Understand what you are good at, focus there, then surround yourself with talented people that fill those gaps.
As a part of our series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” we had the pleasure of interviewing Tom Ulbrich.
Tom Ulbrich is an entrepreneur, educator, speaker, author, social sector CEO at Goodwill of Western New York, a member of the Forbes Non-Profit Council and Executive in Residence for Entrepreneurship at the University at Buffalo School of Management. He is an entrepreneurial leader with broad-based management experience in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. His passion for social innovation is focused on nurturing strong relationships and building consensus across diverse groups of stakeholders in the academic, for-profit, non-profit and government sectors.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I have an eclectic work background that started with a degree in ornamental horticulture and a 20 year career in our family owned horticulture business that led to me taking great interest in the unique challenges small business owners navigate. As a business owner I took an interest in how state and federal governments can either hinder small business or, alternatively, create laws and programs to help small businesses succeed. That interest led me to run for public office in the hopes of representing the small business community in the role of an elected official.
I lost that election, but in the process of running on a small business platform I engaged with the University at Buffalo’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (UBCEL) and was hired shortly after as the Executive Director, serving business owners in the Western New York community. I left the day to day operations of my two businesses while still maintaining ownership and transitioned to full-time work at the University.
A 12 year career at UBCEL led me on a journey where I was able to help build out a robust offering of classes and activities focused on developing entrepreneurs and the business owners of the future. During that journey, I took a special interest in social innovation and social entrepreneurship. This led me to obtain a dual appointment as Assistant Dean for Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation at the University at Buffalo’s School of Management and School of Social Work. My role was largely focused on clinical work that looked at the real-world practice of doing business at the intersection of the for-profit and non-profit sectors.
In early 2020, I was recruited to lead Goodwill of Western New York. I viewed this as an opportunity to give back to the community by applying my interests in social innovation to the somewhat unique business model that Goodwill is able to employ as a non-profit that maximizes its retail store’s profits and then reinvests those profits into workforce development activities that create career builder jobs in advanced manufacturing and tech in our local community.
Can you please share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
The most interesting story I can share happened recently. I signed my offer letter from Goodwill in February 2020, with a May 1, 2020 start date, giving me time to finish up the semester at the university. At the time, we were just beginning to hear about COVID-19. Between the signing of the offer letter and my first day the virus had exploded in the U.S.
I walked into our headquarter building that first day to find only a handful of key employees working. All of our stores and our workforce programs were shuttered at the directives of the New York State government. At the same time, the majority of our organization’s prior management team had left and the organization had recently pivoted programming that led it to relinquish long standing state funding.
So here I am, a new CEO with shuttered business operations, a brand new management team and limited funding in the bank. The most difficult days of my long career were in front of me. Thankfully, I was surrounded by entrepreneurial leaders on my team and I was able to lean on a lifetime of leadership roles that have always embraced entrepreneurial thinking, creative problem solving and a mindset focused on innovation.
Our new leadership team rallied to the challenge, we obtained funding and we pivoted the workforce development work to meet the needs of Western New York’s business community in this post COVID-19 landscape.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
I believe that the principles and philosophies that guide our lives and careers develop and evolve over a long period of time. They are likely unique to each of us, as no two journeys are exactly the same.
Some of the principles that have guided by life and career are:
- Find and live your purpose for being. I believe that we are each here on Earth for a purpose. Finding that purpose is part of your life journey. I believe that we are spiritual beings that live in a continuum that includes an eternal existence. Those beliefs remind me daily that we all belong to something much bigger than ourselves and no one of us is individually that important in the big picture.
- It’s nice to be important, but much more important to be nice. Some equate “nice” with being weak. I believe you can lead with strength when needed without diminishing or putting down others and I’d argue you are a much more effective leader for it.
- Structure = freedom. Human beings want and need some level of structure. When you provide a clear framework with boundaries, you empower team members with freedom to act within these clearly defined expectations, with the need to seek permission only when wanting to leave the framework. Freedom can only come with structure. Without structure you create a void that is often filled with chaos.
- Accountability with constant coaching. I believe that a culture based on transparency and strong accountability and supported by a mindset of continuous coaching creates clarity and safety in teams.
- Team of teams, ours not mine. I believe that no one does it alone. We succeed when we work together as a team of teams that allows some individuality while connecting and supporting each other with a shared framework based on our purpose and values.
- Create a culture of continuous learning. I believe that we should never stop learning and that we should invest the necessary time and money to embrace learning that is timely, fun, and ongoing for both ourselves and our teams.
- People are our only competitive advantage. I believe that the only competitive advantage an organization can have in today’s rapidly evolving world is their people. Invest whatever it takes to attract, train and retain top talent.
- Embrace a moonshot mindset. I adopted this from Peter Diamandis’s work and I believe that we solve big problems when we think through this moonshot lens. It enables teams to think big in a way that proposes solutions that are exponential vs. our traditional incremental way of thinking. In today’s world of exponential change you either proactively become the disrupter or you become the one being disrupted. Moonshot thinking keeps us focused on big possibilities and big solutions.
Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?
I’m passionate about catalyzing transformation at the intersection of social impact and business best practices. I thrive on bridging the gap between the social sector and the for-profit world. As the Chief Energy Officer (CEO) at Goodwill of Western New York, I’ve had the opportunity to forge a path that seeks to blend the best of community service with the savvy of a profitable enterprise.
The big idea is the opportunity to lean more heavily into a social innovation movement that blurs the line between the for-profit and non-profit sectors. I envision a future where entrepreneurial thinking drives both sectors towards greater societal impact. I truly believe that we are on a path where non-profits embrace entrepreneurship (the entrepreneurial non-profit) and for-profits better redefine success beyond just dollars and cents, instead more actively embracing a triple bottom line based on people, planet and profit (the socially minded business enterprise).
How do you think this will change the world?
As we lean into social innovation as a more standard to how both for-profits and non-profits operate I envision a world where the distinction between the two sectors begins to become harder to identify. Perhaps in 50 to 100 years the two will evolve so much that social entrepreneurship becomes more the norm in both sectors.
There are obvious challenges to overcome.
First, the longstanding success of capitalism and the ideas that the market forces intuitively drive businesses to make decisions beyond the financial bottom line is top of mind. In theory, this is logical, yet there are endless examples of market failures that businesses can’t or won’t solve and of CEOs making short term decisions to boost profitability while ignoring the long term downside of those decisions.
The world is evolving rapidly and we are seeing examples of companies that are achieving great financial success as they also embrace people and planet issues. When companies adopt a triple bottom line focus, that puts value on people and planet in addition to profit, they often improve company value in the market.
Secondly, the often misunderstood assumption by many in the non-profit sector that to focus on profit is evil or wrong. In this evolved social innovation model non-profits have more stable funding which in turn enables them to attract and retain talent and sufficient funding to have greater mission impact.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
The major challenges in the idea that I see and should be further challenged and explored are:
- From the for-profit sector we need to better understand if there is potential negative impact when you measure profit more broadly. For example, when you broaden success measures beyond the bottomline are you potentially negatively impacting market forces that invest in and drive innovation? Do you negatively impact productivity and in turn drive up costs to consumers?
- From the non-profit sector we need to better understand if there is potential negative impact when you focus on running a more “businesslike” enterprise. For example, can a more business focus unintentionally cause you to lose focus on mission? Do we lose the human connection to our work? Are we misincented by profit to chase work outside our core mission? Do we take the risk of losing some of our talent that believes the two sectors need to be distinct and separate?
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
Although there was a long evolution in my thinking based on life experience, I do recall a tipping point.
No question that I was a driven for-profit business owner that truly believed that it was my job as CEO to maximize profit with the thinking that the social aspects were best left to other organizations like government and non-profits that traditionally owned these areas.
My early thinking was through my small business lens where many of these business owners always do the right thing as they are almost always members of the communities in which their businesses thrived. Through that personal lens I wrongly assumed that good business leaders would always do the right things by their people and the planet. Until some didn’t.
At the same time as I was considering how the for-profit world might improve the successful capitalist model, I was getting more involved with non-profits in my work at the University at Buffalo. There would be an occasional non-profit that would embrace the services of the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership in an effort to instill best business practices in their organizations. I witnessed first hand how their work in this area improved their productivity, mission outcomes and talent retention. I found it interesting and began to dig deeper into what the most successful non-profits were doing and found their ability to balance business and mission fascinating.
The tipping point for me came in 2012 when two progressive deans, one from the School of Management and the other from the School of Social work, asked me to work on a project that they had where they wanted to bring together Master of Business students together with Master of Social Work students to work side by side helping organizations and students learn together and create best practices in social innovation across both sectors..
Out of those early conversations came a conference for non-profits where I created a workshop titled “The Entrepreneurial Non-Profit” where I discussed many of the ways I believed non-profits could increase mission impact by embracing some business best practices. The response was overwhelmingly positive and that further fueled my interest.
With continued leadership from the two deans, other faculty and the broader university we worked together to build out additional classes and ultimately a fellowship called Social Impact Fellows that continued to work on some of the ideas discussed.
Once that fire was lit, it became a passion of mine that has led to endless learning, ideating and ultimately elevating the discussion to a broader audience. In my current role at Goodwill we live out the successes and challenges of finding that balance in our social innovation model.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
Widespread adoption is going to require broader conversations that include for-profit businesses, non-profits, academia and government agencies. It is a huge topic that impacts many, because of that there will be many roadblocks along the way.
It is going to require us to ask “Is There a Better Way?” and to then be willing to have open and honest discussions about both the potential positive and negative aspects of more fully embracing social innovation as a norm to how we operate.
Ultimately, it has to become more than an idea with pockets of organizations embracing it. It has to become a movement, which you are already seeing with B corps and others. I’d like to elevate these concepts even more broadly. Movements happen when everyone involved has a sense of belonging and a profound mission. We “move” because we belong. When the movement gains momentum, change happens. Momentum begets additional momentum until the point the movement can’t be stopped. That’s the path forward.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why.
- Words Matter!
As leaders, the words we choose are super important and we often forget the power and influence they hold, both good and bad. Here’s a positive example:
Back in high school, I wasn’t exactly a star athlete, but I loved being part of the team and the energy that resulted. One day, my coach praised me, not for my athletic ability, but for my dedication and ability to inspire the team to compete at our highest level.
She (Coach “W”) didn’t remark on my athleticism. (Hey, I get it. I was average at best.) She remarked on my leadership and awarded me the position of captain, despite there being many better athletes worthy of the title.
Back then, I assumed that leadership and athletic accomplishment were intimately intertwined.
Today, I still think about that interaction. I still think about Coach “W” and her words of encouragement and affirmation. Those words made me see leadership in a whole new light and set me on a path to where I am today.
2. Put your people first and the rest follows.
I spent a large part of my career being successful by carrying my own water so to speak. I
rarely took the time needed to develop those around me. That all changed when I recognized that the impact I was having was limited by me. One person is one person, you can only accomplish so much and you will kill yourself trying.
Although I don’t have a specific story, I will share that as I’ve learned to put “my” people first. The scale and impact of the work that I am lucky to be part of has grown exponentially.
Attracting, developing and retaining talent is now the number one focus in my current role. As the team thrives, the business thrives, it’s a fun place to work and our community impact through the work we do is growing rapidly.
3. Understand what you are good at, focus there, then surround yourself with talented people that fill those gaps.
Making the transition from entrepreneur to CEO of a large organization wasn’t always easy as the two skill sets are very different.
When I think about what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur I think about being comfortable with the chaos of a startup, creating a vision, ideating, juggling multiple balls, wearing many hats, every day different, raising money and doing customer discovery. Every day, every moment is different. It is often chaotic and unpredictable. Successful entrepreneurs thrive in that environment.
Being a successful CEO of a more established business is about structure, systems, operations, strategy and building teams. A very different set of skills.
I learned to make the transition over time through experimentation and watching other successful leaders. As sometimes happens, if you look hard enough you find the secret formula.
The formula was simply to own the pieces I am naturally good at. Those pieces are visualizing the future, problem solving, providing leadership and communication. I surround myself with talented team members that are expert at process, structure, finance, human resources and the many other aspects needed to run a successful business that are not my strong suits..
4. Climb bigger mountains.
I learned this from a trusted coach. As an entrepreneur you are an opportunity seeker and can easily be distracted by the next shiny object before fully realizing the potential of the opportunity you already have in hand.
My coach described it as rushing up the mountain, planting the flag and immediately looking around for the next climb. When you do that, you end up climbing lots of small mountains while never fully realizing your personal Mt. Everest.
The solution. Climb a bigger mountain, do the deep work, realize meaningful impact and enjoy the climb. This shift in thinking has made my life and work much more rewarding.
5. Share your story before your stance.
This is not my original thought, but for the life of me I can’t remember where I learned it. I only wish I would have learned it much earlier in my life as it is a useful approach to interacting with others, especially those we may not have full alignment or agreement with.
In today’s world of increasing polarization in so many areas of life it is important to share our personal story before we share our stance. It is a great reminder that there are varying perspectives on almost any topic and those perspectives are influenced by our childhood, our circumstances, our education, our friends and much more.
Despite our differences, we can begin to find a sense of unity or togetherness when we hear each other’s stories. By listening we build a sense of unity as we say… “I see you. I hear you. I see where you are coming from. I see your perspective.”
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
In my opinion the most important success habits and success mindsets are:
- Focus on work-life integration over work-life balance. I don’t believe in work-life balance for most people as it is hard to draw a hard line between the two in most people’s lives. Finding the integration that is right for you and your family releases you of the unattainable myth of balance.
- Embrace the power of habits.. From nutrition to sleep to exercise to almost any area of life, I find that habits provide a sense of control and consistency that in turn frees up more of my energy for creativity, problem solving and creating experiences with family.
- Use block scheduling as a way to identify times during your day where you can best focus your efforts and gain maximum productivity. I schedule everything from workouts to meetings to “dark-time” for uninterrupted work as a way to minimize distractions and focus my time in a way that best aligns with my varying energy levels.
If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say?
Entrepreneurship can be a catalyst to promote job creations, wealth accumulation and economic mobility and begin to address systemic poverty in minority communities.
While many dream of building a startup, the fact remains that minority startups often lack place-based training opportunities, access to capital and access to networks needed to develop product or service sales channels which are ultimately needed for success.
The Goodwill Goodskills Career Builder Minority Business Pre- Incubator(GWCBMBP) is a solution to that challenge. Located in East Buffalo the GWCBMP will provide 30,000 square feet of work spaces focused on helping minority entrepreneurs create businesses focused on the circular economy.
Budding entrepreneurs will have access to raw materials from Goodwill’s waste stream, including textiles, metal, electronics, wood, glass, etc. that can be used to start a business that upcycles, reuses or recycles these inputs.
On-site mentors will provide ideation sessions, engineering solutions, customer discovery guidance, business classes, e-commerce platforms and mentoring in an effort to support emerging entrepreneurs on their journey.
Member businesses will learn the necessary skills to be successful entrepreneurs while receiving a stipend that they can be focused on learning for up to one year.
Upon graduation they will have the skills and resources to move their business out of the incubator and continue to have ongoing support from their cohort and the mentor network as they scale.
A seasoned team of community based entrepreneurs, business leaders and staff will lead the effort.
The facility, raw materials and onsight career coaches are fully funded by Goodwill of Western New York. We are asking for $250,000 in seed capital to be matched with $250,000 of capital from Goodwill and an additional $250,000 raised from local funders to build out the facility, provide learning stipends and fund a 24 month pilot project.
Goodwill. Goodskills. Good Jobs. and now Good Businesses!
How can our readers follow you on social media?
I’ve recently made a point to increase my presence on LinkedIn. I have a wide network of connections which I am incredibly proud of, but time to meet with everyone and discuss business and life is at a premium. I’m hopeful that by sharing my thoughts on my LinkedIn page more regularly, I will be able to share my expertise in a meaningful way.
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
Goodwill of Western New York: Tom Ulbrich’s Big Idea That Might Change The World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.