Jill is founder of Savvy Strategic Partners; a full-service fractional C-Suite executing vision, increasing business value, and helping founder owners realize freedom. She serves businesses as a fractional COO & Integrator (for those running on EOS®). Savvy serves business owners with an experienced collective of outsourced executive leaders across the functions of operations, revenue, and finance. She is a wife and mother of 3, health and fitness enthusiast, and lives in beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado. She enjoys an extra active lifestyle with her family; traveling, enjoying water sports, snowboarding, photography, and is mostly found cheering on her daughters’ competitive athletics and extracurriculars.
Company: Savvy Strategic Partners
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company
Jill Simonds: A proud Colorado native, and lover of the outdoors. I am a wife and mother of 3, health and fitness enthusiast, and live in beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado. I enjoy an extra active lifestyle with my family; traveling, enjoying water sports, snowboarding, photography, and is mostly found cheering on my daughters’ competitive athletics and extracurriculars.I founded Savvy Strategic Partners; a full-service fractional C-Suite executing vision, increasing business value, and helping founder owners realize freedom. I serves our clients as a fractional COO & Integrator (for those running on EOS®). Savvy serves business owners with an experienced collective of outsourced executive leaders across the functions of operations, revenue, and finance.
Can you share a time when your business faced a significant challenge? How did you navigate through it?
Jill Simonds: We have faced a significant challenge as our company expands, revealing mismatches between existing team capabilities and emerging business needs. Anticipating the growing demands on our team and aligning human capital has become imperative. To navigate, we’ve conducted a thorough assessment of current team skills and future business requirements. This involved analyzing upcoming prospecting business, identifying skills gaps, and projecting staffing needs. We prioritized strategic hiring to fill critical gaps, focusing on roles essential for supporting new initiatives and scaling operations. Simultaneously, we invested in comprehensive training and development programs to up-skill existing team members. This included technical training, leadership development, and cross-functional workshops to foster a culture of continuous learning and adaptability. Clear communication was maintained throughout, ensuring transparency about organizational changes, new opportunities, and career paths. Engaging with the team and soliciting feedback has been essential to align individual aspirations with business objectives, and foster a sense of shared ownership and commitment from our fractional partners.
How has a failure or apparent failure set you up for later success?
Jill Simonds: Continuously, yes. I believe we truly learn more from our mistakes than we learn from our successes. Success, while rewarding, can often lull us into complacency. It whispers, “You’ve arrived,” and we stop questioning, stop pushing boundaries. Yet, the beauty lies in what we do when we approach failure. Failure has played a crucial role in sharpening my resilience. It’s taught me to bounce back from setbacks with newfound strength, reinforcing my ability to withstand challenges. The resilience cultivated through these experiences has proven to be an enduring asset, allowing me to navigate the inevitable ups and downs of life and work with greater fortitude.
How do you build a resilient team? What qualities do you look for in your team members?
Jill Simonds: Skills Fit & Need – Identify the skills that are crucial for the success of your business and recognize where you may need additional support or expertise. Consider your ability to wear multiple hats, from marketing and sales to financial management and decision-making. Being aware of your strengths allows you to leverage them, while acknowledging weaknesses enables you to build a team or seek resources to fill those gaps. When selecting team members, we identify the specific technical skills required for each role and ensure candidates possess these skills. We look for individuals who bring unique skills and perspectives that complement those already within the team. Adaptability and flexibility are crucial qualities we seek, as we want team members who are open to change and can quickly adapt to new situations or challenges. We prioritize candidates with strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to overcoming obstacles, looking for evidence of past experiences where they successfully navigated complex situations.
How do you maintain your personal resilience during tough times?
Jill Simonds: I am a very disciplined person, so I bring that discipline to my personal care. I prioritize mindfulness practices like meditation and journaling to stay grounded and maintain perspective. Self-awareness plays a crucial role, helping me recognize and manage my emotions and responses, which is essential in managing stress. Seeking support from my network of friends, family, and mentors is vital; their encouragement and advice provide me with clarity and strength. Taking care of my physical health through regular exercise, nutritious eating, and adequate rest is also pivotal. Setting boundaries between work and personal life ensures I manage my workload effectively and maintain the energy needed to tackle challenges without burning out.
What strategies do you use to manage stress and maintain focus during a crisis?
Jill Simonds: Embracing challenges as opportunities for learning and growth is another key aspect of my resilience strategy. Reflecting on past experiences and applying those lessons helps me approach new challenges with confidence and resilience. Keeping perspective by focusing on long-term goals and the bigger picture helps me navigate setbacks without losing sight of what’s truly important in my life and career. These practices collectively enable me to maintain personal resilience and face tough times with resilience and determination.
How do you communicate with your team during a crisis?
Jill Simonds: Empathy is central to my communication approach, especially during crises. I acknowledge the stress and emotions team members may experience, offering support and reassurance to boost morale. Messages are focused on key priorities, actions, and expectations, ensuring clarity and alignment. I remain flexible in my approach, adapting to evolving circumstances and the team’s needs. Encouraging collaboration and collective problem-solving empowers the team to find innovative solutions together.
Celebrating small victories and milestones amid challenges is important; it acknowledges team efforts and maintains motivation. Through these practices, I aim to foster a supportive team environment where trust, clarity, and resiliance.
What advice would you give to other CEOs on building resilience in their organizations?
Jill Simonds: Invest in your employees’ well-being, I cannot stress enough. Through initiatives that support physical health, mental wellness, and work-life balance, recognizing that resilient teams begin with healthy and motivated individuals.
Part of moving forward is learning from looking back. Reflect on setbacks together as a team, by promoting a growth-oriented approach where failures are viewed as opportunities for learning and improvement. Build strong relationships with stakeholders based on trust and collaboration, which are essential for resilience. Keep your organization connected to its core purpose and core values; clarity on your vision guides decision-making and motivates teams to contribute and show up their best.
How do you prepare your business for potential future crises?
Jill Simonds: Health across all core functions of a business—finance, operations, and revenue—is crucial for long-term resilience and sustainability. In finance, maintaining financial health through prudent management practices ensures stability and readiness to weather economic uncertainties. Sound financial management includes building reserves, diversifying revenue streams, and managing debt responsibly, which collectively strengthen the financial backbone of the organization.
In operations, health translates into efficient processes, robust supply chain management, and effective risk mitigation strategies. Streamlined operations enhance agility and responsiveness, enabling the business to adapt quickly to market shifts or operational challenges. Investing in technology and infrastructure that support operational efficiency fosters resilience and supports continued growth.
For revenue, maintaining health involves diversifying customer bases, adapting sales strategies to market demands, and continuously innovating products or services. A healthy revenue strategy anticipates market changes and customer needs, ensuring sustainable revenue streams even amidst economic fluctuations or competitive pressures.
Across each of these functions, prioritizing their health means fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement. It involves empowering the team with the tools and resources they need to contribute to the organization’s overall health and resilience. By integrating consistency across finance, operations, and revenue strategies, we can better position ourselves to thrive in dynamic and challenging environments, ensuring longevity and sustained success.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about leadership in times of crisis?
Jill Simonds: Knowing what I know now, I would have surrounded myself with mentors, advisors, and a supportive network of peers much earlier on. I am so grateful for the sheer love and unwavering support and care I’ve received from people, some of which I have never actually met in person. Building a robust support system involves strategically cultivating a network of connections and relationships with the right individuals. I know now the value of seeking out mentors with relevant experience and expertise, as their guidance and support can be instrumental along the journey.
