the two key take-aways are: 1) Invest in areas that will produce a structural advantage. And, 2) transition from a small agile company to a sustainable advantage. You can overcome the Bermuda Triangle with new processes, the use of technology, and tapping outside experts and resources. In order for your company to breakthrough to reach full potential, the focus has to be about the company—not the owner of the company. What lead you (personally) to be successful? Previously I worked for Hubbell, but my success as an entrepreneur was not related to my experiences at Hubbell. I learned a tremendous amount from my involvement in ESTA (now PLASA). No one runs a meeting likes ESTA! I served two terms representing Manufacturers on the ESTA Board. Then I became Co-Chair of the ESTA Technical Standards Program’s Electrical Power Working Group which was an amazing and extremely valuable experience. I learned a lot about the needs of the market from that involvement. It takes an entrepreneurial drive to start a company. But it progresses to a point where that entrepreneurial drive can be a detriment as the company grows. I credit the success of Lex Products with the implementation of our management systems, the environment we have created for our employees, and use of metrics to measure everything. One of the consultants we use through the Renaissance Group is Catherine Carlisi who works with our company on HR issues. Catherine guided us to execute the use of RAPs, a system based on Review, Analyze, and Plan where managers meet with employees on a monthly basis to help their team to excel (see the article by Catherine in the Winter 2010 issue of Protocol ). You review the expectations from the past month and set goals for the next month—there is a consistent emphasis on progress toward the individual and department goals, so there are never any surprises at the annual review! These systems have helped to establish a safe and productive environment at Lex for our employees. Then when you combine the RAPs with the metrics, and cross-pollinate across departments to achieve goals (for example, when the sales department helps manufacturing to resolve a problem that is impeding work-fl ow)—now everyone wins! It is all about communicating: information that you are marketing to your prospects and customers, and knowledge about fulfi lling a market need. What’s next for you? I get to do what I love! I like listening to the customers. I enjoy focusing on product development ideas and discovering what’s next to serve our customers. I get to counsel our people and provide coaching to assist in developing future talent within the company. The Breakthrough Company – How Everyday Companies Become Extraordinary Performers by Keith McFarland, 2008, ISBN 978-0-307-35218-7 On the book’s website, http://www. breakthroughcompany.com/tools.html, use The Ladder and The Bet online tools described in the book to help you apply the breakthrough principles in your own fi rm. Bob Luther is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Lex Products. He is responsible for developing the vision for dynamic growth of Lex, providing leadership and professional development for the executive management team, and maintaining the collegial and highly productive culture set in place during the company’s early days. Bob received a BA in Economics from the University of Connecticut. Besides his wife Liz and family, including Mary, Rose, and Mike, Bob’s other passion is barbequing. Take a closer look @ www.gamonline.com c;b;3HUVLDQ:LQGRZ c;c;%DURTXH(QWUDQFH c;0D\DQ0D]H FALL 2011 c;0RURFFDQ6W\OH c; &ORLVWHU$UFKHV 30 c;a;*UDQG(QWUDQFH FALL 2011