Rick Schult is senior vice president of the defense division at E3/Sentinel and a Pinnacle Awards finalist in the DOD Industry Executive of the Year category. Here, he shares key career achievements and proud industry moments, professional risks, advice for aspiring leaders and more.
What key achievements did you have in 2018?
My key achievement in 2018 focused around facilitating the continued growth of E3/Sentinel where we have grown from a small business to a strong mid-tier company competing in the unrestricted market.
We continued to expand our footprint across the federal government, including in the former Acquisition Technology & Logistics organization at the Office of the Secretary of Defense level, adding a very strategic customer with a mission to shape and counter emerging threats against our adversaries.
We closed the year 120% above plan and solidified the E3/Sentinel Defense organization into three distinct portfolios supporting 13 customers with more than 200 employees.
What was a turning point or inflection point in your career?
I was very fortunate to be surrounded by a leadership team that recognized my drive and passion for excellence. After winning our first two defense contracts, which I was responsible for the capture, proposal, and execution of the work, my leadership team afforded me a tremendous opportunity to step out of that delivery role and transitioned into a role where I was solely responsible for the growth of my own business unit.
As I developed in my new role, my successes and failures were supported. The lessons learned from these experiences have help me add value to the company. I was consistently empowered by leadership who saw my potential, had trust in my talents, and gave me opportunities to develop not only myself but our defense unit into what it is today.
What are you most proud of having been a part of in your current organization?
E3/Sentinel has always had something special about it — and that is our culture. Over the past 13 years, I have been a part of building something truly unique, allowing our company to focus on the people aspect of our business. At times, it is hard to define or write-down on a paper, you must experience it in person.
There are no egos here, we are all here for the same thing and strive to support the mission of our customers. Our successes aren’t driven by one person or one team, it takes a village to accomplish the things we have done here — both effective customer delivery teams and attentive internal organizations that keep the engine running smooth.
What’s the biggest professional risk you’ve ever taken?
At one point in my career, I asked my CEO for permission to fail. It sounds crazy, but I was asking for resources to collect data, fully understand the market, and refine my strategies in the out-months/years. I’ll never forget the looks I received from my support team.
Fortunately, in the end, this risk paid off and my team exceeded our intended results year after year. In an industry full of incredibly talented individuals, I feel strongly that one must be willing to take calculated risks in order to realize significant successes.
Looking back at your career, what are you most proud of?
The same way my leadership team fostered my career, I’d like to think that I have helped others grow and effectively navigate the government contracting industry. Whether that is an employee looking for an opportunity to learn how to manage a project/program or a business partner looking for opportunities to expand their footprint, I enjoy mentoring and guiding.
I get excited when I receive a phone call from that employee explaining they were just offered an opportunity to managing their own program. This reinforces why I am in this industry. You hope that you are providing value-adds into their development, but when you see the results first-hand — that is always something to be proud of.
What’s your best advice for aspiring leaders who want to follow in your footsteps?
The best advice that I can give to aspiring leaders is to get to know those who work for you and understand what drives them to come to work every day. Recognize their accomplishments and actively support their endeavors by providing opportunities to grow and realize their own successes. Allow them to ask questions, and most importantly, allow them to fail, but not fall. In this business, it’s all about the people.