Insights to Successful Growth in the Federal Marketplace

1. 13 Strategies to Success:
Insights to Successful
Growth in the Federal
Marketplace
Alba M. Alemán
Chief Customer Advocate
March 27, 2012

2. 1. Dream
 Dream big!
 Every remarkable business begins with a
dream
 People are drawn to leaders with a dream,
passion, and vision
“Capital isn’t scarce; vision is.”
-- Sam Walton
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 2

3. 2. Plan
 Plan carefully
 Plan democratically – invite your best
thinkers from all levels/parts of the company
 Follow planning with regular communication
– to all stakeholders, inside and outside
 Formally re-visit your plan each quarter and
adjust based on goal attainment, available
resources, and market conditions
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 3

4. 3. Believe
 Believe in yourself and affirm it to yourself –
often!
 Find at least one other person who will
express their belief in you
 Believe in your people
 Believe in the processes you have built
 Believe in the culture you have inspired
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 4

5. 4. Aspire to Something Meaningful
 Find a higher purpose that you, your
employees, and your customers care about
 Examples:
 Building a better future
 Providing (economic, personal) security
 Transforming government
 Money is not “meaningful” – manage it as a
resource, but don’t allow it to manage you
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 5

6. 5. Work Hard
 Work hard – your competition is always
working harder
 Hire employees with a strong work ethic
 Channel hard workers to produce results that
support desirable corporate goals
“Opportunity is missed by most people because
it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
-- Thomas Edison
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 6

7. 6. Fight to Maintain Values
 You are the steward of your company’s
culture and the owner of your company’s
values
 Deliberately set your business values
 Speak openly and often about your values
 Never compromise your values, not even for
money
 Be passionate without fear
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 7

8. 7. Allow Process to Free You
 Success = Art + Science = People + Process
 Develop process that is repeatable, scalable,
and fit for purpose
 Inspire cultural appreciation for process
 Ensure disciplined adherence to the use and
evolution of effective process
 Review and update processes regularly to
remain adaptive in the marketplace
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 8

9. 8. Build Your Network
 Find a network of your peers with whom you
can share experiences
 Find mentors that are willing to provide an
objective perspective
 Cultivate relationships in the marketplace at
every step along the way
 Take care of your customers – they can
become your best business developers and
future employees
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 9

10. 9. Hire Great People
 Hire slowly – carefully screen those who will
lead with you
 Surround yourself with natural leaders who
share your inspiration, aspirations, and values
 Find one employee who is good at counting and
managing money – but one is enough
 Truly GREAT businesses are not built from a
spreadsheet – they are built from the hearts and
souls of GREAT leaders
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 10

11. 10. Lead with Compassion
 Provide clear expectations and reasonable
opportunities for employees to be successful
 When differences are irreconcilable, release
unsuccessful employees with respect,
dignity, and compassion
 When the mismatch is clear and
documented, act quickly
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 11

12. 11. Lead by Your Example
 If you want your employees to work hard,
you must work hard
 If you want your employees to care for your
customers, you must care for your customers
 If you want your managers to care for your
employees, you must care for your managers
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 12

13. 12. Engineer the ‘Right’ Bus
 Remember Jim Collins’ famous quote:
“Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the
bus, and the right people in the right seats.”
-- Jim Collins, Good to Great
 Depending on the bus that you have built, the
RIGHT PEOPLE that you need to grow your business
may or may not want to get on at the next stop
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 13

14. 13. Never Forget Who Your Boss Is
“There is only one boss. The Customer. And he can fire
everybody in the company from the chairman on down,
simply by spending his money somewhere else.”
-- Sam Walton
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 14

15. “The Fairer Sex”
 Article in Slate Magazine by Ray Fisman,
posted March 1, 2012
 A new study shows that women bosses take
better care of their employees than men do
 In 2006, Norway mandated that all publicly
traded companies have at least 40% women
on their boards by February 2008
 It is now 2012 and the results are in…
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 15

16. Facts & Perceptions
 Companies where women have a strong voice in
decision-making are less likely to lay off
employees during short-term dips in profits
 When asked why, hundreds of people cited that
they believed women to be:
 More cooperative and sensitive
 Less cold, rational, competitive, and reactive
 More honest and less corruptible
 More open and democratic
 More willing to allow more than just the bottom line
to guide their decisions
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 16

17. So what really happened?
 Companies with more women on boards:
 Laid off fewer employees
 Effectively retained and motivated top talent
 Were only about 4% less profitable
 Short-term impact: Women sharing in
leadership is good for workers and workforce
stability
 Long-term impact: All indications are that
women create a safe, positive, engaging
environment that is good for employees AND
the bottom line
03/27/12 © 2012, Citizant. 17

18. Alba M. Alemán
Chief Customer Advocate
5180 Parkstone Drive, Suite 100
Chantilly, VA 20151
Office: (703) 667-9420 ext. 151
Fax: (703) 667-9421
Cell: (703) 851-4196
alba@citizant.com
www.citizant.com