About | Karen Nel Consulting

About Dr Karen Nel

Karen Nel Consulting exists to inspire healthcare leaders in Africa to lead in a way that impacts the bottom line and heals the continent.

I am passionate about life, and I am passionate about making a difference. I am passionate about becoming my dream. I have been exposed to many different companies, different careers, and different people.

I have learned that “to see the difference, you must be the difference”.

I am a daughter of Africa. I grew up in Nongoma in Northern Kwa-Zulu Natal and got exposed to the cultures of the Zulu nation from an early age. Throughout my childhood I knew I wanted to inspire and make a difference. I have learned that every interaction will always have an impact, positive or negative – you decide.

When I began my career as an ICU Nurse, I very soon realised the effect of true leadership - giving more than I received – simply because I can. The world is hungry for inspiration, hungry for role models of real people with real challenges making a real difference.

Moving to the corporate world, I realised that there is a real need for leaders that are prepared to make small differences with significant impact. However, I knew my knowledge was not enough to make the impact I wanted to make. I always had more to know, more to discover, and more to contribute.

I wanted to understand the difference between male and female managers and non-managers. This led to me completing my MBA with my mini-dissertation topic, Workplace Thinking Style Differences between male and female managers and non-managers.

Despite being empowered with this knowledge, I wanted to garner more researched information to understand:

Why certain leaders can inspire people and make every team member feel valued but are challenged to achieve meaningful bottom-line results. Conversely;
Why some leaders achieve exceptional bottom-line results, significant profits, and accolades, but they rule their teams with an iron fist.
Is it possible to be an inspiring leader and achieve bottom-line results? How can you do it?

Searching for these answers led me to embark on my PhD, reviewing the relationship between Complexity Leadership and Operational Systems and Structures (Agile, Lean, and Leagile) in positioning private hospitals in South Africa for adaptability.

Following the completion of my PhD, I have a fervent desire to share my results with the world and more specifically in Healthcare in Africa. I want to use it to inspire normal people in normal jobs, and to become inspirational leaders that improve efficiencies for bottom-line results. I want to teach healthcare leaders Business Acumen to empower them to make business decisions that impact the bottom line and have a voice around the Boardroom table. Whilst it is not easy, it is possible.

Allow me to join forces with your leadership team to guide and assist them in identifying the challenges, prioritising the needs, and implementing solutions that will reap the best and most rewarding benefits. I would love the opportunity to partner with you and your team to assist you with solid, practical, implementable solutions to achieve tangible bottom-line results.