11y
Glad to hear the positive feedback about our consultants and clients- we have terrific talent and a very loyal community of followers who look to the content and thought leadership that we post as part of industry education to assist them in solving their information management challenges. With regard to the use of outside experts, as an expert in a particular market niche, I respect the unique perspective and insights that specialists may offer. Certainly the clock speed of change can be disconcerting to some, however agility is a requirement for survival in a fast moving marketplace. That said, there were times when changes may have been executed without sufficient socialization causing some "whiplash" on the part of market facing people. We have changed our approach to executing course corrections - we now set direction in quarterly management meetings and execute on that plan for the next 90 days. There may be changes throughout that time, however they are less drastic than perhaps they had been in the past.,
The company business model was changed to a "seller-doer" model organized around specific industry practice areas. The reason for this was that customers solving difficult information problems wanted to engage with subject matter experts who could begin the process of crafting a solution as part of the sales process. The sales resources who worked for the company were excellent and it was not an easy decision to eliminate those positions. This reorganization of the company was challenging and certainly risky. Rather than simply to save money, it was to move to a more appropriate business model given our engagements and the nature of our customer needs. The result has been 60% growth over the prior year and being on plan to exceed aggressive sales targets. Rather than being driven by a crisis, this change was driven by an intentional evolution of company direction which has created new growth opportunities for our employees and greater value for our customers.
The company has taken this reviewer's gentle criticism to heart and a chief operations officer was hired to manage the day-to-day blocking and tackling of a consulting firm. Founders are not always the best managers and this CEO has been at times accused of micro managing. (Guilty as charged. :-) )
Two distinct types of leaders are required in any business: one who sees opportunities and possibilities and who approaches the business creatively and another type of person who likes structure, process and repeatability. These are rarely in the same individual. Recognizing that the creative person with vision for possibilities has unique skills and talents that are necessary for success but that may be detrimental to the stability of operations is key to success. It also requires the ability to simply say "this is not my core strength" when it comes to managing processes and maintaining structure. We were fortunate to find an approach outlined in Gino Wickman's terrific book "Traction" that clearly delineated the roles of the so called "visionary" and that of the "integrator" or the founder and operations officer. So while I might take exception to the tone and tenor of the review, and disagree with the specifics, the core issue is having the correct person in the correct role. Our success since these changes have been implemented is evidence of value of this approach. We have a fantastic, talented senior level person in this role who is well suited to the tasks and challenges ahead of us.
