Lillian Lincoln Lambert lives by the aphorism, “Success is a journey, not a destination.”

A captivating speaker she speaks about the power of persistence, resilience, courage and morality in surmounting hurdles that prevent people from reaching their full potential.  As the first African American woman to receive a Harvard Business School MBA during the tumultuous 1960’s, then becoming a barrier-breaking entrepreneur in the mid 1970’s, she draws on her life experiences from the farm to Harvard, to show how to use obstacles and barriers as stepping stones to higher levels of achievement and success. Using the power of storytelling, she inspires audiences to dream big, act bold and pave their own paths. Her message speaks volumes, offering guidance, hope and inspiration for anyone who is striving to achieve a better life.

As a business coach, she works with businesses to help them go beyond their preconceived limitations and achieve their goals and aspirations. Her education gives her the theoretical knowledge.  Combining this with her experience as an entrepreneur, she brings a unique expertise that shows companies how to develop and grow successful businesses.

Born on a farm in the segregated South, she sensed that a better life awaited her. At the age of 18, she journeyed to New York City and Washington, DC to seek her fortune.  After enduring menial jobs as a maid and typist, she came to the realization that education would be her ticket to a new world.

At the age of 22, she enrolled in Howard University. With the help of loans, scholarships and part-time jobs she obtained a BA degree. There a professor became her mentor and convinced her that she was Harvard material.  In 1969, an era forever linked with the civil rights and burgeoning women’s rights movements; she earned her MBA and achieved the historical milestone as the first African American woman to receive a Harvard MBA. She did not set out to make history, but simply wanted a better life.

Lillian continued to blaze her own path to success. She became a barrier-breaking entrepreneur, founding her own building maintenance company, started in her garage on a few thousand dollars. She grew the company to $20 million in sales with more than 1,200 employees. Headquartered in Landover, Maryland, with branch offices in other mid-Atlantic states, the company expanded, through acquisition, to the metropolitan Boston and Rhode Island markets. Her clients included blue-chip companies such as Dulles Airport, ABC News and Hewlett-Packard. Reflecting on the irony of a former maid now owning a janitorial business, she said “Owning the mop is better than pushing the mop.”

For more than 30 years, she has shared her hard-won wisdom on a range of business and inspirational topics to audiences small and large. No longer operating her original business, she now devotes her time to speaking, writing and coaching. She has traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa, to speak to the South African Black Vintners Association on the importance of building alliances to gain competitive advantage. Other clients who have benefited from her expertise include Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Mississippi Bar Association, UBS Financial Services, Freddie Mac, Green Farms Academy, Wayland Academy, Smith College and other corporate, government and educational institutions.

Due to the passionate response of audiences to her speeches and comments from admirers who exclaimed “Lillian, you should write a book,” her memoir, The Road to Someplace Better: From the Segregated South to Harvard Business School and Beyond, was released by John Wiley & Son in Jan 2010.

In 2003, Harvard Business School awarded Lambert the Alumni Achievement Award, its highest honor for alumni.

In March 2010, Enterprising Women Magazine inducted her into their Hall of Fame and featured her on the cover of the April 2010 issue. This is the magazine’s highest honor.

In Feb 2011, she was one of eight honorees for Dominion Resources Strong Men Strong Women: Excellence in Leadership Series.

The Library of Virginia selected her as one of ten 2011 Virginia Women in History recipients. These women were honored at its annual program in March 2011.

Lillian is the recipient of numerous other awards, including Harvard Business School’s African American Alumni Association’s Bert King Award; MBA of the Year, Harvard Business School African American Alumni Association; Small Business Person of the Year, State of Maryland; Entrepreneur of the Year, Black MBA Association; Top 50 Women-Owned Businesses, Washington Business Journal; and Finalist, Entrepreneur of the Year, Ernst & Young.

She is an avid golfer who also enjoys traveling, reading, listening to jazz and singing in her church choir. Currently, she sits on the Board of Visitors at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Board of Harvard Business School African American Alumni Association.