60 seconds with kamal manik: “your teams are watching your feet, not your mouth.”

We first met Kamal Manik in 2023 when he conducted a DISC Assessment with the toth shop team. Developed from the theories of psychologist William Moulton Marston, the DISC Assessment behavioral tool that categorizes personality traits into four primary types: Dominance (D), Influence (i), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C) and evaluate how you respond to challenges, influence others, manage pace, and approach procedures.

In our session, he showed us a way of leading and relating to one another that's stuck with us ever since.

This is the type of work Kamal does everyday as founder of Eagle's Wings Management Consultants, where he's spent years developing courageous, compassionate, and transformational leaders. He calls himself a "numbers guy with a heart for people," and if you spend any time with him, you'll see exactly what that means – someone who can read a room and a spreadsheet with equal precision. And, more importantly, someone who leads from both.

It’s a pleasure to connect with Kamal again and learn more about his thoughts on leadership, faith, hitting walls, and what keeps him going when the work gets hard. 

– toth shop team

toth shop (ts): On your LinkedIn, you describe yourself as a “numbers guy with a heart for people.” Usually, data and deep empathy are seen as two different skill sets. How do those two sides of you work together, not against each other? 

Kamal Manik (KM): In my mind, being a numbers guy and having a heart for the people are not mutually exclusive but are in fact complementary. Being a numbers guy helps me understand the what and how, whereas having a heart for the people helps me understand the why behind the numbers. As a numbers guy I am an analyst, and as a peopleperson, I am an advocate, but as a “Numbers Guy with a Heart for the People,” I am more of an Architect. It helps me gain buy-in and drive action. From the DISC perspective, I am all three – an SCI.

ts: If you had to give ONE piece of advice to leaders who are looking to be “tour guides, who go the way” rather than “travel agents (who just send people there)”, what would you say? 

KM: Simply put, a tour guide is someone who has been there, done that. From a leadership perspective, it would mean you don't ask your people to do something you would not be willing to do yourself. Lead by example, because your teams are watching your feet, not your mouth.

ts: You grew up in the Hindu faith and have since made the significant decision to convert to Christianity. How has your experience of both faiths shaped the way you see people, lead, and build relationships, especially across differences?

KM: Receiving Christ as my personal Savior has helped me see people as God sees them, with love and compassion. Instead of getting caught in futile discussions to reconcile the two faiths, what is required is to show up as Christ would show up. I believe the best way to represent Christ and the gospel is to demonstrate faith through actions, using words if necessary. I don’t debate religion, but I dwell on Christ and aim to demonstrate Christ-like character in all my interactions.

ts: You founded Eagle's Wings Management Consultants in 2018 where your vision is to create a generation of courageous, compassionate and transformational servant leaders. What’s one client or experience that’s stuck with you that’s made you think “this is why I do this”? 

KM: Oh, I’ve had several! But one that brought me to tears was this: I was conducting a seminar on conflict resolution for a group of managers for a multi-billion dollar organization. 

At one point, one of the managers burst out crying uncontrollably. Her manager was sitting right next to her, and it was as if within seconds, a wall between the two was broken as they hugged each other and  reconciled. I witnessed the impact of the seminar right there in person. I myself was in tears, as I drove back thinking, “This is it. This is why I do what I do.”

ts: Every person we interview answers this same question last – Mile 18 is generally considered to be one of the hardest miles in a marathon. You’re hitting a wall. You’re forced to dig deep. What’s been a mile 18 in your line of work, or at a point in your career? And what do you tell yourself when you find yourself in the middle of a mile 18?

KM: I already hit mile 18 in my marathon in 2025. It was a time when several of my clients decided to cancel their leadership training contracts due to budgetary cuts . I was almost ready to wind up my business. My son, who traveled with me to several of my seminars, reminded me about my "why.” I think this is an important reflection for anybody on their mile 18. Think about the "why" and think about the "what if?". 

This is what I reflected on: "What if I continued, even if only one person was transformed? What if that one person impacted millions because of me?" This reflection helped me carry on in 2026, and I am glad I did. In just five months, I have already touched several hundreds of individuals.