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Friends, we are kicking off 2020 energized by all the big wins to come after completing an excellent 2019 adventure. Ok, ok, 2019 is seeming a bit passé now that we’re in a brand new shiny decade (still letting that set in), but before we get into upcoming plans, will still need a quick recap and note of appreciation for your hard work and support.
First, a big thanks to our team of elite executives we call RED Team Ready, who performed in amazing engagements throughout 2019 in the US and Europe. We are nothing without your trust, your encouragement, and your daily support. Truly.
With a go-to team of brilliant leaders eager to jump in at a moment’s notice, we have an unmatched capability that makes up the essence of RED, Rapid Executive Deployment. While you hail from around the world and your skills and abilities are each unique, we can sum up your excellence with a common and shared passion and unstoppable energy to give your best in everything you do. We know you love the people and organizations you lead, and cannot say thank you enough for teaming up with us.
2019 marked our fourth InterimExecs RED Roundtable (RED 4), where members of the RED Team joined in Chicago to tackle big topics like:
- why most change initiatives fail and what we can do about it (thanks Jeff Leitner for some amazing insights)
- the interim approach to bringing change and transformation to organizations
- the nature of leadership in a technology driven world
- how Private Equity investors get better returns with the use of interim executives (thanks to Edgewater’s Greg Jones and Granite Creek’s Brian Boorstein)
Those conversations ramped up with bigger, more public webinars designed to help leaders and company owners up their game:
Chat with CIOs: Top Ways You Should Be Leveraging Technology to Grow Your Business
Chief Information Officers, David Mitchelhill and Kevin Malover, discuss learnings from leading the development, commercialization, and implementation of technologies from a £3.2 billion project in the UK to integrate the Criminal Justice System to leading the explosive growth of the online travel site, Orbitz. We covered topics like:
- How companies should think about a CIO or CTO
- When to go after new technology versus maximizing your current assets
- The value of outside viewpoints in technology
- Navigating through innovation and disruption to stay competitive
Chat with COOs: The Operational Improvements You Should Make for Better Success in 2020
Two expert Chief Operating Officers, Mike Bartikoski and Steve Raack, share their experience growing and improving operations at manufacturing and consumer companies from Land O’ Frost to Hershey, PepsiCo, Beautycounter, Arbonne, and Herbalife. Discussion centered on:
- Order, Ship, Pay: a framework for efficient operational processes
- How to retain talent in the manufacturing world
- Strategies to improve communication among departments and break down silos
- Trends in onshore versus offshoring operations
Those strategies were put to work as we deployed interim executives into for-profits and non-profits from Interim CFO of a community charitable organization, to Interim CIO of a national bank and lender, to Interim CEO of a Native American tribe, to Interim CFO of a plastics manufacturer, to Interim COO of a healthcare nonprofit.
Our thanks to all of the organizations and members of the RED Team who have and continue to work with us. The decision of owners, management teams, and boards to bring on RED Team executives is an act of trust. We are a 100% people-based business; we know it’s all about the quality of leadership.
More tangibly 2019 had to be our year to do something reinforcing our commitment to great leadership. While we see interim executives providing immediate value in companies around the globe, we also feel that we should be supporting and nurturing the next generation of leaders.
In 2019, for every assignment we took on, we sponsored several young women to attend a Brave Initiatives camp. Brave is teaching girls in Chicago and other cities around the world how to be change agents in their communities. In a camp where young girls complete a social impact project, learn software coding skills, and participate in leadership training, Brave is working to mentor and prepare the next generation of women leaders.
We look forward to standing with more companies and executives to ensure that the next decade is marked by more great and inspiring leadership.
Finally, on a personal note, we had some exciting developments. We opened a Detroit office as Managing Partner, Olivia Wagner, once again became a Michigander, closer to family and excited about a city being rebuilt. Back in Chicago, Managing Partner, Robert Jordan, moved from the ‘burbs to the city, where he now has a eight block commute from apartment to InterimExecs office. To reinforce that he is now a city dweller, he gave up his car (who does that?).
We look forward to 2020 being our best year yet. Keep an eye out for future posts with more details on the year ahead.
Wishing you a prosperous 2020,
The InterimExecs team