Adam Kent is the founder of Invictus Consulting, an organization dedicated to the success of small-to medium-sized businesses. International customers of Invictus include those from Canada, India, Australia, and other US regions where EQ, sales, leadership development, and improving workplace culture & behavior are areas of specialization. Adam is also a certified partner of Everything DiSC® and The Five Behaviors® of a Cohesive Team. He is also the Southern Nevada Area Director for BNI.
Below are highlights of the interview:
Tell us about your journey and what did you do before starting your professional career?
I was born in Japan. My family moved to Australia when I was about eight years old. When we’d go back to Tokyo to be with Dad, he’d have “okozukai,” which was the allowance he saved for us to have fun with when we visited. I’d go to the wholesale markets, fill my suitcase with boxes of Japanese lollies, and take them to sell at school. Years later, mum and I were reminiscing and she shared that she was called into the principal’s office where they asked her to get me to stop. Apparently, I was taking all the business away from the school’s canteen.
I have mum to thank for so much. She bought me a book called “Body Language, by Allan and Barbara Pease”, and like the stereotypes of studying behaviour and psychology, I dove deep in to transform who I was, spending a lot of time in the library’s personal development sections learning and growing.
What was the motivation behind launching Invictus Consulting?
When I moved to Las Vegas in 2016, my uncle lost his job, and we decided to launch into a partnership. A little over two years into that business, I woke up to an email to find out he had emptied the banks’ accounts and all I had was the money left in my personal account to survive. Invictus Consulting was launched full time that day. There wasn’t really an option but to grow. Invictus was always the plan, but the way it launched definitely was not! It was always my intention to launch a business to make a positive impact. To support people in growing and developing in ways that transform their lives. The brand is a testimonial to my parents. My father suddenly passed away in 2015 of a brain aneurism, and the last journal entry written was a line from William Ernest Henley’s poem called Invictus, and my parents had a successful company in Tokyo called Phoenix Associates. So they are both always close to my heart, 24/7. The motto is “Be Unconquerable,” and that’s really what we train our clients to be. No matter what happens. You will ‘Be Unconquerable’!
Tell us more about the company’s offerings.
What we do involves organizational development, organizational behavior, team building, and change management. We offer custom coaching solutions, structured programs, and shorter breakthrough series too. All with practical, real-life strategies designed to produce results, not high-level theory.
What is the company’s core value as it relates to your customers?
We operate with six core values:
- Transparency: Being respectfully open, honest, and transparent about the good, the bad, and the ugly.
- Effective Communication: Conscious and clear in what and how we communicate.
- Accountability: Being 100% responsible for everything we do. Own losses celebrate wins.
- Mastery: Integrity in who we are and what we do. A commitment to our continued development.
- Be: BE transparent, BE an effective communicator, BE accountable, BE mastery, BE unconquerable. To simply BE who and what we need to BE, when we need to BE… BE the coach.
- Unconquerable: No matter what obstacles or challenges we face. We are unconquerable.
These values are like the bumper bars in a bowling alley, keeping us on track and away from the gutter. It is how we show up for our clients to provide consistency, predictability, and stability.
As the Managing Director, what are your major roles and responsibilities at the organization?
We’re still a relatively new company, and I am still very much an owner-operator. A lot of my time is spent doing speaking engagements, hosting events, networking, and generating new opportunities for our coaches like Ronen Rahaman to support our company’s growth.
What improvements do you want to bring in the society?
We host a local event in Las Vegas called the Happiest Hour & Networking Mixer, which has brought almost 20 local associations together to support local businesses. We have many chambers of commerce, Alignable Alliances, and even BNI Las Vegas collaborating. The last one had more than 450 in attendance. Because we support local non-profits at each of these, the improvement this brings to our society is having communities break out of their silo’s, coming together to support each other and our community as a whole. #VegasStrongerTogether!
What has been the best recognition that you received as a professional?
The one that stands out above and beyond any other was being a guest on CNBC’s The Profit with Marcus Lemonis. I watch the show all the time, even back in Australia, so I was grateful to spend time with Marcus and one of his businesses. We were featured in the season 8 finale, and for those wondering, yes, Marcus is kind and humble in person.
What advice would you give to emerging leaders?
First, a quote by Tasha Eurich, who asks, “If you were not as self-aware as you think you are, how would you know?” And one of our quotes is, “Resistance and doubt is predictably the result of lacking clarity.” So here’s our advice…Invest in yourself! Don’t wait for someone to invest in you. Read, challenge yourself, and grow! Get clarity, work on your self-awareness, invest in yourself, and surround yourself with the right people that motivate and encourage, not discourage and drain!
Where do you see yourself and the company in upcoming years?
It is hard to express everything happening in the upcoming years. In partnership with Michele Bedwell, owner of Hi-Tek Media, we have launched a new company called MediaK Global. This is so we can combine forces and better service the international market. We are also launching a non-profit to support local businesses more effectively called Business Empowered too. All I can say right now is, “purpose before profit,” and we’re moving into some very exciting times!
Website: www.invictuslv.com
