The Approach 

Discovering people’s strengths and creating an environment for them to bring out their best selves in order to propel the growth of a company is at the heart of what Larendee does now.

“One mistake business owners make is the assumption that, if you’re dedicated, you should be able to do anything. It’s true that humans have boundless potential, but we all have different training, experiences, or even neurological designs that help us learn and execute in different ways. It’s like construction. A roof has an important function. You can’t expect the roof to carry the plumbing’s function or vice versa. It doesn’t make sense. We need both of them.

“Often in organizations, leaders get frustrated when someone is hired to be the roof. Then something happens and they need to become the plumbing, yet they didn’t receive any training. They lacked the experience. We weren’t even sure if they were wired to do the plumbing.”

To better understand the people in an organization, Roos Advisors helps business leaders “put the right people in the right seats”. To gauge alignment, we ask employees to self-assess what their interests are, what they’ve been trained in, and what they think they’re capable of. 

“Many times we find that people are carrying out leadership responsibilities when they don’t have the training for it.”

Then comes the evaluation: is this the desired person for this position? Can they be trained? How much will the training cost? Is it cost-effective? There is a sentiment in recent years that companies are not as invested in employee development as they used to be. However, a lot of companies are still leveraging education and training for their employees’ growth. The final thing to add to this method is timing.

“Put the right people in the right seats at the right time.” 

That means considering if there are sufficient resources, or enough bandwidth to properly onboard a new person. With methodical planning and execution, good results come naturally. On average, Roos Advisors helps clients increase their revenue by 35% year over year. 

 

The Lesson

Larendee has seen many people withstand hardships to reach their potential: herself, her children, and her clients. She acknowledges that human potential is limitless, most prominently, the ability to carry on despite adversity. Resilience is key. 

In March 2020, COVID shuttered over three million businesses in the U.S. By June 2020, about 400k closed permanently. For those businesses that stayed operating, it was also trying.

“COVID was hard for the whole world. But it was also an inspiring time for us. Why? We didn’t have time to prepare. I lived through Y2K. I was an executive back then. We spent eighteen months putting contingency plans in place for that. We prepared for scenarios such as financial system crashes, database crashes, computers not working, etc. But we had less than a week to prepare for COVID. We had to go into action right away. Businesses still need help. Cash flow became a major concern.”

In 2020, we spent 95% of our time helping companies pivot.

 

“We learned how to work with teams in a completely new way. It starts with questions, like: how do we work cohesively as a team? What do we do in the morning? Do we have everyone all hands on deck for a meeting first thing in the morning? Every company is different. We helped them set up protocols suitable to them. We also helped them tap into government assistance.”

The old saying goes: “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” It’s true for all of our clients. With Larendee’s helping hand, proper strategy, and execution, they were able to survive and thrive. 

The Challenge

When a company brings Larendee in for a consultation, it usually means they realize something needs to change. Change is never easy, whether for an individual or an organization, because it’s painful.

It’s painful because no one can do it for you. No one can force you,  not time, not advisors, not a great thinker, not a magic wand. You need to be ready. You might realize that something is weighing you down. Yet until you’re willing and ready to shed it. It’ll be that weight on your chest. That’s when things get challenging. “There is a principle that people move at the pace of pain. Until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change, they won’t show up for it. They won’t do the work.

“We meet a kind of client sometimes. They say they want something different, but they have a fixed mindset. They’re unwilling to see the possibilities. They’re unwilling to see things differently, so we won’t have a partner. That is the biggest challenge.”

There is abundant advice online about how to “fire” a client. Larendee has never had to do it. Instead, she sets expectations for her clients clearly and graciously. So there is a high level of understanding in the partnership from the very beginning. Those who don’t feel comfortable will self-eliminate. Understanding is the foundation of all healthy and fruitful relationships, professional and personal. 

The Evolution

As Larendee built her reputation in construction and real estate, businesses from other industries started to inquire about Roos Advisors and seek advice on operations, financial planning, sales,  and marketing. The firm gradually added the services to its inventory. Right now, if you’re a company still in the search stage and seeking a fractional CEO, COO, CFO, CSO, CHRO, or CMO to elevate your operation, Roos Advisors has seasoned professionals to fulfill those roles. 

Roos Advisors has also grown two sister companies: Encompassing People and Miracle Activation Center, each with distinct specialties, since 2003.  Larendee stays sharp through continuous learning. She took on acting classes a few years ago. “It’s an unfulfilled dream and passion,” she said. Studying art is one way to keep nourishing her creativity, to expand, and to heal. In telling her story and listening to other people’s stories, conversations happen, and we start to see what we have in common as humans. It’s good for personal fulfillment, and it’s even better for business. It’s the foundation of building company culture, which can be far more sophisticated and effective than obstacle courses and mandatory after-work gatherings. Larendee spent twenty years walking the path that is less taken and seeing long-term results. Her work constantly inspires her and as she gives, she receives. It is true reciprocity. We call that the ultimate work-life balance.