Manal Keen CEO of The Founder & The Force Multiplier brings passion and commitment to every conversation.

In this conversation, Manal gives us her story, the drive behind her biggest why, as well as good overview of the book The Founder &The Force Multiplier.

We won’t give too much away, but her career journey toward her “why” is amazing – relatable and inspiring. She excelled in the male-dominated field of financial services, holding various roles in large financial institutions heading finance and strategy positions. (Eye-opening fact that she shares: females currently manage fewer than 2% of assets under management.)

Wanting to make a bigger difference and impact women and minorities in a more direct way, Manal is going to help lead the way to change that fact through her new roles as the first female adjunct professor at the University of North Texas in Denton to teach investments. Additionally, Manal is part of the Investment Management Board focused on driving internship opportunities for females, minorities, and students in underserved communities.

But she’s not stopping there! Manal reconnected with Adam Hergenrother and became fascinated by the story of how the strategic partnership between Adam and Hallie Warner allowed Adam to become a serial entrepreneur.

Going from blog, to book, to movement requires new strategic partners and Manal is all in as this opportunity meets her passion for teaching, mentoring and inspiring business leaders. This already includes a recently launched podcast, a curriculum, white papers and much more to come. It’s all here on their website: founderandforcemultiplier.com.

A few insights from our conversation with Manal:

  • A clear definition on the role of Force Multiplier and key distinction among operation manager, executive assistant, and chief of staff.

  • The foundation of successful partnerships is a shared vision and values.

  • Success in these partnerships is predicated in strong communication: open mind, constructive feedback, and trust. Soft skills aren’t so soft, are they?

  • Leveraging the 80/20 rule-with intention, by design, and with collaboration.

We thank Manal for sharing her passion and commitment with us. She has invited A Leadership Beyond to be guests on her podcast and we’ll keep you posted as we discover exciting new ways to build our strategic partnerships.

As always, we invite you to join the conversation. 

Tom & Adrienne