"The key to success, both in the past and the future, is best summed up in one word: agility"
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Today, we have the privilege of speaking with Neil Khaund, the CEO of The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS). With a remarkable career dedicated to helping individuals upskill and achieve their goals, Neil brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our conversation.
Throughout his journey, Neil has made significant contributions in the education field, holding esteemed positions such as CEO of Livius Prep, VP of Corporate Development at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Managing Director at Kaplan Inc.
Now, as the CEO of NSLS, Neil serves as the organization’s chief ambassador, leading major business transformations and building strategic partnerships in the education industry.
The NSLS, the largest leadership honor society, boasts more than 750 chapters nationwide and over 1.8 million members. For over 20 years, their comprehensive leadership development programs have empowered individuals to unlock their leadership potential and excel in both personal and professional spheres.
Unlike other leadership organizations, the NSLS focuses on fostering a community of passionate individuals dedicated to making the world a better place, not just advancing their careers.
In this interview, Neil will share insights on employee engagement, the future of digital interactions, his personal journey, and much more. Join us as we delve into the mind of a visionary leader who is shaping the landscape of leadership development.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Neil Khaund: My name is Neil Khaund, and I’m the CEO of The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS). Throughout my career, I’ve been passionate about helping individuals upskill their abilities to better navigate the changing global economy and reach the goals they’ve set for themselves.
Most of my work has been in the education field, and I previously served as CEO of Livius Prep, VP of Corporate Development at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Managing Director at Kaplan Inc. In all these roles, I’ve led major business transformations, particularly in the digital space, and built strategic partnerships in the education industry.
At NSLS, we’re dedicated to empowering individuals to become leaders in their own organizations, communities, and someday, the world at large — and I’m really honored to be a part of this mission.
In my role as CEO here, I primarily serve as the organization’s chief ambassador, positioning us to reach the most people and make a positive difference in the world.
If you were in an elevator with Warren Buffett, how would you describe your company, your services or products? What makes your company different from others? What is your company’s biggest strength?
Neil Khaund: The NSLS is the largest leadership honor society, with more than 750 chapters across the nation and over 1.8 million members. For more than 20 years, our comprehensive leadership development programs have helped members unlock their leadership potential and thrive in both their personal and professional lives.
Our program includes interactive workshops, live speaker events, and opportunities for networking and collaboration all designed to help future leaders find their voice, gain confidence, learn the tools, build the skills, and find the support to make a positive impact on the world.
Unlike most leadership organizations, we’re committed to more than career advancement — we’re fostering a community of driven individuals who are passionate about making the world a better place.
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, are an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle to keep talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued, and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are you adapting to the current shift we see?
Neil Khaund: I think this answer has changed a lot in the past few years because of the shift to remote work, but there are some elements of employee engagement and support that are timeless.
First and foremost, a positive work environment where employees feel valued and appreciated is the foundation for every organizations’ long-term success. Find ways to recognize the effort people put into their work — especially now when so many people are dealing with personal challenges. Find ways to facilitate career development and growth for every person at your company.
For improving engagement and motivation, it’s important to foster open communication with employees, especially those on the front lines, since they will have valuable insight into customer feedback and trends in the marketplace.
And after all of the tumult of the past few years, work-life balance is more important than ever, for Gen Z and senior employees alike. Offering more flexibility in scheduling demonstrates you care about employee wellbeing beyond just the work they do.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
Neil Khaund: At this point, I think it’s safe to say that digital interactions are here to stay, probably as the primary mode of conducting business.
While in-person events, conferences, and meetings are certainly picking up and continue to be invaluable experiences, people have become too used to the convenience of connecting online for that to ever go away.
At the NSLS, we’re investing even more in online learning, digital conferences, and other ways of connecting our community in a way that’s accessible. This is laying the foundation for a truly connected world.
Christopher Hitchens, an American journalist, is quoted as saying that “everyone has a book in them” Have you written a book? If so, please share with us details about it. If you haven’t, what book would you like to write and how would you like it to benefit the readers?
Neil Khaund: Yes, I co-wrote Hacking the SAT: Tips and Tricks to Help You Prepare, Plan Ahead, and Increase Your Score (Skyhorse, 2020) with Jason Breitkopf.
If I were to write another book, it would be on the importance of developing and leaning into a growth mindset in order to be a maximally effective, empowering, and impactful leader.
2020, 2021, and 2022 threw a lot of curve balls into businesses on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past years, how can businesses thrive in 2023? What lessons have you learned and what advice would you share?
Neil Khaund: The key to success for the past few years, as well as for the future, is best summed up as ‘agility.’ However, that means something different for every type of organization.
For the NSLS, agility has been about being flexible in how we serve our community — especially in terms of adopting technology to keep everyone connected.
It’s also been about empowering our people to really shine in their areas of expertise so we can maximize the impact of all of our initiatives. Organizations of every kind need to be clear and honest internally about what their biggest challenges are, and be open to innovation to overcome them.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Neil Khaund: I’m sticking with growth mindset as my business superpower, but if I could have any super power, I think it would be the ability to effortlessly get all of the 5 year olds on my son’s tee ball team to properly run the bases.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Neil Khaund for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Neil Khaund or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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