The Power of Quiet Ambition: Elevate Your Leadership Game

In today's conversation, Patrick Kamba shares invaluable insights on the essence of leadership and personal growth. He emphasizes that true success isn't solely about achieving goals but about the transformation one undergoes along the way. Drawing from his journey, Patrick discusses how building genuine connections can be pivotal in navigating the complexities of professional landscapes. He encourages listeners to seek alliances, ask questions, and engage authentically with others, highlighting that leadership is not a solo act. Join us as we explore the power of quiet ambition and the importance of fostering relationships that uplift and support our growth. Patrick Kamba joins us to explore the intricate dance of leadership and personal growth. With a career that emphasizes a people-first approach, Patrick shares his journey from being an overachieving project manager to realizing that true leadership requires more than just checking boxes. He emphasizes the importance of building authentic relationships within the workplace, detailing how asking the right questions can unlock opportunities and foster connections. Patrick's insights reveal that effective leadership isn't about self-promotion but about serving others and creating an environment where everyone can thrive. Throughout our conversation, we dive into the necessity of adapting one's mindset from a solitary pursuit of success to a collaborative effort that uplifts others. He illustrates how this shift not only benefited his career trajectory but also created a ripple effect of support and growth among his peers. Ultimately, Patrick's experiences serve as a reminder that success is a collective journey, and as leaders, we must invest in our communities and partnerships to cultivate an unstoppable future.

Takeaways:

1. Leadership is not a solo act; it's about building alliances and partnerships.
2. True success involves not just outcomes but also personal growth as a leader.
3. Asking questions and engaging authentically can lead to unexpected support and opportunities.
4. Surround yourself with uplifting people who encourage your ambitions and growth.
5. Listening is vital for effective leadership and fosters a safe space for others to share.
6. Sharing your ambitions and goals openly can attract the right support and mentorship.

Links referenced in this episode:

Your network is more than contacts. It is your greatest catalyst for opportunity.

If you are ready to elevate your business, expand your relationships, and create real momentum, here is your next step:

Book a private strategy call:
Let’s map your next level of growth
Book a Strategy Call

Join the Unstoppable Success Community:
Surround yourself with high-performing leaders and real conversations
Skool Community: Unstoppable Success

 Get the Book:
Charting True North

Stay connected and visible:
Unstoppable Success Podcast
Connect with Jaclyn on LinkedIn

Transcript

Recording Started

Introduction of Patrick Kamba

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the Unstoppable Success Podcast, where we spotlight visionary leaders who have mastered the art of growth, purpose, and powerful connections. I'm your host, Jacqueline Strauminger, connector, high performance coach, and creator of the Leap to Your Success Framework in Two Steps to Yes. Each week we dive into bold insights, real conversations, and powerful strategies to fuel your growth, deepen your relationships, and ignite transformational momentum. And why? Because you were meant to be unstoppable. Now let's leap into the podcast. And you will get immense knowledge from Patrick. So let me give you a little short introduction on Patrick. Patrick is a purpose-driven leader. He is known for blending strategic thinking with people-first leadership, with the career rooted in growth, execution, and impact. Patrick brings a thoughtful perspective on what it takes to lead in today's fast-moving, ever-evolving business landscape. And he believes success isn't just about outcomes. It's about who you become as a leader along the way and how intentionally you grow into your next level. So welcome, Patrick, to Unstoppable Success. How are you today?

SPEAKER_00 1:48

I'm fine. Thanks for having me, Jackie.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

Oh my God, it's such a pleasure. So, Patrick, before we were having a little talk, and you we were talking about leadership, and you were talking about really, you know, what game-changing leadership can do and what it actually did for you. So I'd love for you to share a little bit about that with our listeners because I think again that helps us all have that unstoppable success.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

So thanks for this question. So it's about big changes, and sometimes it's a bit forced, as I said just before this session starting, actually. I learned the hard way. I was so much in the you know, overperformance, achiever, look at me, I'm there, I'm bringing things done.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Yes, you're here I am.

Understanding Leadership Dynamics

SPEAKER_00 2:42

And really, at a certain moment in my career, when I was introducing myself, I was even saying, I am a performer. That is serious. Come on, yeah, yeah. I am a performer. So, what where did I go with this? At a certain moment in my career, I was project manager. I wanted to be promoted. I considered I was taking all the boxes, and what the hell is happening to me? Why am I not promoted? It needs to change. I deserve a promotion. That was my feeling. And then I started to look around me, people going to HR, chasing, lobbying, it's unfair, I'm not promoted. Then I said, uh, is it really the path I want to take? Because inside me I was feeling that it's a bit toxic. I don't want to be like those people, you know, chasing, sending emails, invitations to HR because they wanted an explanation. Why aren't they promoted? Why are they? That's always a question, you know.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

Right. Why not me? Why not me? I'm doing all the things, right? I'm checking the boxes. I'm a m say, I'm a m say, right?

SPEAKER_00 3:53

Exactly. And so what I decided to do is still look after HR, but to have a conversation and just ask questions to understand what's happening. Guess what? People accepted the meeting and they told me. So even if it was not yet the quiet ambition that I explained in my book, I started to feel that when you ask questions with good intention, you are genuine, you are authentic, people talk to you. And then people gave me some secrets that were not written somewhere. Like yes, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

Well, so did somebody give you the hard, like you know, fast talk that said, you know, Patrick, make it not about you.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Not that far, but it was more about engage, talk to people. It takes time, there are constraints, build alliances, and then I started to see that okay, I decided to have people talking about me when I'm not there. I understood the concept of sponsor that I was not aware, of course, before. So, what did I do? I built alliances with more and more people in human resources. That was so helpful because then they kept me in the loop. They gave me more information, and you would never believe that human resource would help you officially. But actually, you have conversation with them, they learn to know you, you learn to learn, you learn how to work with them, you share information, and at a certain moment I was promoted. And I and I received and yes, and it was great because at the end I was promoted in a way at the moment I was stronger because I had alliances. I had people helping me, people giving me information, and that made a difference, of course. Because a few years later, I had to recruit and hire people, and I had to work with former alliances, former allies, so things were smoother because I could take some risk in hiring people. They were supporting me because we had good relationships.

The Importance of Building Alliances in Leadership

SPEAKER_01 6:05

You see, okay, so yes, so so this is a really key thing. So I want our listeners to to just to kind of recap this. It's really important because it's a it's a a part in life, um, not just in leadership, but but number one, on this, on your journey, what you realize as a leader is that a leader is not something that happens, you know, on a on a pedestal. It happens with the right people around you, and that you need to actually build alliances with the people that are either, you know, in your company, in your team, and also with other people, even outside, so that you can learn from other people. It's about gaining their knowledge, their trust. And leadership is about creating those right partnerships. So you cannot make it alone. Right, you cannot make it alone. It's not a solo act. The journey that we live, we are not just one person on one planet, right? We live in a world with lots of other people. So, key lesson, people, right now, think about the people that are in your circle, the people that you have as your alliances, the people that you entrust. And maybe some of those people, if you are looking to make make a change or level up, you know, think about the people that are in your circle. Maybe you need to change some of those people, or maybe you need to add them, or even just start creating a circle.

SPEAKER_00 7:34

Connect, connect, connect. I fully agree with and so to talk about connection. Some questions, of course, you may have is how do you find those people? How do you recognize them?

SPEAKER_01 7:48

Right.

SPEAKER_00 7:49

Some tips that can help, I mean, I'm sure. Ask and talk about your ambition and see how they react. If they are smiling, if they are enthusiastic, if they hurt you, these are your allies. On the opposite, people who change the topic or start to comment like, yeah, of course, but you have always been lucky, or you speak very well English, or you are Spanish in terms of origin. That's why you can get along with people. Those people stay away because they might be jealous on what you are doing or trying to achieve.

SPEAKER_01 8:26

You know, and that's it, that's actually really important. You want to surround yourself with people who are going to lift you up and to and take you know and be part of that. And something that you just said, I think is also just really important to note, listeners, that that you know, you need to also share your ambitions with others. They're they're they're not meant to just be held to the chest. When you share those ambitions and you speak it out into the universe too, great things happen, but you need to think about, you know, just as you said, Patrick, if somebody's a naysayer about that, maybe they're not your person.

SPEAKER_00 9:06

Yes. I do agree with you. Right. Yeah, I cannot agree with more what we do. It's about connecting with people, with the right people.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

Right. Right. So, you know, when you're thinking about this, so now you know, you've you've gotten to this, you you moved up and you got this this position. You know, how do you feel that you acted like and and you've you've you changed? How do you feel this really made you change as a leader? Um, and what has it done to your, I guess you for last, for lack of better word, leadership philosophy?

SPEAKER_00 9:42

So the the first, uh I I felt that this change was necessary because my methodology was not working. Always saying I'm the best, I am an achiever, an overperformer. Okay, that's great uh when you have a shower, but that's it. Really. Right.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

You hear that. When you talk, why you want to want to boast yourself up, there's ways to do it, but do it really. I mean, and it's true, you being boastful versus being somebody who serves and shares what they do, it's actually two different things.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Yes, and that is also where I learned actually, because when I saw those people supporting me, sponsoring me, at certain moment, I said maybe I should do the same for others. And that's where you need the extra level. You are helping, contributing to the development of people today. Those people may give it back to you even in 10 years. You never know. But that's the beauty of the thing because you just helped because you have been helped, and that's why I'm still coaching and mentoring people. And I say, I'm helping you today because don't worry, somebody helped me in the past. And then you build a big chain, and that is the beauty of leading people, because tomorrow they will lead new people in etc. And then you will increase the number of people helping each other, contributing to the development, and that's how you fuel the universe with good intention and people supporting each other. Right.

SPEAKER_01 11:15

So let me ask you when you when you when you've seen these changes, how did it affect, you know, the for lack of a better word, the ROI of what you were doing, like and for the company, the team?

SPEAKER_00 11:28

So I I like to say that my return on investment is more 1,000% than 1%. Because I feel I have helped and contributed to the development of a lot of people, but where I am today, let's be clear, some of these roles I have never applied to. I am the executive director, leading a team of more than several hundred of project managers. I never applied to this position. Can you imagine that?

SPEAKER_01 12:04

You never applied, you were just promoted.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

Yes. People came to me and said, We think you should do it. This is for you, you are the right fit. Seriously? That's the beauty of just helping the others with good intention, being the one who is surrounding others for their growth, because you love people and you want them to grow, and maybe one day something positive will come back to you, and this is what happened to me.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

Right. You know, I I want to share that it's not, it's it's learned. Leadership is a learned is learned. Leadership is not, we don't wake up in the morning or wake come out of the womb being a leader. We have to learn, right? We have to get advice, we have to have other people in our fold and and always be learning to lead. And I love what you just said that that you make, you know, you went from going after something and verbally, like the verbal go after, which we all we want to do, right? We want to share that, but actually when you weren't getting it, you realized I need to take a I need to step back and pivot and figure out what do I need to do. You still went after the same goal, but you did it by again asking questions and enlisting others in that to help you along your journey so that you could become a better leader. And you've done something really miraculously, which is that you have you've learned and you've continued to evolve. So now instead of having to go after positions, people are coming to you and saying, Oh, Patrick, you are we want you for this. And it's it's really it's it's isn't it, doesn't it feel great when somebody approaches you?

SPEAKER_00 14:12

Yes, and very surprising. And I like to say it is how it should be. I keep on being surprised because when I take it for granted, there is a problem. Ego knocked at the door, and ego entered.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

And that's I it's really you know, it's really great. Yeah, I spoke to a woman today about um, she actually worked for a technology company, and she uh was just approached out of the blue by somebody that she worked with at another company um for a new role. And she she said it was out of the blue, she wasn't expecting it, and the compensation was dramatically better. And she, you know, and one of the things that she said, and I think this is what I want to address and and talk to you about, is that there was a little bit of guilt that her, you know, that she was she was noticed for her work by another company, and you know, where she's working out, she loves it. It's not like she was looking to leave. So, how do you address that with people in your team? You know, that you know when when people are approached and or you see great things happening, how do you help them even expand further and and and spread their wings?

SPEAKER_00 15:43

Yeah, so what I usually do is that even when I have my conversation during the year in terms of performance, I say the door is open. I'm not there to retain and keep you at all costs. It's about how you are growing, finding your your way while being authentic to who you are, and my job is to support you. Of course, I would prefer you to stay in my department, in our company, etc., for sure. But at the end of the day, I will be so happy if you are happy. And that might surprise, of course, people. Like why you are not trying to retain me, no, that's that's not my job. I want you to be happy because if you are happy anyway, you will fuel, let's say, the world with your performance, your delivery, and then based on this, people will stay, evolve, ask questions, learn more, etc. etc.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

Yeah. So, what do you feel is the biggest thing that you want to achieve next?

SPEAKER_00 16:45

Ah, that's a good question. Wasn't expecting this one. So, my my my biggest next step is uh being more and more a paid speaker because I really love to go and inspire and share my experiences as a leader, as a father of three daughters, because I like to say they give me 260 feedback anytime during the time or so. That's the purpose. But it's having, you know, I have my corporate activity as an executive director in pharma industry, but I like to contribute to the development of people and more especially women. That's really the big, big thing for a lot of reasons. First, I have three daughters, so I want them to evolve and do whatever they want and be equally and fairly compensated for what they are doing. That's one. And the second is that my mother started to go back to school at 40 years old. She had four kids, including me, to become a nurse. So we are in the ambition in the family, clearly.

SPEAKER_01 17:56

Yeah, right. There is definitely ambition. That's yeah. So I I love that being able to speak and share and help other women, you know, and help women. Do you have a specific you know, ambition or goal within your with the actual with the company that you um that you work with also?

SPEAKER_00 18:18

No, because already I I mean I have done so much in a way, and it's sometimes good to just say enough is enough. And I have enough here because I am I am already beyond my initial career objectives. So now I want to keep on contributing, making new leaders where I am working today. And again, I'm already very active on women leadership in my company, and I'm also mentoring, coaching more and more women to contribute to their development and career path. So that's really what I like to do. I would say day and night.

SPEAKER_01 18:56

Yeah. So, you know, it's actually, you know, one of the things that I I I'm curious about, because this is a big thing about leadership, and I think it's you know where we where things are in the world right now too, is that every leader does face like these moments where it we get tested, right? Um, our resolve under pressure. So how do you how has there been a defining moment where you've been under pressure? And how did you um as a leader, what did you learn? And how do you help other people as a leader work under pressure?

SPEAKER_00 19:28

Okay, so I as you know, I'm working in the pharma industry, yeah, very regulated, and also because behind all of those drugs, we have human beings.

SPEAKER_01 19:39

So really, no, just kidding.

SPEAKER_00 19:43

So no need to say the pressure is there. Yeah, and so that's why I also ask sometimes give some presentation on how to translate strategy into priorities, how to make trade-offs, and etc. One of the first things I like to say is that having your leader knowing everything is a myth.

SPEAKER_01 20:01

We don't know everything, and we have to make decisions that is so important. Leaders, listeners, remember leaders don't know everything, it's so important. And if a leader thinks that they do, maybe you need to run the other way.

SPEAKER_00 20:31

And that's it. Do this at first, and not we should do, we should do, hold on, hold on. Maybe some people in the room know what needs to be done, basically. And second, people in the room may have information you don't have. So at first, check what's going on, ask opinions.

SPEAKER_01 20:49

You know, I I think this is actually a quintessential piece that I really want to make sure you know, listeners that we understand. And I and it might be something that you've probably heard before, but I want to make sure that you hear it again. A number one, when you walk into a room, right, you don't act like the know-it-all and the smartest person as a leader. Take this, you know, take the stand of being going backward, right? And asking, as you as you just said, ask questions, get the opinion of the people in the room. You know, a great leader is not the person who says there is not the loudest person. The great a great leader is the person who's spending time with the two things next to them, not the one thing. Right? Listening and you know, listen and ask questions. Yeah, it is so important. It's so important. You know, and I I don't You know, you've had, you know, it's also one of the big things to have unstoppable success, which is to do a lot of listening and asking. If you could give some, you know, give the listeners, you know, what is your like if there's one bit of advice that you wish that you had got received, and I think I kind of know the answer from what we've talked about, the moment you, you know, you took your first uh career position.

SPEAKER_00 22:33

The first is uh listen, listen, listen. That is the most important part, and I'm sometimes introducing myself as I am a great listener. That makes a difference because by listening, first you put people comfortable. They know they can speak and are safe. That's basic. Then the second is that by listening, you are learning. Meaning you are learning, you are stronger. That's obvious. Remember, we we go to school not to speak, we go to school to listen. Why do we listen? To learn. That's the basic, you know.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

Right, right, that is basic. You know, something you just said, and I'm kind of curious about this, you know, it's um you know, you you had your career and you were asking, you were, you were, you were wondering why you were not getting um the promotions. Do you think at some point as I'm gonna sneeze? Excuse me. Um do you think that along that way that maybe somebody had said something to you, like you know, have conversations, but yet it took you until X point to actually hear that and realize that?

SPEAKER_00 24:02

Yeah, it is partially true, in the sense that I had to find my own way. Yeah, while I could have asked XYZ and say, I'm stuck here, who should I talk to? But no, I wanted to go directly to HR and ask questions to understand. And that's why today, when people ask, I say, maybe you should ask XYZ, because I have been there. So I learned my lesson and I want the others to not go through the same path and maybe go quicker and just ask questions. It will be a long-term relationship. Take the time to fuel this relationship and etc. Been alliances.

Quiet Ambition: The Journey to Self-Discovery

SPEAKER_01 24:43

Right, that's so true. Yeah, that's really great. Now, Patrick, you have written a book that will help that helps people. So talk to us a little bit about the book and what you want to how you want to help, you know, serve others with the book.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

So, the book I like to say is the one I would have loved to receive a long time ago. That's the first thing I would say, but more seriously, I I have written this book in a way, putting the steps in the right order. Because, as you can imagine, I had coaches, then I had my network, and then finally I thought about my ambition. Why you should start by exploring yourself, it should be the step zero. But it came in my lap as a step five, you know. So that's why I put the things in order, because at the end of the day, it's about who are you, what are you looking after, what are you chasing, what's your purpose? And that is where unfortunately people are just chasing or loud or noisy because they want the title and that's it. But why? Is it because of social recognition, because of the parents, because of the wife or the husband? Why do you want to get that promotion? Ah, you want to feel safe about money. Okay, why? Ah, it's because maybe when you are young, okay, okay, and then based on this, you can move forward, and then indeed you explore your ambition. As you are saying, you share with a few people you trust, and then you put smart goals, and then you network to get mentor coaching, and then you persevere and you are resilient because I like to say the moment you're ambitious, adversity starts. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01 26:29

So, all right, so share with us the title of the book again.

SPEAKER_00 26:33

So it's quiet ambition: achieving your goals with calm and confidence.

SPEAKER_01 26:38

Uh, so quiet ambition. I love it. I absolutely love it. Okay, so how can listeners connect with you and learn more about you? And where should they where should they go?

SPEAKER_00 26:49

So they can uh connect with me via LinkedIn. And I have also uh my website is uh freshly uh released, so this Monday. Ah yes, uh three times w patriotkamba.com. Oh great. And then of course they can write my book on Amazon.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

All right. Well, I will actually put all of that in the show notes, a link to your website, a link to the book on Amazon, and also a um link to your LinkedIn profile. So, listeners, please do me the favor. You know, this is so important. Um uh it's it's a theme that's running that I feel like I keep reading about and he and um and we're talking about, which is, you know, being the quiet, confident person, not to be the loudest person in the room. So do me the favor, connect with Patrick, get his book, click on that link in the show notes, and um be amazingly unstoppable by being the quiet promoter. Again, it's not the loudest person in the room that gets the reward. It's the person who actually helps and connects with others. So um thank you, Patrick, for being an amazing guest. And thank you, listeners, for listening to this episode of Unstoppable Success. I'm Jacqueline Strominger, and please remember subscribe and share so we can help make everybody unstoppable.

SPEAKER_00 28:16

Thank you, Jacqueline.

SPEAKER_01 28:17

Thank you. Thank you so much for joining me on the Unstoppable Success podcast, where we don't just talk about growth, we leap toward it. If something today lit a fire within you, sparked a new idea, or gave you the extra push forward, please don't keep it to yourself. Share this episode and podcast with a friend, colleague, or fellow high achiever. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review, and most importantly, connect with me, Jacqueline Schuminger, at leaptoyoursuccess.com. For coaching, community, and your next bold move. Keep leading with intention, keep building your network with purpose, and most of all, keep leaping because you are meant to be unstoppable.