Leading with Real Talk
A fun, witty, & honest conversation about leadership with founders Raji Sankar and Lou Camerlengo.
Leadership is key to a well-functioning company. This isn’t breaking news, but the odds are that many of us have worked for someone who didn’t get the memo. As an entrepreneur building your own business, developing and implementing bold leadership to deliver real results is essential.
For our latest Real Talk, we invited two local experts in leadership, Raji Sankar, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Wholesome International, and Lou Camerlengo, Co-Founder & President of fivestar*. Both have co-founded companies, grown teams, and are accomplished in their respective industries. The conversation, while only an hour, was a masterclass in leadership. Both founders spoke to what it takes to be a successful and impactful leader, and some of their answers may surprise you!
Here are some of our favorite quotes from Real Talk:
- “Leadership is not tied to a title. The concept is that there are leaders on all levels, it will empower people to make decisions that help them.” — Lou
- “I have mentors everywhere — from our frontline to our leadership. To be honest, I am coached every day.” — Raji
- “Managers, really their responsibility is making sure that their teams have what they need to be able to fire on all cylinders. And, to identify people that can take increased responsibilities.” — Lou
- “As an entrepreneur, you tend to have a very strong vision that is essentially what guides you. But learning that together a recipe is much more fun than a single ingredient recipe is a powerful learning.” — Raji
- “I think the leader's primary responsibility is living the culture and demonstrating that on a daily basis.” — Lou
- “People talk about natural-born leaders and I think that’s true to a degree. There are certain traits, but I think you can also teach people how to be leaders.” — Lou
- “If you’re not around to serve people it doesn’t matter what business idea you had. You have to have a very healthy existence.” — Raji
Watch the full conversation with Raji and Lou below.
Connect with us
Learn more about Ascender: https://ascenderpgh.com/
Sign up for our newsletter or send us a note: info@ascenderpgh.com
Follow us: Twitter — Facebook — LinkedIn — Instagram
From fledgling tech companies, healthcare innovators, and nonprofits to makers, creators, services and shops, Ascender is for Pittsburgh’s entrepreneurs. We help businesses of all types in the Pittsburgh region start and build a business through education and connectivity. See how Ascender can help you.
