Navigating Success through Strategic Clarity, Operational Excellence, and Leadership Development!

In the dynamic landscape of business, achieving optimal organizational performance requires more than just a series of isolated actions; it demands a comprehensive and strategic approach. This is where the concept of accelerating organizational performance through strategic clarity, enhanced day-to-day operations, and key person leadership development comes into play.

 

One name shines brightly as a harbinger of transformation – Phil Bristol, the ingenious mind behind Projectivity Solutions. As Founder and CEO, he has embarked on an extraordinary journey, channeling his vision into a platform that propels organizations towards heightened operational efficacy, strategic lucidity, and the holistic development of leadership.

With a resolute commitment to fostering performance enhancement, Phil's brainchild, Projectivity, stands as a testament to his determination to steer organizations toward success. Fuelled by the belief that strategic clarity, coupled with elevated day-to-day operations, can yield remarkable results, he has dedicated his professional voyage to elevating the performance, productivity, and profitability benchmarks for executives, teams, and organizations alike.

Projectivity's origins trace back to providing tailored project management solutions to tech entities in the California Bay Area. However, its evolution has been nothing short of remarkable. What once started as project management metamorphosed into program management consulting and immersive training. What's more intriguing is the transformation of its clientele. The trajectory saw a shift from catering primarily to Fortune 500 giants before 2004 to a focal alignment with small businesses boasting less than 500 employees. Today, Projectivity's reach spans the expanse of the USA, Europe, and India, a testament to its global impact.

What sets Projectivity apart is its ability to transcend the conventional confines of services. Beyond project management and program consulting, it has embraced a diverse spectrum. From strategic planning that stitches the future fabric of organizations to the intricate art of business process improvement, the journey under Phil's guidance has been one of expansion. It doesn't stop there. Projectivity has woven the essence of leadership development and organizational culture into its offerings, underlining its holistic approach toward transformation.

 

Below are the highlights of the interview:

 

Could you give our readers an insight into Projectivity Solutions and its inception story?

After leaving the US Army in 1984, I became a strategic systems consultant for an international pharmaceutical company and later became the manager of manufacturing systems until starting Projectivity Solutions, Inc.

Projectivity Solutions, formed in 1990, served California Bay Area technology companies by providing project management solutions that evolved into program management consulting and training. Fortune 500 companies formed the client core until 2004, when the focus became small companies with fewer than 500 employees. Today, clients are located in the USA, Europe, and India.

During this timeframe, the service offering evolved to include strategic planning, business process improvement, leadership development, and organizational culture.

The challenge along the way has been creating a cohesive service offering for companies with fewer than 500 employees. Also, the difficulty caused by COVID was the closure of all in-person client engagements; however, advancements within telecommunications technology allowed client engagements to continue and opened new opportunities in Europe and Asia. The enhanced Projectivity Solutions integrated services offer clients multiple points of engagement depending on their needs and maturity level.

 

Can you tell us about your experience in the business and management field, and what led you to found Projectivity Solutions?

In 2022, Projectivity Solutions conducted a comprehensive retrospective focusing on assessing its services, staff, and client base. The company remains dedicated to serving organizations, providing services that promote operational excellence and foster collaborative teamwork. Looking ahead to 2023–2024, Projectivity plans to refine its strategic planning service, expand its offerings in Europe and India, and provide mentoring to an advisory team. These initiatives aim to improve the company’s ability to deliver exceptional service to clients and further strengthen its reputation as a trusted provider of expert consulting services.

Phil Bristol is internationally recognized as an expert in accelerating organizational performance. He has over 35 years of business experience, focusing on strategic planning, business process improvement, and enterprise-wide project management. He has successfully planned, marketed, developed, and implemented innovative solutions for public and private sector clients. Mr. Bristol has demonstrated skills in strategic planning, business process reengineering (BPR), enterprise-wide project management, and leadership development. His keynote presentations and workshops are highly praised by leaders nationally and internationally. Backed by his experience as a business owner, consultant, and educator, Mr. Bristol brings strong business and leadership acumen to bear as he works with CEOs and their leadership teams.

Mr. Bristol has produced significant bottom-line results for Fortune 500 companies, including Sun Microsystems, Apple Computers, Varian Associates, McGraw-Hill, Eddie Bauer, and Applied Materials. He has also helped startup companies like NOAH Software and FiberStar achieve growth and next-level performance. His broad work experience, education, and academic positions give him a balanced perspective on practical business solutions.

His presentations and workshops on "Speak The Language Of Leadership" are acclaimed by executives worldwide. Phil has taught numerous courses in leadership, project management, and strategic planning at the graduate and undergraduate levels. He’s a much sought-after speaker and presenter for professional organizations. He holds numerous credentials and certifications from internationally recognized organizations and is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants.

Mr. Bristol earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska and his graduate degree from the University of Northern Colorado. He has also completed post-master's courses at the University of Southern California. He has received academic postings with the Florida Institute of Technology, California State University, San Jose, and St. Mary’s College.

 

Can you share some examples of innovative solutions you have developed for public and private sector clients?

Using assessments to gauge organizational complexity, we assist CEOs in objectively identifying strengths and challenges impacting the customer experience and service quality. This innovative approach fosters a common language and understanding among the leadership team and employees by integrating culture, human relationships, work processes, and strategic plans.

Unlike other companies, Projectivity Solutions uses more than 130 years of science and research to objectively gather client data by conducting targeted “X-Rays” focused on: 1) business operations, 2) relationships, 3) financial performance, and 4) mindset. The company’s core offerings include the Enterprise foundation program, Exceptional coaching program, Exceptional manager program, Exceptional mindset program, and Exceptional leader program.

Exceptional Coaching Program: Focused on Fast Results

We provide in-depth solutions that are uniquely configured for a growing company’s business. We approach a business as a dynamic, living system filled with interrelated elements. We craft a configurable solution by identifying the most critical factors to infuse into a business and prioritizing accordingly.

Exceptional Strategic Planning: Moving from DOING to CRITICAL THINKING

Enhance success and performance by using a strategy-making process. Our strategic process is about informed decisions and making hard choices. The objective is not to eliminate risk but to increase the odds of success. Know where your organization is going and the actions needed for success.

Exceptional Enterprise Program: Moving from REACTIVE to FOCUSED

We help grow exceptional businesses through the Stages of Growth™ methodology that identifies and infuses missing vital elements into a company’s ecosystem to create high-functioning, highly profitable organizations. Just as there are vital elements that make up a healthy ecosystem, there are 11 components that make up an exceptional business. Each piece corresponds to a structured engagement that strengthens that particular business area.

Exceptional Manager Program:

Working ON the business, not working in the Business. Moving from DOING to CRITICAL THINKING. The Exceptional Manager Program is a unique 12-month learning experience that shapes the management team into the backbone of an exceptional company.

 Exceptional Mindset Program: Creating a Culture

Moving from ME to WE. An outward mindset is the foundation for how we help leaders achieve sustainable growth and performance. An outward mindset is the foundation for true collaboration and collective business success. As such, a leader’s inward or outward mindset profoundly impacts leadership style, treatment of people, innovation, collaboration, team building, and overall business success.

Exceptional Leader Program: Optimizing Human Potential

Moving from CONTROL to INFLUENCE. This program incorporates self-mastery skills and adds leadership skills that optimize team potential by building trust-based relationships. The third component is a culture of collaboration, which optimizes organizational potential by balancing business acumen and compassion. Finally, this program’s advanced leadership modules include conflict transformation and key person acquisition.

 

Over the last few years, every industry has been through a tide of changes. How do you stay attuned to the changes in your domain?

Projectivity Solutions is a research-driven and client-listening company. We adapt mindfully our integrated client services based on engagement feedback and focus group conversations. Our client-focused programs provide integrated solutions which are implemented based on assessments and client interviews. Fundamentally, we listen to connect, which creates high trust and an environment of co-creation.

 

What skills do you believe are essential for strategic planning and business process re-engineering?

BPR can improve the quality of customer service and reduce operational costs. Strategic Planning sharpens the company’s vision, mission, values, and high-level aspirations. While Business Process Reengineering (BPR) helps assess your processes and redesign them to fit the new goals of the business, Both skill sets are tightly coupled at the core yet divergent in practice. Leaders who work in strategic planning must be able to analyze and evaluate business plans. They must know market analysis, feasibility analysis, and more. With analytical skills, strategic planners can decide the steps a company needs to take. Business Process Reengineering (BPR) allows companies to redesign their processes by enabling cross-functional teams to work together to determine areas for improvement and ways to optimize maximum value. Many of the critical skills for success are common in strategic planning and BPR, such as communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, change management, and leadership.

 

How do you approach enterprise-wide project management? Can you provide us with some insights?

Project management requires teamwork, good communication, coordination, time management, and great project management tools. These keys help achieve the project goal. Effective enterprise program management means setting a clear project plan and using the right tools to monitor progress. The best project managers can manage setbacks while keeping the company’s goals and workflow on track. A solid communication plan and the right tools help energize the project team. Equally important are stakeholder identification and an active risk management plan. The foundation for success is leading by example, becoming a role model for the team, positively influencing their work approach, and bolstering

 

What have been some of the key lessons you have learned from your experience as a business owner, consultant, and educator?

Ask Questions For Which I Have No Answers. This is an essential lesson I learned from the Arbinger Institute, the Creating We Institute, and Target Training International, which significantly improved my leadership and communication styles. For example, by asking questions such as "How do you (we as leaders) guide, direct, and inspire employees to be mindful and aware of what will help our company live into its Vision, Values, and Mission? Or having conversations with employees to enable them to clarify and operationalize the mission? To understand the customer? To satisfy the customer? To work more effectively to enhance the customer’s experience?

 

How do you work with CEOs and their leadership teams to enhance their business and leadership acumen?

Projectivity Solutions uses three models for designing client engagements: 1) the Organization Framework, 2) the engagement discovery process, and 3) the Small Business Maturity Sequence. Projectivity Solutions collaboratively serves for-profit and nonprofit organizations with 500 or fewer employees. Clients are geographically dispersed, with the core in the United States, Europe, and India. Our Solution Discovery Process uses scientific assessments to determine organizational complexity. Projectivity Solutions helps a CEO objectively determine strengths and challenges affecting the customer experience and service quality. This approach creates a common language and experience for the leadership team and employees by integrating culture, people relationships, work processes, and strategic plans.

 

Can you share some feedback or testimonials you have received for your keynote presentations and workshops, and what are your future goals and aspirations for Projectivity Solutions?

• “Thanks, Phil. These are my takeaways from today; look at four key areas: setting the company direction, being clear about expectations, relationships, and mindset… our processes are designed to deliver these capacities to a company and its leaders.”

 

• “Ask the right questions, objectively determine strengths and weaknesses, and then design and help implement solutions proven to drive sustainable performance.”

 

• Phil collaboratively integrates perspectives and methods to produce fresh ideas that differentiate the typical from the exceptional.

 

• “Listen to connect – hold a neutral space to explore uncharted territory. Ask questions for which you have no answers. Co-create, innovate, and transform to create higher levels of trust.”

 

• “The fact I didn’t know that can hurt me…70% of small business owners fail by their 10th year of operation”

 

• “I now understand how building positive, supportive relationships are the cornerstone for success.”

 

Please provide us with a few client testimonials and any awards or recognition that accurately reflect your achievements in this industry.

• “Projectivity Solutions innovative approach fosters a common language and understanding among the leadership team and employees by integrating culture, human relationships, work processes, and strategic plans.”
• “Leadership is all about relationships and honoring the humanness of others; an unflinching drive to optimize the full potential of each person and organization.”
• “Trust is at the heart of culture, leadership, company valuation and growth.”
• “Building People – Building Relationships – Building Trust-Based Cultures.”
• “Breaking boundaries. Pushing the Limit! These are terms Projectivity Solutions incorporates into their daily life.”
• “Our business X-Ray gave us insights into why our growth had stalled for over six years.”
• “Projectivity Solutions help our business achieve higher results through their custom-designed solutions.

 

Certificates:

• Certified Management Consultant – CMC, Institute for Management Consultants
• Project Management Professional – PMP, Project Management Institute
• Project Management Scheduling Professional – PMI-SP, Project Management Institute
• Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst – CPBA, Target Training International
• Certified Emotional Intelligence Analyst – CEQA, Target Training International
• Certified Driving Forces Analyst – CDFA, Target Training International
• Certified Hartman Dimensions Analyst – CHDA, Target Training International
• Certified Axiology Analyst – CAA, Price & Associates
• Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner – NLP, NLP Institute of California
• Certified Conversation-Intelligence Coach – CreatingWe Institute
• Certified Arbinger Leadership Coach – The Arbinger Institute
• Certified Arbinger Facilitator – The Arbinger Institute
• Certified Conflict Transformation Facilitator – The Arbinger Institute
• Certified Stages of Growth Strategist – Target Training International & Rewild Group

 

Employment:

• 1969 – 1990: LTC US Army serving as an Airborne-Ranger officer with 3rd Amour Division, Frankfurt FRG, United Nations Command, Seoul ROK, Test & Evaluation Command, Aberdeen MD, HQ Seventh Army, Honolulu HI.
• 1990 – 1997: Syntex Corporation as the international strategic systems planning officer, director, manufacturing systems.
• 1997 – Present: Projectivity Solutions, Inc.

 

Recognition:

• Who’s Who – Premier Member 1996 – 2004
• President’s Award – 2015: Roseville Chamber of Commerce
• Chairman’s Award – 2013: TTI Insights

 

Publications: Forbes

• Don’t Let The Family Drama Vortex Shatter Your Family Business Legacy: 2019
• Is Your Family Business In Turmoil?
• The Solution Could Be Communication: 2019
• Profit By Design: How To Create A Sustainable Business Model For Your Company: 2019
• Effective Planning Post Covid-19: Don’t Bury Your Head In The Sand: 2019
• Is Your Leadership Style Diminishing Company Performance?: 2021