IPN Spotlight: Kamruddin Shams (Entrepreneur at The Shams Group)
Originally from Chittagong, Bangladesh, Kamruddin Shams came to USA with $29 in his pocket and the American dream. In his early years in the country, he started off as a janitor and then got in to Minneapolis Fed which got him interested in technology and innovation. He studied BS Quantitative Methods and Information Systems and MA in Health Administration. Early in his career he was in to IT and transformational management for health systems in ILL and CA. In 1989 he founded and is currently the Chairman of The Shams Group, a healthcare consulting and software firm which serves hospitals around the world and has operations in North America, & Asia. Since then he has been a serial entrepreneur engaged with IT, healthcare, education and real estate start-ups, investments, and innovations. Kamruddin Shams’ volunteer roles include IHPA, YSB, Past Chairman Nizari Progressive Federal Credit Union (NPFCU), IPN Bootcamp, & Chairman Worldwide Education Fund, providing education opportunity to over 2000 orphans and needy children around the world.
What skills have helped you in your career?
The ABCDE of skills that has helped me are:
A—ability to self-assess, be accountable for ones goals, be adaptable
B—be bold, big vision, balanced, benevolent and blissful
C—communication, collaboration, computing and critical thinking
D—disciplined, decisive, determined, dependable and dedicated
E—engaged, efficient, energetic, endurance, empowered and entrepreneurial driven
What do you wish you had known or done differently throughout your career?
No second guesses and regrets. Every career has its share of challenges, struggle and adversities. I have had my share, and I have always tried to be self-aware, knowledge driven, and adaptable to adjust the best I can, so I would not change a thing.
What is next for you in your career?
I look at each 10 year as a chapter in one’s life. The next chapter for me can be called the 3Vs. The 3Vs stand for Volunteering (transforming poor children lives via education and vocational training around the world http://wef.world , Vacationing (Travel the world, & learn), and Venturing (entrepreneurship and investing). I try to do this via a balanced lifestyle, and a philosophy of Tan, Man, Dhan and Fun.
What do you do for continuing education and improvement?
Read ferociously, travel extensively, network, stay humble, be open minded and non-judgmental and constantly learn from others.
What advice would you offer to others?
Understand who you are, and what your ‘calling’ is. Assess yourself, skills, potentials, abilities periodically, and know the difference between what you want, and what you are willing to work for. That is often the difference between success and failure. I coach a lot of professionals, who want to pivot in their career or become an entrepreneur, and I ask them—do you have the Phd (passion, hunger and discipline). We all have Phd for something. The question is finding out what that something is, and then executing it the best way you can, to be the best you can be.
Areas where you can help other Ismailis:
• Career Coaching
• Business Strategic Planning
• Mentoring on how to be the CEO of your life
• Entrepreneurship
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