Frequently Asked Questions

"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door."

- Milton Berle -

Tell us about yourself. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, and after graduating as salutatorian of my high school class, I enlisted in the Army. During that time I earned an Army scholarship to become a commissioned officer. I attended St. Edwards University and majored in English. From there I graduated as a Distinguished Military Honor grad and later a Commandant’s List selection at Infantry Officers School. After serving in various positions either leading troops or in planning and operations, I left the military, transitioning to the corporate world. At first, I cut my teeth at the entry-level, but quickly rose to the executive management level based on my consistently high performance. I am also a family man and happily married.

What are your major strengths? Leadership, analytical skills, and my creativity (See also here).

What are your biggest weaknesses, how to you overcome them? I can over-focus on an issue/problem. Still over time I’ve learned to ask someone – teammate, boss, friend – to say something if it looks like I’m getting too concerned with the fine minutia and missing the big picture. I’m also highly critical of my performance which can lead to pushing myself too hard and becoming less effective. In this case I use the same solution as above.

What has been the biggest mistake you made in your career? As a young VP of Purchasing, I got in the middle of a feud between my boss and his boss – not intentionally, but because I was filling two positions, both answering to each respective boss. No man can serve two masters, as they say. My mistake was that I thought I could do each job and keep everybody happy. It didn’t work out that way, and I learned about sticking to my limitations and communicating them to my supervisors in a way that doesn’t dent my credibility, but instead lets them know how I can provide the most value to them. Also, sometimes staying apolitical isn’t possible, but staying honest in those situations is.

What makes you stand out? Besides being a snappy dresser? I’m kidding of course, but I do have a good sense of humor that comes in handy when situations get difficult, and my team is looking to see how I’m going to react. Cracking a few jokes smoothes the way to getting people back on track. But on a macro scale, however, my attitude makes me standout. There are many, many qualified people out there – maybe even more so than me – I can’t control that. What I can control and promise is having a positive, hard-working, open-minded attitude.

How would your friends describe you? And your bosses/coworkers? They would say that I’m respectful and appreciative of their efforts, and that I look to take care of them, I defend them, and want them to succeed. (Also read here)

How do you balance your work and family life? By setting limits; limits I communicate to my boss, my peers and my team. I hope that they would understand that there are times when family comes first – ballgames, birthday parties, anniversaries – and that I’m not going to answer the phone unless it’s an emergency. The benefit to them being, I’m going to be recharged and focused at work because my home life is not suffering. On the flip side, I communicate to my family that there are times when there are big projects and busy times that require more attention at the office.

What is your definition of success? For my boss and team the same maxim applies: if you’re not successful then I’m not successful. The implication being that my job is to provide the coaching, tools and direction that will make those I’m responsible for achieve the goals they’ve been given. And for my boss, it’s my job to understand what he/she needs to be successful, and then, not just work towards that end, but to anticipate what additional objectives can be met translating into even greater success. If this is done for both parties then I’m successful by default.

How do you motivate others? Each person has a button; it’s a matter of finding that button which also means getting to know that person. In a group setting, nothing draws people together into a team like having a cause to fight against or one to work towards. This could be a competitive thing, a rewards system, or recognition. I’ve learned quite a few tricks to motivate people short of negative consequences. Above all and before any of this, I need to establish credibility with them; otherwise it becomes a tougher challenge.

Where do you see yourself 5 to 10 years from now? A division president once asked me this, and I told him that, if in 5 years I was the best in the whole company in my current position then I had failed, because I show no potential for handling greater responsibility in the future. He promoted me on the spot. The same applies here; I see myself in a position that requires greater responsibility than where I am currently.

Why are your interested in this line of work? I love operations. It’s a thrill to take on a project, break down the components, develop a solution, put it in place, and then see the wheels turn until it’s successfully completed. It’s an even bigger thrill to see the sense of accomplishment in other people’s faces when this happens. It’s because of this and the confidence I have in my abilities that I don’t limit myself to just the real estate industry. I’m capable of working in a number of different areas – manufacturing, IT, marketing – any position involving projects and strategy. Keep in mind, every position I have ever held in the corporate arena, I have never had any previous experience with. It’s because I’m a troubleshooter – a fixer, that can beak something down and put it together again, better, faster, stronger. That’s been my trademark.

Why are you looking for a job now? I miss working with teams and the structure within companies. When I started my own business, it ended up being much less rewarding than I thought because there is no one to enjoy the success with. Plus I have to do a great deal of peripheral work – marketing, accounting, filing, etc – that takes away from doing the actual job. I function much better within the structure of a larger organization.

What is your management philosophy? When I set my initial expectations with new teams I tell them that you manage resources – time, materials, facilities – but you lead people. Leadership is about providing purpose and direction. For example, I may manage a person’s time (give them a month to meet a sales goal), but I will lead them in the direction they should go (tell them the sales goal and work on a path to get to that goal). I believe in micro managing too, but not as a rule. I communicate parameters for people to make decisions within and then give them that freedom (until the consistently hang themselves), but there are times, like being on a tight deadline, when I have to step in and tell people precisely what and how to do a task in order to be done in time.

Do you work well alone or as part of a team? Both. No man/woman is an island, but sometimes you have to go it alone.

What kind of boss do you prefer? Why? I work best and provide the greatest value for bosses that have a similar management philosophy as mine. I know I can’t expect that to always be the case, but if my supervisor trusts me then I go out of my way to not prove that person wrong.

What about any of your colleagues irritates you the most? If you’re the type that gripes about everything, or likes to come by my office to shoot the breeze for 45 minutes everyday, then we’re probably not going to get along very well. Actually, I’m going to avoid you as much as possible, because it’s too much of a distraction. If you’re a backstabber, or drama queen then the same applies.

What is your biggest work accomplishment to date? My biggest would be the sales team I built in Houston (see here). These associates were outstanding. They learned to think for themselves and make on-the-spot decisions. They took the initiative and even more amazing given the nature of the sales profession, they willing shared their prospects with one another. When I stepped in to take over this bunch the situation was exactly the opposite, and required every skill I had to turn it around. When the situation did change, they were outperforming every division in the company. The validation in this came when the Greater Houston Builders Associate awarded me the Prism Award as Sales Manger of the Year. In the acceptance speech I credited the honor to that sales team. The accomplishment in building that bunch became a benchmark for me.