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On Tuesday, March 24, Sage Executive Group invites you to attend an exclusive event featuring Brandon Black, former CEO of San Diego-based Capital Encore Group. His story traces the growth – and challenges – in leading a company from near bankruptcy to one of the nation’s leaders in the consumer debt-buying industry.
Event:  Lessons Learned in Leadership
Where: Corporate Alliance
9171 Towne Centre Dr., #180
Barney & Barney Building, First Floor
San Diego, CA  92122
When:   Tuesday, March 24, 2015
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Reception/Networking
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Keynote Speaker
Please RSVP at https://www.sageexecutivegroup.com/RSVP or by calling (800) 985-7486.
Brandon Black, who received his MBA from the University of Richmond, moved from Capital One to Encore Capital Group in 2000 as Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for helping rescue a company in danger of running out of money in three months. He helped take the firm public in 2003 and became CEO in 2005.  By the time he stepped down in 2013, Encore Capital’s annual revenues had reached $1 billion and it had been listed as a Fortune 100 Fastest Growing Company, recognized as San Diego’s Healthiest Large Company, and named one of the Top 50 Companies to work for in India.

Have you ever had pre-game jitters, been nervous before a big sales presentation, or been concerned about delivering bad news to an employee, boss or board of directors?
My answer to the question of Fear as a Motivator is both No and Yes
To support the No reply in respect to  business leaders or sports coaches, it is  true that short-term results can be gained by utilizing fear as a motivator. Having said that, the results are never pleasant, and long term it is not the right way to motivate people. Short-term results do not turn into long-term achievement. The best examples supporting this conclusion have been exhibited by very successful college coaches who rule with iron fists utilizing fear tactics. Invariably they try to move onto the pro ranks and that is where these  tactics do not work with true professionals. It is exhibited in the business world by autocratic leaders who achieve short-term goals but miss long-term objectives because they cannot retain their people.
On the Yes side of the equation  are my studies of  highly successful leaders, coaches  and athletes. A common trait they share is their self imposed and innate fear of failure.  Each day they are concerned with disappointing their teams, or fears of not achieving their vision and goals. What this group has in common is that they are high achievers and are considered best in class by those that know them.
One of the defining factors of true winners, leaders, coaches and employees  is the ability to face their fears and to not become paralyzed by them. An old coach of mine told me that everyone has their fears, but my  ability to act on and overcome them would define my level of success.
If Fear is controlling you, it may be time to confront it and see what the worst outcome is. In my own experience, it was rarely as bad as I made it out to be.

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” Rosa Parks

Weekly Wisdom by Jerry Rollins, CEO and Chairman of Sage Executive Group
 
 

The business leaders who share ideas and experiences as members of Sage Executive Group deal daily with the economy and its challenges. They offer their views and advice in Sage’s Barometer on Business blog.
Robert Westfall is president of Solatube International, which manufactures and markets tubular devices that bring daylight into interior spaces for both homes and businesses. The company, a global leader in “daylighting systems” for more than 20 years, is based in Vista, California.
The run-up to the 2016 presidential election could have significant implications for the economy, Westfall said in an interview in late January. Here’s what he had to say:
“I certainly expect our business, both commercial and residential, to grow this year. But we are cautiously optimistic. We’ve been trained that way as we emerged from the recession.
We have a retail part of our residential business, which is often affected by factors like the stock market and home values.  If people don’t feel their investments are solid, they hold back on spending on home improvement. And with an aging population, financial savings and security have gained importance.  This is also affecting spending as the 50-plus market is the consumer for our residential business.  So again, we are cautious.
One of my biggest concerns for the near future is the battling between Democrats and Republicans, which I expect to escalate as we approach the election. It can be very unsettling to the public. Negative campaigning affects people and their confidence,  and this affects consumer spending.  We’ve been on a nice upswing, but all the mudslinging will make people doubtful and insecure. I don’t think it bodes well for the economy. People may freeze and be cautious, at least until the election and everybody sees the world hasn’t come to an end.”
SAGE ADVICE:
“First of all, don’t lose sight of profitability. When there is a tendency to focus on growth,  never lose sight of profitability.
Second, the quality of your team and the people you hire are the biggest indicators of success. Your business is your people.”
Click here for more information on Sage Executive Group.

My observations of great teams in both my business and professional sports careers have led me to believe that there are parallel practices common to both.  Here are the 6P’s of great teams.

• Preparation: They prepare in advance and always expect to win.
• Plans: They own and understand them. One-page plans are the best.
• Practice – They constantly practice their craft and are involved in perpetual learning and self improvement.
• Persistence – They don’t quit in the face of adversity or obstacles; they take great joy in dealing with challenge.
• imPatient – They want it done yesterday and feel today is the best time to make things happen.
• Party – They have lots of celebrations and recognition for achieving milestones; then they set more aggressive goals and move on to the next one.

Weekly Wisdom by Jerry Rollins,  CEO/Chairman of Sage Executive Group
 

Stacey McKibbin and Chuck Hunter, both experienced business management consultants, were recently named co-coachs to work with CEOs from mid-sized firms who are members of Sage Executive Group, a fast-growing peer advisory organization.
In their mentoring and training roles heading up the Ascent division of Sage Executive Group, they lead monthly meetings with a dozen business executives who share ideas, explore solutions and develop strategies to expand their companies.
McKibbin’s executive experience includes heading Multivariable Solutions, a Carlsbad business consulting company. She also was an adviser for McKibbin Enterprises in San Diego helping companies build profits and more effective management structures.
Hunter’s leadership positions include serving as CEO at Multivariable Solutions, which he founded in 2009, and holding senior/C-level positions at multiple companies, including Lockheed Martin, where he navigated mergers and acquisitions, and at CamelBak, where he helped develop the startup outdoor equipment maker into a global company. 
As Sage coachs, McKibbin and Hunter lend their guidance and knowledge to interactive discussions in which chief executive officers and other business leaders in companies with revenues up to $4 million annually foster a better understanding of their challenges, both professional and personal. A separate division offers groups for CEOs leading companies with higher revenue levels.
 Sage Executive Group was established in 2012 in San Diego and operates peer advisory groups for CEOs, presidents, and partners, as well as for C-level executives in finance, operations and sales. The Sage process has been developed by leaders who have over 45 years of collective experience with CEO peer advisory groups. As a result, Sage knows what it takes to create an effective and value-driven member experience. For more information, contact Sage Executive Group at (800) 648-1063 or visit www.sageexecutivegroup.com.
Stacey McKibbin and Chuck Hunter, both experienced business management consultants, were recently named co-coachs to work with CEOs from mid-sized firms who are members of Sage Executive Group, a fast-growing peer advisory organization.
In their mentoring and training roles heading up the Ascent division of Sage Executive Group, they lead monthly meetings with a dozen business executives who share ideas, explore solutions and develop strategies to expand their companies.
McKibbin’s executive experience includes heading Multivariable Solutions, a Carlsbad business consulting company. She also was an adviser for McKibbin Enterprises in San Diego helping companies build profits and more effective management structures. Hunter’s leadership positions include serving as CEO at Multivariable Solutions, which he founded in 2009, and holding senior/C-level positions at multiple companies, including Lockheed Martin, where he navigated mergers and acquisitions, and at CamelBak, where he helped develop the startup outdoor equipment maker into a global company.
As Sage coachs, McKibbin and Hunter lend their guidance and knowledge to interactive discussions in which chief executive officers and other business leaders in companies with revenues up to $4 million annually foster a better understanding of their challenges, both professional and personal. A separate division offers groups for CEOs leading companies with higher revenue levels.
 Sage Executive Group was established in 2012 in San Diego and operates peer advisory groups for CEOs, presidents, and partners, as well as for C-level executives in finance, operations and sales. The Sage process has been developed by leaders who have over 45 years of collective experience with CEO peer advisory groups. As a result, Sage knows what it takes to create an effective and value-driven member experience. For more information, contact Sage Executive Group at (800) 648-1063 or visit www.sageexecutivegroup.com.
 

Sage Executive Group gives an opportunity for San Diego-area professional to meet and hear from an expert in the world of business at quarterly networking events, and key elements of the presentation by Sarah Hardwick, CEO of Zenzi Communications, are now available online.
She analyzed the amazing emotional connection that Stone Brewing Co. has made with what it calls fans (not customers), explored the role that values play in appealing to consumers and identified the most important values types. The three videos are available at Sage’s YouTube Channel.
You also can view short stories about how to make an emotional connection with customers in interviews with six Sage coachs, members and guests at the Aug. 14 meeting.
If you haven’t already, we encourage you to friend Sage on Facebook where you can read a blog on Sarah’s presentation and see event photos, and follow Sage on Twitter.
For more information, go to Sage’s web site at www.sageexecutivegroup.com

Stone Brewing Co. has grown into the nation’s 10th-largest craft brewer by tapping into its customers’ thirst for freedom, one of six key emotional measures of values-driven marketing, Zenzi Communications CEO Sarah Hardwick told a group of San Diego business executives.
Hardwick described the six markers – freedom, purpose, tradition, pleasure, security and prestige – in a presentation hosted by Sage Executive Group, an peer advisory organization that bring together CEOs and top executives from across the region to learn and share ideas in shaping new directions for their companies.
Some of the most successful firms in establishing a brand identity, such as Chipolte and Nike, “make an emotional connection” by understanding and catering not only to the product needs of customers, but also to what is important to them – and the people they talk to personally and through social media. “”A brand is not what a company says it is. It’s what people tell each other that it is,”,” said Hardwick, who founded Encinitas-based Zenzi Communications in 2002.
Stone, which started out as a small craft brewery in San Marcos in 1996 producing about 2,100 barrels, has expanded to a major brewing facility combined with a specialty restaurant and extensive gardens in Escondido. Produced exceeded 213,000 barrels in 2013. It is now planning new brewing operations in the southern United States and in Berlin, the beer heartland of Germany. For Stone, “attitude is everything,” Hardwick said. It has built “an engaged and passionate audience” by fostering “a point of view” that appeals to independent-minded freedom seekers and is manifested in the name of one of its signature beers, Arrogant Bastard Ale.
The company, founded by brewing icons Greg Koch Steve Wagner, has put a premium on beer as a “passionate experience” and fosters its values in its own employees, who now number about 900. “Their employees are the most passionate representation of the brand,” Hardwick said, a fundamental reason that Stone trusts and builds its own identity.
In summary, Hardwick said “values are the missing link in making deeper connections” as companies seek to engage a diverse and often fragmented customer base.
Hardwick gave her talk at the quarterly networking event on Aug. 14 held by Sage Executive Group at Mintz Levin law firm in San Diego. It was hosted by SkyRiver IT.
Commentary on leadership from Stone CEO Greg Koch and on the Sage experience from Stone President Steve Wagner is available on Sage’s YouTube channel.
Chuck Buxton

“Whatever you want in life, other people are going to want it too. Believe in yourself enough to accept the idea that you have an equal right to it.” Diane Sawyer
I associate with amazing people who are accomplishing great things. The people around them and the communities they live in consider them to be extremely successful and also great role models. What causes me to chuckle is that when we discuss their journey to reach these significant goals, the only thing that held them back from accomplishing them sooner was their own self-limiting beliefs. This struck me as odd. So I started questioning everyone I met to determine what is holding them back from moving forward towards a goal or dream. In the final analysis even the most competent and confident people allow themselves to become slaves to what they believe they cannot do and have a list of reasons why they can’t do it versus the reasons why they can.
So the exercise or take away today is to write down a dream or challenging goal that has been on your list for years, discuss it within your trusted circle, and then start moving towards making it happen.
Weekly Wisdom by Jerry Rollins, CEO and Chairman of Sage Executive Group
 
 
 

Brian Yui,  co-founder of Sage Executive Group and a serial entrepreneur himself in the travel and real estate fields, explains why chief executive officers and San Diego entrepreneurs in leadership positions can benefit from frank discussions with their peers about the thorniest of problems.
“The main reason is that a lot of the issues they may encounter would be inappropriate to discuss with subordinates,” Yui says. “Because they’re at the top, there’s no one else at the company who has the same experience and needs as the CEO. For this reason, other CEOs fill the gap that employees at the office and friends don’t. Peers who are in similar positions in other industries can guide other CEOs.”
And he describes how Sage is tailored to time-driven executives from C-level to CEO.
“The most important thing is that CEOs have very limited time. It’s a good idea to research which peer advisory group is best suited for your goals and personality, as well as how much time each group requires for your participation. Some of the bigger ones have a required social component, such as annual retreats and social functions; other groups are just business. Some groups meet for 8 hours a month, some are for 5 hours a month. Also, some of the peer organizations, like ours, provide peer advisory boards for their C-suite executives. We have one for sales and marketing, one for COOs and CFOs, and one for Business Development. They get together once a month, at a much reduced price, to help each other grow in their C-level executive positions.”

We all sell something in business.
When I see the amounts of money spent on marketing every year, and then look at what happens with leads once a company receives them, it makes me believe that the waste in business because of bad or non-existent sales processes may rival the waste I normally attribute to government.
I want you all to know that I do believe in effective marketing programs, but they  must be supported by an effective sales process.
Since I believe that 50 to 70% of sales people do not produce the results expected of them, it did not surprise me when I was sent a study that stated:

• 48% of sales people never follow up with a prospect.
• 25% of sales people make a second contact and stop.
• 12% of sales people make more than three contacts.
• 2% of sales are made on the first contact.
• 3% of sales are made on the second contact.
• 5% of sales are made on the third contact.10% of sales are made on the fourth contact.
• 80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact.

Source: The National Sales Executive Association
This leads me to believe that we need to develop more accountability within our sales organizations, develop better processes, and really track what happens to potential prospects.
Weekly Wisdom by Jerry Rollins, Chairman and CEO of Sage Executive Group