MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: BO YANCEY

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

My name is Bo Yancey, and I've lived in Charlottesville for most of my (nearly) 54 years.  I grew up here and graduated from UVA, and have been back full time since 1999. I currently am a business and executive coach and consultant, focusing on professional services organizations and small businesses.

What do you love most about the work?

I enjoy working with individuals and groups and helping them get clarity on their options for organizational and individual success.  I also love seeing individuals and groups "cut through the noise" and achieve alignment between individual and team/business goals, which almost always results in a greater chance of success.   

How did you arrive at this point in your career? What’s your backstory?

I spent the first 10 years of my career in manufacturing, and then entered software and consulting, with a focus on law firms and how they measure performance.  I then spent nearly 20 years working with professional services and software firms in  consultative, management and sales roles.  I worked with executives on implementation, project management, analytics, software adoption, and change management, and became intimately familiar with the professional services business model.

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way? 

Recently it became very clear that culture is the first thing to align when setting goals for the business.  Whether it's revenue, profit, client growth or retention, or something else, culture is not a "soft" attribute of an organization.  Concepts like mission and vision at the org level, as well as things like accountability, engagement and effective delegation, are critical to facilitating the success of the more quantitative goals of any business.

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

Working on a couple of interesting client engagements and also developing more business locally!  Focused on the confluence of culture and profitability.

What are you reading these days?

The Trusted Leader by David Horsager

Going Infinite by Michael Lewis

In the Weeds by Tom Vitale

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

 Anything we missed that you might care to share (closing thoughts)?

I have great interest in corporate culture, compensation systems, software and technology, and organizations.  I love learning more about businesses, business people, and their goals, so feel free to come say hi!