About

His first job after graduating from DeVry was as a member of a small team responsible for the nationwide communications of an HMO claims processing network of a large, national insurance company. During these years, Bob worked with a spectrum of technology, some of which was already obsolete at the time, but utilized alongside state-of-the art minicomputers, modems, and statistical multiplexers. This equipment worked over a telephone network that was itself subject to the precipitous changes wrought by deregulation. This experience confirmed the need to stay relevant in an environment subject to change—sometimes measured and tedious, and sometimes sudden or even government-imposed.

Bob’s next role inaugurated the corporate centerpiece of his career. He was hired as a senior technician to lead the implementation of an innovative PBX system at a national laboratory. During this assignment, he focused on learning all he could about this distinctive PBX system. This commitment to learning enabled him to establish himself as a recognized expert and solidified his value as a key member supporting a multi-million-dollar government contract.

Upon successful recompete of the contract, the company hired additional team members and promoted Bob to Site Manager—his first of many roles leading people. During this time, Bob succeeded not only as a first-line supervisor, but also as a product expert and a trusted consultant to the sales team supporting the account. He provided technical and operational material for several successful RFP responses and subsequently developed a cost model used by the company for installation and maintenance contracts nationwide.

His experience as a supervisor, manager and senior manager gave Bob the opportunity to observe and interact with people and groups in varied business settings. The company, recognizing his potential, generously provided Bob with several leadership development opportunities. These engagements exposed Bob to wide-ranging leadership theories and practices. He skillfully adapted and applied elements to his own environment, increasing the effectiveness of his teams. Throughout his career, Bob has observed and confirmed that success is always about the people.

Over his thirty-year career with Verizon (through Contel, GTE), Bob experienced several corporate structural changes. Starting within a division largely isolated and insulated from national corporate leadership, Bob enjoyed the best of two worlds: he was able to act as a relatively autonomous entrepreneurial manager, with the commensurate freedom to craft his business unit loosely within broad guidelines yet backed by a nationally recognized corporation. Though he wasn’t betting his own money on his decision-making acuity, he was betting his career. This was a constant reminder of the necessity of aligning oneself with an organization’s strategic goals.

As the company evolved, Bob’s assignments were eventually enveloped within a much more structured corporate environment. He adapted his leadership strengths to maximize his effectiveness in roles that were more closely monitored by national executives. Though these later roles offered less autonomy, they did reward adaptive leadership and innovation. He naturally developed an approach to work that is well aligned to what the Project Management Institute (PMI) describes as “Way of Working”.

Throughout the years, Bob boldly supported unique service offerings that did not exist elsewhere within his part of the company. This solidified his reputation as a trusted partner who could reliably deliver innovative solutions with multiple national sales teams. His skill at communicating his vision with various operations and project teams was key to his continued success. His leadership roles included formal management of very small to very large teams, subject-matter expert as an individual contributor, staff support of executive leadership, and matrix-management of multiple teams. Some of these teams were represented by unions; others were management associates. Bob personally interviewed and made the hiring decisions for virtually everyone on some of these teams; on others, he took over existing teams that exhibited varying degrees of effectiveness prior to his arrival on scene.

Bob always represented the company in a service environment to a very diverse group of customers including small, local businesses, large national and multinational corporations, and various local and federal governmental entities. His ability to skillfully navigate customer service issues and gain the enduring trust of his customer contacts honed talents he continually strengthened throughout his tenure.

In summary, it was this diversity of experiences that gives Bob unique insights into what works and what doesn’t. He is skilled at delivering results in challenging environments and developing high-functioning teams that exceed their own expectations.