People make companies - not vice-versa!

Some time ago, I was asked to give a keynote at a conference focused on product management. I felt I could contribute and agreed to speak. In fairness to the organiser, I shared that I was no longer working for the company he thought I was working for. It did not take long, and I was uninvited.

Of course I understood why this happened. Professional conference organisers need to attract paying customers, and having “high profile” people at their shows gives them credibility to sell more tickets. Yet, the underlying belief also nagged a little on me, as it seemingly was the company that made me interesting, not my competence.

Fast forward to last night: I was invited to a farewell dinner for my former colleague Ron Roth at Leica Geosystems part of Hexagon (thanks Layton Hobbs for organising). Ron and I worked side by side for nine years. At the dinner table were quite a few former colleagues, some of whom I have stayed loosely in touch over the years. You may have experienced this yourself: when you leave a company, it is always a balancing act between getting on with your new live, getting out of their way and keeping relationships alive. It had almost been eight years since I had last seen many of my former colleagues, but it felt immediately like no time at all had passed. There was an instant familiarity, we caught up on personal matters, discussed what had changed in Leica and in the industry, and of course we fondly remembered the “old days”.

Driving home, I realised that over the years the company and organisation had changed in many ways. New people came, some people left, new structures were put in place. Yet, at the core, the team culture remained the same, and the relationships with my former colleagues were intact. Relationships that were forged upon joint successes and failures, fierce debates, shared personal experiences during business travel, a passion to change the industry, but also the respect for each other's professionalism and expertise.

Ron is one of the most knowledgeable people in the world of geospatial lidar. He spent almost his entire life working on creating leading edge products. Quite often, we had fierce debates about directions, specs or the product roadmap. But if you debate with an expert, it is easy to keep even intense arguments at a professional level. And if, on top, you battle it out with a truly wonderful and kind person, it makes it so much easier to go for a drink afterwards.

So to come back to where I started this post: last night brought it home once more, that it is really the people, their competence and their passion that create products and eventually make a company to become the leader in something. A company merely provides the opportunity so that passionate people such as Ron can do what they are really good at. Maybe therein lies the essence that separates average companies from really great ones: to go with the times and change, yet to protect the spaces where magic happens.

And there is something else to consider: Once Ron will hand in his computer and badge at the end of the month, Leica may have lost a key contributor. But he will still be one of the world’s leading experts on Geospatial Lidar!

Knowing Ron, he is likely looking forward to do some home improvement projects or spend time with his family. But just in case you are looking for a Lidar expert for your Geospatial conference or need expert advice: I would highly recommend Ron as one of the most entertaining keynote speakers and sparring partners in the business! Leica Geosystems or not.

On a personal note: Ron, my friend, thank you for wonderful and exciting times! Thanks for putting up with me on those endless discussions about business plans, features and where the industry would go. I truly believe, we did move the needle a little bit! In an international team, you also have been a great ambassador for your home country, the US. It has been a real pleasure working with and learning from you. And whenever we got stuck, we had ToP and the "Oakland Stroke"! May the "Soul" stay with you in your future endeavours!

Dadubidudiihhhdabaddahhhh…da...da....!

And for everyone else: If you don’t want to wait for somebody’s farewell, feel free to share or give praise in the commentary!