Suiter Business Builders

Build Your Dream Team

Want to stop feeling like you have to babysit your team to get their job done?

In the next 6 weeks go from a micro-manager to a transformational leader who knows how to inspire your team to take ownership.
JOIN THE WAIT LIST!

stop being a fire fighter, get more consistent results

Do you ever feel like you spend your days fighting fires

Ever notice how people aren’t great at doing what they say they’ll do?

Have you ever felt like hiring the right person for the job is a challenge?

 

What if, in the next six weeks, you could go from micro-manager to transformational leader who knows how to inspire your team to take ownership?

That doesn’t have to be a dream, because this course is about achieving exactly that.

AND, you don’t need to have a degree in management or hire super stars either!

When you’re finished, you’ll:

  • Be clear about how to get your team to produce more consistent results
  • Have more confidence and clarity about how to hire the right people for the job
  • Have more confidence and skill as a manager and leader
  • Know how to stop chasing the details, and start managing the result
  • Free up your time to focus on those things that contribute to increasing profits
  • Stop being limited as to where you can invest your time and energy
  • Be able to help your team feel empowered and motivated, and clear about how to be successful
  • Know how to create a culture where the best of the best want to work for you
  • Have the tools to create more trust and alignment with your team

Or maybe like my client Bill (and me), you’ll be able to spend half as much time in your business, and more time enjoying the things you love to do!

If you want to stop being exhausted by the grind of managing people, and acquire the tools and skills to be a great manager and leader, then keep reading

Vicki Suiter

About the Presenter – Vicki Suiter

Vicki Suiter helps people see their businesses differently, then gives them the tools to do things differently.  Since beginning her business in 1990, Vicki has helped hundreds of companies achieve the kind of success they never dreamed possible. Today, in addition to consulting, Vicki is an in-demand speaker at industry conferences nationally and internationally, where her presentations are consistently ranked among their most popular. Vicki’s articles and opinions have been widely shared in print and across the web. She is also the author of forthcoming book “The Profit Bleed” How managing margin can save your contracting business.

Here is Vicki’s personal story about managing people, and how she became an expert in this subject…

Once upon a time, I managed an accounting department of six for a training company.

Within the first few months, it became obvious that my department was making mistakes and failing to meet deadlines. My boss regularly dressed me down. My face flush; my heart racing; I thought to myself, maybe winging the whole management thing wasn’t a great idea.; maybe I’m in over my head; maybe my lack of experience is a bigger problem than I thought.

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If I didn’t fix the problem I’d be out of a job, so I pushed my staff to work longer and harder. I began to monitor them and their work product to minimize mistakes.

My staff grew resentful. I wrote their attitude off as the byproduct of overtime demands and hard deadlines. They’d stop grumbling once we got into a normal routine, met our deadlines, produced a more accurate output. Or so I thought.

In a desperate attempt to get their jobs done on time so I could keep mine, I started helping them with their tasks. If they could see I was working as hard or harder, all while being super nice and encouraging, they’d like me more. In turn, they’d do a better job.

Except not.

I was exhausted; and worse, I just couldn’t win with my team. My marriage, my health, and my personal relationships suffered as a result.

After five years of 60 to 70 hour workweeks, I quit.

I went out on my own, excited at the prospect of having no employees to manage.

Four years after starting my business, however, I knew I needed to hire someone to help me deal with the client boom. I was working ten-hour days again. My son was nearly five, and I wasn’t about to sacrifice him to my overwhelming workload; I’d learned from that mistake.

I was scared to take on an employee, to manage someone other than myself. What if I hired someone who wouldn’t service and manage clients as well as I did? What if I had to resort to cheerleading tactics just to get the job done?

Nonetheless, I knew I’d have to try.

Eventually, I hired Christine, who had the experience I sought as well as a similar work ethic. She’d been born in my hometown, and, like me, raised in a big family. A match made in heaven. This time it’ll be different, I told myself.

On Christine’s third day out in the field, one of my clients called. “Can you please ask Christine not to smoke outside our door during breaks. The smell carries.” The next day, I got another call from a different client. “When you’re here, you always ask lots of questions about my books, but Christine didn’t ask us many. Are you sure she’s not missing something?”

I’d been a fool to hire help, I told myself. I’d believed Christine when she’d said she knew how to do the work. Hadn’t I pretended to have more experience than I did when I took on that management job? I dreaded having to talk with her about my concerns. I’d had my fill of resentful staff.

I mentioned the client calls I’d received. I noted that it would be a good idea if she curbed her smoking and asked more questions of clients. Christine seemed to think that she could do both.

About the fourth week in, Christine showed up to our regular Friday meeting a few minutes late. The following week, she kept me waiting for ten minutes; the next, a half an hour. Each time, she offered an excuse, which I accepted without much complaint. A few more calls came in from unhappy clients. Work didn’t seem to be getting completed as I’d expected. It was clear to me that Beth wasn’t taking ownership of her job.

What was I going to do, fire her? I’d just spent a lot of time telling my clients how great she was and how she would take good care of them.

Worse, in an effort to make sure she was doing everything right, I spent an hour and a half going over work that she’d spent two hours doing at the client’s office, work that I was paying her for. The arrangement was not saving me any time or money. I was going to lose my clients, my shirt, and my mind. Once again, I was behind the gun, doing my darndest to motivate casual people so I could keep my job.

It occurred to me that the common denominator in both of these management situations was me.

If I wanted to grow a great company, one that didn’t run me into the ground, I needed to be more effective in directing others and holding them accountable. I knew that to do these things well I’d have to learn how to motivate and bring out the best in others. Because I wasn’t going to be able to grow without employees.

To this end, I studied the great thought leaders and pioneers in the field of management and leadership. I took all that I learned and applied it to my business, growing my team and client base. I’ve taught hundreds of business owners and managers how to apply these concepts as well.

In the next six weeks, I’ll be sharing with you the very same tools and resources that will allow you to up level as a manager and leader, thereby empowering your team to take ownership in a whole new way.

By the way, Christine worked for me for over ten years. I bet you’d like to know how I righted that sinking ship.

Build and Equip Your Team

“Build Your Dream Team” is all about helping you build and equip your team with the skills necessary for you to step out of the role of micro-manager, and step into the role of a model leader.

In the 6 modules of the “Build Your Dream Team” course you will gain clarity and confidence on how to engage your team in new ways that have them take more ownership and responsibility, meet desired goals and results, and leave you with more time and energy in your day.

Build and Equip Your Team


Build Momentum

Build Momentum

From the moment you join, you’ll be getting constant wins, building momentum, and you’ll know exactly what your mission is and what you’re working toward. And you’ll have the feedback, community and TONS of support to keep you powering through. To get to your desired results.

When you join the Build Your Dream Team course, you get access to the 5 core modules of the course which we’ll be delivering over 6-weeks on our private membership site, as well as 6 30-minute group coaching calls, access to our private FaceBook group where members can get support, and feedback from your peers and myself.  In addition to this you will get lots of tools and resources designed to support your success.

Build Your Dream Team

Course Overview

Module 1: Shifting Team Motivation and Ownership.

Module 1

In this module we’ll cover::

  • The course structure and how you can get the most out of our time together
  • Review what resources are available to you
  • What causes people’s lack of motivation and ownership and how to shift out of that
  • How to set a company framework that provides a clear path to building accountability with your team

The first step of the process will be for you to choose at least one key person on your team who you’d like to take more ownership and responsibility. This will help you set goals and have a focus for the remaining pillars in this course.

While you’ll be able to apply what you’re learning to all the positions in your company, focusing on one position for the course allows you to gain confidence in the process. Allowing you to replicate it with the rest of your team, when the time comes.

Module 2: Developing Accountability Agreements:

The Distinction Between Process, Procedure, Tasks and Results

In this module we’ll cover:

  • Creating Position Agreements using my signature process
  • The distinction results vs. policy, procedure, process and task
  • Formulate specifically what you want team members to take ownership of, and what results you want them to produce

In this module, you’ll begin to develop Position Agreements, focusing on generating results, not just doing tasks. This is where you’ll formulate what specifically you want people to take ownership of, and what results you want them to produce. You’ll be getting lots of input here, and samples that you can use to as guides.

Module 2

Module 3: Staff Collaboration: getting buy-in and shifting from helper to partner

Module 3

In this module you’ll:

  • Increase employee engagement, and pivot from helper to partner in creating results
  • Getting buy-in, agreement and commitment from your employee
  • Identify and get clear with your staff, the gap between where they are today in their performance, and where you and they have agreed they should be.

In this module, you’ll be working with your staff collaborating on how they can take ownership of their job in new ways. In the process, you will get aligned on how to win the game together by knowing the specific results they are accountable for.

This is where you get buy-in, agreement and commitment from your team. During this process, you’ll identify areas where training or change is needed. Then come up with goals and a plan for accomplishing those goals.

Module 4: Managing By Results: setting up feedback systems

In this module you’ll…

  • Set up the structure for your team to report to you, rather than you babysitting them
  • Establish a system for managing agreements throughout your organization

In the first three modules you implemented a Position Agreement, and in the process identified the results, you want your staff to produce. Now you need a system for managing those results.

You’re going to learn how to implement a system for keeping in front of agreements with your team, and have them continue to own accountability for the results they produce, without you having to babysit them.

Module 4

Module 5: Building a Culture of Trust: making managing agreements the norm

Module 5

In this module you’ll…

  • Implement a system for managing agreements throughout your organization / department
  • Get clear on how to make feedback the norm in your culture, and remove the stigma of it being confrontational
  • Implementing my signature Employee Review Process, so you and your team can stay on the same page

This is where your going to make an intentional shift in the way in which you and your team makes agreements and hold one another accountable to those agreements.

You’ll learn how to make giving and getting feedback among your team become a pathway for building more trust, having team members get along better, and even increase employee retention.

Module 6: Hiring the Right Person for the Job and Celebrating Wins

In this module you’ll…

  • Learn the 7 Steps to Hiring the Right Person for the Job
  • Bring all the pieces together that you’ve learned so far
  • Celebrate your wins
  • Find out what’s next, and how to continue to get and give support

This session serves two big purposes – one is to bring together all the pieces you’ve learned and see how to apply that when hiring new people for your team.   Second is for the group to celebrate all that you’ve accomplished over the prior six weeks.  Whether you finished all the homework or not, you will have made great strides in your skills as a manager and leader.

Module 6

What Vicki’s Clients have to say…

I stopped being the focal point off all decisions

I took the class along with three of our managers, which was absolutely the right thing to do. You never know what people know (and don’t know) and if they’ve been with you a long time, it can be difficult to tell them how to do their work. In Vicki’s BYDT class, my managers had the opportunity to learn things on their own — realize things for themselves. Now, when I bring something up — like the need to get agreements — I’m not lecturing them — we’re talking about it together.

Steve Rempe

CEO, Rempe Construction, Inc.

My team and I now have the skills to give/receive feedback in a more comfortable, conversational way

As a project manager, I am always frustrated by unproductive meetings. While they may feel productive in the moment, the follow-up often falls short of expectations or does not happen at all. The Meeting Action List from Vicki’s BYDT course is really going to help with this. Vicki’s recommendations on giving/receiving feedback were excellent as well! Instead of putting people (or being put on) the defensive, my team and I now have the skills to give/receive feedback in a more comfortable, conversational way. If you are open to learning, then you will get a lot out of this class!

Mitzi Mathews

Project Manager, ARG Conservation Services, Inc.

This class is a road map on how to create a team

What is it worth to transform your company into a team working towards shared results leading to shared goals? For me, a lot! This class is a road map on how to create a team, along with notes on how to coach the team. Each module of the course is worth the price of admission on it’s own…if you are willing to take the message to heart and follow through!

Dan Ross

Owner, Ross Painting, Inc.

We learned how to be better bosses

My partner and I signed up for Vicki’s class because we had just started a partnership. Our aim was not only to make money, but to create a place where people are happy to work, and we wanted to set things off on the right foot. Vicki showed us how we could do that by being better bosses. We don’t have to be either the (overly) nice guys – or the enforcers. We’re still learning, but now we know what we need to do. I’d tell any business that has a high turnover – which is basically everyone in the construction industry – that they would benefit from Vicki’s very helpful course.

Alan Hyland

Partner, Andrew Mark Construction

BYTD course has given me the tools to hire better

Vicki’s class helped me appreciate how important it is to clarify the responsibilities of a position before we hire someone to fill it. Then, as we go through the hiring process, we can clearly set expectations and the employee’s agreement to meet those expectations from day one. I can see that having everything written out where we can look at it and discuss it will help us hire better, and run the business better. I think anyone who has direct reports would benefit from this course!

Joan Boas

Controller, ARG Conservation Services, Inc.

I definitely got the inspiration and ideas I was looking for from the BYDT course

A lot of the contracting industry still looks at employees like they’re assets, not people. The prevailing attitude is: if you don’t do you your job, you can be replaced. It’s harsh! I took Vicki’s course because I wanted to develop a more progressive philosophy about management. I believe that if you invest time and energy in managing your employees, they flourish, and your business flourishes, too. I definitely got the inspiration and ideas I was looking for in taking Vicki’s class. It was a very positive experience. I recommend it!

Zach Nolte

General Manager, Kitchen Solvers, Inc.

Vicki’s tools gave us a great — and straightforward — way to outline agreements and establish accountability

Vicki’s class made me realize that people don’t respond well when you manage by expectations. Things go much better when you operate based on agreements. Before taking BYDT, we didn’t have any way of outlining agreements or establishing accountability. Vicki’s tools gave us a great — and straightforward — way to do that. Anyone who wants to manage their team better or build a better team should take this class.

Catherine Baldi

Owner, Arana Craftsman Painters, Inc.

BYDT is a great course for owners, managers and employees alike

Vicki’s BYDT course created awareness and provided the tools necessary to manage people by results. I would recommend it to all members of any team! Even though I saw its relevance as a business owner having this insight would also make me a better employee! I recommend this course without hesitation.

Vanika Lath

Owner, Sensitile, Inc.

Now, I put in half the time and get twice as much done!

Looking back, before I worked with Suiter Business Builders, my business was running me. In spite of putting in 80-100 hours a week. I was exhausted and unhappy. Vicki showed me how to create systems that make my business work, and have people take ownership of their job. Now that I have clear job descriptions and have learned to manage by results, I’m profiting in ways I never would have dreamed possible. I’m literally putting in half the time I used to — and getting twice as much done.

Bill Darrah

President, Bill Darrah Builders, Inc.

I finally understood what was causing our stagnation in our growth

Vicki Suiter is the finest listener I’ve ever met. In listening to the way we were communicating, she was able to help me see why our staff was having so much trouble resolving issues. The problem came down to the fact that everyone on the staff was operating from a different set of assumptions. When we started following the Suiter Business Builder approach — writing out job descriptions, establishing processes, getting clear agreements and managing by results the relief I and everyone on the staff felt was immediate. The result was that we were able to increase our profits 2 to 3 times over what they were before we started working with Vicki.

Phil Murphy

President, GNU Group, Inc.

It turns out, people like knowing what they’re supposed to do!

“It sounds ridiculous now, but I thought creating formal job descriptions was a waste of time. I just assumed I was hiring professionals, and professionals should know what to do. Did I really have to spell it out for them? In a word, yes!

Vicki clearly showed us that not having clearly outlined job descriptions and defined responsibilities was causing the havoc we were complaining about. People weren’t doing their jobs because they weren’t clear what their jobs were.

Using Vicki’s approach to bringing accountability into the culture, we now have job descriptions and metrics in place that have helped us manage more effectively and gives our employee a clear path to be successful in their position as well.”

Dan Greeson

Vice President, Matrix, HG, Inc.

We streamlined the chain of command and improved communications

“The benefits of job descriptions have been many for us at H&F- esp. for the foreman, painter and field supervisor positions. Before implementing Vicki’s approach of building a culture of accountability, and implementing job descriptions, we had a lot of blurry lines between were the foreman’s responsibilities for the project, the field super and even mine as an owner!
They really helped us “clean up” and streamline the chain of command as well improve communication up and down the chain. Having defined accountabilities has given us a lot of clarity around what we can expect out of the guys and how to review their job performance, which in turn helps us judge compensation, which in the end results in great employee retention.
I highly recommend Vicki’s approach to building cultures of accountability, and the creation and implementation of job descriptions for all small business owners. It may seem like a boring and tedious exercise while you are doing, but the payoff is well worth it! Thanks to Vicki for putting us through it, it’s helped so much!”

Jill French

Owner, Heather & French Painting, Inc.

Build Your Dream Team Program

Your training includes

  • Six 75 minute live interactive training sessions on Thursdays 9:00 AM PST starting March 1st.
  • Five live half hour interactive coaching session on Monday’s 11:00 AM PST, starting March 5th
  • Full “Managers Tool Kit” which includes:
    • Over 25 Position Agreement templates, as well as step by step procedures for writing, implementing with your team,
    • Step by step instructions and templates for doing staff reviews
  • Exclusive Access to the private Build Your Dream Team Facebook Group
  • Lifetime access to materials and session recordings
  • 100% Risk Free Money Back Guarantee

Price: $1,497

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

Take the Build Your Dream Team course with a full Money Back Guarantee

We have a no questions asked refund guarantee. If after attending the six 75-minute weekly training sessions, and completing the coursework, and attending at least 3 of the 5 coaching sessions you don’t feel that you have the knowledge and skills to get staff to take more ownership, create aligned agreements, hire the right people, and produce consistent results, we will refund you 100% of your course tuition.

Frequently Asked Questions


Who is this course for?

Any manager or business owner who wants to be better at managing and wants their team to take more ownership.  Is looking to create more consistent results, and likes the idea of making more and working less.

What if most of my team is made up of subcontractors and not employees?

This course will help you manage subs more effectively as well.  In fact, it will even help you manage clients better!  This course will improve your ability to produce more consistent results in ALL of your relationships.

Will all the modules, presentations and calls be recorded?

Yes, all live training sessions and coaching will be recorded. They are loaded up to the exclusive membership site within one day of the training session or coaching call.

Will I have access to this material after the training is over?

Yes, you have lifetime access to the training materials.

Having implemented and taught this systems to hundreds of people, and having put it in place in my own business, I know it works.

Every client that has ever implemented what I’’ll be teaching you in this course has not only built a stronger company, but they found more profits, time and fun from their lives as well.

I sincerely hope you’ll take this step to helping you have more of that as well.

Warmest,

Vicki

 

About Vicki:

Vicki Suiter helps people see their businesses differently, then gives them the tools to do things differently.  Since beginning her business in 1990, Vicki has helped hundreds of companies achieve the kind of success they never dreamed possible. Today, in addition to consulting, Vicki is an in-demand speaker at industry conferences nationally and internationally, where her presentations are consistently ranked among their most popular. Vicki’s articles and opinions have been widely shared in print and across the web. She is also the author of forthcoming book “The Profit Bleed” How managing margin can save your contracting business.

Build Your Dream Team Program

Your training includes

  • Six 75 minute live interactive training sessions on Thursdays 9:00 AM PST starting March 1st.
  • Five live half hour interactive coaching session on Monday’s 11:00 AM PST, starting March 5th
  • Full “Managers Tool Kit” which includes:
    • Over 25 Position Agreement templates, as well as step by step procedures for writing, implementing with your team,
    • Step by step instructions and templates for doing staff reviews
  • Exclusive Access to the private Build Your Dream Team Facebook Group
  • Lifetime access to materials and session recordings
  • 100% Risk Free Money Back Guarantee

Price: $1,497

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

Try The Build Your Dream Team Program With A Full Money Back Guarantee

We have a no questions asked refund guarantee. If after attending the six 75-minute weekly training sessions, and completing the coursework, and attending at least 3 of the 5 coaching sessions you don’t feel that you have the knowledge and skills to get staff to take more ownership, create aligned agreements, hire the right people, and produce consistent results, we will refund you 100% of your course tuition.

Still not sure? Schedule a 15-minute discovery call so you can have your questions answered. 415-884-0288