Integrator Connection: Secrets in Seattle

Feb. 11, 2015
With its success, Aronson Security Group provides lessons in leadership

How does a small, family business grow into a world-class security company? What business model propelled Seattle’s Aronson Security Group (ASG) from local service to global reach? Despite serving some of the world’s most demanding clients, the company has experienced phenomenal organic growth over the past 10 years.

“We continually look for ways to disrupt our current model to make it more efficient and valuable to our clients,” says Phil Aronson, ASG’s President.

Can ASG’s success be replicated? Is there a recipe for transforming a small, family-run organization into one that serves clients worldwide with a catalytic vision for the market? Aronson has the recipe posted on the walls for staff to live and visitors to see — implementing it might be another story.

ASG’s 10 Secrets to Success

During a tour through ASG corporate headquarters, we observed 10 secrets to ASG’s success, along with a take-away for other businesses hoping to replicate it.

1. The Past is Prologue: Your history predicts your future. The first pictures in ASG’s lobby tell the story of a company that was started in 1963 and reinvented itself every 10 years. The first 40 years created the culture: treating clients and employees like extended members of the family. Trust was built over time in the company’s people, along with the brand. What legacy is your company developing that will be the foundation for your growth (or demise) in the future?

2. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” – Peter Drucker: You cannot manage for improvement if you do not measure what is getting better and what may not be. Aronson created a methodology he called the ASG Path to Value, measuring every person, process and tool against its ability to create value for the client. Can you measure your people, processes and tools for continuous improvement?

3. You need to change; then you need to give back: Aronson discovered early on that the security industry needed to change; however, first he had to identify what was broken. The “Value Stream of Security” hangs prominently on the wall and provides a reminder that ASG clients must have a roadmap for success. The acquisition of that roadmap depends on many different members of the security ecosystem. “How we collaboratively work with our partners to create that roadmap is critical to our client’s success,” Aronson asks. What companies are you partnering with in the value stream to improve the customer experience and to grow you competency and capacity to deliver?

4. The Great Conversation: Aronson partnered with The Sage Group to create a “great conversation” with thought leaders in the industry. Great conversations start with great questions that lead to positive transformation. “We had to change the conversation from a product focus to a security value proposition for the business”, Aronson says. “This had to be about leadership, innovation, best practices and metrics to really have an impact on the industry.” Are you still selling products and projects, or are you providing solutions?

5. No one can go it alone: ASG’s Global Security Network — a network of professionals from every part of the industry to drive change — captures the spirit of The Great Conversation. The network operates within the ASG Path to Value to be able to improve over time. Today it is a highly leveraged group of companies with world-wide reach. Aronson quotes John Wooden: “The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.” Have you created a program that strategically aligns partners with your delivery mechanism?

6. Values are the foundation of organizational strength: Next to Aronson’s office are the ASG values. “The ASG Way is our identity,” Aronson says. “I talk about these values every day. Most of the time I’m quoting Wooden as well such as: ‘Be more concerned about your character then your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.’ These are truly meaningful statements of who we want to be and they hold us accountable to a greater purpose.” The ASG Way includes values such as a sense of urgency, integrity, service and learning. Have you developed a program to create organizational strength through a values platform?

7. The common operating picture: “Every executive must report on metrics that matter to the organization,” Aronson says. “How are they performing? How are they addressing the key goals of the company? How are they mitigating risk? We started by creating a diagram of the essential elements of this ‘common operating picture.’ It has helped us educate our clients as well as organize our own efforts,” he explains. Do you have a consultative information management approach to your clients or are your discussions tied to a product?

8. Global reach, local touch: A critical pillar of growth was discovering that large global integrators were unable to consistently and predictably perform for their clients. “We recognized that the urgency and commitment of a local response were needed along with the standards of a global program,” Aronson says. Now, ASG serves clients around the world through its global network, project managers and highly disciplined methodology. Do your standards for doing business scale?

9. Extending security’s reach and value: “We’re not an integrator; we are a business optimization company focused on security,” Aronson explains. By investing in people, processes and tools, ASG extends security’s reach and value. One of the investments is the Business Optimization Center at ASG headquarters. “We wanted a place to model enterprise systems for our clients,” Aronson says. “But it also applies to our own processes.” The Center mines the “big data” around a business and identifies critical performance information. The intention is to identify problems and root causes, allowing the right assets to be committed to the right place. This is evolving into customer services such as remote diagnostics, information and performance management. Are you moving into managed services that provide consultative performance management for your clients?

10. Strategic action plan: Leadership is not a title at ASG — it is an attitude of influence. “The greatest inhibitor to growth is fear,” Aronson says. “People make excuses and drag their feet when pushed from their comfort zone. We combat that by making ‘change’ a corporate value-driver.” ASG has enforced change by creating a Strategic Action Planning team to evaluate value drivers, strategies, metrics and tasks that guide the company through the change process. These are led by employees selected for their willingness to influence change. Are you creating a self-correcting leadership culture in your company? Do you encourage innovation?

The tour through ASG headquarters reveals the secrets for leading change and innovation in the security industry. “It is time-consuming and at times frustratingly slow,” Aronson admits. “But the people who have made it through are the heroes of our industry, because they are leaving a legacy of leadership and innovation.”

Ron Worman is the founder and managing partner of The Sage Group, a value transformation company that teaches the Path to Value methodology. Cameron Sharpe operated Best Access Systems in New Jersey and Phoenix from 1975-2001. He has also worked in corporate marketing for Caterpillar and Honeywell.