As "The CEO Shepherd,' I’m intimately familiar with the old saying, “It’s lonely at the top.”You get advice from all corners. The big decisions ultimately come down to you. Get them right, and the organization grows. Miss a few … and who knows?It’s a lot of pressure, especially for someone new to the role … which is why I started SAS (Smart and Simple) Advisory Services. I coach, mentor and guide leaders of privately-held and family-owned businesses. I use my 25+ years of C-Suite experience to help them see the big picture, delegate responsibilities and, most of all, serve as a sounding board for objective feedback.As a new organization leader, it’s typical to not know what you don’t know. How could you? The role is different, and bigger, than any you held getting there.It’s easy to get bogged down in day-to-day demands. The to-do list never lessens. The hours grow longer. Other parts of life can be shortchanged. If you don’t grasp how to strike a work-life balance, things can get lopsided (and unhealthy) in a hurry.Here’s where I come in. I partner with new leaders on their journeys, using my experience to focus them on the “big picture” and stay out of the “weeds.” Let’s work “on” the business, not “in.” Trust your team with operational details. Empower them to do their best work!This, of course, ties in with positive culture. Creating one is a must. It starts at the top.I advise steps such as “open book” management. Regular team meetings. A coherent vision: short-, mid-term and long range. If everyone knows where the organization’s headed, all can row in the same direction.Your team is everything. Get the right people on board. Open communication channels. Celebrate successes. Create positive energy. Make everyone feel valued.We aren’t born with this knowledge. It’s learned. I help new leaders do so, so they can start moving their organizations forward sooner, not later. Rest assured, it’s a LOT easier when you’re not alone.

I led a great team at this historic company, which traces its humble beginnings to 1946 in a small blacksmith shop on Milwaukee’s northwest side.Over those 7+ decades, Max Weiss Company grew into a nationally-recognized provider of large rolled structural steel products and hot-formed fabricated metal shapes. Its expertise includes forming structural steel to the tightest radius possible with minimal distortion, while providing maximum consistency from piece to piece. Fabricated metal shapes made by the craftsmen at Max Weiss Company grace the skylines of almost every city in the United States. Our everyday lives are touched by key components formed in the company’s shop, embedded in OEM products and a wide breadth of industrial uses.I guided the company’s growth by acquiring the latest rolling and forming technology, coupled with investing in employees to ensure the most knowledgeable, productive workforce in the market. These increased capabilities, expanded facilities and experienced staff positioned Max Weiss Company as a regional leader in steel bending, rolling and forming. Max Weiss Company is committed to providing quality, accurate products that ease installation while saving customers time and money. It prides itself on setting the curve in excellence by serving customers who need high-quality rolled, formed and fabricated structural steel parts and other metal products delivered via timely, reliable production schedules.The company supplies products to an incredibly wide, diverse range of industries. Owned by third-generation family member Dan Weiss, Max Weiss Company is devoted to demonstrating integrity, dependability and over-the-top customer service in all it does.My legacy at Max Weiss Company was one of continued growth on all fronts. Having celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2021, the company’s complete story is still being written.

I stepped into a big challenge here – in terms of leadership, creativity and perseverance – the moment I walked in the door.Let’s back up. Mechanical Industries has significant history. Its founder is credited with developing the first patented disc brake. The company, which opened in 1948 as a general manufacturing job shop, fabricates and machines metal components and assemblies for a broad range of industries.A major customer in one of its niche industry segments declared bankruptcy shortly before I started. Mechanical Industries’ financials were hard hit. I was neck-deep in securing new financial backing, to allow the company to pursue and grow additional revenue streams. It was stressful, to say the least … but we succeeded.Mechanical Industries specialized in light stampings, machined parts and rod and tube bending for the outboard motor, agriculture and engine industries. It experienced some turbulence in the marketplace while pursuing its strategic plan, which involved (in part) expanding its customer base. Eventually the company was sold to an investor group led by Charles J. Norris.

My leadership education begins. Not so much about promotions – I began as Controller, and rose to Senior Vice-President and CFO – but learning how to adapt to changes, and personalities, and continuously steering the ship in a direction you believe leads to long-term success.During my 18 years with the company, Taber Bushnell grew from $5 million to $15 million in sales. The challenges of a growing company are good to have. I enjoyed helping manage the growth, and minimizing the pains.Taber Bushnell was also sold three times during this duration. The three different owners had very different leadership styles. I had to adjust to each one, and forge an effective decision-making partnership with them.Challenges and opportunities? Oh, there were plenty: rapid growth in a project-based industry. Complex financing structures involving asset-based financing and an ESOP. Merging into acquiring entities. The dynamics of a family-owned business (which can’t be undersold).I learned a tremendous amount about the contract metal stamping and fabrication industry. Founded in 1958, Taber Bushnell creates metal stampings services ranging from prototyping to long-run production and assemblies. The company’s skilled craftsmen process a full range of metals including tough blue tempered steel and spring steel. Progressive, transfer, stage and compound dies are used. Taber Bushnell does virtually all its own die making in-house, just as it performs the majority of its secondary operations on stamped parts inside a 56,000-square-foot facility in Minneapolis.Taber Bushnell was a leadership laboratory. I’m thankful for my time there.

The foundation of my career was built here, as well as the first experience of what would become a recurring theme: working for a company that goes through significant ownership changes.Interplastic Corp. was a specialty chemical company listed on the American Stock Exchange. It’s been an industry leader in research and development of thermoset resin, gel coat, colorant and putty since 1959. The company produces and distributes unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins, gel coats, colorants and putties for the composites and cast polymer industries.I learned the ins and outs of working in a large company: corporate policies, internal controls, LIFO calculations, and traveling the country conducting internal audits and physical inventories. It was great experience for a young professional.Big picture, a lot happened during my three years: Interplastic Corp. was sold to Phillips 66, a Fortune 500 company. Serious culture change ensued.It was sold again to a group of investors who took the company private – another wholesale transformation. Wow. Things can change in a hurry. Welcome to the real world.All told, I learned valuable lessons in adjusting to changes in leadership and complex ownership structures. These would serve me well as my career progressed. I enjoyed my time in the chemical and plastics business. The rest of my working days, though, would be spent with family-held metal shaping operations.