My next post was going to cover similar ground, so i thought i’d wait until the interview was available. Anyway, enjoy!

CareerBuilder Leadership Series: Philip P. Jaurigue, President and CEO of Sabre Systems, Inc.

 

 

“You constantly need to reposition and redefine yourself in order to continue growing.”

In the following excerpt from CareerBuilder’s recent interview with Philip Jaurigue, President and CEO of Sabre Systems, Inc., Jaurigue discusses, among other things, the importance of innovation, recognition and not looking in the rearview mirror.

Can you describe your philosophy as it relates to the impact your employees have on your business?

Because Sabre Systems, Inc. is a services business, our employees are the face of the company. A large portion of Sabre personnel work at customer locations and, in many instances, are the customers’ sole source of information with regard to Sabre’s culture and philosophy. This means that the attitude with which employees come to work in the morning, the way they conduct themselves while at work, and even their overall character convey a message about Sabre’s values and professionalism directly to our customer.

With that in mind, I encourage the leadership team to spend a fair amount of time engaging employees to ensure they feel they are a valued and integral part of the team. I also ask that company leadership ensures that potential Sabre team members are aligned with the mission, vision and culture of the company before bringing them on board.

How do you personally engage with and relate to your employees?

Sabre has an employee accolade program through which we reward employees who have exceeded expectations or have willingly stepped outside the confines of their daily responsibilities to provide support to another employee, manager or project. These employees often receive their “Above and Beyond” or “Employee Appreciation” awards in front of their colleagues or customers, who collectively celebrate their accomplishments and contributions. I urge managers to utilize this program and always try to be present to personally recognize those employees being honored.

I also make every effort to attend Sabre community events, holiday parties and other company functions, which provide opportunities for me to connect with employees outside of the work environment.

Recently, I have been looking for creative ways to use social media. I encourage Sabre employees to follow me on Twitter and subscribe to my blog so they are informed regarding the direction of – and what’s going on within – the company. This is especially beneficial to employees who spend the majority of their time at customer sites. Having access to these communication channels helps them feel connected, and sheds light on how they might grow their careers.

What would you say is the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned to date?

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t look in the rearview mirror and expect the things you’ve done things in the past that made you successful are necessarily going to be the same things that keep you successful. It sounds a little bit counterintuitive, but from a business standpoint, it’s probably one of the worst things you can do. You have to be constantly reinventing yourself to keep yourself relevant and stay competitive.

Oftentimes, companies will become successful because they have been able to differentiate themselves from their competitors and communicate that value proposition to their customers. Your competitors are all going to copy what’s successful, so you constantly need to reposition and redefine yourself in order to continue growing. A leader’s role is to be a change agent in managing these transitions.

How do you define your internal culture?

I think employees at Sabre feel that they are empowered and generally encouraged to be creative and entrepreneurial. Sabre leadership encourages employees to be innovative in finding solutions for their customers and improving processes to achieve enhanced efficiency.

My role is to make sure that our reward system and that which we praise in the organization are consistent with what we’re asking our people to do, and with the culture we have cultivated. We try to come up with creative ways to recognize people and to reward people for their innovation. Rewarding those behaviors we deem desirable and beneficial to the company is the best thing that any leader can do.

What do you do to engage your employees and to reinforce your brand?

One thing that makes employees feel positive about their experience at Sabre is our involvement in the community. Sabre supports a number of different charitable projects – from a financial standpoint, as well as in terms of the time we spend on pro bono efforts. In the Philadelphia region specifically, we’ve twice been named one of the most philanthropic large companies in the area. We have people who are very actively involved in a number of not-for-profits and different community endeavors.

In today’s marketplace, it is important for a business to show that it’s not just about profits, losses and maximizing shareholder value, but that it also takes responsibility to give back and really help the community.

What advice would you share with your executive peers through this article?

I’ll go back to the topic of change. You don’t lead your company by looking in the rearview mirror. Don’t be afraid to reinvent your company and don’t fear; rather, embrace change.

ABOUT PHILIP P. JAURIGUE: Philip P. Jaurigue founded Sabre Systems, Inc. in 1989, and has served as President since its inception. Mr. Jaurigue’s primary focus and responsibility is providing strategic business leadership to drive the direction, stability and growth of Sabre. A frequent speaker at the Wharton School of Business and the Entrepreneur’s Forum of Greater Philadelphia, Mr. Jaurigue is also part-time co-host on the weekly radio show Executive Leaders Radio for WHFS 1580AM in Washington, DC.

ABOUT SABRE SYSTEMS.: Sabre Systems, Inc. is a professional services company that provides worldwide technology, scientific and management solutions to government and commercial clients. Core capabilities include information technology, engineering, program management support, training and logistics, and software development. Headquartered in Pennsylvania, Sabre has major offices in Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, Indiana, California and South Carolina.

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• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on June 24, 2011

In marketing, we are always looking to differentiate our products and services from our competitors. To try to win on price alone is to play in commodity land. In attracting and retaining talent, it’s much the same dynamic. How do we differentiate ourselves to be the employer of choice? In many cases, we can’t win the talent war with dollars alone. Compensation may help you retain top talent, but you may not be getting the best out of them. If you’re one of the many, many business owners that claim that their employees are their “number one asset,” are you fostering the type of culture in which they can flourish? In so many cases, businesses have success in attracting top talent but struggle to retain it.

Abraham Maslow’s breakthrough writings on the hierarchy of needs provides valuable insights on what talented employees want out of their work experience. More than anything, they want to be autonomous and exercise a certain level of creativity. Years ago, GM learned the hard way that employees given dull and redundant tasks will exercise their creativity by sabotaging cars on the assembly line. Car owners found beer bottles in the door panels! GM had automated their assembly line so much that workers got bored and needed something to entertain themselves.

Similarly, management pioneer Douglas McGregor writes of two distinct management paradigms – Theory X and Theory Y in his groundbreaking book “The Human Side Of Enterprise.” The Theory X manager believes that motivation comes from discipline and to a certain extent, fear - fear of getting reprimanded, fear of getting demoted or fear of getting fired. They assume that employees inherently don’t want to think for themselves but rather take direction and collect a paycheck. Yes, I know we all know people like this, but do you want to count on them to help you grow?

The Theory Y manager understands employees’ needs for “self actualization” and fosters a creative atmosphere to get the most out of their talents. Yes, money is important, but it is is more of a “maintainer” rather than a real motivator. In the GM example above, GM engaged its workers at its Lordstown, Ohio plant and realized they had reduced their employees to human robots. They made sweeping changes to redesign the manufacturing process and made them partners in the quality management process.

Having a sound understanding of what makes your talented employees “tick” will go a long way in assuring you are recognized as an employer committed to its employees growth; both professionally and personally.

I applaud those firms that are in the 8(a) program and other small businesses that have the foresight to look at the issues that face them once they are no longer eligible for set-aside contracts. At the ripe old age of 21, Sabre has now spent about half of its existence operating in the full and open arena. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m happy to say that we continue to grow and thrive as a mid-tier.

The article focuses on CEOs’ desires to establish identities not based on being “small,” developing infrastructure, building strong customer relationships and hiring procurement experts. These are all excellent steps toward developing a successful growth strategy. If I had to add a few things to that list, I’d include: 1) understand what you do well and 2) build a leadership team with “A” players.

Many small businesses pursue contracts and build their businesses based on those opportunities that are some flavor of set-aside. While they build top line growth, they end up not creating enough depth in any one area of expertise and face significant hurdles in retaining the work once they outgrow the size standard. These companies build revenue for revenue’s sake, and only too late do they realize that their value proposition was based on the ability for someone to check a box on a form. As you build your business, focus on developing real capability that someone will want to buy even when you’re no longer small.

Building an “A” team is also challenging, because sometimes it’s difficult to recognize who those players are. It’s not unike a baseball scout that has to project how a 17 year old phenom will progress with increasing competition and talent levels. Unfortunately, many can’t sustain their success, and businesses can’t afford to make mistakes with their key hires. Continuing with the sports analogy, most successful teams will bring in key players from the outside who’ve had a successful track record. The challenges of reinventing your leadership team are the ones that will cause the most angst and can be the most disruptive if not handled well. There’s no magic formula for doing that part right, but it does take a certain amount of intestinal fortitude.

The most important thing is to keep plugging away. You’ll make mistakes but learn from them.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

From The Washington Technology Times:

Hey, small business, ready to leave the 8(a) world? To survive graduation, small businesses need to prepare for tougher competition

•By Matthew Weigelt •Nov 17, 2010

Kathy Carrier’s office overlooks the Eagle Marsh Woods, a 41-acre nature preserve in Fort Wayne, Ind. The woods are home to all sorts of birds and animals, such as the black-crowned night heron and blue-spotted salamander.

But there’s another preserve that Carrier, president and CEO of Briljent LLC, and other small-business executives like her are overlooking. It’s home to ferocious other-than-small businesses and corporations. Her company is ranked No. 15 on Washington Technology’s 2010 list of the top 25 8(a) small businesses. The list ranks the most successful 8(a) small businesses according to their overall government contracts.

“We’re going into the lion’s den,” said Paresh Ghelani, CEO of 2020 Company LLC, ranked No. 10 on the list. “And I would be lying if I said it doesn’t make me nervous.”

Briljent and 2020 Company, both professional services contractors, are graduating from the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program within a year. From there, they head from the protected world of small-business set-aside contracts into the wild world of full-time, full-and-open competitions with other companies, including the biggest government contractors.

While in the 8(a) program, they’ve done all they could to prepare for their launch into the full-and-open world. They have set up strong business infrastructures, such as accounting systems that meet government standards and company ethics rules, and they’ve received numerous certifications to meet federal regulations. Further, they’ve hired employees who know the ropes of the federal procurement system, and they worked to develop relationships throughout the contracting community.

“We spent so much time and money, I was hell-bent on getting a contract,” Carrier said. And the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded Briljent its first contract, which was worth $139 million.

SBA’s 8(a) program helps socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses gain access to federal contracts. To participate, firms must be at least 51 percent owned and controlled by someone who meets the criteria of being disadvantaged. The firms must also qualify as small businesses. Once certified, 8(a) firms are eligible to receive sole-source and set-aside contracts of various sizes for as long as nine years.

To succeed in the program, company executives had to do much more than get a contract. They had to look into the heart of their firms. Executives repeatedly emphasized that companies must live by a certain creed to prepare for what’s ahead for growing small companies.

A small business cannot think of itself as small, experts say. Instead, its leadership needs to present the company as what it intends to become next: a successful, midtier business.

For instance, a company needs to be flexible like only small ones can be but move forward with a different frame of mind.

“You’ve got to be nimble like you’re small but act like you’re big,” Ghelani said.

Leading firms also said 8(a) companies should not live on 8(a) set-asides alone. Companies must stretch beyond SBA’s program before they even leave the program. They must prove to themselves and the agencies and prime contractors that they will be dealing with that they can survive in the lion’s den.

However, many 8(a) companies see dollar signs and contracts galore because they’re in the program, experts say. But that thinking will be their downfall. Businesses need to work hard to get contracts, even if they’re competing for contracts that are set aside only for small businesses.

Consequently, some companies give up when they’re hit with the reality of how much work goes into winning a contract, or they simply take in no extra business, many executives say.

“It’s not welfare; you’ve got to work,” said Pete Von Jess, owner and CEO of USfalcon Inc., a national security company, ranked No. 3 on this year’s list.

To help with the work, companies ask employees to canvass the community, develop partnerships and relationships, and learn about that marketplace. Business development is at the core of earning contracts. Companies need to play all sides by talking to people inside agencies that are potential customers. And they should also scout prime contractors to find companies that are in need of particular services.

While building potential business relationships, a small business needs to find its niche.

When Ghelani was developing those partnerships and seeking opportunities, “we simply said we can add value,” he said.

The program does its part by attempting to match small businesses with big companies that can help them survive in the bigger and tougher contracting world.

“It’s a marriage, but it’s a marriage that is not going to last forever,” said Von Jess, a retired Army colonel.

While reaching out to mentors, small businesses should not forget about their own. Businesses can join with other small businesses in joint ventures and other teaming arrangements to get larger contracts, such as the National Institutes of Health’s Chief Information Officer Solutions and Partners 3 governmentwide acquisition contract. The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity IT GWAC will have a set-aside for small businesses.

Jess put the canvassing into perspective.

Developing business doesn’t mean simply going out to lunch with a few clients, he said. “It means swapping invoices.”

With their relationships, new companies should tap into their customers’ and partners’ knowledge and experience to learn more about the complexities of the procurement world and its many continual legislative and regulatory changes.

“A major roadblock for us is our own ignorance,” Carrier said. “We didn’t know what we didn’t know.”

In the past two years, Congress and the Obama administration have changed many parts of small-business contracting. A new law, signed in September, might allay concerns that prime contractors won’t stick to their subcontracting plans and send business to their small partners.

Some executives have a less optimistic view on those changes. First, the changes are not likely to concern small businesses for several years. They said the regulatory process is slow. Second, some experts say any oversight changes largely depend on how well and tenaciously federal officials enforce the programs and regulations.

As successful small businesses leave the program, they are moving into a tough world that is already feeling pressure on both sides. Executives at midtier companies have said they are stuck between small businesses and big corporations, two strong and growing forces in the marketplace.

But leading 8(a) companies are striding proudly into the middle. One of the Top 25 8(a) companies, which graduated from the program in March, turned down an interview request because, as a spokesman said, it didn’t want to be seen as a small business any longer. It had instead turned its attention to the issues that midtier companies are dealing with and was done with the past.

Despite competition and other pressures, many small-business owners are not afraid to go to the next level.

Carrier’s Briljent is prepared to leave the small-business nature preserve for a harsher world.

“We’ve had significant federal work,” she said. “The program worked.”

About the Author

Matthew Weigelt is acquisition editor for Federal Computer Week.

Obviously, there are many factors that determine the fate of any given company, but there are some common themes. Often, a company’s early success is the result of a mercurial leader with a great idea combined with low overhead and a recognition of an unmet or underserved market need. Initial sales skyrocket and resources are brought in to make more sales. Sometimes, steps are taken to secure intellectual property or “secret sauce.” However, in our wonderful world of capitalism, competitors will note the successes of an upstart and devise ways to bring their own “solutions” to meet these unmet consumer needs. Competitors will bring their innovations to create new value propositions by making their solutions cheaper, faster and/or better. Many times, the original growth company will not react to these changes in the competitive landscape and simply add more sales staff in the hopes of maintaining market share. More often than not, these are the companies that will not continue to grow. They held fast to the “it’s not broke, don’t fix it” trap that was introduced in the last blog post.

The changes needed to fuel growth go beyond merely building infrastructure that will increase a company’s capacity. More critical is the need to develop a business development methodology. Blindly writing more proposals or hiring more sales associates will not get the job done. Have a plan that includes a rigorous market research component and an equally rigorous capture planning process.  This will help identify your niche in the market and the types of resources needed.

Remember – accolades for early growth should not be seen as the culmination of years of hard work. Yes, stop and smell the roses and let key team members know how much they’re appreciated, but remember, it’s just the beginning of an exciting journey.

Success in today’s market demands a rigorous commitment to ongoing assessment of the market. Many people are familiar with SWOT analysis. Look inward to assess company’s Strengths and Weaknesses relative to the competition and then look outward to see where the Opportunities and Threats are. In developing a strategic business plan, this analysis will help identify the changes necessary to keep growing. SWOT can help figure out how to best leverage company strengths to pursue emerging market or what weaknesses need to be addressed to remain competitive. In the world of technology, two companies come to mind. Hewlett-Packard reinvented itself from a mainframe OEM to become the market leader in printers and Apple shifted away from the desktop PC market to dominance in the consumer multi-media space. Each of these companies fostered a culture of innovation that allowed change to take place.

Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Competitors will look to emulate success models, so the challenge will be to figure out how to adapt and grow in new and exciting ways.

Certainly, a commitment towards growth is essential, but beyond that, successful entrepreneurs need to understand what motivates them. Is it creating? Is it having the autonomy and freedom to fulfill a vision? Is it the competitive environment? I think knowing oneself and his or her likes and dislikes and strengths and weaknesses are keys to predicting future success as a growth firm. Having that understanding will help you define what success looks like and how you will build your team.

I will be blogging regularly and welcome your comments. Please let me know if there are any particular areas you’d like me to write on. Please subscribe and get notices of future updates.

Phil

http://www.voiceamerica.com/voiceamerica/vepisode.aspx?aid=44659

Sabre will serve as prime for the Data Analysis and Dissemination effort, and will subcontract to other primes for the remaining four areas. The services required will consist of, but are not limited to, international census support, data and statistical research and analysis, surveying and questionnaire creation, data extrapolation, migration and demographic trend analyses, and finally, report and white paper generation. This win builds on Sabre’s past efforts at Census over the last 11 years and offers tremendous growth possibilities.

According to Sabre’s Southeast Region Group Vice President, Gerry Mauer, who served as lead executive for this effort, “We appreciate the Naval Academy’s continued confidence in Sabre’s support of their information technology needs. The Sabre Program Manager, Ryan Rees, and his team, have developed a strong sense of ownership, commitment and goodwill with the US Naval Academy over the years, and we look forward to exceeding expectations for this critical customer.”Read More

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division awarded Sabre a contract through which the company will provide support to Lakehurst Expeditionary Airfields (EAF), Aircraft Launch and Recovery (ALRE) and Support Equipment (SE) endeavors. Sabre will serve as prime on this 5-year effort, and will work with subcontractors L-3 Services; MTG Services; The Pennsylvania State University, Applied Research Laboratory; EG&G Technical Services; Epsilon Systems Solutions, Inc.; Five Rivers Services, LLC; General Scientific Corporation; Pacific Ship Repair & Fabrication, Inc.; Prism Maritime, LLC.

The Sabre Team will provide engineering, logistics, ship installation and program management support to the EAF, ALRE and SE programs, and will also provide expert support to the NAVAIR Lakehurst personnel for acquisition and life-cycle management of these Navy and Marine mission systems. These efforts will be performed at Sabre’s Manasquan and Warminster facilities, NAVAIR Lakehurst, and onboard ships.

Sabre Wins NMCPHC Tasking

Sabre recently won a contract providing support to the Navy Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC). Sabre will serve as the prime contractor in this effort and, in this capacity, will provide database administration and technical support required to facilitate the overall operational objectives of the NMCPHC’s Force Health Protection mission. This work includes the following expertise: Database Administrator and Sr and Jr Programmers responsible for developing and managing data packages using SQL and SAS database programming languages; and Technical Writer responsible for the review, research and writing of technical manuscripts for Epidemiology Data Center products and services.

The medical data environment is growing in complexity and importance. Sabre is at the forefront of the Navy’s Epidemiology Data Center and Industrial Hygiene efforts for the analysis and contributions of data supporting the World Health Organization and Department of Defense. The Sabre team continues to work closely with NMCPHC staff to coordinate and provide centralized support and services to medical activities, afloat and ashore, in areas of health promotion, preventive medicine, occupational health, and environmental health.

The work will be performed at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Va., and will span 1 base year plus one option year.