I once worked with someone who considered herself a roll-up-your-sleeves kind of leader…as long as there was someone around to roll up her sleeves for her. I am a different sort of animal. I insist on leading by example and treating everyone with respect.
Having spent the bulk of my career in the professional services industry, I have come to value people as an organization’s greatest asset. And to give you a taste of my management philosophy, my favorite books on leadership are Yvon Chouinard’s Let My People Go Surfing and Jim Collins and Jerry Porras’ Built to Last.
Proven Leader
I have decades of hands-on experience managing projects, teams, departments, and offices. I have started-up new offices and built communications departments from the ground up, hiring and training staff as well as establishing best practices, policies, and procedures. I have a proven track record of building successful, tight-knit, and profitable teams, departments, and offices. And I have frequently served as a member of executive leadership teams.
Versatile Leader
I am comfortable operating in dynamic, fast-paced, and entrepreneurial organizations. I have also learned to navigate and function in complex, siloed, and more traditionally corporate settings. And I have frequently worked in both multi-location and matrixed environments.
Responsible Leader
Trained to be results-oriented and focused on the bottom line, I have regularly created and managed budgets, at the office and department levels, and held P&L responsibility for both. And as a data-driven professional, I routinely track KPI’s and other metrics to effectively measure ROI and maintain an environment of accountability and continuous improvement.
Teacher & Mentor
I have actively recruited, managed, and mentored staff at all levels. In fact, when I became the Chief Cultural Officer and Director of Marketing at Creamer Dickson Basford, I was responsible for personally interviewing every potential new hire at our New York headquarters. And I went on to create and manage the agency’s first-ever in-house professional development program.
Team Player
I am also a team player who knows how to manage by influence, foster collaboration among colleagues, and build a consensus among a variety of stakeholders. And I have an excellent track record of building and managing individual relationships at all levels.
Chris Dobens Communications 