A Stellar Journey

Lessons in Leadership & Life

We recently held our annual business update meeting at Holt CAT, my place of employment for the past 36 years. As far as such gathering go, there was ample reason to suspect that it might be the usual fare: Numbers, business achievements, well intended directives and a dash of inspiration and encouragement.

I've never been so gratifyingly wrong in my expectations.

It turned out to be two days of inspiration: A celebration of our history, culture and success; A shared vision of what was ahead; And lots of input, energy and commentary from over 120 participants.

A little context helps. Over a 36 year career at this world class Caterpillar dealership, I have seen it grow from the smallest to the largest dealership in North America.

Over the decades, I have been blessed to see it evolve as an organization which primarily usedtraditional management practices, to one that's built a unique, non-negotiable "values based" organizational culture.

I have been the beneficiary of powerful and impactful personal and professional growth anddevelopment - and have seen the same impact on hundreds of co-workers and colleagues. Our lives, at work and at home, have changed in incredible ways.

Our journey, like many, was born out of the conflict which typically results from significant acquisition growth over a short period of time. In 1987, after tripling our business through three acquisitions in three states, we had a mess on our hands. Individual and organizational conflict was abundant.

Thankfully, our former owner, Peter M. Holt, had the wisdom and courage to listen and take action. Beginning in 1988, we invested 3 1/2 years working with leadership development experts, including Dr. Ken Blanchard. Ken and his colleagues convinced us to embark on an organizational development journey of Values Based Leadership, a term which has become a homogenized in contemporary business culture.

We learned that "how" we do business is much more important than "what " we do. We adopted five (not fifteen, twenty or thirty) key competencies, which have served us to this day. The first and foremost competency is "Self-Management" - focusing on the only person in the world one can control, with a never ending emphasis on learning and self-development.

We have built a culture of commitment, collaboration, cooperation and respect. We have become a first rate learning and development organization. We have integrated language, tools and models that have driven our excellence.

Our success is the story of values based leadership.

The results - at Holt and with the clients we help to integrate our VBL model - are easurable and profound. Along the way, we have lost track of the number of testimonials about the impact of VBL: How the learning resulting from values based leadership has saved marriages and improved family relationships after employees elected to work on themselves.

In 1997, the Holt family became principal owners of the San Antonio Spurs. We helped them integrate values based leadership in their administrative office and it’s been used to this day. The Spurs legacy over the past 20 years speaks for itself. Five time world champions.

A coincidence? Not hardly.

I began my career as a project manager in Holt's Marketing Department in what seems like a lifetime ago. In 1988, I was blessed to be selected as a participant in what was then called the "High Potentials Management Developmen" program. I never had the vision to anticipate the journey which was to follow. I certainly never expected to have a career in organizational and leadership development.

What a gift. Through our consulting practice, Holt Development Services, Inc., I have the pleasure of working with client organizations who are interested in investing in our model, tools and processes. There’s nothing more rewarding than doing work that's aligned with one's highest and best use.

In 2017, siblings Peter John Holt and Corinna Holt Richter became fifth generation Holt family owners of Holt CAT. They are two young leaders who are bright, inspirational, focused and determined to keep VBL as the centerpiece of Holt's culture.

Our organization has never been healthier or better lead.

As my own journey continues, my sincere hope is that more organizations find ways to discover the power and value of "investing in the growth and development of your greatest resource" versus "spending money on training". How we speak says much about how we think!

Every penny that's invested in people should come with the expectation of measurable and observable organizational R.O.I. Holt's progress can be measured in many ways, which include (and go well beyond) revenue and profitability. One of the most rewarding measurements is this: In 2018, we're celebrating 30 years of Values Based Leadership.

It's been a stellar journey - and the best is yet to come.