"Culture eats strategy for breakfast".
Dr. John H. Wilson Tweet
Dr. John H. Wilson is the Founder and CEO of Strategic Collisions International, LLC. He is an entrepreneur, intrapreneur (corporate entrepreneur), and scholar with more than twenty-five years of experience as a business leader in the software & services industries. He brings a multi-dimensional perspective on market dynamics and a lean, iterative approach to building thriving, profitable businesses. Currently, John is also a teaching professor at Drexel University’s Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship. In the academic arena, he has done extensive research and has published numerous studies, articles, and books on the topics of entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, organization design/leadership, employee empowerment, and emerging educational technologies. He is in demand as a public speaker, executive coach/trainer, and board advisor for companies actively seeking to infuse entrepreneurial practices into their organizations to be more agile and adaptive in an increasingly complex business environment. PreviouslyJohn served as Director, Product Management (General Manager for Global & Foundational Technologies) at Vertex, Inc. [NASDAQ: VERX].
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET FEATURED?
All interviews are 100% FREE OF CHARGE
Table of Contents
Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
Dr. John H. Wilson: I was blessed with having an exceptional boss and mentor, who invested heavily in my growth and development for 16 years. Her name was Penny Vennerholm, one of the most energetic and dynamic people I ever had the pleasure of knowing. Part of why she was so inspiring was the way she would lead people – one at a time. Penny understood something that I have not encountered in many leaders, that the key to building loyalty, engagement, and high-performance is that approach each follows as a unique individual with distinct abilities, needs, and ambitions. Not only did every follower become a raving fan, individually and collectively, but her teams would also go to the ends of the earth to help her to achieve her purposes. In this way, she became an incredibly powerful and influential leader in both professional and personal endeavors.
What are the most common mistakes you see entrepreneurs make and what would you suggest they do?
Dr. John H. Wilson: I work with Entrepreneurs every day. Some are experienced, serial entrepreneurs; some have pursued a skill or dream for years, others are just getting started or aspiring to become successful entrepreneurs. One of the most common mistakes I encounter is getting overly focused on a single idea and failing to consider alternatives or let go when the market doesn’t validate the idea. Considering that more than 90% of ventures fail within a year (and tragically, some drag on much longer yet still don’t gain traction as they consume time and resources), any single idea is likely to fail. So, for those who are constantly looking for alternative ideas, adapting to new data from the market, asking questions of prospective customers with empathy & curiosity, it is more likely that they will arrive at the kinds of products and services that produce true value in the world.
Has the pandemic and transitioning into mostly online shopping affected your company positively or negatively?
Dr. John H. Wilson: Early on in the pandemic, I posted a blog I called “Covid-19, Pivot or Persevere”? At the time I was hearing from every client asking for input about how to adapt to this new set of circumstances. It was fascinating to see each of these businesses take a step back and ponder what it is that makes their business unique and valuable. For some, this return to their core value allowed them to adapt their processes such that they could continue operations in a way that was safe and viable. For others, it was about finding new opportunities or new ways to generate revenue.
Sometimes this meant re-training their teams to do things differently or to do different things. It is worth noting that every single one of the entrepreneurs was thinking first of how they could care for and address the needs of their talented employees, making sure that they were safe, that they could continue to use their talents, and that the business was able to move ahead. In this way, Strategic Collisions was able to continue adding value in much the same way as always – helping entrepreneurs to launch, grow, and thrive!
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out from the competition?
Dr. John H. Wilson: Strategic Collisions is more about connections and relationships than anything else. It all began when I realized that it would take me a year or more to individually introduce each of the entrepreneurs I knew to others who were like to be good connections. To speed things up, I invited each of these talented entrepreneurs to my house one evening for a ‘Collision’. The event was inspired by the late Tony Hsiegh, Founder of Zappos, who often talked publicly about the value of entrepreneurs ‘colliding’ with other entrepreneurs.
10 entrepreneurs met in my kitchen for that first Strategic Collision in 2017 and to this day there are collaborations, ventures, and friendships that started that evening. At the time I posted a blog called “45 Collisions and No One Got Hurt”. This is what is so unique about Strategic Collisions International, our very beginnings were focused on bringing people together – this creates value in a different way than a cookie-cutter training class or consulting engagement. It creates belonging, it energizes the entrepreneurial spirit, and it sparks new ideas and ventures.
What do you consider are your strengths when dealing with staff workers, colleagues, senior management, and customers?
Dr. John H. Wilson: One of my strengths is recognizing that my abilities are limited. I can achieve much more when part of a diverse team of talented people without concern about being “in charge”. Recently, a highly-talented individual approached me and expressed interest in working for me. I proposed instead working WITH me. I already knew this individual was extremely talented in areas that I am not, so I’d much rather have an arrangement that accelerates strength among equals instead of building a hierarchical organization. In this way, I seek to build an organization comprised of entrepreneurial, independent affiliates who share a desire to innovate new ways to create value together. Our clients can feel this difference – our team is engaged in their business and brings energy and talent to every engagement.
What have you learned about personal branding that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
Dr. John H. Wilson: Personal Branding is about focus and continuous reminders. I wish I had been more clear about this earlier in my career. Since I always had a lot of areas of interest and would spend time learning about a wide range of things, it was easy to lose focus. Likewise, this lack of focus can dilute the perceived value of any personal brand. Even if I have a hundred abilities, it is better to be known for only a few that you can constantly emphasize by way of reminders.
This sounds a bit like shameless self-promotion, but it is clear. This is helpful when people have a need and recognize right away that I am the one they should call. I once was challenged to spend months identifying my unique purpose as an individual. After an extensive self-discovery and processing, I came up with the following: “To Pursue and Inspire Excellence”. While the “How” of this is evolving throughout my journey, this still stands at the core of my brand. If I had to boil it down to three words at this moment, I’d say Connect-Inspire-Propel. For Strategic Collisions, we say it a little differently, but the sentiment is the same: Launch. Grow. Thrive!
What’s your favorite leadership style and why?
Dr. John H. Wilson: My favorite approach to leadership is what is often referred to as full-range leadership. It is an approach that is highly sensitive to and adaptive to followers. It incorporates Transformational Leadership, but also a range of ways to interact with each individual follow in ways that help to ensure our interests are aligned. Transformational leadership is more than giving speeches or getting people to absorb change – it is that leading one person at a time.
Presenting an inspiring vision that gets followers excited about learning and motivates them to bring their energy and engagement to the mission of the organization and the results of their work. The other aspects of full-range leadership acknowledge that every follower is always going to be fully bought in and allow for that to be ok. Some people take a job because they need it for some time. Others are so new to a field that they aren’t ready for full autonomy. Any given follower may be highly ambitious to advance in their career, or not interested in advancement at all. The tools and techniques of full-range leadership allow an empathetic and authentic leader to come to an understanding about each follower and how they want to be led as a result.
What’s your favorite “business” quote and how has it affected your business decisions?
Dr. John H. Wilson: Peter Drucker was known for saying “Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast”. This speaks a lot to how important culture is to the success or failure of any venture. In this way, my business decisions are always influenced by the way it enhances (or detract from) the culture. I want to be part of an inspired team of equals who share an entrepreneurial mindset, yet bring unique and diverse perspectives. Any decision that threatens these aspects of the culture is unlikely to get much support from me. The risk of creating a toxic culture is too high and this is the fastest way to get to an apathetic culture that wears people down rather than providing an environment that accelerates innovation and adaptability. Culture comes first.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Dr. John H. Wilson for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Dr. John H. Wilson or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
Did you enjoy this article? Check out similar stories:
Jocko Willink: From US Navy Seal To Millionaire Coach And Best Selling Author
Andy Frisella: An Inspiring Story Of Grit
Allison Stokke: How A Single Photo Made Her The Famous Internet Sensation That She Is Now
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.