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The Bosshole® Chronicles
The Bosshole® Chronicles
Vince DiPofi - A Masterclass in Succession Planning
What does it really take to become a CEO – and how do you prepare to eventually step away? In this remarkably candid conversation, Vince DiPofi, CEO of SSOE Group, peels back the curtain on his leadership journey from drafting board to corner office, revealing the personal transformation required to lead a global engineering firm.
"You don't know what it's like until you're actually in the seat," DiPofi confesses, describing the overwhelming feeling of responsibility for 1,500 employees and countless clients. Taking the helm in January 2020, his leadership was immediately tested by the pandemic, forcing him to lean on crucial advice: "Just because you're the new guy, you don't get to make bad decisions."
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Welcome back to all of our friends out there in The Bossh ole Transformation Nation. This is your host, John Broer. Good to have you here on this installment of The Bossh ole Chronicles Today. I'm welcoming Mr Vince DiPofi Now. I've known Vince for many years. Actually, during the conversation, we realized just how many years.
John Broer:Vince is not only a friend and a colleague, but a client. He serves as the CEO for SSOE, which is an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm based in Toledo, ohio. Ssoe just celebrated their 75th anniversary I think it was last year and they have grown from this smaller engineering firm to having a global presence, and to a significant degree because of the work that Vince was doing as he moved up through the ranks at SSOE. So today what we get to hear is Vince's journey and his story about not only his move into the C-suite as the CEO, but also as he prepares to exit and prepare the next level of leaders. It's a great team at SSOE. They just seem to be really dialed in on doing the right things to make sure that this transition of leadership takes place in a way that is not disruptive but actually helps to elevate the organization and continue its remarkable growth. Vince is a graduate of the University of Toledo College of Engineering and he stuck around the Glass City, started off as an intern, learned drafting at an actual drafting board and just grew from that point on.
John Broer:So join me in welcoming Vince DiPofi, CEO of SSOE. Let's jump in. The Bossh ole Chronicles are brought to you by Real Good Ventures, a talent optimization firm, helping organizations diagnose their most critical people and execution issues with world-class analytics. Make sure to check out all the resources in the show notes and be sure to follow us and share your feedback. Enjoy today's episode. Well, Vince DiPofi, welcome to the Boss Hole Chronicles. It's good to have you here.
Vince DiPofi:Thanks, John. It's good to be here. I'm excited to be interviewed for this. I've seen many of your podcasts. You guys have been around for a while, so it's an honor to be considered for an interview.
John Broer:Well, I appreciate that and yeah, it's hard to believe, we've been at this almost five years and we've actually been talking to you about having you on the program for the better part of a couple of years, simply because our listeners out there in the Boss Hole Transformation Nation, especially our corporate leaders, I know they will benefit greatly from hearing your story and not only the origin of and certainly the path that you've followed to become the CEO at SSOE, which is one of the preeminent engineering firms around.
John Broer:I mean, I'm proud to say that they're based in Toledo, ohio my hometown just celebrated its 75th anniversary a couple of years ago. But, understanding that this story is about how you have grown and how you have grown into the role, but also helping the organization move forward as you begin in the next couple of years to step out, so I'm just very excited for that. I'm just going to let our listeners know right before I hit record, I was confirming with Vince when we met and it was a little over 25 years ago when you worked for a company that was acquired by SSOE another very well-known engineering firm, avca, and that's kind of hard to believe. I remember meeting you and just so impressed with your drive Later on. It comes as no surprise knowing that you're a captain for the PI reference profile. It's hard to believe 25 years, isn't it?
Vince DiPofi:the PI reference profile. It's hard to believe 25 years, isn't it? Yeah, it is Well. Thanks, john. I appreciate that it has been as we were talking. I was just thinking about, actually, the point that I met you and what we were doing then. We were working on business development together and I'll say this you gave me some good advice and it has stayed with me. Here was about learning how to do cold calls. I mean, it's a lot harder today because there's better filtering mechanisms, but learning how to do cold calls was really an excellent way to really understand BD and how to get in front of a customer. I mean, it took a lot of tries I figured it out, but that it takes I mean people who have not done cold calls.
John Broer:It takes a lot of tries. I figured it out, but that it takes. I mean people who have not done cold calls. It's, it takes a lot of, but you know, when you're a leader of a business, you're still very much in a business development role. You are very much exposed out there working in the community, and SOSOE has not only a great mission for the company, but you have a very strong tie to the community and supporting other organizations, and so you're really still you're still doing the BD stuff to this very day, Wouldn't you agree? Oh, absolutely so, Vince, let's, let's step back a little bit. You have been in the role of CEO at SSOE for is it five years now?
Vince DiPofi:Yeah, I mean, I guess you would say I'm in my sixth year. I started uh 2020, January of 2020.
John Broer:Okay, so let's go back before that happened, I mean when, when perhaps you were being considered or you caught wind that you may be a candidate for CEO. What did you think it would be like and what was it actually like? I think people have these ideas of what it'd be like to be a CEO and it is a heavy lift. So yeah, before and after, what did you think it would be like? And I want to get back also to the journey of being considered and moving into that role. But what did you think it would be like and what surprised you the most about when you got in there?
Vince DiPofi:Yeah, well, there's a saying, and it's said by everyone who's ever been a CEO, that you don't know what it's like until you are actually in the seat. Okay, you can 100% confirm that it's true. Okay, you know what did I expect? I mean, I'd worked for two great CEOs at SSE, tony Naiman and Bob Howell. I got to see them do their work. They were both very effective CEOs. They both did a good job and I learned a lot from them.
Vince DiPofi:And I only saw, I guess I'll say, the external, you know, the results. I didn't see what was going on. So when I saw them say, you know, introduce a strategic initiative or introduce something we wanted to do different with the company, I'm seeing the output of it. And also, when they're addressing issues, you know I would see them. Well, here's how we're going to address this issue or that issue, and it I don't want to say it seemed easy, but they did it in a calm manner. They did it a way it looked like it'd been thought through and I thought, okay, you know I should be able to do this job, but not realizing how much really happens behind the scenes, how many different things you have to take into consideration.
Vince DiPofi:But, honestly, it's amazing what hits your desk, okay, and every day you walk in and there is something that you didn't expect to happen that day. Okay, okay, there's always something new. It's just amazing and and so, whether it's happening in the marketplace, with your clients, uh, internal, with employees, there is a lot that hits the desk. And you spend the first year and we've all heard I think there's a book called the imposter Syndrome you feel absolutely and the previous CEO, bob Howell, told me this he goes you're going to spend the first six months thinking I shouldn't be in this job, and he was 100% right. I mean, you really do feel like an imposter. It's overwhelming and it's just so hard to explain until any CEO out there will understand what I'm talking about. It's really hard to explain until you're you're in the seat and realizing and I would say John too, the other thing I didn't I didn't understand a full gravity of is every decision you make is impacting you know, in our company, the lives and families of 1,500 people.
Vince DiPofi:Right so every decision, critical decision I make. That's a filter that I use. 1,500 people is this going to work out for me? Not to mention hundreds of clients that we work for too. So you know there's a lot of self-imposed pressure as well. So I'll say, john, you know it's just the ferocity of things that hit your desk, the speed things just seem to move faster. So that would be my before and after viewpoints.
John Broer:That makes total sense. At what point, vince I mean the first six months, bob's wisdom totally resonates. But when did you feel like you were kind of settling in? Was it within about a year? Because I want to talk a little bit about adaptation. We always talk about self-awareness and adaptation. Self-awareness, number one, competency for being an effective leader, and you're a highly effective leader. Did you say it took a good six to 12 months to really kind of settle in? And you never really settle. But you know what I'm asking.
Vince DiPofi:Yeah, so it was interesting, john, because I overlapped COVID. I started in January of 2020 and COVID kicked off in March of 2020. So we went right into the frying pan. In fact, one of our past CEOs, tony Damon, he was going to be in town, we were going to get together for coffee, he was going to just talk to me about being CEO and everything, and then he couldn't fly, nobody could get on airplanes and all that stuff. So we decided to just have a phone call and I joked with him and I said Tony, I said hey, where'd you leave the pandemic playbook?
Vince DiPofi:And he goes, oh he says it's in the third desk or on the left, didn't you see it? You know joking, but but here's the thing that I'll say. I got an initiation on that phone call right there, cause Tony told me two things that got me through the pandemic and really the next six months. He said two things. He says one you've got a great vision for the company. He said that has to work in good times or bad. You can't say well, covid hit, I got to put the vision aside. He said make the vision work during COVID.
Vince DiPofi:The other thing he told me and this is where the weight of the job really hit me in that moment he said just because you're the new guy, you don't get to make bad decisions. He said people are going to be looking to you. It's an especially tough time, it's crisis management, he says, and you don't get a pass because you're the new guy. If anything it's going to be worse. You know they're going to say he wasn't really cut out for the job. So that's what really steeled me to really think about the decisions I was making during COVID, sending people home, all those different things. So in one way I had like a year of work crammed into, you know the first six months that I had. But but I'll say certainly it was, you know. You know, close to a year before I felt like OK, I am not, I'm past the imposter syndrome you never really get past the learning stage. But that was a good six to 12 months. So it had that wrinkle of of covid pandemic hitting right as I'm starting to learn the job.
John Broer:Man I totally forgot about. I didn't forget about covid, I forgot about the timing of that, and you know what it's really interesting? I think this is a huge takeaway for our listeners, especially our business leaders out there is that you've given us two really key variables. Number one two former CEOs your predecessor and another that were available to you, that were accessible and able to speak into their own experiences and maybe even provide be that sounding board, even even calm, saying you know what you're experiencing is totally normal events other than COVID, um, but that is great wisdom and I, I I would be very surprised that that is that happens in the majority of transitions from one CEO to another. I think you have to have a very healthy not only a healthy company, but healthy relationships at the senior, most level to make that happen. I think that's very unique. Did that ever strike you as unique?
Vince DiPofi:Well, you want to be careful, that you're. I mean, you obviously have a concern that if I keep calling these people, they're going to say, you know, hey, am I still CEO? Are you the guy? So, a, very, I mean, one of them was planned, but let me say it was very, I guess I'll say, selective.
Vince DiPofi:You know, uh, Bob, I, we, you know we'd meet for breakfast once in a while and just, you know, he knew what I was going through. So it was very intermittent because you, you know, you're, you do need to take the responsibility, but you want to reliance people. So, yes, I had a good relationships with them, which was really important and, uh, I think that was helpful. So it was, you know, very intermittent. You know, I'd say, over that 12 month period, first time I might've touched base with each of them, maybe a couple of times, just, you know, like early in the pandemic, and then later on it was kind of a check and hey, how's it going, How's things happening with SSOE, you know, and and that, so, so I, you, you want to be careful about that. That you know, the guy that used to do the job doesn't feel like, hey, I'm, I'm now the CEO.
John Broer:Right, I'm not getting my paycheck anymore. Not the same one, that's right. No, that is really good. And at the same time, a council of advisors or a group of advisors or people to whom you can turn is whatever that looks like, so that you do not feel like you're an island out there. And the other thing is, too, is I think you've managed to surround yourself with really really talented people. I mean, ssoe has always had a very high standard, I think, through the years and has a reputation for that. And I mean it's become, you know, in over 75 years, a global engineering and architectural firm and project management. I mean it's just grown so much, but with really really good people. And we'll get to that in just a second If we can sort of revisit sort of your personal growth as a CEO, well, as a professional, real Good Ventures.
John Broer:We have had the honor and the privilege to work with SSOE, to work with you and members of the team over the years. But I know that tongue in cheek. I think that when we've met and we've talked about how you have grown as a leader, I think you mentioned, you know you would talk about Vince 1.0 and then Vince 2.0. I just think that's a but I think that's very powerful, because you have not remained stagnant. This has been a learning. Not only has the organization grown from your leadership, but also you have grown um, individually and professionally. Uh, can you? Can you give us a little insight to that?
Vince DiPofi:Yeah. So just for for those that don't know, the inside joke on 1.0 and 2.0, um, there was this, you know, prior to becoming CEO and, let's say, a couple of years before that, the CEO that I was working with that time, bob Howell, he had a heart to heart with me and he said it's not your performance, you've got the capabilities to do this job. He goes it's how you approach people. He says you can be more abrasive, your drive gets in the way of maybe being collaborative. Collaborative um, you can be. Your drive gets in the way of maybe being collaborative.
Vince DiPofi:Okay, and so when you look at, how did I get to where I'm at was very successful. The company would give me things like go start a new office down in mexico. Um, go to china and turn the business around. It's not doing well. Those kind of things require somebody to you know. Jump in hard driving, maybe even some more individual performance as opposed to teamwork. Okay. So I'd been successful. I'd brought in major accounts to the company. I was good at building relationships with clients but could be overbearing. So I spent the two years prior to becoming CEO really focusing on how I work with people, becoming more approachable, becoming less intimidating. I have a natural style. If you're listening to the podcast, you can't see that I'm talking with my hands, but you probably can tell I have a strong voice. I tend to talk loud and passionate, and that can get in the way of people giving you feedback, of people wanting to collaborate with you, and so I had to undergo and, john, let's, let's give the shout out here to your partner, sarah Best.
Vince DiPofi:She was the one that I'll never forget the moment there. There's always a moment where your light bulb comes on and and and when Sarah, she knows she did the PI and she did all the normal things. And she, she just looked at me and she goes I don't think you should be CEO. And I'm like what do you mean? This was before I became CEO. She goes nope, you're, you're, you're never going to get there. You're not the right guy.
Vince DiPofi:And Sarah, sarah is great at like throwing a brick through a window and it got my attention. I'm like well, what do you mean? And she explained to me. She goes where you need to go and where you think you need to go are two completely different things. And you know we you can't see me doing my hand, but she showed a funnel. You think everyone wants you to go like this and I, my hands are wide apart, going down to this narrow funnel and she goes. I really want you to do this and you're you're interpreting anything to rein you in as, as you know, not being good, and so I had to get over that.
Vince DiPofi:And then we we spent some time on some specific ways and it took probably took six months to a year before people said, okay, he really has changed his demeanor, how he works with people. And that's when the nickname of 2.0 came up and and. But there was still. Even when I became CEO, they thought, okay, did Vince make changes just so he could be CEO? And he's gonna, he's gonna go back to how he was, and. And then people found that wasn't the case. I really found that I could be a much more effective leader in changing my style and how I interface with people and and that really has been key to, you know, my success as a leader, my growth and development. But I also learned that you think you get to CEO you. Your learning is just beginning.
Vince DiPofi:It's a you know I'm constantly. You know I have a development plan. I've been CEO for five or six years. I still have a development plan of things that I'm working on to improve. So this is a it's a constant learning effort, but you know that. So that's kind of that. The 1 very approachable person and they never used to say that about me, they, you know anyone in the company feels like they can walk up to me, have a question, talk to me and I think that's I think approachability and vulnerability. Vulnerability you, you don't get feedback unless people, unless you show some vulnerability, and I think that's an underrated characteristic in any leader. Vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness.
John Broer:Absolutely, absolutely, and and and you're right. I mean, sarah, sarah is amazing and this is part of her real gifting in that work. Um, and I will tell you, if she were right here, she would say but Vince is the one that did the work she has, you know, she would absolutely say that. And I think what's really and it's so funny, vince, is that I've always felt very comfortable talking to you, but I'm also a captain that's my reference profile, so you and I kind of live in the same space. But I get that.
John Broer:And I think what we're hearing is there was a moment or a period of deep self-awareness and you didn't. You're still a captain, you're still a wide pattern captain, with that drive to go to China, that drive to go to Mexico. Let's send Vince to go make this stuff happen. And this adaptation through that insight and self-awareness and emotional intelligence has been that evolution. So I love that story. Thank you for sharing that, by the way. I really appreciate that.
John Broer:And, again, it also takes a level of humility and also just transparency to be able to internalize that and go okay, if I'm going to move there, if I'm going to move into this role, it's not about changing who you are. It's about understanding the circumstance and leveraging the tools for adaptation. So thank you for that. That is awesome. Let's talk about the next phase, because this journey for you and you're helping to lay the groundwork for, essentially, your successor I think I think SOE, I think you're all doing a really creative thing. I think it's um, I think it's it's unique, it's I think it's it's unique. Let's let's talk about how you are equipping your next successor, and it's going to be from more than possibly just one person, but just help us understand how you're getting ready to step out of the CEO role, whenever that happens, and let somebody else step into it no-transcript Again, it would be obvious anyway, but I just like to be transparent with people.
Vince DiPofi:So so we are in a mode of I, I'm calling it leading from behind. Um, I've given key initiatives to. I've got two people identified in the company that are are my successors that you know we're working on. Uh, the board is working with them. We, we have a biannual process. It's interesting at the beginning of the year the board, you know, says here's what you did the past year, you know the objectives we set out for you for development, how you did. Here's what we need to do, what you need to do the coming year. And halfway through the year it's the reverse. They report out to the board here's what I've done, here's what I'm working on, here's the things that I'm challenged with, where I, where I need support, and we've had that process for three years and and you can really see the development in them because you know they've taken it seriously, they know they're potentially in line for the job and so it's been a very deliberate effort.
Vince DiPofi:I have a every other month. I have a three-hour meeting with the three of us and it's ask the CEO anything and they'll say things Vince, why did you make this decision? I didn't understand that. Or what are you thinking about here? And it? Yeah, it really runs the gamut. And uh, one that happened recently, he's events I'm not sure about. You know, I think I read somewhere that because we we read some mckinsey type articles and then we share thoughts around, he goes 24, 7. He goes do you not take a vacation?
Vince DiPofi:I said you got to understand that you're on call 24-7. I'm not working 24-7, but if something happens to CEOs, you're never truly off duty. Somebody gets injured, right? You got a safety incident. You can respond to that, no matter when it happens. Client calls you. Whenever the client decides to call you, you're going to respond to that. So things happen that are not in your control. So I said it's not that you're working 24, seven. They want me to feel that way. Sometimes.
Vince DiPofi:I said those are the type of discussions we have. They want to get inside my head and find out. You know what is happening. What are the things that you're dealing with? You know they see the day-to-day things there. You know there are chief operating officers. You know the day-to-day business, the things, but they, they they're not getting a chance seeing well, what's happening behind the scenes, what's going on inside your head when you're making certain decisions, and what I've tried to put forth to them is you've got to think about there's a lot of different things. When you're, when you're COO, you're thinking about how do I address this business issue and resolve it.
Vince DiPofi:But I said, I'm thinking about how does it affect the employee, how does it affect the company, how does it affect our clients, not just now, but what's it look like five years from now? That's the thing I said that you really got to think about is the unintended consequences of a decision you make today. What does that look like in the future? So so we're, we're spending a lot of time, just, you know, brainstorming things. Uh, they're picking my brain. It's good to see that they're excited about it. They're trying to learn. They, you know they want to position themselves, uh, in the best way possible. And so so I've even said to the company I've said you know these people they're, they are running the day-to-day operations of the company. They'll bring me into the loop when they feel they need to bring me into the loop. Yeah, and then, and so that they know that, well, I'm not going to run to Vince with this, or, you know I want people to know I have confidence in them to make the decisions. It's not going to be perfect, right they're. They're trying to learn the job and and it's not perfect, right. We run into things where I say, my, you probably should have called me on this or got me involved in it, you know. So we're, we're both learning on that, right, and that's fine. I said that.
Vince DiPofi:Our shareholder meeting last december. I said I am leading from behind this year. I'm trying to prepare the company for succession and I said, annette, you're going to see me less in the spotlight I'm trying to put so. We did our shareholder meeting in April. They did most of the presentation. I kept myself out of a lot of it. So I'm trying to get them comfortable and get the shareholders in the company comfortable with them. You know, in front of things. So a lot of it is some of those little things like that that put a little pressure on them, get them in the spotlight more to have to answer the questions that maybe I would normally answer. Those kinds of things.
John Broer:Well, but you know what that sounds like to me is. You are, you are giving them the opportunity to fail intelligently, fail safely, and those are components of psychological safety and I and I think are a lot of people, would appreciate this. I think, vince, there are people listening to this right now, going man, I wish our executives were doing this kind of stuff. I wish they were that attentive to whatever the succession would look like, because you're taking the guesswork out of it. You're giving these two individuals the opportunity to experience it, but experience it where there's a safety net, and you are there to guide them through, or lead from behind, if you will. So at some point, at some point and thank you for that at some point this transition is going to happen. You are really, if I just think back on our conversations and it sounds like you're doing this now you're shifting more from into a coaching role. Does that seem right? Does that sound right?
Vince DiPofi:Yeah, I mean there is definitely a lot of coaching going on behind the scenes. You know I've given them each a key initiative, a major initiative in the company, and there's been once or twice where people have come to me and said, oh, I don't like the way so-and-so is handling this. I says, well, you need to talk to them. That's hard, the way so-and-so is handling this. I says, well, you need to talk to them. But that's hard. Right, it is Cause I know what the answer is, I know it has to be done and uh, but you can't. You can't do that, so, so I'm providing some coaching when I think that maybe we're getting. I need to get in there just a little and push a little. I'll do that. But I'm trying to be really selective with that. And things have evolved. The initiatives they're both working on are starting to get some momentum. We're starting to get there.
Vince DiPofi:It's taken longer than you know, say I would have done it. I know exactly what to do because I've got the experience. But that's the only way they're going to learn how to do it and we're starting to see some results from that. So I wait for them to come to me. I we're starting to see some results from that. I wait for them to come to me. I kind of know what the issues are already, but I wait for them and they'll come to me and say man, I'm really struggling with this, how should I do it? What's your advice here? You've got to be careful not to tell them what to do. But what would you do? What do you think the issues are? Again, you can probably already tell. For those that don't know me, it's hard for me to be coaching.
John Broer:I know the answer, I just want to get there.
Vince DiPofi:And I want to get there, and so for me personally, it's a struggle.
John Broer:Well, listen, you were on the field for years. Most of your career you were out there making it happen, highly proactive, task-focused, let's make this stuff happen. And now it's, oh my gosh, that has that, internally, that has got to be so difficult to just sort of sit back and and you are naturally proactive and it's like I I feel like I need to say something, but I'm not going to say something because I'm trying to help them grow. That is, that's a hard discipline, that is, that is huge adaptation right there. Yep, oh my gosh.
John Broer:So let me ask you, vince, for the CEOs and the business leaders that are that are listening in out there in the Boss Hole Transformation Nation, I think there are a lot of organizations that are way behind in terms of really setting the stage for succession planning and for a CEO to to transition away from that and start to bring up their next level leader or leaders. What advice would you have for them? Because this process has been very thoughtful. You've got a lot of people that are involved in this and supporting it, but you know, what pieces of advice could you give these leaders right now that need to really think about succession planning?
Vince DiPofi:Well, I'll tell you the thing that I've learned, and let me preface what I'm going to say with this. So, when I became CEO, I had an executive team. It's actually a pretty mature group of leaders, but as of this year, I've literally transformed my entire executive team into the next generation. We did our annual leadership talent reviews a couple of weeks ago and I looked around the room and I said, as we, a lot of them were new to the process and I said here's what I want you to understand, and this is a hundred percent true. I looked around the room and I said I pulled up some notes from 2019 because I'd been doing this since 2015. And I said every one of your names was listed in 2019 as a future executive team member. I said and the only ones that weren't weren't with the company in 2019. So I said we I I preface them to say we've done a lot of great things with talent development and talent, uh, with leadership development. And I said so. Every one of great things with talent development and talent, uh, with leadership development. And I said so every one of you has gotten here. You know it's been part of a process. So when you're thinking about the next leader. I said the way we do it, the things we do, um, are successful.
Vince DiPofi:So my, so my, advice is I find that anytime you're transitioning, say for, from the 40 year veteran to say somebody that's only been doing it 25 years or new to that level, I find that there's as many opportunities with a new leader, younger person, coming up, as there are certainly challenges with, hey, they don't have the experience at this level to do these things. They have the experience at this level to do these things. But I also find they're bringing some great ideas and new insights and saying, vince, we ought to be thinking about doing this. I'm like good idea, we ought to be thinking about that. So I would say there's two sides of it. Your fear is going to be I lost my right hand that I could rely on. They did it, we were in sync, and that's going to be hard to overcome. But they're going to bring different thinking and I find it has pushed me in a different direction.
Vince DiPofi:So I talked to my board actually and I told them here's the other second piece of advice you're the one that actually has to change. You might think you're developing the next generation to get, say, to your role. But I told the board. I said I'm the one that is really changing the most because I've been working. I had been working with a very experienced set of leaders that we were in sync. We knew how the other one worked and I said they don't know that and I can't continue to work. So I've had to change my MO of how I work with them to get to for all of us to be more effective. So I would say those are the two things. What are the opportunities that they bring you? And you've got to be the one that's going to have to change to get to get them to the next level. You've got to change how you're working with your team. That doesn't mean they don't change. It can't be just them that's changing if it's going to be effective.
John Broer:Well, I think you've just described what is an ongoing process of the emerging workforce. You know there are different demographics, different perspectives at every level of the organization and so if you look at it myopically, you know with just one perspective it's going to be very hard to hear or understand different methodologies, different input and perspectives. I think that's super healthy. The thing that really resonated with me on the first point was Vince was from day one you started looking at leaders. One. You started looking at leaders. You started to really again kind of lift yourself out of the operational component and look at it more strategically and say I want to understand the leaders that are in my atmosphere.
John Broer:No-transcript, it's definitely a process. It's not an event off topic, but I don't think it is. You showed me a spreadsheet because our listeners will recognize Head, heart and Briefcase. I know you know Head, heart and Briefcase and you actually were looking at. You had a spreadsheet of people looking at Head Heart, briefcase, briefcase being if they lack the skills or the experience at SSOE to start to elevate into leadership roles, what do we need to give them? What do we need to put in that briefcase? And I know that that has been at least at that time was a key component of just looking at leadership progression and leadership development.
Vince DiPofi:Well, we're engineers here, so spreadsheets are second nature to us.
John Broer:I should know better I mean we were doing red.
Vince DiPofi:You saw, we did red, yellow, green analysis on it. And you know we would tell them here's the things that are working, here's the things you need to focus on. And and they dug into it. I mean I, you know people were turning yellow to green and turning red to yellow. I mean they, they definitely, you know, focused hard on it.
Vince DiPofi:So, and I think the other thing is engagement of the your board of directors. I think the other thing is engagement of your board of directors. We have four outside directors non-employees of the company and they have just been tremendous assets to us, to me as CEO and to these burgeoning leaders on how to get better. And we've got a really strong group of outside directors and when they talk, people listen, you know, because they they've got nothing to gain, they're they're you know, they're not getting, they don't own stock in a company, nothing like that. So they give purely objective advice and and they can be pretty, pretty frank and to the point on you know, things people need to work on. So they they've just been a, you know, a real asset to me in in helping evolve this. So they've just been a real asset to me in helping evolve this.
John Broer:Wow, I'll tell you what this is. In the last 30, 40 minutes, if our listeners don't walk away with a couple really solid, impactful ideas, they're not paying attention. Now, this has absolutely been great, vince. What's got you most excited? One last thing what's got you most excited in the next chapter for Vince DePoffe?
Vince DiPofi:People may chuckle. I've got this 1965 Impala that I want to restore, oh, okay. So that's something that's certainly just a fun thing to do, but I'm just you know, I'm really starting to think about that now. Yeah, but I'm just you know I'm I'm really starting to think about that now. Um, you know, I want to stay involved. I'm currently on some nonprofit boards. I'd like to stay involved in that. I'd like to stay involved in the community. I'm really starting to put some time, but I don't have a concrete answer right now on that.
John Broer:But it's nice to know that you know, over the next year or so, you're going to be that'll become more, that'll become more clear, or or you'll you'll have, you'll have that, that capacity to really start to give that some intentional thought, which is really cool. By the way, how long have you had that Impala?
Vince DiPofi:Just got it recently, oh really.
John Broer:Oh, okay, okay.
Vince DiPofi:Got it to be a retirement project, okay.
John Broer:Fair enough. The only reason I ask is that I worked with a guy years ago who had three in various stages of disrepair in his garage and, um, that was. He had them for a long time and it really was a sore subject with his, uh, with his lovely wife. Um, he eventually sold them.
Vince DiPofi:So you're doing it the right way. I have an offsite garage, perfect, perfect, not at the house.
John Broer:Smart, very smart. Well, vince man, it's always great talking to you. I really appreciate it. We're excited for you. It has again been an honor and a privilege to work with you and all of the folks at SSOE. I would encourage our listeners to go check out their website. I will put a link to it in the show notes. Great story I mean a great, great history of this company that started in Toledo and I'm born and raised in Toledo, so I'm very proud of it and, as a matter of fact, al Sanborn was my neighbor in Toledo growing up and it's a great story. And now it is a global presence and to a great degree, because of the great leadership you've provided there, vince. So thanks for-.
Vince DiPofi:Well, I have a great team and we have great people and, most importantly, we have great clients. So I appreciate that, john, and I enjoyed talking to you and talking about this. I'm excited for the future of SSOE. Past Vince DePoffe, I think it looks strong. I think we got some great leaders coming up. So I remain excited about the business and the company.
John Broer:No doubt. Well, listen everybody. Thanks for listening in and we will catch you next time on the Boss Hole Chronicles. Thanks very much for checking out this episode of the Boss Hole Chronicles. It was so good to have you here. And if you have your own boss hole story that you want to share with the Boss Hole Transformation Nation, just reach out. You can email us at mystoryatthebossholechroniclescom. Again, mystoryatthebossholechroniclescom, we'll see you next time.