Here are some comments from some of the people Dan has advised…
"Dan became my leadership (partner) when I was hired as COO. He gave me feedback no one else would have and was there whenever I needed him...there were some tense times and (his objectivity) helped a lot..."
“Dan is an expert in a couple of areas that were very important to us. (One is) how to implement a strategy. (Another is) what it takes to get an operation to be more flexible and efficient. And he knows a lot about what makes up a culture.”
“For me personally, what was most important was what he calls the political side…the relationships and why people act like they do…and how to get enough support to win the battle. It’s the political part that you need help on (in these situations). That’s where you run into real trouble. Having someone you trust who understands that side of things can keep you from falling off a cliff."
"When I hired (my successor), I frankly didn’t think I needed any help on this, but one of my board members thought we should have someone from the outside. It was a good thing because it can get tricky...(my successor) came in because he could do things that the company was going to need (in its next era), but my style is very different and having someone who just focused on our relationship that we could both talk to helped avoid problems that could have derailed the whole thing."
