We know your time is valuable, and so are the lessons contained in Private Business Leadership. Running a successful business is never easy - but experience does provide the template for solving tough problems.

Earlier this month a business reporter asked me to describe what we do in a way that his readers would instantly understand. I told him, "We help our clients sleep at night." Our clients want to work with someone with the experience to solve their issues - right away. And with these solutions comes a good night's rest.

Call us if you or your clients need a good night's rest.

Our client, a $15 million manufacturer, had just lost his largest customer who represented over 45% of his revenue and profits. He needed to replace this revenue, rapidly, or face default on his lease and loan obligations.

As the sole owner of a $15 million manufacturer of highly engineered components, our client had worked in the business for over 30 years and his focus was engineering and operations.

When he received notice that his largest client was leaving - after 18 years - he knew this was a crisis that needed immediate attention - and he called ForteCEO.

In two days - Pete Spaulding, a Forte Executive, was working with the owner in the business. Pete has over 30 years of sales and leadership experience, has built national sales organizations for industrial manufacturers, and also run four privately held manufacturing companies.

The following results were obtained after three months of part-time work with Pete:

• The product was introduced into three new industries - with higher margins
• A national distribution network was established in those industries - using a commission-based independent rep network
• Pricing and parts movement was renegotiated with his long term customer who was leaving - giving our client more cash and an orderly transition
• A large customer was introduced through the ForteCEO network
• Work in Process inventory and manufacturing time was reduced.  

Not only did our client successfully weather this storm, he is now enjoying higher margins from customers in three new industries.

Sam Keller has more than 20 years of leadership experience in manufacturing and engineering operations where he has served as a President and CEO for four private companies. Sam brings a team-oriented approach to revitalizing companies by creating a shared strategic vision built around each individual’s contribution. He has a knack building high performing management teams, identifying new profit opportunities, and balancing long-term solvency with near-term cash flow and profitability.

His private business successes include:

• For a $25 million manufacturer of auto fueling equipment – Sam expanded revenue and profits through new product introductions and continued innovation, and grew international sales in South America and Asia. He also reduced material costs by 20 percent in less than three years.
• Sam restructured and restored a $17 million manufacturer – by reorganizing sales, marketing, and finance and installing control systems to ensure product quality and build competitive advantage. He returned this company to financial health by reducing inventory and accounts receivable by $1 million. Sales increased from $17 million to $25 million in two-and-a-half years.
• He served as division president for a large manufacturing company, where sales increased by 40 percent as a result of building a separate sales representative organization that focused on products marketed to retailers. Sam also laid out a strategic plan that would triple sales in five years

Sam holds an MBA from Harvard Business School with a focus in manufacturing. He also has a master of science in engineering mechanics from Stanford University and a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University.

A consultant might suggest a strategic planning initiative to solve complex problems -- but your leaders are left to make sense of all the 10-year plans, charts, and pie-in-the-sky visions.

So what stands in the way of an ambitious strategic plan? Pat McDonnell, a Forte executive, tackles the dilemma.

We've all been there as the boss articulated the new strategic initiative. He began with his vision of the company's "five-year" objective. "We're going to be the leading producer of micro-blobs in this industry," he proclaims to the cheers of the audience.

As the crowd murmur subsides, he announces the strategic planning process that the company is about to initiate. “Now that we have a vision, we must execute it. After all,” he correctly observes, “a vision without a plan is merely a wish list.”

Before the “Be The Best” T-shirts fade, the company has appointed a “Vice President of Strategic Planning” and a “Steering Committee” composed of a cross-functional group of middle managers. Soon, we are awash in “strategic planning.” Consultants, with flip charts and planning tools descend in droves. Endless meetings interrupt operations. At last, the product – a huge document in a black three-ring binder – is in the hands of the Steering Committee. The next morning finds the consultants gone and the Steering Committee faced with the task of plan implementation.

You know the rest of the story. The plan soon ends up on the shelf with its predecessors, the Steering Committee quietly disbands and the failed implementation effort is attributed to “cultural resistance.”

Sound familiar? It does to me. I have heard it recounted and seen the scenario too many times to discount it. Of course it will fail – and the articulated cause, “cultural resistance,” is not far off the mark. Creating a strategic plan without addressing the underlying cultural issues is somewhat akin to building a house without a firm foundation. As the upper floors of planning and implementation are added, the house soon topples.

By its very nature, the creation and implementation of a strategic plan involves changing organizational behavior. After all, only the naïve would continue to do things the same way every day and expect a different result. Therefore, to successfully implement a strategic plan involves understanding the process for effecting cultural change.

I have spent a career observing, participating in and leading organizations in creating excellence through effecting behavioral change. The result has been a methodology that I refer to it as a “Six step process for creating organizational excellence.” I believe so strongly in its merits that I have written a book about the process and its successful application.

The process is based on the fundamental premise that the objective of any organization is to maximize value for its stakeholders. To do so requires being consistently excellent in all aspects of the business. Since few meet the test, change in behavior is required. Change requires an environment of trust and trust requires intelligent and ethical leadership – starting with the boss.

It is only after these three fundamental steps – the foundation of our strategic planning “house” – are in place does a successful initiative move to the final three steps – creating the strategic plan, executing the plan and, finally, embedding the process of creating excellence within the organization, usually referred to as continuous improvement.

Following the six-step process will not ensure the success of your strategic planning initiative, but ignoring it will virtually guarantee its failure.

Interim managers are experienced professionals who provide hands-on assistance for business owners. They have developed the ability to diagnose and solve complex business problems, and can work through challenging transitions like loss of profitability, generational transfer and competitive setbacks.

Interim executives will partner with you to provide the vision, maturity and experience that comes from having "been there, done that." An interim executive will hit the ground running, wanting nothing more than to see your business thrive. They know what works - and in many cases have already solved the problems you are facing.

Many practicing interims are accomplished men and women who have built companies from the ground up and are looking for new challenges. Since most of these individuals have amassed significant experience at the helms of their own companies, they are well suited to be both advisors and implementers in interim situations. This translates into quick action and immediate, tangible results for the companies they assist.

ForteCEO is on the leading edge of this burgeoning field, and they boast a group of 70+ executives with impressive track records. Whether you are dealing with a loss of leadership, faltering revenues, or need a complete reorganization, there is a ForteCEO who has dealt with the situation before. To find out more about ForteCEOs and their capabilities, please take a moment to visit some of the links below.

ForteCEO is the only firm of its type in the United States, and we boast a group of 80-plus executives with business leadership experience. Whether you are dealing with a loss of leadership, faltering revenues, operational challenges, or need a complete reorganization, there is a ForteCEO who has dealt with the situation before.