Prime Controls’ Post

I've recently been working with Johnny Walker to create a positioning statement to explain what I do. Difficult to narrow down when you've had a diverse career. But it boils down to this, everything we do either contributes to generating output (revenue), managing costs, or managing risk. In my earlier military career it was very much about all three. Latterly I've been mostly helping to manage risk, but possibly more importantly, I've always been about sensible and appropriate risk taking rather than over control. This has manifested in me helping to reduce the cost of control. So my first shot at a 5P (Person, Place, Purpose, Performance, Process) positioning statement is this: I help COOs & CROs of Global Financial Institutions reduce the cost of control by in excess of £1.5m annually through building and leading high-performing, commercially-focussed and courageous, risk and control functions. #5PFormula

After almost 9 years of working at Saab I’ve decided it’s time for a change. I feel proud and privileged to have been part of such an amazing journey with Saab. From the moment I first saw SAFE (at the time, a new software solution struggling to find direction) I knew it had the potential to disrupt the UK public safety market. At the time it had no relevant reference customers and none of the communications or critical integrations needed to compete in the UK but at its core I saw something unique; a modern unified platform that could be configured and integrated with to do almost anything. I’ve always been a product and market strategy guy and the potential I saw in the product really excited me. Those that know me well know that my passion, drive and focus are powerful forces that tend to infect those around me. Saab, an amazing company with great values, and product and innovation at its heart, backed me and my vision. From that point on I was on a mission to make Saab and SAFE ‘the supplier and product of choice’ in the UK market. We knew we had to rapidly enhance SAFE by adding TETRA radio and 999/112 telephony modules but if we were going to succeed in the long term, we had to behave differently to what was the norm at the time; we had to position ourselves as a ‘trusted partner’ with honesty and transparency at our core and avoid being labelled as ‘just another supplier’. It worked! In the years that followed we won contracts with multiple police forces and fire services worth more than £100m and worked in partnership with our customers to help them deliver transformational change and make a real difference to how they protected and served their communities.   How did we do it? People and teamwork. I’ve had the fortune to be able to build and lead a team of some of the most dedicated and talented people I know. We had a good foundation in Sweden with a small team of very skilled software developers but in the UK we started with very little; initially, it was just me working from home. I’m leaving a high performing team that now totals 150; split 50/50 across the UK and Sweden. What the team has achieved in such a short time is, in my opinion, simply outstanding. Huge thank you to all my friends and colleagues who joined me on this incredible journey. So why am I leaving? It’s not a decision I’ve taken lightly, my passion is in products, sales, strategy, leadership and people and put simply, I feel it’s time for a new challenge in one, or all, of these areas. So what’s next for me? I’m going to take a few weeks off work to relax, spend some quality time with my family, go somewhere warm on holiday and then I’m going to consider what my next challenge might be. 

Whether it’s a friend, mentor, or even yourself - who do you celebrate this #IWD24? I celebrate ME!!!!!! Not only me but Mary J Blige, the vessel that God used to save my LIFE! You can see a snippet of our conversation in her documentary of Amazon Prime.

Friday Footnotes Well that’s a wrap on Cohort 10 and a proud team moment! How cool is our job? How cool is your job? Can you identify a need and take it from the hell no stage to the no stage? Can you take a project from the we will think about it to the that’s not a bad idea point ? And can you take it from the not a bad idea point to the we should have done that already point? We did! I always say dream big and that is coming from a person with little self confidence. We started a project on an aircraft hanger floor to find a better way of saving lives. Our project took us from Utah to Fort Worth, Florida to Virginia, Virginia to Maryland and finally to the halls of the Pentagon. A project pivoted, pitched, refined, through the story and with the story. From 2 minutes to 30 second soundbites to a chance meeting with the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. A project funded and implemented into a crucial system. Our team reflected, honored the fallen at the Pentagon memorial and saw the scars of war at the World War II, Korean, Vietnam and Arlington National Cemetery grounds. We were able to break bread together, laugh and take our innovations and grow our network of champions supporting our projects that multiplied by 10. That room is much bigger now of people fighting for us in rooms we are not even in. Our future is strong based on the Airmen, civilians and contractors that presented projects over the last six weeks. It was awesome to witness the growth of all. Our teams couldn’t do this without the support of our local support Spark cells, industries willing to listen and the AFWERX Cohort Refinery that puts our projects on the big stage. Remember expect more, do more, take care of your family and tell them they are important and thank you for letting you dream chase, give grace and dream big. You never know what you may accomplish. Safe travels team “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” ― Harry S. Truman Have an innovation? Tell us your story! #innovation #afwerx #sparkchange #airforce #lockheedmartin #eglinafb #tesserract

Turbulent Times for America's #1 Airliner 📉 It's been an aerospace leader for over a century. But through the first 3 months of 2024, Boeing has been rocked by a scandalous series of crises that have tanked its stock value by more than 25%. The aviation giant now finds itself in stormy skies, navigating manufacturing defects, regulatory rebukes, departures of top executives, and even an alleged whistleblower suicide. It's been a shocking decent for one of America's flagship industrial companies. The question is: can leadership help Boeing re-establish cruising altitude and regain the trust of investors, regulators, and the flying public? ➡ I see this as part of a broader reckoning hitting legacy corporations like Boeing who have prioritized its profits and social image over safety. The pendulum seems to be shifting towards a business environment with less tolerance for backwards values like this. A few troubling developments for Boeing in recent months: → Jan 5: Door plug failure cuts Alaska Airlines flight short ✈️ → Jan 8: Lawsuit alleges "excessive defects" at key supplier 🚨 → Jan 26: Travel sites omit Boeing's 737 Max from search results 🕷️ → Feb 21: Head of Max program resigns in shakeup 🧂 → Mar 4: FAA audit slams Boeing for "compliance issues" 🤬 → Mar 6: Whistleblower who raised safety issues found dead 👀 → Mar 25: CEO Calhoun to resign by year-end after tumult 🤯 Can the aerospace titan recover and resume a smooth flight path? The future remains turbulent, but all eyes will be on whether new leadership can restore fundamental operating excellence. #Boeing #Investing

Consider costs of quality. What potential changes will these recent events have on this and other companies?

should be followed by..

Boeing: Another example of a great company going south and being endagered because of focusing mainly in cutting costs and forgetting most of the basics in business (e.g. robust production processes and strict quality-control procedures, cutting edges). Reducing costs alone may help the bottom line in the short run, but it may turn into a killer on a long-term perspective. And letting your employees -and the company's knowledge and expertise-go away through non-sense layoffs is absolute foolishness!

Saluting our veterans for their service and dedication. At Octave Holdings and Investments, we're committed to helping our heroes find their next mission in the world of commercial real estate. 🏢💼    #VeteransDay #OctaveHoldingsandInvestments #InvestingInHeroes #CommercialRealEstate #RealEstateOpportunities #OHI

Being grounded in processes during challenging times is crucial, especially in the face of layoffs impacting daily life. Drawing from my experience in the Marine Corps and the Reconnaissance community, I find that exceptional performance is rooted in a strong foundation and exceptional training. I used the OODA loop in the manufacturing world as a leader at Tesla, using its steps - Observe, Orient, Decide, Act - to guide decision-making. The OODA Loop, a four-step method, enhances decision-making by filtering information, contextualizing it, making informed decisions, and anticipating change. This approach encourages critical thinking, threat prediction, and proactive addressing of challenges. Check out this insightful read on decision-making tactics: "Every single thing you do in your life, every decision you make, is an OODA Loop," Berke told Business Insider. Being aware of its structure and how to best practice it, then, can give you an advantage in whatever field you may find yourself in, whether you're in the office or in the skies. https://lnkd.in/gtcCHnBK