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Get "More" with People, Strategy, and Technology

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Problem, Solution, and Real Business Results

Problem

  • Not working with best-fit teams
  • Wasting time
  • Missing out on new revenue opportunities
  • Suffering from unconscious incompetence

Solution

  • To discover a go-to person you can trust every time to bring the right team together around the table who are specialists at solving your specific problem

Results

  • Increased revenue
  • Massive time savings
  • Awareness and education about what you don’t know 

Get More with People, Strategy, and Technology

Story

Are you an innovator, a thought leader, or a changemaker? Do you want “more?”

To save more time

To make better decisions more often

Get more of your stuff out to the world at a higher margin

To figure out what precisely you want more of

To live your purpose with more impact

More out of your business, your team, and yourself. I want that for you. Here is the thing — it is totally possible. And there’s even more than that possible…if you want it.

You see, I was sick and tired of people operating from a place of fear and not showing up, myself included. I was sick of lame mission statements and uninspired visions. I was tired of not doing things the right way. I was done with less. I was tired of watching the smartest people I know—innovative founders and business leaders—not sharing their gifts with the world and playing small. I was tired of large corporations failing to innovate out of fear of what their stakeholders might think. I wanted more for myself and everyone I worked with.

I started a business to give people more and help companies, organizations, and universities smash through the ceiling on what is possible!

My name is Chris Filipiak. I’m “The Connector.” I help people make the right connections in their business and make more happen.

I’ve built a career around bringing the right companies to the table and helping executives quickly match their actual business results to their original vision.

My passion is what I’m known for: helping my customers see that way more is possible. I make it happen by solving specific challenges with their People, Strategy, and Technology.

The secret? I’m committed to a simple process. I connect my customers to a specialized group of strategic partners: people who are smart, nimble, experienced, and a perfect fit for solving their problem.

It doesn’t matter if you are a startup founder or a Fortune 100 CEO. My goal is to share with you how and why what you want more of is possible.

So, why People, Strategy, and Technology?

Studied at great business schools? Been there. Winner of pitch competitions? Done that. Living in one of the most forward-thinking cities on the planet? Yes, and loving it.

But it’s the sleeves-rolled-up experience that matters. I’ve worked on hundreds of projects at large Fortune 50 companies, global tech firms, and startups. I’ve worked across the supply chain. Business development, purchasing, manufacturing, SCRUM mastery, marketing, technology consulting, big data analysis, and founding business.

What this diverse experience taught me is that people constantly short-change themselves.

Not from lack of effort.

But from lack of vision, access to information, and willingness to say, “I don’t know – I need some help.”

So, I started pondering the challenges around connectedness and integration. And I decided that if I ever did a project again, then I would want to do it through the lens of People, Strategy, and Technology with only the best teams.

We are evolving into a loosely connected economy. You see this with your “tech stack” and apps in your phone. You no longer have just one system…you have hundreds. The challenge is not trying to narrow down to one which no longer exists anyway. The challenge is understanding what options are out there and integrating it together, then experimenting/tuning the configuration. It’s like continuous improvement, but for your whole business and life.

This People, Strategy and Technology lens through which I approach any project is intended to really make a difference and move your business forward in a massive way.

People need technology to do their jobs. Technology needs people to use it. The people need to thrive, and the technology needs to be nailed. And both, technology and people, need to be coordinated into a strategy that moves a company’s mission forward and realizes the leader’s vision.

More sales, more collaboration, and more cohesive teams.

People, Strategy, and Technology are the integration points that allow businesses across many industries to make way more happen and smash the ceiling on what is possible.

If your business and the results you are experiencing or expecting are not matching the vision you have for your company, this is frequently a symptom of a much larger problem – the lack of integration among People, Strategy, and Tech.

Problem

I see two problems.

First large enterprise corporations are often missing an opportunity to think about their business through the lens of People, Strategy, and Technology. This wastes time and introduces real business risk into their projects which limits the potential for growth.

The second problem is companies are not working with the best fit teams and in many cases don’t even know what they need to achieve their “more.” They don’t know how to buy from the smaller agencies that can do the highly-specialized, high-quality, and creative work they may be inefficient at creating internally. This again wastes time and costs the company money.

So, what are People, Strategy, and Technology?

Strategy

Strategy is pretty damn important and there are many different definitions.

Here’s mine - Strategy is your best theory and idea about why and how you will do what you do.

It’s your story. Your Vision, Mission, and Values combined with how you act on them is strategy. I have read many drafts of many companies’ Vision, Mission, and Values statements. They range from excellent to confusing.

The excellent ones are clear, concise, and compelling. They are also actionable and measurable.

The bad ones are downright confusing and meaningless.

Getting this right is fundamental to building a business and creating actionable opportunities to do way more.

Strategy also includes your Brand and how you will become the company you desire to be.

Finally, it includes your Revenue and Business Development Strategy and how you interact with your customers. It’s how you align People and Tech to achieve more.

People

People are the core of your business and what really matters while we are here. The pillar of People includes: culture, engagement, conversations, wellness, collaborative organizing, leadership, alignment, change management, learning and development, human capital strategy, and governance. The key is to use all of these tools, frameworks, and tactics to ensure that your people, your team, and yourself are best supported and positioned for success.

Tech

In some ways, Tech is the easiest to achieve for most companies, and often this is where I see them shine. Tech is anything you can put into a project plan and check a box on. Some tech is more important than other tech and understanding the difference can be tricky. For example, I like tech that drives improvements in companies and can be measured. As it relates to my current Connector business, tech includes: Custom Software Development, Digital Innovation, Marketing Tech, Data Integrations, Content Strategy, SEO, Websites, Market Research, Ideation, UI/UX, Design, Brand Development, Security, Data, and Analytics. It’s a lot to understand and sort out. The good news is that there are excellent companies that have incredible talent and experience with these technologies and you can partner with them.

Results

When People, Strategy, and Tech are aligned, your business results are clear and tangible.

Northwestern University integrated People, Strategy, and Technology to enroll more students at a lower cost. They mitigated project risks with a People view that included change management. This saved them $750,000 on the initial project.

Club Car, Sea Ray Boats, and Roush Racing all increased leads and margin up to 500% because they were thinking about People, Strategy, and Technology together.

Wake Forest University took an integrated view of People, Strategy, and Tech to triple the number of students enrolled in their online summer programs.

And finally, several of my BDaaS customers have quickly opened new opportunities with large manufacturers, universities, banks, electric power companies, and innovative technology firms by thinking about their business through the lens of People, Strategy, and Technology.

How did they achieve this? Solution

I believe you need a connector, an impartial adviser, that has your back.

This can’t be your purchasing department. They are inside the organization. Their goal is to manage suppliers and vendors towards a cost target. Not to a “more” target. Same goes for others entrenched within your organization. They are awesome but just aren’t positioned to see what else is out there.

When I launched my business as “The Connector”, it was for one reason: to give the best companies access the best teams and information.

The best work is being achieved by having great people who are fully aligned and supported by pieces like change management, culture, and great conversations. A strategy that clearly supports the mission and the right technology allows your people to do the work.

I have amazing partners that are crushing projects daily with amazing talent. I see the corporate job boards filled with open recs for technical talent, BD talent, and help with their people.

The teams are out there, waiting. I would much rather work with a specialized group of people doing what they do every day across different disciplines than try to stay in a silo on an internal team for a company. The creation of knowledge, information, and options available when you work with best fit talent outside your organization can be transformative.

I see customers struggling with bad experiences, employees underperforming, and executives worrying about huge technology debt.

That doesn’t have to be your reality.

You just have to have a willingness to change. To mix it up. To work with a connector who has made this their life.

I don’t want you to operate from a place of fear. I believe in the power of more and the ability to transform your business, your people, and your leadership to achieve more.

Call to Action

If you are brave with yourself you likely have a “more” goal you want to reach, right now. If you consider this goal through the lens of People, Strategy, and Technology you may already have a hunch about the massive opportunity you have to achieve this “more” today instead of tomorrow.

My business success is built upon my ability to keenly understand where you want to grow and what you desire. Then I sort this all out on your behalf and arrange the right team, the right strategic partners together in a way that not only achieves what you desire but expands what you believe is possible.

I can’t not share what I know with you.

I’m here to inspire you that way more is possible. I’m here to show up and give you access to my head, my heart, and the kick ass teams and people I know. Together, we can figure it out and make more happen here and now, in real time.

I'm interested in connecting & learning what you want more of at your company. If you want that, too — let's start a conversation.