What does it take to build something from nothing?

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Ajay Gupta and I have a couple of things in common: we both built healthy businesses from nothing…and we are both businessmen who lead all-women teams.  Oh yeah, we’re both tall and handsome.

If you join us for the Good Leadership Breakfast this Friday, you’ll see what I mean.  Ajay Gupta is a Rock Star! He recently won the highest internal leadership award given by the global professional services firm Ernst & Young. That’s no surprise to the people he touched along his extraordinary journey. He was born in India, spent his early childhood in Africa and was paralyzed early in life. His parents sent him to boarding school in England at eleven years old. Alone, physically challenged and the only person of color, he developed a masterful ability to get along with powerful people and help them succeed.

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When you listen to his story carefully, you will wonder if the guy ever sleeps.  His wife is a physician and together they have two high-achieving daughters.  He says his hobbies are “driving car pool and community volunteering.”  That includes Board service at Blake School, Children’s Heart Link, McPhail School of Music, and he’s also the President of his homeowners association.

What I find the most admirable is how he radiates goodness: “I’m an accountant – it’s really boring,” he admits. “My real work is about finding quality people and helping them grow. My professional goal is to build an inclusive culture that helps everyone feel like they belong and can contribute their best talent to our group.”  It’s no surprise that through the sum total of his experiences, he’s one of the most qualified people I could find to speak on the topic: Leading Together.

His attitude has helped him thrive in the accounting business up-or-out culture where only 10% of the people who enter become a Partner. When he started his healthcare consulting practice, there were no clients and no team members.  He built the business totally from scratch.  “Looking at what we’ve created, I especially take great pride in the fact that my team is all women: the usual suspects for advancement are white male.  I take great satisfaction in seeing women grow,” he smiled.

Don’t you think his daughters are lucky?

Good leaders make a habit of seeing great possibilities in the face of nothing.  And they delight in making sure people in their presence grow even more than the business grows.

Will you please consider joining me for the Good Leadership Breakfast this Friday?  I would love to introduce you to my tall and handsome friend who radiates goodness.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]