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Thank you to the 1,400 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 questions!
I hope reading
helps you in your leadership.
Cheers,
Jonno White
7 Questions with Paul Visokey
7 Questions with Paul Visokey
Name: Paul Visokey
Current title: President
Current organisation: Stony Hill Advisors
I founded Stony Hill Advisors, a merger and acquisition advisory firm that specializes in providing intermediary services for lower middle market companies and small business entrepreneurs across a wide variety of industries. My particular focus is Information Technology companies. Our professional services include mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, exit value planning, business valuations and transaction consulting.
My guiding principle is to make the most of what I do every day. As an advisor, I share this to inspire my clients. I also remind them of what Lewis Carroll wrote: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” Goal setting is critical to success.
I’ve spent my career choosing innovative, forward-thinking start-up organizations at their early stage and contributing to their success using my technical education and sales skills. Having garnered the vision of how to grow and adapt in a start-up with limited resources, in a new market, introducing the value proposition to new customers, I’ve been able to change industries and repeat the process. I now guide business owners in privately held companies through an exit value plan and ultimately a transition to new ownership. I'm also an Advisory Board member for a few companies.
1. What have you found most challenging as a leader of a small or medium enterprise?
Maintaining a long term focus while constantly working on the day to day requirements.
2. How did you become a leader of an SME? Can you please briefly tell the story?
I started my company to help the demographic "Baby Boomer business owners" access the wealth they have created in their privately owned businesses primarily for the purpose of retirement.
3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?
I like to start with the urgent and important issues to make sure they have priority and then I work on the things that are more long term and important. By eliminating the urgent I can free my mind to work on the more the remaining important issues. I strive to ignore what's not important.
4. What's the most recent significant leadership lesson you've learned?
I have my own clients but manage the business in addition. I recently have reduced seeking new personal clients to grow the business and help the other associates succeed.
5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
6. How do you build leadership capacity in an SME?
Coaching and supporting the individual contributions.
7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader of an SME so far?
With few employees it is difficult to move on from an underachiever but in reality it is more important in an SME.