In this fantastic episode, Jeff Abbott, Principal at Greater Things Consulting shares some of the greatest lessons he’s learned over decades of sustained success working with organizations from the smallest start ups to billion dollar businesses.
Scott Ritzheimer
Hello, everybody. Hello and welcome. Welcome to our latest and greatest episode of the secrets of the high demand coach Podcast. I’m here with a relatively new friend, but it feels like we’ve known each other for ages. But that is the great Jeff Abbot here with us today. He’s a chairperson at convene, and Jeff a, anyone who knows when he’s a proven leader, he spent his time and kind of earned his stripes in the aircraft and space industry with 25 plus years of operations experience experience, from the ground floor all the way up to president of the organization. Jeff is active in his community serves as a Convene chair, which is how I met him and helps dozens of CEOs, and has been doing so since 2003. Now I know, you know, when you hear help lots of CEOs, it can be like, Well, what’s that like? What like, these are not necessarily like your brand new CEO coming out of the gate. He does that too. But some of these are billion dollar organizations. And they look to Jeff for wisdom and advice. And what I know about Jeff, more than any of those, it’s just the character of the man with us today is profound. So Jeff, thanks so much for being on the show. I’m so glad that you’re here and would love for you to just share with our listeners today. Your story, how did you get into coaching? What were you doing before that? And what’s the big why for you driving all of it?
Jeff Abbott
Oh, thank you. Thank you for having me. And I love talking to you, you’re exciting person to know. Yeah, it started out really with going way back. I wasn’t interested in involved in leadership. But back to the army, I was a sergeant in the Army. I got out of there, I went back to school, got married, got back back to school, and learned industrial arts. And I was my plan was to be a school teacher. But it didn’t do it for me in terms of the challenge and things like that. So I went back into industry trying to find a management role. And at the time, honestly, I just want any role, I just wanted to get on that ladder and just start going as high as I could, because that’s what I really thought I was cut out for i What i really enjoyed, I did toolmaker kinds of things. I was technical kind of guy, but it didn’t satisfy me at all. And I found myself distracted and make a lot of mistakes. So what I really wanted to do was get into management, and just get the higher level right. So that kind of describes my strengths and weaknesses. I’m a higher level kind of thinker. And I’m not into the details. So I have to learn with everybody else learning about how to be non detail person and be successful. So I got into this role as a quality director at aerospace company I’ve kept ascending to, to finally President. And that’s when I really, really realized the power of a team. And I had a great team around me, I kind of have a little bit of clown me. So I love to have fun all the time, like to make work fun. And it was fun for my staff. And I had guys that were working for me that are MBAs and I was not an MBA, I was more like, steeped in the process of the company. And I had a lot of fun. I made it sort of a game for me to make great aerospace parts. So I just got up to the top. And we’re I was in a public company. So my operation was running. So well, Corporation asked me to run all the similar three divisions of the company that were looking like, and the higher I got in the organization and more political I got in I was a kind of guy, I was just always pushing the limits. I was doing Lean and continuous improvement, and there’s breakthrough improvement, things like that. And that stuff tends to be a little risky from the profit and loss standpoint. And my corporation changed their leadership and a guy that was a total processor was that put into the role. And he did not like any variability. And so I was all about variables. And I ended up you know, being replaced with somebody else really surprised me, because I had been in the company almost 20 years. And and I had been making it successful. And so I found myself on the street looking for another job. I look alike job for the one I had. And my career coach said, Jeff, I’m looking at the tea leaves of all the things that you’re saying about your life, you need to look for something with more purpose. And so it ended up that can be convenient that they in those times just called BBL forum. I looked into it. I saw one video of how it works. I said that’s what I want to do. And I never looked back. I stopped started building the groups and here I am today. I just handed off one team, but I’ve had three teams for almost 19 years.
Scott Ritzheimer
So tell us a little bit about convening. In, and particularly from the lens of why did that resonate with you so much?
Jeff Abbott
That’s a great question. Because when I was in the army I got, I was found out by a group of Christian people that love to disciple men. And I was just laying in my bunk and they didn’t like me laying there. They said, Jeff, you’re a Christian. We want to disciple you get out of bed, come play the soccer game with us today on the Saturday morning when I wanted to sleep, and they drugged me around and that kind of caught on to my, my person, I wanted to be a more high functioning Christian, but I was lost in the blur of the army. And there was no kind of fellowships around to be involved with and stuff. And this was one of them. And they were pretty hardcore. So I got discipled by these people. And so I became, I became one of them, I did this I became this guy that’s tested tough in the army, about my faith and stuff. And I really believed what I was all about. And I started leading my squad, I was a sergeant. So leading my squad, the way I thought that Christ will lead people, you know, just caring for them and stuff out of the Army, and then all this time passes. And that’s also the way I ran my departments and stuff, you know, on the way up to be a president. And so when I saw these two people doing what I had gone through back in the army, there’s a coach on one side and a guy, the other Bible in the middle. And I thought business Bibles, and as a, sign me up, count me, right. So I just threw my hat over the wall and just became a BBL chair. And they rebranded as convenes shortly after that. And so I’ve been doing that ever since. So having that one to one relationship with people making a difference, both spiritually and in the Convene world. I’m a life coach, I’m a business coach, I’m a spiritual coach, I’m a marriage coach, I’m, you know, whatever the, you know, the scenario shows itself. And so I just love it just to be really a significant factor in that person’s life.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, it’s, it’s remarkable. And having had a chance to meet all three of your teams, actually, I can tell you, it just the caliber of person that’s attracted to you is phenomenal. And there’s just, there’s something special happening. You walk into a room with a group of people, you could just tell like there’s something special happening in some rooms and not in others. And it was definitely happening. There was what I guess, you know, that’s from the outside looking in, but from the inside looking out, what do you attribute that to? I mean, you’ve been with convene for what going on 20 years now, does that Right? Right, and just put together three and you transition one, but these tremendous groups of high high caliber leaders? What do you kind of attribute that success to?
Jeff Abbott
That’s a good question. So I am sort of a free form sort of guy and I read a book early on called driven to distraction. And it describes me, I’m easily distracted. So what I had to do, and the answer to that was to put rhythm and structure in your life. So I put rhythm and structure in my life and took this guy that is really spontaneous and all over the place and and put some guardrails around that. And so I have what I call a map and measure I have a one page business plan, and one page metrics that I have everybody get on that that program so that they have on one page, what they’re trying to get done long term, and you know, what their values and mission and vision and everything, and then what their top things are that to get done this year, what they’re working on right now, who has what balls, it’s all on that piece of paper. So that’s on one side, I have a notebook I carry with makes sort of a file, paper file. I’m a paper kind of guy. One side shows the map. That’s the one page plan. The other side shows our conversations and the metrics. So I have a map and measure. So the map and measure kind of is simplifies it all. For me. Remember, I’m a simplicity guy. And so we have our conversations about what’s going well, we’re just struggling, how can I help? What’s next for you? What’s next to accomplish? And if they run out of things, because they go blank, a lot of times, I take them out of their factory or whatever, and sit them down in a room to do one to one and their brains still in the factory. So I had to say, Okay, let’s let’s calm down. What kind of opening prayer try to focus, but if they can’t do that, I go back to what is there and write in what they told me before, what the history is, and what the measurements are and say so so it says here that something that’s going really well is you know, your your sales, your backlog is growing like crazy. And so what you’re struggling with, you told me last time was trying to find people. How’s that going? So, so I have something to talk to them about. I haven’t, I typically have the gamut of personalities, that gamut of businesses that the spectrum in the room, I tend to have a great mix a really diverse people. And they grow together. And so the I, I, I’m an encourager, I like to, I like to give high challenge, because I’m a competitive guy, I’m just anything goes is not going to happen with me. So I’m a competitive guy. So I’m going to really challenge him in the areas where I see the potential, because my purpose is to get them to find their potential in the kingdom. So where’s your potential, I see all this latent potential, this is going, and then I’m going to be there with high support is also so high, I challenge I support that don’t try to protect people. And so they’re there, you know, like, I understand you’re really busy, so you didn’t get anything done. So I tend to be sort of a kind of a multifaceted coach, I don’t just ask questions. I like to help with some pointers and stuff. But the real secret sauce of convene is the group, I’m going to take this person in their troubles and stuff and give him some, give him some, some guidance, and then take them back to the group. And then we’ll open up their little sandbox to the team. And now the team helped them to so that’s super powerful, much more powerful is me alone. So I have that secret weapon, that I take people into that convened group and they grow there, and it’s things that I facilitate. I don’t cause. So that’s, that’s it in a nutshell.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, that’s great. Because I think one of the challenges, and I think everyone’s heard this, but until you become a CEO, you don’t really know what it feels like. But I kind of grew up through the ranks in my organization started the proverbial mailroom, you know, checking emails and faxes and, and became CEO of the organization. And I had no real business doing that. But you know, lucked into it, we’ll put it that way. And I remember, you know, when I was CEO, oh, what I was there for in that seat for five or six years, there was a sense of camaraderie to the rest of the leadership team. But when I became co CEO, like that sense of camaraderie, same people love them dearly, friends, you know, and our friend relationships, they the same, but our working relationship changed quite dramatically. And there was, there was a sense of loneliness that really caught me off guard when I became CEO. And I found that it’s like that for a lot of CEOs. Because there’s just a lack inside of the organization for any type of peer relationship, even if you’re like, you know, not holding it over anybody. But, you know, in trying to be as kind of equal as everybody else, unlike everybody else, you still are the 800 pound gorilla in every room you walk into, right? So we’re in a kind of light of that. Why do you feel like the, the, the team, how do you feel the convene teams helped solve that? Or do they? And why do you think, why do you think that is?
Jeff Abbott
I think it’s absolutely true. And so even though I have this great toolbox, this 20 years of successes and failures and thrill of victory, agony, NFE kind of thing. And so, I have this great toolbox and and I come to the person, and I say, you know, you can do it. And they look at me, and they they’re thinking that they might not but they’re thinking there’s no way I’m not you you can’t you are, you’re this great, you know, company president or something, I am this, this business owner, I’m trying to get it done. And so, they, they, they might, they might resist me a little bit. And I’m all for them, I’m encouraging that I’ll walk to the end of the high dive with them. And so we’re gonna jump off together, lad, who you know, and, but what really happens is when they walk in the room, and there’s a guy that they think is just like me, and that guy’s doing it, that guy has passed this, you know, this hurdle, this obstacle, and and he’s actually he’s actually grown to the next stage. And why can I do that? I mean, I can do that and we hang out together me and that guy and we go out there breakfast once in a while. We visit each other’s companies and stuff and then pretty soon, you know that that dynamic starts to disappear. But so I got over a long time ago that I’m not all things to all people. I know that just because Jeff said doesn’t make it so but if you John says, then that then, and Jeff said, though, okay, well, I can believe that now I’m gonna go ahead with that. And so, yeah, a lot of it is at the Christmas party, their wives will share, you know, my husband was just so bad, you know, like, and then he found convenient this, you know, all this stuff, this has been such a blessing to our family and things in the business and all everything just started to bloom when he when he found this group. And so yeah, can’t put probably a nail on every on every occasion, but there’s something in that room for everybody. And they just stick with the lean into it and not away from it, you know, they get a lot back and you talked about in your prep, about, you know, what differentiates the ones that really win and the ones that not so much, they’re the ones that will really invest in themselves and, and really take it serious and really honor the other people in the room and listen to their input and not be so full of themselves. Like, like I did it all on my own, do it yourselfer kind of thing. Get rid of that and just start listening to what wisdom would say. Yeah, that’s, that’s, that’s, that’s the secret of their, I think that dynamic you’re talking about.
Scott Ritzheimer
That’s excellent. Next question here is, again, you get to work with lots of different CEOs from from different industries and different stages in their career and their business. In light of all of that, who Who do you think needs a business coach? Or needs to join a group like Convene? And why?
Jeff Abbott
Yeah, that’s a good question. I have, you know, at one point in time, I say, you know, Convene for everyone. If you’re not a great listener, if you’re not, if you think that your methods are just, you know, kind of, you’re a self made man or self made woman, and, you know, you just kind of left behind all that fundamental stuff, you’re going for the skyrocket success and, and things you know, you’ve kind of grown out of, you know, the, the, that you’re just not going to fit in the room, if you’re not honest with yourself, you can see yourself plainly if you won’t sit still long enough to hear feedback, and take it. And, you know, instead of just being so defensive all the time is funny, but the people who understand fundamental growth can really grow, you know, far from where they from where they started, if they’re looking for just the next you know, rocket ship kind of success, and abandon all the, the fundamentals that help them to get there, then they’re not going to go wherever they’re going to be a flash in the pan, they’re going to be back, you know, with you, they’re going to be a serial entrepreneur. And because that they serially destroy companies or whatever. So I think they’ll go through the process of fundamentals and stuff, they then they’ll build, they’ll belong they are, it could be introverts or extroverts, you tend to attract people like you. So I have people in the room that are including yours, there are, they’re positive, they, they tend to be a little extroverted, like to have fun, a, they either come that way, or they learn that in the room. So it’s a long day to spend all the way the whole day, it was not fun. So we can make it fun. It’s very serious at times, there are tears at times, but everybody knows that this is a place where I can be real. And so the somebody can’t be real, can’t be transparent, can’t be honest, can’t share, can’t make it about everybody else. If you’re just gonna be there, it’s all about me, then it’s gonna get old for the group really, really quickly. Like, you know, you’re not available for the other people in the room, then, then you’re probably not going to rely on I’ve given up trying to take that person and make them into the person that fits in the room. And somebody early on told me that an empty chair is better than the wrong person sitting in a room. So I tried to it is it’s a sort of small subtle thing, but it it comes out in a big way in the room. So I try to I try not to chase those people.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah. Excellent. All right. So the moment I’ve been waiting for I think everyone’s been waiting for is this I’d love to hear from you. What’s the biggest secret that you wish wasn’t a secret? What’s the one thing that you wish every founder leader listening today knew either about themselves or leadership or how to grow their organization.
Jeff Abbott
That’s, it’s incredible. And I have an instant answer, it’s always the same. And that is that the person at the top. Peter Drucker said, the bottleneck is always at the top of the bottle. And so so people are really slow to let go of things that they think are really important. But from the outside, you look at that’s not that’s urgent, that’s like a lower level kind of thing that’s not CEO, duty sort of stuff. Why are you hanging on to that, and so they have all these people around them that are not being used to their potential. So it seems like it would be the very first thing that people would do. But it’s the last thing people do, get more out of your people, make your people successful, get more out of them, and quit trying to do everything be all things to all people to be the CEO, because what they do is they tend to do a lot of what they felt really successful in doing before. So they’re going to land on leadership versus they haven’t been to before as unfamiliar they want to go back to doing or maybe I’d get my hands on this thing dirty, or I’ll be the guy driving the truck, or that you know what to start, I know it’s attractive, do a little bit of it. I think, you know, you can’t go cold turkey, but for the most part, get a lot out of every person and then start being intentional about asking what it is that you want out of them, and help them grow to their same thing. Yeah, mimic me what I’m doing with for you, as a chair, do that work for your people meet with them once in a while, once every two weeks, every every month? Find out what their what their heart is? Find out what how they want to develop? What is what is it that you need from them for your organization and get it done through them? And let go and you’d be amazed at the growth of your organization and growth your people? And you’ll kind of stop complaining about how nobody takes any ownership around here. Am I given any ownership? Anybody? How could they be owners? So that’s, that’s the secret. And I see it time after time after time. And you know, almost need somebody outside your, your your being to look back at you and say, Dude, you need to let go even you are a control freak about this stuff. So that’s, that’s sadly sad. But true. But it gives me plenty of stuff to talk about.
Scott Ritzheimer
It sure does. It sure does. And I think that there’s a couple of lies that I’ve bumped into, even just today a coaching session I was doing with someone this morning. And he’s very much there, right, recognizing that he needs to move forward. But folks can can think comes across as a controlling thing. This guy in particular, and I’ve seen it with a lot of my clients is like they’re trying to serve, right? They’re doing it out of a place of, of, if it needs to get done. I’m not above getting that done. Right. I can go in and do it. But the reality of it is, yes, that’s true. And like you said, from time to time, sure, you know, get in there, get your roll your sleeves up, get your hands dirty. But if you’re not doing the high level stuff that only you can do, who is?
Jeff Abbott
Right, is that he’s president when you’re driving the truck. So what I John Maxwell says, it’s kind of one of those things where you go to the person and say, you know, I been doing this, I found out you know, I shouldn’t be doing this. But I want you to come with me, I want you I want I want to show you what I do. Now I want you to be that guy from now on, and just take them and do that old, you know, first you do it, and then I watch and all that sort of thing. And then just and do it in a way that’s that’s healthy for you and that person. And so you’re not just throwing off responsibilities actually bringing people on and their ability to be that person on the team.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, absolutely. And you’ll see people flourish in that. It’s counterintuitive, but it’s remarkable how effective it is. Awesome. Thank you for sharing my last question for you here. And that is I’ve worked with a lot of coaches, enough coaches to know that we have a tendency to give our very best to our clients, and not necessarily leave a whole lot left over for ourselves. And so we had a fascinating conversation just before we hit record here where you talked about kind of this next phase for you and your work and your life. And I’d love to ask a question that I’ve asked everyone on the show and that is what does the next stage of growth look like for you, as a coach as a leader? In kind of whatever capacity you’d answer that.
Jeff Abbott
That’s a good question. My wife helps me to see that I’m way too busy and I tend to be a hero. So I go in heroes, rescuers, they rescue everybody, but their family, you know, like they, they they provide for everybody else and their their families are the last one to get help. And so I try to get out of that mode, you know, long ago. But when I turn 65, my wife says, hey, you know, like, what? What do you ask me that basically the same question, you have to know also that I am a managing partner for a group called the Barnabas group, which is ministry to ministries outside of convenience, I’m doing that also. And I have all these things going. And I know that that time will allow you to, to get to get things done up until the boundaries of time. So guys, what I did is I started, I started with my, my one, the ones that were cut the timeline down at 41 to once a month. So I cut the time down to one hour, I saw from my experience that that was even too long for some people. And I was I was really required by convening, going way back to do an extended one to one. So I just simplified everything, and I got everything done in three weeks. And then five years goes by and I now getting everything done in two weeks. But what’s what I see in the future is kind of trimming down my convening involvement, and then expanding that nonprofit involvement. And, and then doing that, like mentor of mine once said, as much as he can when you can, where you can, with whom you can, you know, and all those things. Just and make it make it fun, make it like valuable to the people you’re working with and stuff. I never really see this place where I’m on the couch or fishing all day, every day, I’m going to be involved with people and try to help them with with their nonprofit environments and just be a whole lot less, you know, demand on me and and I have this value to them. And then it’s working already. And I can’t wait to see it happen in expanded way.
Scott Ritzheimer
That’s awesome. Excellent. Excellent. Well, thank you for sharing now. You’re actually our second Convene coach, Tom lots who you know, who’s my convenient chair has been on so some folks may have not have been sold by Tom and maybe we understand why I don’t know. But I’ll that aside, someone’s listening and they’re saying, hey, I want to learn more about convener. I want to connect with you, what’s the best way that they can do that?
Jeff Abbott
Well, they can come to me, and my contact information, I think you have that. I would love to introduce anyone to the concept. I am, of course in the Southern California area, but I will promote convening for any chair that’s out there and direct them to geographically either to our headquarters or and then just talk to them about you know where they are and what what they think can be might do for them. I would be happy to promote, convene to anyone in geographically agnostic.
Scott Ritzheimer
That’s awesome. And for anyone who wants to connect it’s https://www.convenenow.com/jeffabbott, and you’ll be able to find more about Jeff, connect with him and Convene there. And thank you for the offer to help folks out. I know that that’s much appreciated. Well, Jeff, thank you so much for your time. I absolutely loved having you here. It was just an honor beyond honors, and so thank you, and for everyone listening your time and attention are the biggest compliment you could give. So thank you so much for hanging with us. Listening to this conversation. I hope it was helpful and encouraging as for you as it was for me, and I look forward to seeing you next time. Take care.
Contact Jeff Abbott
Jeff Abbott is a chairperson at Convene. He’s a proven leader, well known in the aircraft and space industry with 25 – plus years of operations experience from the ground floor to President. Jeff is active in his community and also serves as a Convene Chair for dozens of Christian CEOs since 2003 several of them generating annual revenues over $1 billion.
You can learn more about Jeff and Convene at https://www.convenenow.com/jeffabbott