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PROUDLY PRESENTS
John Robert Stone
Resident of The United States and 3-DNET® VIP member
Email contact : john.r.stone@exec.org
VIDEO INTRODUCTION®
INTERVIEW WITH 3-DNET®
Listen to sample sound "bites" from the interview:
Question 1 : Tell me about yourself
I am a native Texan. I graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point with a BSEE. Later while working full-time, I earned my MBA in Management and Finance to round out my engineering education. I served on active duty for 5 years in West Germany after graduating from West Point. I retired from the USAR and was selected for promotion to LTC. During my army career, I served in many positions of increasing responsibility honing my skills in operations, logistics, and personnel.
I am an Eagle Scout and currently active as a Boy Scout volunteer in various capacities. I began my career in industry with Texas Instruments. I served in a variety of positions so that I could increase both my business knowledge and skills in several areas namely quality, engineering, financial and production planning, and government program cost analysis. I progressed steadily in large- and medium-sized companies in manufacturing, quality, and logistics/supply chain operations in a variety of industries like semiconductors, telecommunications, transportation, and electronic controls.
Each position increased my knowledge and skills and gave me experience in startups and internationally in areas such as Europe, the Far East, and Mexico. I am a good leader and decision maker. As such, I create a common purpose among employees, and empower teams to perform at optimal levels. I enjoy complex problem solving and enjoy mastering a problem to maximize performance and profits.
Question 2 : What can you offer to your next employer ?
In short, leadership. While I offer a whole set of transferable skills; Solving Problems; Learning Quickly; Paying attention to details; Getting Results; Perseverance; "Juggling lots of balls" Multitasking; Being a Team Player; showing Resourcefulness; and demonstrating good Communication skills; Leadership is the most important. A good leader motivates others to reach deep inside themselves; allows others to believe in themselves and the organization to achieve goals and attain levels of performance that they believed were beyond their abilities. This creates a win-win situation for both the company and its employees. This, in turn, leads to increased profits and better performing, well-satisfied employees.
Question 3 : What are your strengths ?
Well, some of my strengths include the ability to combine a strong engineering and manufacturing foundation with a highly-developed set of management skills. My ability to communicate issues in a clear, concise, credible and professional manner, has allowed employees and customers alike to buy into the vision, mission, and goals set before them and make them want to be part of it. I create a common purpose among employees, and empower teams to perform at optimal levels. I listen to an employee's ideas and incorporate those, if applicable, into the final decision. This creates ownership and allows the employee to buy-in to the solution. This has been a key to my success.
My goal is to develop an environment where people feel empowered and bring a sense of teamwork and camaraderie to the workplace. It is a magical thing to see the changes in people once they feel that sense of ownership, and the power that is released once you have won the trust of your colleagues, your employees and your customers alike. This translates into better productivity, happier employees and better financial performance for the company
Question 4 : What are your accomplishments ?
There are a number of accomplishments which I can be proud of, but I will bring examples of just two of them. While at Luminator, while sales were doubling from $43.7MM to $80MM, we didn't just double profits but increased them 5X from $2.5MM to $12.4MM! We achieved this performance without additional hiring and was the result of efficiency programs I instituted, using Lean and Six Sigma techniques. While at Decibel Products, I was responsible for the $3.5MM P&L of the new expansion Gen3Xpol antenna product line. Using Lean and Six Sigma techniques, I initiated efficiency programs which resulted in the decrease of line scrap 25%, improved TAKT time 10%, and increased supplier performance 15%.
Question 5 : What are your limitations ?
As far as I'm concerned I haven't yet reached a point where I think that I've reached my limitations. I still have so many ambitions and dreams that I still need to accomplish. If the intent of this question is really to ask about how I see my weaknesses, then that's a different matter. I don't perceive that I have any weaknesses that would hinder me from doing a top-class job for any future employer.
Question 6 : How much are you worth ?
This is a very leading question! My reaction though, is simply that with my track record of successes, with my skills and experience, and at the levels at which I have worked; these should give a good indication of my worth. I am confident that I will be compensated at the appropriate level based on the requirements, responsibilities and expectations of any job for which I would be considered.
Question 7 : What are your ambitions for the future ?
My ambitions are to continue to grow as a person and an executive. I really enjoy being given top responsibility and working with highly talented and professional people. My skills are readily transferable to almost any industry. I do have aspirations to reach the highest level possible in any technology or manufacturing field where my knowledge and experience becomes a value-add. I look to lead a world class organization that measures its success by customer satisfaction and retention, earnings improvement and sustainability.
Question 8 : How long would it take you start contributing to the firm?
At the level at which I would expect to join the company, I would expect to start to make an immediate contribution. I appreciate that every company is different, has its own products, policies and procedures and culture etc. so obviously it would be necessary to make the time to observe and learn. However, I am a very quick study and able to learn quickly. I would come up to speed rapidly.
Question 9: What is your management style?
My simple philosophy is to always treat other people the way that you would like to be treated yourself. I always strive to build a participative type of environment where people feel respected and respect others. I always try to build consensus among my department, although as the leader, sometimes it is necessary to go alone and make the decision yourself, based on the facts and your own intuition. If I do have to do this, I make sure that everyone understands why this decision was made, that I have heard and taken into account their points-of-view. Often the final decision is quite different from the one that I entered the room with, as once hearing the arguments, I can become flexible and end up at a good solution for everyone. Additionally, it is my job to be a coach and mentor to my department; this builds commitment and a high level of loyalty. Honesty and loyalty are two non-negotiable values that I give and expect back.
Question 10: Why do you think you have a good potential to be a manager?
Because I have lived it! After many years in management roles of increasing responsibility both in the service and in industry, I can confidently state that I'm good at it! I create a common purpose among employees, empower teams to perform at optimal levels, and achieve the company's goals leading to increased profitability.
Question 11: What would you look for in hiring people?
I have hired many people. While I look for technical competence and expertise, one of the things that I always look for is someone who displays a positive and professional attitude. There are different criteria depending upon the role for which I am hiring. I look to assess if they exhibit a "can-do" type of attitude and whether they can be good team players. Different personality-types are suitable for different roles.
It is important for me to ensure that the personalities are a good fit for the roles, the rest of the team, and the company. We spend so much time together at work that it is important to have the right mix of individuals who have differing but complementary skills and have the knowledge, ability and drive to get the job done.
Question 12: As a manager, have you ever had to fire someone?
Unfortunately, yes. And it is one of the most stressful things a leader must do.ever. If someone has done something dishonest or deliberately gone against certain key company policies, then I have no qualms about letting them go. It's never easy and I always ensure that all legal aspects have been investigated thoroughly before action is taken. I've also had to let people go after repeated attempts to improve their performance have failed. Thankfully I can state that this has happened very few times. In these changing economic times, I've most often been placed in the position of having to lay-off staff when the financial situation or change in strategic initiatives dictated that cutbacks were necessary.
You know that you are having a profound effect on the employees' personal lives, creating great hardship for both them and their families. Since each person handles being laid off differently, you have to be prepared for some highly emotional reactions and be prepared to handle things in a way that protects the dignity of the individual as well as protecting the company's integrity . The reason I work so hard to make companies successful is because it's a lot more fun to give someone a job, a bonus, or a raise, than to take it away.
Question 13: What do you see as the most difficult task of being a manager?
The most difficult task in management is to implement and sustain change. In today's competitive business environment, a company must be lean, agile, and exhibit the ability to quickly implement changes to react to new market environments. Almost everyone has his or her own agenda. The challenge is to get everyone to lay aside their personal agendas and work for the new common goal. It's called leadership. The pay-back comes when people see that the changes are for real, and that you are committed to seeing them through. It takes vision, fortitude, commitment and perseverance to succeed, and when the employees start to embrace the new initiatives, one has a most satisfying feeling because you know that you have made an impact. It is the single most challenging aspect of a management's responsibilities. It is also the most rewarding because it is the most difficult.
Question 14: Describe what you feel is the best work environment?
I have always enjoyed being part of a fast paced environment where everyone's opinions and concerns are respected, where people are empowered to do their jobs and given the responsibility to perform without being micromanaged. In every company or department for which I have had responsibility, I work to generate a positive work environment. This creates a win-win situation for the company and for the employees. This environment generates a camaraderie and loyalty not only to the company but also to each other. People like and want to be part of a successful team. When people enjoy their work and are recognized as being key contributors, they are continually motivated to do their best. This is where productivity accelerates to levels never before attained and this translates into better productive, happier employees and better financial performance for the company.
Question 15: Looking back how do you describe your past employer?
It was a very professional and challenging environment. It was a demanding business where one was always dealing with challenging issues and management was constantly kept on its toes. I really loved my job, the company, and the people. .
Question 16: What have you done to increase productivity, performance, efficiency, etc..?
I have always been a change agent for implementing productivity improvements to enhance efficiencies, eliminate waste, and improve financial performance. To get their ownership and buy-in, I trained the employees to utilize lean and six sigma techniques in resolving issues, since they deal with these issues daily. Solutions included improved systems and equipment and implementing individual performance incentive programs.
When management began listening and asking the employees to be part of the solution rather than the problem, programs became successful. I led my team to pick the "low hanging fruit", leading to quick successes and increased confidence. They took ownership and followed through with other programs. At SCI, while I planned and implemented lean and six sigma techniques for the internal manufacturing processes which resulted in a capacity increase of 17%, success was achieved because the employees learned and applied the techniques.
Question 17: Whether you are a "computer wizard", how do you respond to the financial side of your responsibilities?
I am very experienced at budgets, budget planning, and have a dashboard of metrics to monitor the health of the company and its product lines/programs. I judge where we stand by the financial results. I have never forgotten why the company exists and why it is in business, "To make Money".
Question 18: How many people have you supervised in your recent job?
In terms of direct reports and span of control, this usually consisted of between 6 to 8 direct reports. However, in total numbers, I have been responsible for a range of between 125 to 300 employees. .
Question 19: What do you like more, working with figures or words?
It's critical to me that I have my eye on the numbers as this is what business is all about. I employ metrics to help me keep a pulse on the critical parts of the business. At the same time, the written word is a powerful force. It must be used clearly especially in contract specifications, communicating new policies and decisions to employees, and when communicating outside of the company to give a good impression and to present a professional image.
Question 20: How do you think that your subordinates receive you?
Feedback I have received has always been good. As I stated earlier, I create a common purpose among employees, and empower teams to perform at optimal levels. I treat my employees with respect, give them responsibility, and listen to their opinions and points-of-view, thereby obtaining their buy-in and ownership to the process. I inspire and motivate them to do their jobs well. I serve as a heat shield to higher management. I instruct and train them in making better decisions and job improvements. I encourage and rate them on initiative and change implementation. I delegate and allow them to do their jobs without unnecessary interference. This builds their own confidence and inspires them to do their best.
My open door policy means that they are never afraid to come and ask for help or to tell me their opinions. They are proud to tell me their success stories. It is important that my people feel that I care about them and their families and that I work with them to improve themselves, through training and further schooling. With three different sets of employees, they have presented me with items acknowledging their respect and appreciation for me as their boss
Question 21: What do you think of your previous boss?
I have a great deal of respect and admiration for him. He was very knowledgeable of the industry and what was needed to direct and successfully lead the company. He had a hands-off, participative style of management. He allowed me to do the job for which I was hired, in the best way I thought. He was very supportive of my actions and was keenly interested in tracking the metrics which I had established to keep a pulse of the critical parts of the business. We didn't always agree with each other on certain issues, but we always had open and forthright discussions and always professionally resolved the issues. He was a very ethical person, demanding, and while focused on short-term financial results, he kept his attention on long-term financial results due to the cyclical nature of the business.
Question 22: Describe a situation in which your work was criticized?
When I was in engineering at Texas Instruments, an organizational change placed the engineering manager, whom I had previously supported in the division and one with whom I had cause to reject his former departmental engineers' work, as my immediate superior. My new boss had a different philosophy than that of the current Quality department over which he now supervised. My position gave me the responsibility and requirement to halt production and/or shipments for substandard production of semiconductors.
Before the organization change, the background was that the company had just been fined several millions of dollars by the Department of Defense due to lack of testing of semiconductors, although production paperwork indicated that they had been tested to standard. More millions of dollars had been spent by the company to investigate the depth of the problem. Our particular division was one of the few to not be found in violation of the testing procedures. One investigation finding was that management was forcing employees to improperly sign off on the production paperwork that the semiconductors were tested properly when if fact they had not been.
Division meetings were held to instruct employees that management could and should no longer force them to sign production paperwork improperly. In the context of this background, I had caused a halt in production due to substandard production. These parts were needed to make the division's billings goal for the month, Management was upset at the jeopardy in which they believed I had placed them. My boss wanted me to sign off on the rejection tag to restart production. I told him in good conscious that I couldn't agree as that would falsify the production paperwork. I reminded my boss of the company's new policy of not forcing employees to sign production paperwork and while I could not in good conscious sign the reject tag myself, I invited him to sign the rejection tag himself and overrule me to get the production line moving again. He responded in a very unprofessional manner and with threats to my job and false accusations to force me into compliance with his wish for me, not him, to sign the rejection tag. It was a matter of great integrity for me to continue to refuse as I wished to protect my division and the company from having to undergo another investigation.
The matter resolved itself as engineering and production were able to determine the root cause of the production problem, take the necessary corrective action, and demonstrate that good semiconductors were able to be produced. Working as a team, we were able to process the necessary semiconductors to make shipment and achieve the division's billings goal.
Question 23: If I spoke with your boss what he would say about your greatest strength and weaknesses?
Most of my former bosses would be in agreement about my strong engineering and manufacturing foundation with a highly-developed set of management skills. They would agree that I was a highly competent, committed and energetic leader who had exceptional people management skills. They recognized that I built and empowered strong teams of people which contributed to the profitability and productivity of the company. They would recognize as a strength my perseverance in program implementation, obtaining support and consensus from diverse departments, and never giving up, no matter how difficult situations got. As far as weaknesses go, you would have to ask these individuals directly to gain their perspective. I also continue to work to better myself through training, seminars, schooling, and feedback.
Question 24: How can you handle life under pressure and with tough deadlines?
I actually thrive and work better under pressure. Tough deadlines are a way of life. I strive to train and empower a team to be responsive, knowledgeable, and be able to make correct decisions to address the various business situations. I have always been able to keep a cool head, quickly assess the situation, address any particular problems, and make those difficult decisions to take corrective action. Experience has taught me to expect the unexpected and to always be prepared. I work to emplace and improve systems to proactively minimize problems. As a leader, I set the tone and create a positive attitude towards dealing with issues and giving my teams the resources and tools to handle almost any eventuality. Therefore, no matter how demanding or difficult the deadline is, people have faith that they are capable of meeting it.
Question 25: What do you think you do better: staff work or line work?
I have done both, and thoroughly enjoyed both. I always strive to surround myself with a team of hard-working, talented and committed individuals. Being the leader of a strong and supportive team gives me a great feeling and fills me with pride and satisfaction.
Question 26: In your current position, what problem have you identified that was previously overlooked?
The biggest problem I quickly identified was a lack of understanding the production processes and costs. A value-added analysis of the production processes quickly identified bottlenecks and non-valued added, waste producing processes. A team was formed to implement lean and six sigma techniques to identify and prioritize programs for improvement. The problems identified included poor supplier performance, inventory mismanagement, inadequate employee training, improper and incomplete engineering design documentation, and the need for a more robust MRP/ERP system.
It was determined that different departments could begin to define and implement corrective action in parallel to other departments' actions. Other programs were identified as follow-on projects due to priority projects needed to be corrected first. While a complicated solution, once I championed the implementation of lean and six sigma programs and the responsible people identified and empowered, production improved resulting in a 17% increase in capacity and a much-improved financial performance.
Question 27: If you had a choice of job and a company what would you choose?
I am seeking a challenging and dynamic opportunity with a medium- to large-company that continues to grow; presents career growth opportunities with increasing levels of responsibility; provide input to the company's strategic planning goals; be at a Senior Manager, Director, or VP level position; work in an operations, quality or supply chain position which provides opportunities for interaction with other groups, people, customers, and suppliers; afford hands-on opportunities; be a quality minded company dedicated to high quality products/services for customers; provide opportunities to enhance proficiencies and reduce costs to contribute to the company's profits; and receive compensation at the appropriate level based on the requirements, responsibilities and expectations of any job for which I would be considered.
Question 28:Do you have any objection to take a psychological test?
No, I have no problem with this provided that the results will be announced to me. However, current prevailing psychologists' opinions support that such a test can only generally determine whatever values are being measured in a broad sense and cannot give a true and accurate determination and measurement of an individual's performance in differing environments.
Question 29: Do you consider yourself as a creative person?
Certainly as applied to work. On a business level, I have always prided myself as thinking "outside the box" which has served me well with all the business problems I've encountered. I am very creative and often use this skill to come up with solutions that some people might call "off-the-wall" or abstract. I encourage others to also be more creative, exhibit initiative, and implement changes. This breeds a "can-do" spirit and attitude in my department.
Question 30: How do you describe your personality?
According to the Personality test, I am introverted, conventional, rational, and organized. Results from an earlier Myers-Briggs Personality test classified me as Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging. While these appear to be in agreement, these indicate preferences only and the other four personality categories are used. The Personality tests indicates I'm borderline extroverted. I am a very positive and outgoing person who socializes easily, enjoys being the leader and generates a sense of confidence and loyalty within my colleagues, but I do enjoy working on some projects and problems independently. People like working for me because they have told me so. I'm confident that each of my former employers or employees will tell you the same thing.
Question 31: What is your outside reading you do?
My reading is varied. To keep current on the news I scan the newspaper and listen to talk radio. I read the Dallas Business Journal to stay current with business activities in Dallas. I read the Bible almost daily. I read books on health improvement, money management, various Christian literature, the Reader's Digest, many different fiction genres, and do the New York Times crossword puzzles. I collect Children's Book series. Our home is filled with books of all types and they are all very important.
Question 32: What are some of your outside activities?
My son is now grown and in college. My wife and I are mostly empty nesters. My favorite pastime is going places with my wife; eating out, dancing, camping, working out at a local gym, or just browsing, shopping, and performing errands. I am active as an adult volunteer in several capacities with the Boy Scouts of America, having begun when my son joined Cub Scouts and continued after he earned his Eagle Rank in Boy Scouts. My wife and I do volunteer work at our church and at a local food pantry. "What are some of.... ?"
Question 33: Are you continuing your education?
Yes, the process of learning never stops. The practicalities of working in business provide a comprehensive education. Additionally, I keep myself current attending various industry and educational seminars and have been fortunate enough to work for companies that have sponsored me for a multitude of these certified programs and events. In today's world we have to continually push ourselves to keep up with the latest developments in technology and other related fields of endeavor.
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