About Zarko Palankov
Zarko Palankov is the leader and founder of LeadIN, a business built around the idea that leadership is for everyone. Throughout his career, Zarko has founded several organizations and has also served as a leadership coach and consultant.
Zarko Palankov was born in Bulgaria. He spent many years studying and working in various countries across the world, including Bulgaria, France, Hungary, and the United States. He currently resides in Washington DC with his wife.
Zarko Palankov earned his undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University, where he studied French and English with a concentration in creative writing. During his time in college, Zarko played varsity tennis, attended a chess club, and wrote for the university newspaper. He then went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs from George Washington University.
As a young student, Zarko Palankov remembers being caught off guard when a teacher called him a “leader.” While he appreciated the compliment, he was also left feeling confused because he had not previously thought of himself as a leader. However, later in life, Zarko discovered that he did have leadership qualities. He also realized that leadership potential is in everyone, not only a select few. He believes his teacher called all of her students leaders at different times to encourage them to rise to that inward potential.
With this belief in mind, Zarko Palankov founded LeadIN. The mission of LeadIN is to bring people together to grow in their leadership potential. The company stands behind the core principle that anyone can be a leader, regardless of their background, age, or title. Zarko seeks to empower people to support one another in their growth and reshape the leadership paradigm. He also wants to create workplaces that are more people-focused, less hierarchical, promote self-management, and focus on employee engagement.
“Far too many American workplaces are built on false assumptions about talent and leadership. It’s our job – as leaders – to work together to break through these invisible – but very real – barriers.” – Zarko Palankov
Zarko Palankov has also worked as a Senior Organizational Development Consultant for the World Bank. Recently, in this role, Zarko has coached a multilateral network of health policymakers in building a rapid-response COVID-19 community. This network connects high-level health officials from over 100 countries to assist in creating a country-to-country knowledge exchange of good practices, policies, and experiences relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the early stages of his career, Zarko Palankov co-founded a nonprofit called the Global Language Network. As a multilingual individual, Zarko has seen firsthand the benefits of speaking more than one language. The Global Language Network provides adult learners with access to affordable language classes. Zarko served as the president of the non-profit for nearly seven years. During this time, the organization offered over 800 courses in 60 languages to more than 10,000 adult learners.
In his free time, Zarko Palankov enjoys watching movies (especially international films), listening to music, composing music, playing piano and guitar, playing and watching soccer, and reading a wide variety of books. He also enjoys writing and is a talented poet. Zarko also has a deep connection with nature and is an active environmentalist.
To learn more about Zarko Palankov, check out his blog!