Nuggets from Behind Closed Doors

Inside every private Alliance meeting, there are hundreds of years of experience. While keeping confidentiality of the member who provided the challenge to their group, we’ve captured (with permission) just some of the insightful comments from a handful of members. Read what these members had to say to get a glimpse of what it is like to be an Alliance member.

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Operations - Search Results (22)

Member Kirsten Bay Speaks: Reinforce Core Values & Objectives to Breakdown Silos

When employees perform as individual contributors in silos, this can create discord and friction inside a company, inhibiting growth and positive momentum toward the company’s mission and goals. Alliance member Kirsten Bay, Co-Founder & CEO of Cysurance, suggests emphasizing the company’s core values and objectives from the top down. 

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Insight categories include: Culture   Leadership   Operations   Strategy & Planning   

Member Eric Billingsley Speaks: Seeking Organizational Alignment? Try a “Panic Monster” Instead

With key milestones looming and a lack of urgency on the part of employees, leaders often struggle to build momentum and enthusiasm. Eric Billingsley, Co-Founder and CEO of Guide-Rails, shares insight into how to guide employees to overcome procrastination and win the day.

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Insight categories include: Leadership   Operations   Strategy & Planning   

Member Cathilea Robinett Speaks: Getting Personal? Go Professional

When long-term employees grow jaded or disgruntled, leaders can struggle to reboot the relationship. Cathilea Robinett, CEO of e.Republic, suggests creating a structured and engaging professional development program to guide every employee, from entry-level to executive.

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Insight categories include: Human Resources   Leadership   Operations   Strategy & Planning   

Member Pat Lashinsky Speaks: Pursuing IPO? Invest Now in the Right People and Processes to Take You Over the Finish Line

When companies are faced with the opportunity to go public, their leaders can struggle to prioritize the right next step forward. Pat Lashinsky, Co-Founder of Momseze, suggests moving decisively and preparing immediately.

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Insight categories include: Leadership   Operations   Organizational Design   Strategy & Planning   

Member Bernie Tobin Speaks: Growing Quickly? Sacrifice Speed to Find the Best Fit

When companies are faced with the need to quickly increase headcount, their leaders can struggle to decide on the next step forward. Bernie Tobin, General Manager of Natera, shares strategy into hiring the right candidates who can evolve with a rapidly changing organization.

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Insight categories include: Culture   Human Resources   Leadership   Operations   Organizational Design   

Member Edmundo Costa Speaks: You Can “Win” While Holding Second Place in Your Market

Raising millions in a Series B funding round is an admirable accomplishment that any entrepreneur should be proud of — but what if your competitor raised four times more? Alliance member Edmundo Costa of Automation Anywhere shares some well-seasoned insight into making your dollars go further as a second place fundraiser in your market.

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Insight categories include: Finance   Leadership   Operations   Sales   Strategy & Planning   

Member Paul White Speaks: Instead of Diving In, Consider Zooming Out

More often than not, CEOs are hyper focused on the here and now. Paul White, Founder and CEO of Muir Services, advises that while it is hard to step outside and look down upon a business holistically, doing so can reveal transformational opportunities.

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Insight categories include: Entrepreneurship   Leadership   Operations   Sales   Strategy & Planning   

Member Sheeroy Desai Speaks: Don’t Forget The Troops. They Win The War.

CEOs spend a lot of time in the C-suite and sometimes that warps perspective on strategic priorities. Alliance member Sheeroy Desai, Co-Founder and former CEO of Gild, suggests paying more attention to employees on the ground as the company ramps up for serious growth.

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Insight categories include: Leadership   Operations   Organizational Design   Sales   Strategy & Planning   Technology   

Member Jeff Antrim Speaks: Double Down on Quality and Accountability

It can’t always be the best of times. So how can a CEO manage revenue when cash flow is tight and profitability has declined? Jeff Antrim, President of Proforma Construction, shares a few battle-tested approaches to weathering the storm while keeping the dollars flowing.

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Insight categories include: Operations   Sales   Strategy & Planning   

Member Xiaodong Yang Speaks: Build Vertical and Horizontal Channels

Growing at breakneck speed? Xiaodong Yang, President & CEO of Apexigen, Inc., recommends implementing a matrix structure of project managers to maintain productivity and reinforce desirable company culture.

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Insight categories include: Culture   Operations   Sales   Strategy & Planning   

Member Paul White Speaks: Take that Downturn and Flip it Upside-Down

Your company’s in great shape - now use your financial and competitive strength as a strategic advantage should a downturn materialize. Paul White, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Muir Equity, advocates capitalizing on strategic preparation as a competitive advantage to better position your company during and after the storm.

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Insight categories include: Entrepreneurship   Finance   Leadership   M&A   Operations   Sales   Strategy & Planning   Trends   

Member Anne Bisagno Speaks: Make Sure Your Customer is Winning, Too

CEOs often wish to move from an “hourly billable” to a “fixed monthly price” model for their business services. Anne Bisagno, President of Xantrion, speaks from experience about how it is done – and where the pitfalls lie.

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Insight categories include: Operations   Organizational Design   Sales   Strategy & Planning   

Member Navin Nagiah Speaks: You are not ready (yet) to make a decision.

Torn between being a market leader & IPO’ing or selling the company? Navin Nagiah, President & CEO of DNN Corporation, offers some considerations to help distill a smart decision.

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Insight categories include: Culture   Finance   M&A   Marketing   Operations   Sales   Strategy & Planning   

Member Paul Finkle Speaks: How to Get to a Recurring Revenue Model

The golden goose of most service-based firms is to attain predictable, recurring revenue. Alliance Member Paul Finkle of ABD SharedHR gives some insight into how it can be done.

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Insight categories include: Operations   Organizational Design   Sales   Strategy & Planning   Technology   

Member Kevin Chance Speaks: Breakneck Growth Demands Strong Processes

Here's a great problem to have: your business is growing at breakneck speed. Alliance Member Kevin Chance, President of Products & Services at Beckman Coulter, counsels the importance of building process within a dynamic business undergoing explosive growth.

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Insight categories include: Leadership   Operations   Sales   Strategy & Planning   

Member John Spottiswood Speaks: Use the Cloud to Improve — Not Repeat — Your Core Business

Instead of building specific, custom pieces of software to aide your client’s business processes, build up a common code base that can be deployed throughout your clientele. Member John Spottiswood, former EVP of Business & Corporate Development for Inflection, suggests using the cloud as an instigator to change one's core business model.

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Insight categories include: Leadership   Operations   Sales   Strategy & Planning   Technology   

Member Stuart Latta Speaks: Forget the Org Chart. Own Processes For Which You’re Accountable

Alliance Top Team Member, Stuart Latta, Vice President of Supply Chain & CDS for Nestle Dreyer's Ice Cream, shared his insights with the CFO of a large, multinational corporation who felt a lack of control over what he was ultimately accountable for. He was fully accountable for the financials of the company, but the regional CFOs reported to a market head who reported directly to the CEO.

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Insight categories include: Executive Development   Finance   International Business   Leadership   Operations   Strategy & Planning   

Member Brad Freitag Speaks: Go Direct, Go Small, Learn Lots

Alliance Top Team Member, Brad Freitag of FileMaker, shared his thoughts on a case brought by an SVP whose company was reinventing itself as a cloud provider offering SaaS in place of their current hardware/software package.

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Insight categories include: Boards   Leadership   Marketing   Operations   Sales   Strategy & Planning   Technology   

Member Rick Martig Speaks: Get a Product Marketing VP

When a fellow Alliance member's product management efforts were stuck in research, Alliance Top Team Member, Rick Martig, CFO of Nexenta Systems, suggested jumpstarting their marketing initiatives in a way that tied its R&D with market needs.

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Insight categories include: Marketing   Operations   Sales   Strategy & Planning   

Member Anthony Sperling Speaks: Let Your Hunters Hunt

Here's what Alliance Top Team Member, Anthony Sperling, former SVP & General Manager of Advent Software's Asset Management Group, shared with his Alliance peers after a fellow Alliance member presented a sales team structuring challenge.

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Insight categories include: Operations   Sales   Technology