"I expect that virtual services across all categories will continue to surge in the coming year"
William Chesnutt is the Founder & CEO of Strategic Development Group LLC, a consulting, training and development services company. With an MBA from the University of Redlands, and a MAM with a concentration in Organizational Leadership from American Military University, William has a wealth of experience and education to bring to the table.
He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a former small business mentor with SCORE, and has just published his first book, “The 3P Business Framework: People, Process, & Performance.” The company prides itself on offering integrated solutions to enhance organizational performance, and its team of certified consultants and trainers are dedicated to helping clients stay ahead of the competition.
William sees virtual services continuing to surge in the coming year and has positioned his company with the right software and tools to meet client demands, including an upcoming online learning management system.
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Table of Contents
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.
William Chesnutt: I am the Founder & CEO of Strategic Development Group LLC. I hold an MBA from the University of Redlands, a MAM with a concentration in Organizational Leadership from American Military University, Graduate Certificates in Human Capital Leadership and Logistics Management from American Military University, and a Certificate in Design Thinking from the University of California – Riverside.
I am also a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and a Resilience-Building Leadership Professional – Trainer. I am also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a former small business mentor with SCORE. I am pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration with a concentration in Organizational Leadership and Development at Capella University. I am the author of The 3P Business Framework.
Our Consulting Services focus on integrated solutions designed to enhance the performance of your organization. By incorporating industry best practices into your organizational processes and management strategies, we can help you stay ahead of the competition and better serve your customers.
If you were in an elevator with Warren Buffett, how would you describe your company, services, or products? What makes your company different from others? What is your company’s biggest strength?
William Chesnutt: My company provides consulting, training, and development services to help organizations achieve higher efficiency, competitiveness, and profitability. The difference between my company and others is that we offer all our services in-person, hybrid, and virtual, all our consultants and trainers are certified at least one level above what they teach, and we offer self-paced training options for organizations through our online university. Our biggest strength is our people. They are dedicated to our mission and helping others.
In the past year, what is the greatest business achievement you’d like to celebrate with your team? Please share the details of that success.
William Chesnutt: In July 2022, my team successfully provided training and certification to more than 60 Marines on process improvement. For two days, my team facilitated the learning of the Marines at the Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt level, equipping them with the skills and tools to improve the processes in their organization and become more efficient in the services they provide.
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, are an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle keeping talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are adapting to the current shift we see?
William Chesnutt: In my experience, people in organizations feel unheard, undervalued, and misunderstood in the workplace because their organizations are not equipped with the tools and skills that leaders need to inspire and motivate.
Some of the critical steps from my book, “The 3P Business Framework: People, Process, & Performance”, leaders can do to keep employees happy are to create a positive organizational culture and team climate that is built on mutual respect, open communication, accountability, trust, compassion, authenticity, and honesty.
Leaders that can lead in this fashion will see increased employee engagement and productivity. Creating an environment based on these elements can also increase creativity, innovation, and team learning.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
William Chesnutt: I expect that virtual services across all categories will continue to surge in the coming year. As a company, we have positioned ourselves with the right software, tools, and skills to provide services according to our customers’ demands. This includes our soon-to-launch online learning management system that will offer all our training programs in an asynchronous method to provide better client flexibility.
Christopher Hitchens, an American journalist, is quoted as saying that “everyone has a book in them” Have you written a book? If so, please share details with us about it. If you haven’t, what book would you like to write, and how would you like it to benefit the readers?
William Chesnutt: On January 1, 2023, I published my first book, The 3P Business Framework: People, Process, & Performance, The Foundations on Which Great Organizations Should be Built. The following is a synopsis of the book:
Businesses around the world are constantly striving to achieve higher levels of performance. Many focus on specific areas and do not maintain a balance within the organization. Balancing the needs of the organization with the requirements of its people, the design and improvement of its products/services, and the performance of all business areas will end badly.
This book is for those thinking of leaping into the world of entrepreneurship, the established business leader looking for ways to improve their organization, and everyone else who wants to see the organization they are in succeed in accomplishing their objectives.
The 3P Business Framework is the answer to developing an effective organizational strategy that balances organizational needs against the needs of its people, the design and improvement of its products/services, and the performance of the business.
This balanced approach will help an organization reach new levels of efficiency and offer the right environment that enables the organization to innovate and achieve a competitive advantage in any industry.
2020, 2021, 2022 threw a lot of curve balls into businesses on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past years, how can businesses thrive in 2023? What lessons have you learned and what advice would you share?
William Chesnutt: Going into 2023, I advise businesses to keep a watchful eye on costs. Although there are signs of inflation easing, with interest rates continuing to rise, costs will no doubt increase.
Any investment by the company must have a direct benefit to its long-term success. Investing in the development of your people will pay dividends in increased performance as the adverse economic situation improves.
A highly skilled workforce will be more productive and innovative, increasing the organization’s competitiveness. Investing in your people will also encourage them to stay with the organization, which will lower human resource costs in attracting, recruiting, and onboarding.
What does “success” in the year to come mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
William Chesnutt: We have a lot of irons in the fire right now. We have a few full-time clients that see the successes they brought us onboard to achieve. We have begun our transition into the world of government contracting and will be launching our online learning management system in the next few months.
One of the long-term objectives that we will begin working on this year is the launch of a low-cost online accredited university, with the first-degree programs being in business.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank William Chesnutt 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 William Chesnutt or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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