Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1224600
VO L . X X V I N O. V I § 2 M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 2 0 14 2009 Mike Dow Founder, chief information officer, VP consulting / Tilson What he is doing today: Chief information officer and vice presi- dent of consulting at Tilson, based in Colorado Key lessons learned as a man- ager: People almost always make good business decisions if they have all the data they need. After doing business all over the world, I've observed that great people exhibit the same characteristics: Hard work, concern for their teammates, and a desire to serve customers with high quality. It's simple.I continue to be surprised how valuable good communication skills are. Domain knowledge, intelligence — the "right answer" — all are useless if locked away from others by poor communication. Advice to Maine's next generation of business leaders: Don't hesitate to bring Maine people and products elsewhere to the U.S. and international destinations. What's next: As the company founder, and now chief information officer, I'm in a supporting role to our CEO, Josh Broder, and my teammates. I'll keep working to keep the company viable, support others in their desire for success, and make our systems and technol- ogy adoption the best in the industry. John Fitzsimmons Former president / Maine Community College System What he is doing today: President of the Foundation for Maine's Community Colleges Key lessons learned as a manager: Recruit and support the talented people who make your organization run. Strive for excellence. Honesty is truly the best policy. Advice to Maine's next genera- tion of business leaders: Frame this quote by John Quincy Adams and put it up on your office wall as a daily reminder. 'If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more you are a leader.' See your employees as people first and employees second. If they truly believe you care about them as a person then they will give you more than you have a right to expect. What's next: My plans are to continue to work for an organization I love and raise millions of dollars to help every Mainer who wants to attend college have a home at one of our seven colleges. Mike Dow, chief information officer and vice president of consulting at Tilson, is a Pittsfield native who now lives in Colorado. COURTESY / TILSON John Fitzsimmons, president of the Foundation for Maine's Community Colleges. After doing business all over the world, I've observed that great people exhibit the same characteristics: Hard work, concern for their teammates, and a desire to serve customers with high quality. – Mike Dow See your employees as people first and employees second. If they truly believe you care about them as a person then they will give you more than you have a right to expect. – John Fitzsimmons