January of 2012 was a celebration for VWI. Not just a celebration of our success, but a celebration of the path that successfully brought us here. We are a Government Contractor, but we are really in the people business. Our success is not in the products we create, but in the relationships we build with and among people.
With that in mind, in 2009 we set forth a new vision that would encourage growth and foster continued development of new and stronger relationships…not just relationships at the leadership level, but the all-important ones that our people on the ground, and in the field, must develop and strengthen with each of our clients. What better way to do that than with employee-ownership.
Employee-Ownership compliments the people-centered culture that was created by our Founder Jim Vincent, and that we have proudly maintained for more than 22 years. I know we can count on the continued support of our employees as we now share in the growth and prosperity of our company, together.
When I was the Executive Vice President for VWI, I would tell people that I had the easiest job in the world. All I had to do was to insure that our leadership had the resources necessary to accomplish their mission and stay out of the way. Today, as President, it is not much different. I have learned that there are basically two types of people in business.
The first type needs someone to tell them what to do, show them how to do it, and then through scheduled follow-up, make sure that the task was completed. These people seldom take any risks and although they are usually successful in mistake-free work, they never really grow as a leader or an individual. The other type of person is the one that you only have to describe the end product. They spend their time thinking of creative ways to get the task done. They usually produce better product, highest quality deliverables, and are much more fun to work with. As opposed to the first type of person, they need minimal supervision, are innovative, enthusiastic, get the work done right the first time, and provide an end product that generally exceeds the client’s expectations.
The resulting outcomes are much better for our clients and keep the door open for repeat business opportunities. This has been a major factor in sustaining our growth over the last 22 years. Providing the necessary support and training to ensure that our personnel experience increased job satisfaction and effectiveness enhances the success as a company. This leadership philosophy is embodied in the competent and capable leaders that we have at VWI.
I am very proud to be associated with the leaders of VWI and I challenge our employee owners, clients, and business partners to take the time to get to know each of them.
Robert D. Vincent, President & CEO
