FROM FAILURE
CELEBRITY COVER
TO 400 MILLION
HOW MONT PHELPS BUILT A TEAM OF
WINNERS
Mont Phelps is no stranger to running a successful IT company . Over the course of his career at NWN Corporation , which he founded , he oversaw growth in revenue from the millions to the hundreds of millions . As such , he ’ s traveled down the same roads you ’ re traveling on now .
“ Frankly , it hasn ’ t been that long since we were exactly like you are , exactly where you are , and facing exactly the same issues you are facing right now ,” Phelps says . Despite his massive success , Phelps does not pretend to be a guru or visionary . He ’ s a down-to-earth man who ’ s more than willing to share how he and his team laid the groundwork for growth . He discusses his tactics as a means to help other businesses in similar positions but doesn ’ t hold so dear to his ideas that he allows no room for alternatives . To Phelps , it all starts with a vision and mindset .
Golfers vs . Football Players
“ I believe that business is a team sport ,” Phelps states plainly . “ A team is always going to be better than an individual , provided that the team functions well .” Developing a tightknit , welloiled team is , in Phelps ’ eyes , the No . 1 priority for any business . Of course , that ’ s easier said than done .
“ One of the issues with this industry is that we ’ re all control freaks . By the way , I ’ m the worst ,” he says with a laugh . “ Somehow , you have to get over that . Many entrepreneurs run their business like they ’ re golfers .
They play every shot ; they make every decision . Sure , there ’ s somebody there to hold the bag , but it ’ s really all you .” Phelps believes that you can absolutely be successful using this model , but you just won ’ t reach the same heights that a teambased organization will . Instead , Phelps sees an ideal company as analogous to a football team . “ In a football team , everybody ’ s job is important ; everyone has a different skill set ,” he notes . “ You ’ re not on the field all the time . It ’ s really about the team . You have to trust each other . The level of communication is critical . People need to act both as part of the team and independently . It ’ s a lot more complex .”
Much like a football team has an offense , a defense , and special team units , Phelps divides his organization into sales , delivery , and operations teams . While there
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