Defender Direct, Inc.: A Business of Growing Leaders
Company Name: Defender Direct, Inc.
Topic of the Week: Leadership, Policy, and Culture
Synopsis of the Situation
According to Pearson & Robinson (2013, p. 9-2, para. 1) Defender Direct , Inc. was a privately held company that sold and installed ADT security systems and Dish Network Satellite TV to homeowners in the United States. The president and CEO of the company, Dave Lindsey, started Defender out of his home in 1998.
Defender became one of the largest security and satellite dealers in the Midwest. In 2008, Defender generated $150 million in revenues and ranked on the Inc. 500 list of America’s Fastest-Growing Companies (Pearson & Robinson, 2013, p. 9-2, para.2).
Defender’s growth was attributed to using an aggressive direct-marketing focus and national expansion. Lindsey credited the Defender culture for the growth of the company; he believed that the talents of his leaders were the reason. He believed that taking care of his team members was what was needed to continually grow the business. With that he sent members of his team to seminars, conferences and self-help programs to increase enthusiasm, optimism and skills (Pearson & Robinson, 2013, p. 9-2, para.3).
Things didn’t start out this way for Lindsey. He was challenged on a regular basis to evolve with the company from being a door-to-door-salesman all the way up the ladder to president and CEO. He also had challenges when it came to reinventing his relationship with the business when it grew as rapidly as it did over the course of 10 years. He had to reinvent the way he did business and he had to learn to release control in regards to his management philosophy. He needed to hire others on who in turn ended up becoming trusted employees who he turned over the reigns to in different leadership roles. Lindsey reinvented Defender’s business model