Bob Schultek

Bob has more than 30 years of service as a senior sales and business development executive, CEO and business owner. His expertise includes customer-partnered business development, strategic planning, sales management, customer service, operational alignment, lean process analysis and improvement, quality assurance, and performance management. He has worked in the energy, medical device, bioscience & pharmaceutical, discrete and process manufacturing, packaging and distribution, communications and information technology, and business-to-business service industries.

The Tale of Two Journeys

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Progress in business is enabled by many factors, but perhaps the most significant is the alignment of two journeys. One trek is planned, the one that every business travels from milestone to milestone, towards a defined outcome, to generate profitability and business sustainability. The other is experience-based, the one that the company’s employees cover during their working life, moving from event to event, often in reaction to circumstances versus following a plan, as they pursue …

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Change Challenges Culture

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In a market experiencing greater uncertainty, complexity and competition, the prime directive for leaders is not to manage to the status quo, but to make things better – to lead strategy or cross-functional change initiatives that create value, improve competitive advantage, and strengthen business sustainability. Leaders build and strengthen culture – and change challenges it. That’s why these initiatives must be led from the top. They are strategic and complex, requiring focus, agility, and accountability. …

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Moments of Truth

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Every business confronts moments of truth – those moments when something that was promised to a valued customer goes wrong. It may be a quality challenge, a performance failure, an urgent repair, or a delayed vital delivery. Whatever the issue, it’s these moments, when the value you promised to deliver is compromised, and your relationship is in jeopardy, that your customer experiences the true culture of your business, what you truly value. When a business …

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Mixed Messaging

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In his book, ‘On Listening to Another,’ Douglas Steere shares this insight: “In every conversation between two people, there are always at least six persons present. What each person said are two; what each person meant to say are two more; and, what each person understood the other to say are two more.” All leaders want to communicate with clarity, avoiding mixed messages that invite these multiple personalities into their conversations and discussions. Clear communications …

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Change or Progress

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Leaders deal with change almost every day. Sometimes it’s intentional, meant to produce sustainable improvement. Other times, it can be a reaction to evolving circumstances. Many times, there’s a need to act with urgency. Whatever the motivation, rarely is change easy to implement. Leading a team from a known, comfortable situation toward an unknown one, is a fundamental and expected challenge of leadership. And the first milestone on this journey is achieving team commitment to the new direction. Promptly …

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Building Enduring Relationships

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Relationships are the essence of life. For businesses, and those who lead them, relationships are lifeblood. Enduring relationships are characterized by two defining principles – caring and responsibility. When leaders solicit suggestions, express appreciation, and share credit, they create a positive environment where employees feel valued and motivated. A more personal sense of caring is revealed when a leader seeks to learn what a direct report values, aspires to, and is motivated by. Leaders who …

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Setting Team Expectations

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Leaders don’t improve results all by themselves; the people in the business produce the results, because they want to grow and succeed. Leaders do create the conditions that enable those they lead to fulfill their aspirations, to achieve their Company, and their developmental, goals. One of these conditions is setting expectations. Once their expectations are understood, leaders can cultivate their team’s shared commitment – to one another and to goal achievement. Productive expectations include these …

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Attributes of Successful Strategy Champions

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Strategies are often launched or refined at the start of a new year. And while you may have conceived the strategy, its successful implementation often depends on those in your team who appreciate why the strategy is necessary, believe in it and your Company, and have the critical thinking and interpersonal competencies to drive it forward. During strategy implementation, there will be challenging moments that provoke cynicism and compromise morale. At such times, asserting authority …

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The New Year’s Liminal Moment

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The new year is off and running. Your schedule is filling, and the work is ramping up. It’s a unique liminal moment when you’re entering the portal of the new year, and can still look back at the last one. Before challenges and changing priorities capture much of your time, there’s an opportunity to assess your progress from ‘what is’ to ‘what can be,’ to evaluate what worked well and what must improve. Last year, …

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Generosity and Appreciation

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While the holiday season can be busy and demanding, take time to reflect and to consider the joyfulness of being with others. The holidays are a time of generosity and appreciation, kindled by our experiences with family, friends, and community. Generosity comes in many forms, and all of them are gifts, generating gratitude in the recipient and the giver. Author Seth Godin says it well: “Generosity and gratitude often go together. They light a path …

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