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Through a series of companies throwing venture capital funds around like they were confetti as well as a few that really had great things going, I learned a lot, built some great systems, but most importantly learned how to run businesses and teams... and how not to run them, too. Some of the lessons were wonderful. Some were incredibly painful. But they have led me to where I am now, so ultimately for good.
The dot-com bust hit me hard
I helped to shut down a great dot-com company in 2002 when the VCs pulled their money out of the bank, right out from under the management team with virtually no warning. The CEO was committed to doing right by everyone, and I helped him get customers, staff, and creditors whole. He did even more than I did, suffering personally as a result. He is still a hero of mine... and still a client, too.
After that, though, I was an out-of-work technology exec in the darkest days of the crash. No one was looking for a guy like me. Everyone was hunkered down. It was difficult.
In all of 2003, according to the Social Security Administration, I earned $23,000.
The good news is that I earned more than twice that last year. In December alone.
That’s also a story for another time.
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The Test
During my period of building companies, I had learned a lot about leadership, productivity, and value generation. I developed an approach to leadership that I thought was effective and rare, but I needed a testbed to prove it to myself. In early 2004, I got my chance.
Two friends who had worked with me in the past were working together at a start-up in Boulder. They were in dire straights, floundering without leadership for their team with responsibility for keeping customers happy. And the customers weren’t happy. They begged the CEO to find me and hire me. Over the course of a set of interesting conversations, I struck a deal with them and joined the company. With that 2003 still haunting me, I was grateful for the opportunity.
And now I could test the approach.
60 Day Makeover
I spent the first couple weeks observing, listening, and getting to know the team. These were good people who had found themselves in a very difficult environment. Fear was palpable. Customer service staff didn’t want to answer the phone. Engineers didn’t want to visit customers. Everyone hid from everyone else. It was ugly.
Within 60 days it was a different place. The team was dynamic. They worked together. They were developing cross-functional relationships. Respect was on the rise. You could feel the energy. Plus, it had positive momentum and continued to improve.
As a result, I had my answer. I could now be certain that I understood how it works.
Although the business was challenging at times, my role there was very useful, and the CEO very appreciative. In retrospect, he later told me that he should have had me oversee the product development effort, as well. It didn’t matter to me, though, I had my answer and could now begin to help others with the greatest confidence.
And I did.
Starting with smaller companies and their owners, we worked together to change team dynamics and the resulting business value. Companies saw sales swell, revenues rise, and profits pile up. One company saw more than 30% growth in both revenue and profit. Others had comparable success. Furthermore, the people in the companies were happier and more fulfilled. Bingo!
It works.
So I have continued to help others apply the principles in the businesses, but also in their homes and families. They work there, too.
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Steve's coaching was crucial in making the proper hiring and firing with our staff. Because of the changes we made based on Steve's coaching we have seen substantial sales increases, but more importantly a substantial increase in profit. With Steve's input regarding hiring and firing, our turnover rate has dropped exponentially.
Steve's guidance and coaching has helped me to break a 8 year cycle of trying to handle all of the responsibility on my own. Due to the proper delegation of duties I have been able to work in the area's I am most gifted, and let others do the same.
Since the start of Steve's coaching:
- our average project price has increased over 100%
- our annual revenue has increased over 100%
- we have seen a 100% increase in revenue in 3 years, and profit margins are up.
- our turnover rate is down
- employee moral is up
- we have selected the right projects, and let the wrong ones go
- we have been able to refine our vision as a company
Chris Rayburn
President and Founder
Summit Integrated Technologies, Broomfield, CO
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As a result of that success, I was asked to write a book that seems unrelated to this business world, but really is directly related. We’re holistic people even if we like to think about life in little chunks. It’s not business and home. They aren’t really separate (as anyone who has had to deal with the upset of home brought into the work environment certainly knows), but like spirit, soul, and body, they are all parts of the greater whole.
So I wrote the book. Open Your Heart with Skiing; Mastering Life Through Love of the Turns was released to great response on September 1st, 2007. In it, I draw on my experience as a skier and ski instructor to illustrate life truths useful to anyone. These truths underlie my approach to leadership--and life.
It is now time for me to open a small group opportunity for leaders and those who want to become better leaders--or even who want to become leaders for the first time. This Inner Circle will have an opportunity to learn directly from me, with monthly insights in the Inner Circle newsletter, a monthly Quick Growth package, and for a limited few, personal coaching by e-mail and phone.
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