Qualifications
I have held consulting, technical, and executive positions in systems design, strategy, finance, marketing and business development in a combination of private equity, public and private firms. In my last formal position, I managed product lines totaling $4 billion. In the hundreds of product lines I have developed, I have never led a team that did not at least double the previous rate of growth while increasing profitability. My experience includes wholesale, health care, banking, food and beverage, agriculture and retail industries.
I have also been intimately involved in quite a few turnarounds, which I view as business development with a shorter time line.
My degrees include a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Waterloo, which I obtained while pursuing my career, and an MBA with a focus in Finance and Marketing from Kenan Flagler Business School at UNC.
Currently I am reconciling my personal experience with formal research on the ability of organizational structure to simultaneously increase both reliability and innovation. Some of that work appears on this website. As with anything, execution is everything.
Please use the Jim Leis Contact page if you would like to have further discussions or employ my services. I am passionate about many topics and an inveterate learner.
More general history
A partial list of projects I have led:
- New business ventures
- Marketing campaign development, measurement and execution
- Organizational development
- Operational efficiency and realignment
- Market and situational analysis
- Business and product valuations
- Turnarounds
- Product and business strategy
- System design and programming
- Accounting and measurement system design
My fondest experiences include nurturing team mate development and plans that exceed expectation. I have succeeded and I have failed.
Personal
My first job at age 12 was working for a landscaper / florist. In the spring, I would go to work at 5:30am before school to take the straw off the hot beds. After school I would work until 6:00pm. I have been working in flower beds ever since. What does that mean?
I have hitchhiked from Washington DC to Bolivia. I hiked through jungles, sailed on Lake Titicaca, explored Mexican pyramids, hiked Machu Picchu, and slept on the top of a truckload of coconuts under the Southern Cross.
I have also hitchhiked through Western Europe, traveled behind the Fallen Iron Curtain, and worked on a Kibbutz in Israel. Who needs a Euro Rail pass?
When I was quite young, I wrote an integrated accounting package (GL, AP, AR, Payroll) for the Olivetti PC. At the time all accounting software was sold in modules which required double posting processes, much like manual ledgers. I thought I would get rich and move to the Caribbean and live on a boat.
It has been my good fortune to become intimately involved in hundreds of companies, some small, some large, spanning many different industries and cultures. There is no single, best way to build a world class organization, but there are certain principles that must always be present.
Observations
Organizational behavior is endlessly fascinating. In investigations of cash flow, inefficiency, morale, conflict, or profit, there are inevitably holistic system and priority opportunities. Focus, clarity and realignment breed reliability, engagement and creativity.
The smartest businessman I ever met never went to high school. The best mentor I ever had was an accountant. My son teaches me more than I teach him. The best sports coach I ever had was a preacher. Are these statements contradictory? I do not think so and the reason is on the Leis Network page.
Most people misunderstand the inherent benefits of change, obsession, and competition. The concepts have been inadequately taught, inappropriately implemented and publicly maligned. It’s a shame, since they are all hugely powerful in building character, ethics, and productivity.
Someone once said, “Our first move will be to decide what our first move will be.” Let’s do that.
Special interest at the expense of the majority increases bureaucracy, destroys morale, and impedes progress. It also threatens culture and viability. KISS.
Like many of you, I have been educated, trained and tested all my life, including for Aptitude, Personality and Leadership. I have never seen a priority in teaching the two most important lessons that lead to success; spiritual and emotional perseverance and engagement.
In an age of change, innovation must be coddled and nurtured as much as sales.
Most companies have not leveraged 50% of available, inexpensive technology to increase productivity. The issue is predominantly systemic or organizational.
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Please enjoy this website, and make suggestions. I reserve the right to convert interesting comments into posts, citing you of course.
Please use the Jim Leis Contact page if you would like to have further discussions.
