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Key Lessons in Leadership

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Bob Venero, President & CEO, Future Tech Enterprise Inc. March 27, 2018

When I started Future Tech in 1996, I was young, married with kids, had a new house and a good job. In hindsight, it wasn’t the best time to start a business, tap my savings or push credit card limits.

Over the years, as Future Tech outgrew my basement and became an award-winning IT solutions provider, people have asked me ‘what are your recommendations for success?’.

While I am always learning new things, some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned are listed below.

Don’t Do It Alone

I used to think getting things done was just about working harder than anyone else. I focused on achieving results and less time on the process of how you get it done.

Over the years, I’ve applied lessons from author John C. Maxwell’s best-selling books – The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. Simply put – I learned how to work smarter not harder.

A big part of working smarter is recognizing that you don’t need to do it alone.

As a CEO, my best quality is that I know my limitations. Some things, I just don’t do as well as others. And, I am ok with that. I hire great people and let them focus on what they are best at.

From my trusted colleagues, I’ve also learned another valuable leadership lesson – how to be great at meeting aggressive deadlines.

Be On Time, Deliver on Time – Always

I learned the value of timeliness when I was young. It was something drilled into me from my parents, teachers, and high school football and wrestling coaches.

Being on time and meeting deadlines are efforts that inspire confidence. They make you a better manager. They make you a more valued employee. And, they make you a more valued business partner.

Future Tech is known for consistently delivering on time or, even before deadlines. When our clients’ have unexpected challenges or crisis situations, Future Tech is known for delivering rapid responses.

These are big reasons why we are often chosen for complex projects, like comprehensive IT installations at major domestic/international airports or data center builds for leading utilities.

As I’ve learned, successful results require smart project planning. Our approach involves:

➢ Understanding a client’s goals today and tomorrow: We have the knowledge to challenge our clients and propose various ways to do things, helping them deal with the challenges of today and preparing them for the ones of tomorrow.

➢ Choosing the right people: Everybody has different talents and work styles. We carefully analyze projects and assign team members who are best suited for it.

➢ Ensuring proper risk assessment: Downplaying the impact of potential risks is always dangerous and, in the long run, will cost way more money, time and damage to an organization. We carefully review all possible risks and develop solutions that can reduce them.

➢ Planning for the unexpected: Our project plans clearly articulate all steps – including backup, contingency options that will be implemented if any issues arise.

➢ Setting realistic deliverables and tracking progress: We align all stakeholders around common goals and timelines.

➢ (ABC) Always be communicating: We eliminate surprises and enhance efficiency by always communicating progress, potential concerns or opportunities.

I’ve learned many things in the 22 years since starting Future Tech.

The importance of having the right people, always being on time and knowing how to meet aggressive deadlines, are some of the most important.

Learn how the Future Tech team can help your business simplify its most demanding IT challenges.

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