Episode 85- Author of The Focused CEO, Andy Vassallo

Rich talks with author and consultant, Andy Vassallo of the Aspen Summit Group about his new book, "The Focused CEO- Why Some Organizations Thrive and Others Spin Their Wheels."

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to Richard healthy's common bridge. The fiercely nonpartisan discussion that seeks policy solutions to issues of the day. Rich is a successful entrepreneur in the technology health and finance space. He and his wife, Leslie are also philanthropists with interest in civic and artistic endeavors with a primary focus on medically and educationally underserved children. And welcome to the common bridge. This episode is a bit of a departure from our usual policy news analysis programs. A few weeks ago, we had a strong, positive reaction to our guests. Nativa Gonzalez who's paid. The cost podcast has been really successful. And so we decided this week to switch gears a bit again and bring on Andy Vassallo. Who's authored a new book called the focused CEO, which is available on Amazon. So we joined rich and Andy Vassallo in conversation. Now,

Speaker 2 0:54

Welcome to the common bridge out of the common bridge. We cover a lot of topics of the day and we dive deep in a fiercely nonpartisan way into various policy solutions. And from time to time, we bring on people that are just interesting. And that's what we're going to do today. We have with us, Andy Vassallo, Andy is a recent author. He has an extensive business career. He's advised companies large and small traveled across the country, and we'll be getting to know Andy and a little bit about his latest project. Andy, welcome to the common bridge. Thank you, rich. Uh, thanks for the invitation and look forward to the conversation today. Andy, let's let our audience get familiar with you. Where did you grow up and what were some of your early days? Like I grew up in Livonia, Michigan. I would describe it as very, a typical sitcomish suburban lifestyle and grew up with a, uh, in a working class family. And my dad was in the union. He actually had two jobs growing up, which I admired later on his work ethic and tried to do the best I could to bring that same level of effort to everything I did that he did for us. Growing up, you went to college up at central Michigan. I believe that is correct. I may, uh, uh, proud Chippewa. We were, uh, face-to-face uh, like any good Michigander and he asked me where I went to school. I'd be holding up my hand, pointing at the center of it. Very good. Central Michigan. Yes. And you played a little tennis up there and secured a degree in computer science. Is that right? That is correct. I loved computers from a very early age and couldn't wait to learn more. Let's talk a little bit about your professional background. So you exited college. Can you give us maybe a 60 or 90 seconds on, uh, your professional career? What was your first job after college? My first job after college, I was a computer programmer for a medical billing company called IDX systems. They were in Boston. I was referred there by a friend college.

Speaker 3 3:00

The first job it was, it was almost like working in a, uh, a frat house. Everybody in the company was in their early twenties. People would come to work at 8:00 AM and stay to 7:00 PM and we'd go out for drinks afterwards. And it was an amazing opportunity and amazing environment. I learned a heck of a lot. We just wrote code day in, day out, and it was a lot of fun

Speaker 2 3:23

I can relate. Cause you know, I've got a background writing, computer code and it's really key. You think of everything. And I found it rather humbling myself because the computer remembered every bug I had ever put in. And sometimes it just pop up and say, you forgot something. So it was a great career and a lot of late nights, junk food, rock and roll as you're writing code. So you went on to participate as a partner in some businesses, and then you moved on from there. And then of course you and I worked together for many years.

Speaker 3 3:52

He did. Um, and that was another highlight of my career. Superior consulting company was, um, again full of a lot. Uh, uh, I would say young people at the time, although there was a definitely a variety of personalities at that company and everybody was energetic. The energy within the company was, uh, outstanding. Um, I mean I looked forward to going to work so much. I would work, come home and work. You know, my wife would look at me like I was a little crazy sometimes, but I loved work was my hobby.

Speaker 2 4:28

Well, you also, I know are very proud parent and a devoted father and good husband. And you made a good family life and got to indulge in some other hobbies, including some with the little white ball and some clubs in a bag. Is that right?

Speaker 3 4:43

It is true. I love to golf if I'm not working and I'm not with the family. I, I love to get out on the golf course and spend time with, uh, with either my buddies or family members golfing

Speaker 2 4:54

Your love for technology transfer to your son too. Who's quite a ACE with robotics.

Speaker 3 4:59

It did not only is he studying computer engineering at Michigan tech, but he spent at least 12 years inside the first robotics program all the way from grade school, starting with Lego robotics through middle school, through the first robotics program in high school. And that is a outstanding program. I was a mentor for four years on his high school team. And talk about an experience, not only watching the kids transform over their four years from being a sort of newbies to technology, to exiting, being able to build a fully functional autonomous robot gives you confidence in the future. Doesn't it? It does. And robotics is definitely the future of everything.

Speaker 2 5:44

Well, I know you're very proud of your family, your daughter, and your wife. And you've been very supportive about her career as well. But today let's talk a little bit. You decided to write a book. Why did you feel like now's the time to write a book and why this topic?

Speaker 3 6:00

The topic is something that was easy to come by because it is me writing about a lot of stuff that I have learned and practiced throughout the years. It is really everything I've collected and how I approach every opportunity that I go into in business, whether I'm working full-time for a company or advising a company, these are the things that I would evaluate look at and bring to the organization to try to get them to that next level of performance. So picking the topic was easy because it was a methodology that I had developed over my 30 year working career, putting it down on paper in a book format was something I had noodled on for a while. And when COVID hit and I was spending more time at home, I decided, well, I think I'm going to use this time productively. And that's when I sat down and started to put pen to paper with the, um, getting my thoughts and, and putting the book in the format that you see. I've always enjoyed business books that use the fable format, whether it be who moved my cheese, one minute manager, one minute salesperson, the five dysfunctions of a team. I find that those types of books are able to hold my interest. So hopefully they hold the reader's interest and are able to convey a number of concepts and principles to the reader that they can then pick and choose which ones they want to apply in their daily lives.

Speaker 2 7:40

You talk in your book about apex management methodology. What does apex stand for and how does it work?

Speaker 3 7:49

Pecs stands for active performance execution, and it's that daily execution of the principles of success that lead to achieving your goals. So whether it is something personal or whether it's a company goal and an owner or a CEO has a goal that they want to achieve and they develop a strategy around that goal. And that strategy includes why they're in business, how they're going to do things, what behaviors they're going to employ, the services and products that they're going to produce and what they need to achieve that. And once that strategy is set, focusing on the details and doing that very intensely with rhythm every day, every week, every month with rhythm is the key to success. So that intensity and rhythm of focusing on those details is where apex gets his active performance from, and then the details. But the details are an acronym D is for data-driven decisions and processes is for the right economic and financial plans and metrics T is for tools and training a is for alignment. I is for integration in a grading. The human systems L is for leading and leveraging S is for strategy, focusing on those details and doing that with rhythm and day in, day out.

Speaker 2 9:16

Yeah. I had the opportunity to read a pre-publication version of your book. And what I really liked about it was the way that it's a roadmap of clearing the fog and whether someone is trying to figure out how to execute their strategy, or they're just all wrapped up in the details that can overwhelm someone during the course of a day or a week. I thought that the fable way that you'd laid out things gave people an exit path so that they could feel that their time was being well used. Are you getting similar feedback or something else from others that are,

Speaker 3 9:56

Yes. Everyone that has read the book has commented on the, uh, liking the fable approach to conveying the concepts and the principles. Also, I got positive feedback from a number of folks regarding the notes at the end of each chapter, the way the story progresses at the end of each chapter. Uh, Christopher, one of the main characters kind of writes down a summary of his notes of the discussion that he had with the other main character Ford. And in those end of chapter notes, those are sort of quick reference points that a reader can either skim through or reference back after they've read the whole book and find areas to focus on and improve their organization.

Speaker 2 10:40

I enjoyed that part of the book as well, and I should probably make it clear to our listeners. I have no economic interest at all in this publication or in Andy's other work is a colleague of longstanding and somebody that's produced a quality piece of work, and it was a privilege to get an opportunity to read an advance publication copy of it, and also to author the forward. Andy, when I did first read the book, the thought that struck me was that people often say, you know, Hey, that's a great idea, but the devil's in the details. And I think what you've done as far as clearing the fog is it just hit me. The angels are also in the details that that's where the good stuff is. If you could take care of those details, really good things can happen. So Andy, with this great effort to encapsulate decades of experience, put it in a fable form, give people workable tools. Is this something that a business person or a person in any kind of endeavor, cause I know you've used it, not for profits as well that they could just pull off the shelves or is this something that should be read by a management team? Or is this something that they should read as background to having you perhaps guide them in a consulting role? What's your intent for the audience out there

Speaker 3 12:02

Or who reads this book? They're going to find something in the methodology that they can take back to their company to get more done and be more effective. Now, if you agree that your company can be more effective and you can get more done, then I think we should have a little bit more of a conversation. You believe your company is perfect and doesn't have any room for improvement and let's just enjoy our coffee and that's it. But if we're having this conversation, what is it that you feel you've been not happy with your achievement of your group so far? What opportunities haven't they capitalized on?

Speaker 2 12:37

So Annie should have like an entire management team read this book together. Yeah.

Speaker 3 12:42

Yes. If a management team reads this book together as a group, they will get a lot out of it. Not only will each person come away with some items that they think they can utilize to improve their performance or their group's performance, the simple outcome of the group discussing these various topics and learning what each person feels about those topics. If we, as a group, read the book together and we're discussing the chapter on data and I learn where you feel, we have some defaults and I'm discussing where I feel our strengths are or I'm discussing where I feel our challenges are that dialogue of learning more about each area of the company and where the different groups are at, at any given time and where people believe they have room for improvement, that dialogue and that learning process within the team will resolve in that team. Coming away with a plan that is most often more effective than just turning to the senior person saying, what do you want us to do this week?

Speaker 2 13:50

You know, I remember when I used books like who moved my cheese or good degrade, and we all read them together. It opened up a safe dialogue where we could discuss the concepts and that, that gave us a basis to follow through. And I think the focus CEO has that potential as well. But look, Andy, sometimes people can't get it out of a book and that's where a coach comes in. And I understand you've got a advisory business that can go hand in hand with the apex methodologies and with the lessons of the focus CEO. Can you tell us a little bit about the scope of your consulting practice and how to get in touch with you? Yes. So

Speaker 3 14:35

People can get in touch with me via my website, the Aspen summit group.com or andy@theaspensummitgroup.com. My coaching and advising practice is focused on advising companies that are looking to get unstuck with something, increase their profits become more effective. It's as simple as a monthly retainer. And I start with an initial meeting with the CEO. From there, there is a, a jumpstart with the executive team, which is a four hour session where we explore where the company is today, what they want to achieve within the next quarter. And as a team, they come out of that. Four-hour dialogue with an action plan for the next quarter. Then I work with the CEO and the full team together on a weekly basis. Throughout the first quarter, we then have a quarterly review of their performance against their goals and objectives. Then we set a plan for the next quarter, working with them on a weekly, a monthly basis. We work on accountability, action plans, communication, and also take them through the nine steps of focusing on the details with rhythm.

Speaker 2 15:49

I really liked the way you convert to action and it's not going to an academic exercise. It's learn, put it in practice, learn, put it in practice and continuing to hone. And that's just good management and good leadership. So we're talking today with the author of the new business book, the focus CEO, Andy Bissell, it's on Amazon and every form that Amazon produces a book these days, and also andy@theaspensummitgroup.com. And we will put that link on our website, Andy, as we wrap up today, what did we covered that perhaps we should have

Speaker 3 16:28

Thanks for asking that question. What I would like to say that we haven't talked about during our discussion is every organization wants to and needs to continually evolve and continue to perform at a higher level. Those that don't continue to grow and achieve will end up going backwards, shrinking and declining. So it's all about performance and improvement. Every day. One of the concepts we talk about in the book is making steady, incremental progress versus trying to make huge jumps folks that read this book, whether individually or as a group will come away with things that they can take into their business to improve and grow and perform at a higher level. The first person standing between you and your goal is yourself getting out of your own way or embracing what needs to be done. And then moving forward is that first step. I also like to say that if something's not working, stop doing it and try more things, try something new. And if it works, do more of it faster, and if it doesn't work, stop doing it and try something else. And I would suggest that everybody read the book, set a strategy and goals intensely focused on the details with rhythm and you will achieve those goals. I can give that

Speaker 2 17:50

A very hearty endorsement. Again, the book is the focused CEO. The author is Andy Vassallo. This is rich helpy on today's personal insight segment of the country.

Speaker 4 18:02

When bridge, you have been listening to Richard healthiest, common bridge podcast recording, and post-production provided by stunt three, multimedia, all rights are reserved by Richard helpy for more information, visit Richard[inaudible] dot com.