Thanks Bluewolf! Hello Slalom!

Originally Posted to LinkedIn

I am sure by now many have heard I made the decision to leave Bluewolf several weeks ago. It was a tough decision. For almost 8 years, it was home to a great amount of personal learning and growth. But mostly, it was a place filled with amazing PEOPLE! Sometimes in life, we stumble upon an opportunity we never saw coming. Bluewolf was one of those places. The CEO once told me “you were an experiment that went well.” I had joined Bluewolf with years of “customer” experience, but with limited Salesforce experience. 

I could not have survived without the help of many people who took the time to teach me the platform - and help me learn the nuances of strategy, design, build and implementation of technology (a big thanks to people like Greg and Jon). Thank you, Jolene, for taking a chance on me. Thank you, Eric, for making me an experiment. Thanks to Caryn and the bReady team for making Bluewolf a place where the culture was “work hard, play hard - and have fun doing it.” I am thankful for Corinne and Kristil, and the entire Marketing team, for making our Service Cloud teams keenly relevant in the vast Salesforce ecosystem. Also, for working with Sales leaders that just never gave-up. You made me a better salesperson.... teaching me to not sell “stuff” but to sell outcomes. And the fun part was - we were not afraid to punch above our weight at times to go after - and win, with many of the top brands in the world.

But most importantly, I’ve had the opportunity to make many lifelong friendships - and for that, I am most thankful!

I also want to thank the leaders who have helped me grow through the years (Glen, Steve, Greg... to name a few). Also, for direct leaders - like Adam and Chris for being great mentors. And, those who helped me navigate through the IBM acquisition over the past three years. A special shout-out to Randy for his support and guidance. I have learned a lot from you since our first conversation on a plane coming back from my first SKO - but the several years working on your team was a “master’s degree” in sales and leadership!

And now that I have named a couple of names, I realize there are hundreds that I have missed. Hopefully, you know who you are. Thank you!

A special thanks for the support of our Pack family when my daughter was diagnosed with Stage-4 breast cancer in 2013…. for the amazing love that was shown to her. I will never forget the calls saying, “shut your laptop and take care of your family.” Then she fought hard every day and survived for four wonderful years - and throughout it all there were notes and gifts and hugs and calls and tears. Not sure we would have made it without the Bluewolf family. It was also clear that work relationships had become close lifelong friendships when several flew to Memphis for her “Celebration of Life” ceremony after she stepped into heaven. (Of note: We received our 5013c status for the new nonprofit we are planning in her honor that will focus on early breast cancer detection in women 25-40. Most people think breast cancer is only for older women, which is not true - she was just 30 when diagnosed. You can read more about her story and follow our future endeavors as a nonprofit at warriorprincess.org).

So, with all the amazing people, what made me leave? It has little to do with the past and everything to do with the future. It is really about the opportunity to grow....

I am excited to announce, I have joined Slalom Consulting. 

I chose Slalom based on all that they do well.... based on their reputation in the marketplace. But, first, and most importantly, it was based on their culture.

The current size and potential growth of Slalom was also a huge draw. I think I do my best work in an entrepreneurial environment. I love being a part of a growth company… I think it is just in my DNA. I am so excited to see how the future plays-out!

Slalom is a leading consulting firm focused on strategy, technology, and business transformation. I love the tagline, “We help companies tackle their most ambitious projects and build new capabilities.” Within the customer experience focus, Slalom believes that people are the “lifeblood of the business; they’re the ones coming up with ideas and doing the work…. Getting people to work together to deliver great customer experiences is critical to success—especially now.”

No matter how big the service and support organization…. or how technology adept a company is - I believe our success will be measured by our ability to change the lens of the employee first. And that especially holds true in the contact center organization.

In my new role, I will focus on customer experience and all-things contact centers - at a national and global level. The new teams will engage around multiple Salesforce Cloud groups - along with teams focused on specific industries.

Slalom is a leader in the Salesforce ecosystem - #3 overall! And the local market leaders and global leaders have created an amazing North America and Global organization. From my first conversation with Jantzen Bridges, Slalom's Salesforce GM, I knew it was a place where I wanted to be! She described the company this way in a recent interview: “Many of our clients are on a journey to become customer-centric,” said Bridges, “and this requires a true transformation in terms of organizational structures, processes, and technology. By combining our Salesforce expertise with our other capabilities including cloud transformation, strategy, and organizational effectiveness, we’re helping our clients turn into customer-oriented organizations.”

Slalom has a list of values on its website. And while that is not different than most companies, the list is pretty cool… things like “Do what is right, always.” “Stay humble and curious.” and “Smile.” When I interviewed with the leadership team, I choose one of the 10 values and asked them to tell me a story that proved it was true. Without hesitation, in every case, the leaders shared a personal story to prove it was more than just a list. I can't wait to engage with the more across the company - to learn and grow personally.

One last word - for a post that has become WAY too long.

Over the past several weeks, I have had many people reach-out and almost every note talked about the theme of this email - our friendships. All of this has reminded me of what is really important as we work together.

I believe it all comes down to: How have we helped others reach their goals and what type friendships have we made along the way….

So, here’s to a brand-new path…. And to a working with a new set of great customers.... and building new friendships…. In 2020 and beyond!
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Cheers!
Bob Furniss