From President to CEO: A Team Solutions Dental Exclusive Part 1
“The more intentional you are about your leadership growth, the greater your potential for becoming the leader you’re capable of being. Never stop learning.” John C. Maxwell
“By the way, I decided I want to be the CEO… I need an EDP”
The text came to my phone at 1:30 PM on a Saturday afternoon. I chuckled to myself, Strange response from an HR Professional isn’t it? Usually, I am the first to jump when any employee expresses an interest in an EDP (Employee Development Plan). But for some reason, on this Saturday afternoon, I thought he was messing with me.
I responded with:
“Lol”
“Ok”
“Start with a self-survey. I’ll send you the link” (insert sarcasm here).
I laughed as I put my phone down and carried on with my day. Everyone knew that Jason DeFranco, President and Co-Founder of Team Solutions Dental, refused to call himself a Chief Executive Officer. Why? Because Jason is obsessed with defining words in a way that provides absolute clarity because words matter. Being the CEO of an organization would mean that he managed a group of Executives. The highest position at TSD had capped out at the Director level, so he didn’t think calling himself the CEO made much sense. No C Suite? No CEO. It was simple, and there were countless conversations around this over the years. We all understood that this was the reason Jason referred to himself as President and Co-Founder of Team Solutions Dental.
So when the text came through, I laughed it off as some sort of joke.
But then I received another text from him on Sunday at 12:05 PM:
“Did you send the self-survey?”
I stared at my phone not knowing what to say. He was serious? I immediately responded:
“I did not because it was not clear you were serious. I’ll send now.”
He continued:
“I’ve been bitching for three years that people need to stop calling me the CEO because the CEO has an executive team and I don’t… That I didn’t want to be called the CEO until I was actually running an executive team…and yet we are no closer to that executive team… partly because I wasn’t sure if I wanted the job and partly because it seems like there are too many obstacles. But I can’t sit with no progress any longer. So it’s time to make a plan.”
Holy smokes. He WAS serious. I immediately went to my computer and sent him Step 1 of our 4-Step Employee Development Plan - The Self Survey. The Self Survey gives the employee a chance to reflect on their perceived achievements during their tenure with the company. It asks specific questions that take the employee through their career at TSD and gives them an opportunity to self-evaluate their progress, their priorities, their strengths, their struggles, the internal and external impacts on their success as they see it, their contributions to the organization, suggestions on how they might work more efficiently, and where they want to see themselves in a year or two.
It’s the document that gets the creative juices flowing and the brain working in the direction of self-awareness and growth. It sets the pace for the remaining three steps of the Employee Development Plan. It bridges the alignment between the one being developed and the team of people guiding them through their development plan. It is the Team Solutions launch pad for career advancement.
As I sent Jason the same self-survey link I’ve sent to countless employees who wish to become more here at Team Solutions, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride that our own president was willing to travel the same path that we ask every employee to travel when they wish to grow within the organization. He was not allowing himself to bypass the process. At Team Solutions, we are obsessed with growing our people and position doesn’t matter when it comes to following the systems and processes put into place to ensure absolute success in an employee’s development.
I knew this was going to be something special and that I wanted to document this experience - both for Jason to look back on in reflection of his journey to becoming CEO and for every employee to take encouragement in witnessing their President lead by example as he chases his own career goals at Team Solutions Dental.
As Jason steps up to this new challenge, he will be watching closely to see who rises in step with him. If this is going to work, he will need absolute cooperation and alignment with those currently in leadership roles and on the Director level of the Organizational Chart. They will need to become hyper-focused on their own growth and long-term career objectives so that Jason can focus on his. Likewise, Jason will also be on high alert for those high-potential, high-performing employees who strive for excellence and just might be made for more.
I invite you to join us as we follow Jason DeFranco’s journey from President to CEO. Every two weeks, we will update you on his progress. We will share the ups and downs he experiences as he follows the four steps toward his own career development goals. We will share with you his words, his thoughts on paper, his execution, his struggles, and his high points. We will also highlight the impact this particular objective has on those around him -specifically those he will need to select as the first group of Team Solutions Dental C-Suite Executives.