Volatia CEO Baraka Kasongo was named February's inspiring leader during the Feb. 27 edition of WFXR's Virginia at Work segment.
Cortex Leadership Consulting CEO Lynda McNutt Foster explained why, despite his relatively young age, Kasongo an example of strong, inspiring leadership:
"What separates him [Kasongo] is a lot of leaders are confident and then there are other leaders who are competent. He's confident and competent. He's been learning leadership from the time he was going to college, and he never stops learning."
Kasongo said he was humbled by the honor but said it reinforced the importance of connecting people and building relationships. His advice for other young leaders is to focus on those relationships.
"Sometimes we get lost in the transactions instead of focusing on the relationships that we are building with people. … Always focus on the relationship and never sacrifice that to get a transaction," he said.
Read the companion piece: Virginia at Work: Young leader survives refugee camps to become successful CEO