Boulder – Sal Silvester believes organizations need to focus less on technology and more on developing their people. "If a company goes out and spends a million dollars on enterprise management software and another company spends a million dollars on professional development, the one that spent money on its people will work more effectively," Silvester says. "Leadership is where it all starts - at all levels - not just the CEO but at the line manager level, too."
He says that need for development is a "common theme" that he saw during his time as an army officer and consultant at Accenture, the management and technology consulting firm.
"I recognized that although companies struggle with technology and process challenges, the need for critical soft skills such as leadership, teamwork, communication and problem solving far outweighed the technology and process challenges," he says.
So in 2002, Silvester created his own company to help organizations develop those soft skills. Silvester calls his Boulder-based company 5.12 Solutions, and it conducts workshops on leadership development, team building, leadership, communication, managing change, conflict resolution, project management and time management. Sometimes rock climbing, treasure hunts and challenge courses are involved.
About the name: 5.12 is a rock-climbing term. Technical rock climbs are rated in difficulty from 5.0 to 5.15. When climbers perform at the 5.12 level they're considered world class.
"The same concept embodies the clients we work with and the training solutions we deliver," Silvester says.
He says the most common problems he sees in organizations relate to change, communication and cohesiveness among teams. "Teams often need more communication, within teams and between teams."
And change, he says, is a constant. "Organizations are always changing, but sometimes change can throw an organization off balance," he says. "Leaders need to be sure and communicate a lot during times of change to keep employees informed."
The company sees its niche as being able to relate its content and activities to the business world.
"I don't think there are any companies along the Front Range that provide the combination of experiential activities, training content and personal action planning - coupled with our emphasis on business and the corporate environment," Silvester says.
One client, Performance Health Technologies, a company in Boulder that develops and sells sports medicine equipment, sent about 12 of its employees to 5.12 Solutions this summer in Eldorado Canyon west of Eldorado Springs.
Burl Amsbury, vice president of product development at Performance Health, says he and his colleagues spent half a day there working on building teamwork among employees.
Amsbury says Silvester led a discussion related to how the employees communicated during an exercise in the canyon and how they usually communicate at work.
"It was worth the time," Amsbury says, "I think we walked away with a better understanding of how different people approach tasks at work. I think it promoted a better understanding of work styles and the dynamics to look for, say, between marketing people and engineers."
One of 5.12's programs is called the Hi-tech Treasure Hunt - where teams use a global positioning system device to find hidden treasure.
"We saw this as a unique opportunity to create team building where teams, instead of individuals, use a GPS device, compass and map to find (hidden treasure)," he says. "The programs creates a unique dynamic that enables teams to explore what they need to do to be successful at work. Communication, leadership, conflict resolution, problem solving and decision-making all come into play."
Another client, Corporate Express in Broomfield, did the treasure hunt with about 30 employees in April.
"I think a good part of it is just getting out of the office, getting to be silly and wearing shorts," says Carl Budke, a human resources manager at Corporate Express. "This isn't an exact science, but I think it helped our team's unity, communication and cooperation."
5.12 has 15 clients across the Front Range and the country. In addition to Corporate Express and Performance Health, other clients include Caterpillar, several Colorado government departments, Intellisource and Village Homes. He has a few out of state clients, too.
"We are committing to grow our national presence," Silvester says.
Silvester graduated from the U.S. Army Ranger and airborne school and has competed on adventure racing teams, marathons, and an Ironman triathlon. He has a master's degree from Georgia Southern University.
5.12 Solutions has three employees: a vice president of marketing, a project coordinator and Silvester. However, Silvester says the company has "an extensive network" of trainers, curriculum designers, facilitators, and keynote speakers who work with him as consultants.
Silvester says Boulder is a "tremendous place" to be based. "It fits perfectly into our philosophy of bridging the gap between work and play," he says. "Boulder provides a very supportive entrepreneurial business climate and a bedrock of world class companies."
He adds that Boulder is a good place to find the "right kind" of people for his business. "Essentially, Boulder has given us the foundation to expand in 2005 and add skilled account management resources as the business continues to grow."