Why I’m here

I created this website to give you more insights about how I think and my approach to any new project. I love either fixing broken companies and or working with visionary entrepreneurs who have an idea but need help sorting out their plan to achieve their goals. I'm always cheering on the success of others and feel a sense of accomplishment and pride when we reach our objectives.

I've spent my entire professional life working at becoming a better manager, advisor and CEO and to bring out the best in the people I have the good fortune to work with. I don't at all enjoy the mundane, or do I like to be around a company that just want's to coast. I'm always thinking about improvement, both big and small, and how to use the right solution, sometimes unconventional, to achieve specific objectives. Admittedly, I'm not at my best working with CEOs who talk a good game but never strive to learn to be better at what they do. 

Ever since we sold OI to Qualcomm, would-be entrepreneurs would periodically come to me for advice yet what so many are really seeking is validation that they are on the right path. Sometimes they are doing everything right and they just need that extra moral support from someone who's been in their shoes and experienced the intense anxiety that often comes with the role. Yet, others come to me who clearly don't have it together, and I'm not one to perpetuate a major disconnect from reality. I tell people the ugly truth about what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and how you've got to be very comfortable with the anxiety and sleepless nights that come with the process. Even with success the stresses don't go away. I don't know of any entrepreneur who had an exact straight line to success and there are often setbacks. There is a reason entrepreneurs often make the big bucks; because all too often they had to sacrifice everything to get there.

I love turnarounds more than most people for some reason. When I was a trustee I was often asked why I'd take on the headaches of a company in some type of trouble. The answer is simple.  It's the challenge, and the complexity and the feeling of accomplishment when you're successful.  It's like solving a complicated mystery where you just have a pile of clues to sort out. A lot of my interest is based on simple curiosity about a possible working solution.

I don't believe in the slash-and-burn method to fixing a broken company. There are only a few cases I've seen where that's the only solution. Often the problem can be addressed through a few individuals who poison the well for everyone. It's more like microsurgery. I think the slash and burn approach is often irresponsible and the collateral damage can raise hell with the lives of the people involved. I believe in finding a way to leverage existing talent within the organization as a way to turn a company into something efficient once again. I've seen some companies that are already bankrupt but they just don't know it yet and it's really too late to do much of anything. Timing is always a very critical component.

From a philosophical point of view, I believe that the most successful, fastest growing companies are those who can carefully balance the interests of shareholders, customers, employees and suppliers, recognizing that if any one goes out of balance for too long, the company can't possible run at optimum. I've seen a lot of failures occur when any of these are sustained over one or more of the others. I evaluate every company with that core philosophy in mind to try and determine what's most out of balance and how that's impacting the organization. As in emergency medicine, if you misdiagnose you mistreat, so having that right diagnosis is critical.

I've pulled together some writings that cover various topics that interest me to give more insights and I created a rather long bio to better explain how the dots all connect. It's hard to explain all that in a resume and so I thought it would easier if I just told the story.

Thank you for reading!