It was summer 2017 and I was up for a promotion. I had taken the test and scored well. I got a call from a friend within the police department who said, “Watch your phone, he (the Police Chief) is about to call you.” I sat watching my phone for hours, until I went to bed. I listened as the gossip surrounded me with everyone else on the list getting promoted, except for me. As days went by I was enraged with emotion, thinking how could this be. I am a hard worker who produces outstanding complex cases, but did that matter?
The sinking feeling was that the administration, well just one person, did not recognize me as a leader. What was I going to do? Between spring 2015 and summer 2017 I had experienced so much change solely due to politics that I was just over it. I will never forget the Lieutenant telling me that “it just wasn’t my time.” Then, something about “they” are going to see how you react. At the end of the day I took it personally that I could not be recognized as a leader. I was done!
Politics were not going to hold me down any longer. By the end of 2017 I had decided to leave the department, retire very early from my position as a Detective, and start my own business. If I failed, I might have the chance to return to the department, but I was not going to let that be an option. I hated to leave, it was an emotional time! My Dad recently passed away and I was following in his footsteps by being in law enforcement. I know he would be so proud of me now.
March 2018, I made the leap, feet first right into entrepreneurship. Covert Results was born. I had a slight advantage, my sister has been a successful business owner for two decades, but it was all on me to be a leader. What started with one has now led to a team of 10 licensed private investigators and a staff of 30 plus qualified active/retired police officers to conduct armed security. I’d say I have put together one hell of a team…as a leader.
Not willing to slow down, the team at Covert Results is constantly looking for avenues to improve. This week we were invited by EO (Entrepreneurs’ Organization) to attend the Scaling Up Reignite Summit 3.0. Moderated by Verne Harnish, founder of the world-renowned Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), with over 13,000 members worldwide, and chair, for fifteen years, of EO’s premiere CEO program, the “Birthing of Giants” held at MIT, a program which he still teaches in today. Panel speakers included: Mark Cuban, Steve Forbes, Kat Cole, David Gardner, and other very successful entrepreneurs.
With over 6,000 attendees, it was definitely the coolest Zoom meeting we have ever been a part of. Shelby, our legal analyst, law school student and future entrepreneur herself, and I took down some notes. We wanted to provide you with our takeaways from each of the key speakers:
Mark Cuban, Entrepreneur and author, How to Win at the Sport of Business, named “the People’s Billionaire;” and owner of 155 companies
-Companies need both agility and resilience. “You’re really going to have to be agile and communicate in ways you’ve never done before. Talk to employees on the front lines. -Ask what they would do. “The answers aren’t going to come from the same places we’ve always heard from.”
-As for leading through the recovery, “ This is such a total reset, everyone has the opportunity to venture into new territory and change the game. This is where you have to really communicate honestly and authentically.”
-As to running for office, “I’m an entrepreneur. Every entrepreneur says ‘Always keep your options open. Never say never but it’s very unlikely.”
Dr. Susan David, Harvard Medical School Psychologist and Author: Emotional Agility
-When we are in a time of chaos and complexity we need to see ourselves. Only in doing that are we able to move forward. The traditional way we think about our difficult experiences is that they are good or bad, positive or negative. We talk about positive or negative emotions. This view is rigid. Rigidity in the face of complexity is toxic. Avoid the “’tyranny of the relentless positivity.”
-“Discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life. What we know more than ever is the only certainty is uncertainty. We as a society need to develop the skills to navigate this reality. What so often happens when we are experiencing difficult emotions, we bottle them, push them aside, pretend to our team that everything is okay.”
Raj Sisoda, Healing Organization & Author: The Healing Organization
-There is tremendous suffering in the world. The way we lead, manage, and organize is causing unnecessary suffering.
-We cannot go back to business as usual.
Jeff Thull, Sales Mastery & Author: Mastering the Complex Sale
-Complex sale: The key to the complexity is the customer requires outside expertise to make a quality decision. It is a business or personal decision that might involve the technical aspect. In the medical world, it involves the clinical aspect.
-The more transparent your approach is, the more you and your team will be invited to engage with your team as an advisor. Top professionals are coming to customers with tools to do a thorough analysis of a customer’s business. They know how their customers make money and what constraints customers are facing.
David Gardner, Investing Strategy Co-Founder, The Motley Fool
-You should be getting out of credit card and high-interest debt. It’s very hard to invest and beat those numbers.
-Save 10% of your salary. As we get older it’s possible to save more than that. The default for many is put it in an index fund. Vanguard has a number of great index funds.
-David doesn’t own many index funds. Has almost all of his money in stocks. Many people already know good companies. One example: A biker who rides Harleys would be better off betting on Harley than a stock he doesn’t know or understand.
-Favorite stocks for the future: Amazon, Beyond Meat, Sea Limited, the Trade Desk, and Zoom.
Kat Cole, Retail Therapy, President of Focus Brands
-Focus on what’s “small enough to change and big enough to matter.”
-“It is within our power to pivot and alter the business.”
Steve Forbes, What’s Ahead, Co-Author: Money: How the Destruction of the Dollar Threatens the Global Economy
-The US is going to have a quicker recovery than most other countries. It will depend on geography. Certain states—FL, GA, CO—are moving faster than other states. “You’ll see those areas bounce back faster than those that stay closed the longest.
-In the restaurant industry, you’ll see changes. “Everyone will wonder how you have social distancing.”
-Steve endorses the idea of reducing the cost of hiring new people, not collecting payroll taxes.
-Keep an eye on liability protection. “Lawsuits are lining up. You’ll see a real push to have immunity if you take proper steps such as masks and the like.” We need protection against frivolous litigation. “Small business cannot afford to defend themselves against a frivolous suit.”
We hope that these take-aways are as helpful to you as they were to us. Being given the opportunity to hear from so many successful and innovative Entrepreneurs was inspiring. Now it’s time to get back to work!
We now have a new dedicated office in Clarksville, located with Patton and Pittman, 101 N. Third Street, Clarksville, TN 37040. Covert Results is available to advise on how we could help your case, give pricing for the type of work you’re looking for, and even answer questions on how you could help yourself to mitigate the situation. If you or your attorney find yourself asking about private investigations, professional armed security or handgun training please email, call, or visit our website.
contact@covertresults.com 615-861-1680 Covertresults.com
Private Investigations. Professional Security. Proven Results!
