WashingtonExec Annual Greater Washington GovCon Awards Finalist Series
The clock is ticking. With just a few days away from the “Oscars of the Government Contracting Community,” the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and the Professional Services Council will both share the winners of the 13th annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards.
As we count down to the grand event at The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, WashingtonExec is interviewing “Executive of the Year” and “Contractor of the Year” finalists about how they’re setting their businesses apart in the government contracting arena, and how they’re attracting a new generation of workers to implement their mission.
WashingtonExec spoke with HeiTech Services, Inc. CEO Heidi Gerding, who is a finalist in the Executive of the Year category for companies valued up to $75 million.
WashingtonExec: What would you say are the top one or two leadership qualities necessary to be a great leader?
Heidi Gerding: The two leadership qualities necessary to be a great leader are to lead from the front and be completely transparent. Leading from the front means that you’re willing to be vulnerable, must think fast on your feet, roll your sleeves up and help where needed, be visible at all times so that your team knows you’re willing to work hard and do what you’re asking of others, and more importantly, have the courage to achieve your goals. The second leadership quality, transparency, is so important to building a team who respects and trusts you. I’ve never been a person who wants to demand respect for the position I hold, I’d rather be known as a person who is willing to discuss why I’ve made particularly difficult decisions because it is always about the good of the company, not for me personally. People who work in a company with a culture of open communication are happier in their jobs and thus, better service to our customers.
Leading from the front means that you’re willing to be vulnerable, must think fast on your feet, roll your sleeves up and help where needed, be visible at all times so that your team knows you’re willing to work hard and do what you’re asking of others, and more importantly, have the courage to achieve your goals.
WashingtonExec: If we were to speak directly to your leadership team, what would they say is your management style? How would your team describe your leadership qualities?
Heidi Gerding: Interesting question … I have asked my leadership team what they think about my management style and leadership qualities. Funny, but my USNA days remind me that there is a difference between management and leadership. I see management as reactive versus leadership as proactive. So, my response to this question is that my management team sees me as having a curious combination of a participative and directive style. I never lack an opinion on many topics when it comes to the business, our service offerings or our employees, but there are times when I seek advice from my leadership team and use that feedback to make my decisions. Other times, I have made up my mind and look for affirmation from the team that I have thought the decision through thoroughly. I’m fortunate that I have an astute leadership team who knows if I’ve made up my mind or truly soliciting their input before making a decision.
As for as leadership qualities, I’ve been told that I am a caring person and that extends to my leadership style; I am open and honest while setting clear objectives. I have high expectations for myself, the staff and the company. I am hands-on and involved in every aspect of the business. When I need something, I try to be mindful of my employees by saying “Please” and “Thank you.” Here is some of the feedback: Straightforward, sets clear expectations, high ethics, on top of the government space, intelligent and comprehensive fact-gathering, solution-driven, action-oriented, confident, intuitive, consistent and predictable, warm and inviting, generous and open-minded.
WashingtonExec: What was a turning point or inflection point in your career?
Heidi Gerding: There have been several turning points in my career including:
- Graduation from a non-traditional college
- My service in the Navy
- Starting a business
- My role as a wife and parent
The first and probably most formative, was my graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in 1983, the fourth graduating class of women. Although my parents taught me my values and beliefs, it was the Naval Academy that formed the foundation for who I am, how I think, and how I strive for greater challenges. At USNA, we were taught that there was NO tolerance for lying, cheating or stealing.
There were many lessons over the course of my four years at USNA where I was tested, not only ensuring that I knew right from wrong, but also challenging my classmates with the same. USNA gave me a strong sense of confidence with an innate ability to lead by example. Remember, that USNA graduates are physically, mentally and morally fit to serve as officers in the Navy or Marine Corps. I can remember vividly talking with my parents every night that I wanted to come home and my father asking me if I could do just one more day. One more day became one year, two years, three years, and wow, I was graduating. If you can do your best each day, one day leads to another which leads to years of success, etc. I made it, and what a sense of pride and accomplishment to say that I am a USNA graduate!
The second turning point was my time serving in the U.S. Navy (USN). The nine years I served I was charged with leading up to 500 sailors (building underwater mines) and then managing the Dept. of the Navy’s HIV/AIDS program when we first began testing the fleet for HIV in 1985. It was a difficult time with the world undereducated about how HIV was transmitted. In the Navy, HIV issues were not medical but operational matters; therefore, as a line office, I worked with the other services to establish policy and to plan the execution of how we were going to support the fleet with personnel infected with HIV. The lessons learned during my mine force and personnel policy days taught me how to deal with difficult situations, get teams of people to collaborate, educate people about why policy decisions were made and get people to embrace those policies. I loved my days on active duty, I felt like I was helping to protect our nation and live the lessons learned at USNA.
The third turning point was during those years starting and building a business. New lessons to learn such as marketing/business development, developing budgets and managing to indirect rate structures, formulating a mission statement that ALL of our employees would embrace (HeiTech Services helps the government keep Americans safe), managing customers’ expectations (not just contract requirements), proposal writing, employee morale, benefits administration, etc. Never having owned a business, this was a lot of new ground for me proving that if you’re not growing, you’re dying.
Finally, my role as a mother of four incredible children. I had all four children on active duty before the age of 30. Without a supportive spouse, it would have been extremely difficult to accomplish so much. My husband allowed me the opportunity to be who I needed to be — driven for achieving goals that most women only dream of. We managed to raise four wonderful, contributing members of society who share our strong work ethic.
WashingtonExec: What is the No. 1 business book that had the largest impact on your life or professional development?
Heidi Gerding: There have been two books that have had a large impact on my professional development: A Message to Garcia, read when attending USNA, and The Microsoft Way, The Real Story of How the Company Outsmarts Its Competition. A Message to Garcia provided an important leadership lesson. Just as relevant today as it was so long ago, it provides an incredible example of how independence, clear objectives and discipline can generate desired results. A must read not only for leaders, but their employees. A great idea for a group discussion for an off-site meeting for your leadership team.
The Microsoft Way was an incredible story that offered a lot of insight to Microsoft’s success. The strategy of hiring the smartest people and offering lucrative compensation packages and a culture that fosters entrepreneurship. I loved learning something as simple as these two strategies:
- During back to school season, Bill Gates brought in excess school supplies for his employees to take, encouraging them to stay in the office and to complete projects on time
- Offering lunch every day to their employees (regularly pizza or other fast food) to ensure that they did not leave the Microsoft campus to get food but rather they ate faster and returned to work.
Both of these simple solutions fostered a more productive work environment for a small cost. Bill Gates saw great returns on his investment.
WashingtonExec: What advice do you have for aspiring leaders in the government contracting industry?
Heidi Gerding: My advice to aspiring leaders in the government contracting industry is three-fold. First, get a business partner if you don’t have one in the business now. When one person is engaged in multi-tasking a number of actions and doesn’t have time to finish other activities, the other will pick up the slack that day and keep things moving forward and vice versa. It’s nice to have someone you trust to have your back.
Secondly, find one or many mentors to coach and advise you along the way. Mentors are there to keep you out of risky situations; you can learn from their mistakes. Don’t expect subcontract work from these people or they will stop communicating with you. Take their advice and make decisions based upon many years of previous experience.
Finally, don’t expect that your business will grow quickly. Good things come to those that wait. Have a business strategic plan and work the plan every day. Set realistic goals each year and execute the plan. Government contracting is a long process and the results will be well worth the wait.
WashingtonExec: What was your first job? Overall, how did that experience shape your career?
Heidi Gerding: My first job was at Dayton’s, a department store, founded in Minneapolis, Minn. in 1902 and the parent company of Target. I worked retail in Better Blouses at their flagship store in Minneapolis on Nicolette Mall. I started when I was 15-years-old and managed to work, participate in varsity sports, participate in other activities (oratorical contests, National Honor Society, NJROTC) and maintain a high grade point average in high school.
While working at Dayton’s, my first supervisor, Irene Kirchner, walked around and reminded us that if we weren’t helping a customer, we should be doing other things (buttoning blouses, folding sweaters, cleaning out dressing rooms, etc.) There was no down time when it came to working in Better Blouses. After the first year, I was promoted and moved around the entire store because I learned the products quickly, was agile, maintained a good attitude and always worked to ensure that the Dayton’s experience was positive for our customers. I guess you can say that these qualities helped to shape my career — I loved the discipline, loved being challenged with selling new products and worked to make sure the customer left happy and satisfied. Thank you Irene, you were an awesome role model.
WashingtonExec: What three pieces of advice would you give your kids?
Heidi Gerding: The three pieces of advice I would give my kids are:
- Maintain a strong work ethic (always look around at what others around you are doing and if they are working late, ask them if you can lend a hand)
- Be a leader not a follower (don’t be afraid to call out others who don’t support the organization, challenge them to be positive and help work towards the success of the organization)
- Don’t be afraid to take charge and multitask (you’ll be more highly sought after).
Related: WashingtonExec Annual GovCon Awards Interview Series: Everett Johnson, CEO, E3 Federal Solutions
