Payal Nanjiani is a Top Leadership Speaker, #1 Executive Coach, & Globally Acclaimed Leadership Expert who is developing Transformed Leaders Who Influence, Innovate & Implement. She is also the Founder & CEO at Success Within Leadership, a Leadership Training company based in the USA & India.
Her work on developing transformed leaders that spreads beyond two decades, her books, and her award-winning Leadership Podcast have made her a renowned name in leadership training. She is also an Executive Coach for Fortune 500 Companies, large organizations, government officials, and many celebrity CEOs. A quote by her that defines what she believes: "The Best Leaders Are Not Trained, They Are Transformed."

Here is the inspiring journey of Ms.Payal Nanjiani as Top Leadership Speaker, #1 Executive Coach, Globally Acclaimed Leadership Expert, & as an Entrepreneur:

What inspired you to take the plunge into Entrepreneurship?

That’s an interesting question. Here’s a little bit of my backstory. It all started with a question in my mind- ‘why do we have only a few exceptional leaders in any organization?’

See, I had a very successful start in my career in India before moving to the United States in the summer of 2000. And I remember how friends and family told me that I am stepping into a land of opportunities where people are very successful. But the reality I saw around me here was different. I observed that despite all the information and resources, most people struggled at their work. The number of successful people in the organization were very few. Companies struggled to fill up leadership roles. Most people were stuck in the mid-management level and getting to the next level involved way too much struggle, hard work, and time. Add to it many weren't able to become that great leader they aspired to become. So I wanted to get to the root of this. I left the comfort of Corporate America and immersed myself in research that helped me understand the reason for this gap between the successful few and the struggling many. It formed the springboard of Success Within Leadership, one of the best training and coaching companies today dedicated to developing transformed leaders who influence, inspire and implement with speed and serenity in any circumstance.

What's the key purpose behind starting this company?

I observed that most of the leadership training out there in the world today is outdated. Today we have many skilled leaders with functional expertise who get promoted to leadership roles. They form the mid-management level and a significant chunk of the organization; almost 75% of the organization operates from this level. And this level gets maximum training on leadership skills. Yet, you will observe that these trained leaders often remain average performers. This leaves us with only 15% of people in the organization who are responsible for the companies’ growth. The remaining 10% are only passive.

My transformative leadership programs help these 75%- the major chunk of the organization and workforce get to the next level, maximize their leadership potential and be highly successful.

What is the target market you are addressing?

I always say that leadership is for everyone. From the youth to CEO- no one can escape leadership. I focus my work and energy on the mid-level executives in the workforce who want to grow and make a difference and who want to have a fulfilled career life. I work with entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses.

What are the USPs for an ideal customer of yours?

My clients come from all over the globe and I get to speak and coach leaders from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

For one, they must be willing to make a difference in the lives of people. Secondly, they must already be in the mid-management level or have at least 15 years of experience and third would be a desire to grow to the next level. Additionally, I would add that my clients are the ones who believe that leadership is a mindset, not a position.

How big is your customer base currently and where do you see this business 5 years from now?
Personally, for me, all that matters is the number of lives you impact while you are alive. And by the grace of God, I’ve impacted the lives of more than a million professionals globally now. These are the lives who will pay it forward by being transformed leaders.
What have been some of the major hurdles to overcome on your business journey so far?

Yes, there were challenges. The first challenge was to get corporate America to believe in my unique leadership content. And then globally spreading the concept of transformed leaders was another added challenge. It took me a good five years to get organizations to see the incredible results after their teams had attended my keynotes, power leadership talks, and workshops. Leaders also saw a change in themselves when they would sign up for a 1:1 executive coaching with me. The only reason I was able to sustain for those initial five years and not give up is that I knew what created the gap between the peak performers and average performers. And I had tremendous belief in my techniques and practices that can get people to be successful at their work.

Have you tried content marketing for your business? How has it impacted your business?

My team does a great job on this I would say. I always believe that content is extremely important. And all of us at Success Within Leadership believe.

They say Entrepreneurship isn't easy. What's your take on this?

Nothing worthwhile is easy. Everything that we want is uphill. And so entrepreneurship is a journey you take uphill. I'm convinced that what separates successful entrepreneurs from non-successful ones is pure dedication toward a purpose. In one of my podcast episodes, I’ve shared the brutal truth about entrepreneurship.



One quote in your own words for entrepreneurs to reckon with and learn from
"I believe that all people have success within them. All they need to do is become a transformed leader and they will see tremendous success and exponential growth.” – Payal Nanjiani