I did years ago. I am seeing growth within myself and the leaders that I coach and work with, as well tangible results within the organizations I support with my work.

As soon as you can, build relationships with veterans and get one or more mentors. You will be glad you did. There is nothing better than learning from the mistakes and successes of those you have already traveled the path that you are on. Do not neglect their experience, you will learn a lot and grow as a professional and later as a leader.

I work across healthcare and public health, and the biggest challenge I see right now is how economic and political instabilities can undo decades of good work as well as how they can delay good results. If public and private organizations can work together more consistently, we will accomplish a lot more for the greater good despite the scarcity of resources.

The biggest opportunity I see is technological advancements being highly invested in, especially with artificial intelligence. These advancements are currently underutilized in these two sectors, mainly for privacy reasons. It is now that leaders must establish strong governance frameworks to ensure that technology does not hinder their progress but contributes to their success.

Integrity, honesty and respect are the top three values I live by. It is hard to establish meaningful personal and professional relationships without them. They are the foundation on which trust is built and mutual success occurs when people value them.