Reference no: EM133671357

My name is Earl Levith. I am President of Jinji Consulting, a Strategic and Operational Management Consulting practice specializing in small to medium sized companies of $5-100 Million Revenue. We assist the CEO and his senior management team in defining their Goals, developing a Strategy to accomplish those goals, and then helping them execute and control the Strategy. Having said all that, it should be noted that I named the company after my dog.

More seriously, I have extensive background as a senior executive, entrepreneur, CEO, business consultant, management advisor, technology/marketplace facilitator, and strategy and planning specialist. Since 1992, I have been the president of Jinji Corporation. I have also been the General Manager of J&S Chemical Co., a manufacturer serving the die casting and metalworking industries; Vice President of the start-up company, Select Management Systems, developing the strategic start-up structure, organization, processes, and procedures as well as having operational responsibility for the Eastern US of a telecom infrastructure contractor; President and CEO of Edlon Products; Business Director of Designed Intermediates/Performance Chemicals for Occidental Chemicals; and was an engineer and then the Regional Manager-Europe for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft.

I am "published" in the area of business strategy, and have contributed articles and case studies to several academic books and journals. I have also been the keynote speaker at several industry conferences, have been elected to the Board of Directors of the Fire Retardant Chemical Association, and served on the International Trade Committee of the National Agricultural Chemical Association.

My formal education includes a BS in Engineering from Tulane University, an MS in Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, as well as an MBA from Rensselaer. I have a DBA from the University of Phoenix.

So much for the formality of my resume. The short version is that I was an engineer until I learned how to spell it, and they put me in marketing. I learned early on that I was smart enough to know that I was not smart enough to know everything, so I surrounded myself with good people and learned to listen. My engineering background taught me how to take big problems and break them down into small pieces that actually could have solutions, and this approach has worked for me quite well over the years.

My real life exists outside my work. My wife and I started late with kids, and I now have two boys and a girl, and will be camping with the Cub Scouts well into my Social Security years. Now if I can just control those Cub Scout parents who think that a 7 year old relieving himself on a tree in the woods is making an environmental statement. What little time is left over from my family activities I allocate to work. I think my priorities are right.

Question

Compare any feedback discussed, considering especially if the comment seems to ring true for your own experience as well.

Discuss the growth strategy that your peer identified and how it compares to your own.