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Biscayne Bay Cleanup Day, a CEI staff volunteer event.
CRYSTALLIZE THE VISION, from page 7
learned might be about failing to sway people to my way of thinking, but I learned that we all have our own paths and perspectives and each of us has our own journey. TZL: Research shows that PMs are overworked, understaffed, and that many firms do not have formal training programs for PMs. What is your firm doing to support its PMs? CF: We have started a project manager training program that all of our project managers must complete. It’s about a year long and helps equip them with some of the tools they need to be successful. TZL: In one word or phrase, what do you describe as your number one job responsibility as CEO? CF: To crystallize the vision of the firm. TZL: What happens to the firm if you leave tomorrow? CF: It will be stronger than ever. Our firm is not one person, but a group of people committed to our overall mission of “Fueling Solutions for a Sustainable World.” There are people in our firm who could do my duties or delegate them, so CEI would not miss a beat. I’m sure they would miss me, but they’d be just fine. It sounds trite, but it’s true. And I would have definitely failed, if that were not the case. “Life flows on within you and without you” – The Beatles. TZL: A firm’s longevity is valuable. What are you doing to encourage your staff to stick around? CF: We have implemented an ESOP to reward employees whose contributions add value to our firm. It’s proving to be a good incentive for people to stay on and retire with the firm. We keep improving the benefits and vacation time with longevity which is also an incentive to stick around and we also try to establish the CEI family culture where employees feel like they are part of a unit and are encouraged to remain with us for a long time.
that people can relate to. Our brand is based on our CEI Core Values (community, excellence, and integrity). It’s performing well in an industry where potential employees can relate to the importance of those values for a long- term career. TZL: Ownership transition can be tricky, to say the least. What’s the key to ensuring a smooth passing of the baton? What’s the biggest pitfall to avoid? CF: The key to ensuring a smooth passing of the baton is to have a plan in place long before you intend to pass the baton. It’s important that the overall transition happen over time and that the people who are taking over understand their roles and responsibilities and how they fit into the organization. I think the biggest pitfall is not having a plan in place at least seven to 10 years before you have to do the actual handover of duties. “Economic cycles are not potential; they are real. There will be an economic downturn sometime in the future. We never get ourselves too close to the edge financially, and we exercise fiscal responsibility when making spending decisions. We hire wisely and when we need to fill positions.” TZL: They say failure is a great teacher. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve had to learn the hard way? CF: Failure is the greatest teacher. Failure is also a tremendous opportunity disguised as a great loss. There are few instances when I thought I had failed at something and then looked back, and did not realize that it was a stepping stone to a greater success. The greatest lesson I
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THE ZWEIG LETTER August 12, 2019, ISSUE 1308
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