Theodore Adams III: Excellence, Empowerment, and the Metrics of a Successful Business
Theodore Adams III, “Ted,” serves as the current president of Unified Industries Inc., a firm that promotes quality assurance, program management, and engineering services. Ted’s company has worked to promote American safety through his work with the Navy, Army, and Air Force, as well as other government agencies and companies.
After a career working with such regimented and structured clients, it is no wonder that Ted spoke with a straightforward and assertive tone, allowing students to clearly follow his train of thought and understand the concepts he presented. He drew a diagram on a large piece of sticky note paper, discussing the most important things to look at when attempting to break into a market: barriers to entry, strength of suppliers, buyers, alternatives, and number of players. Understanding these five aspects, he said, will help you better grasp your own market and help you plan for the future of your company.
He discussed metrology, or the science of measurement. At Unified Industries Inc., he ensures that all of his actions are repeatable and measurable so they can be analyzed and replicated in the future, much like a science project. Taking care to document his actions is just one way he ensures that he is providing the best possible service to his customers, which is especially important in government contracting because there is always the risk of a contract being taken away. To maintain these contracts, Ted aims to be “the best in class for all industries, not just the cheapest,” and strives for excellence in all he aims to accomplish.
A key part to achieving excellence, as well as a large part of his role as president, is finding the right team and empowering them. He drew another diagram, this time an upside-down triangle, broken into horizontal sections representing different positions within his company, with a stick figure (himself) at the bottom point. He said that his job is all about helping all those in the different levels of the triangle, which includes those on the front lines, his executives, and other team members.
Ted also discussed the importance of recruiting and hiring hardworking and loyal staff: “I get some really, really great people.” He emphasized the importance of learning to cooperate effectively with others, mentioning that students will forget about their statistics classes but will remember the classes that give insight into working with people. He no longer works with people who bring down the energy of the room, and highlighted that he makes decisions constantly about whether a problem brought to him should be listened to, empathized with, or dismissed, because time is an asset and a nonrenewable resource.
Ted’s outlook on choosing a career path offers a valuable perspective: he advises students not to use a career as a stepping stone, but to truly care about the work they are doing. He encourages undergraduate students to try new things and not to be afraid of working in an unfamiliar industry. Overall, he encouraged students to understand their markets, to become effective team players, and to take (calculated) risks as they advance in their career journeys.