ExecutiveBiz named DynCorp CEO Steve Gaffney a “Person to Watch in 2011.”
Here’s why:
He’s a defense industry veteran who recently took on the role of a lifetime.
Ever since Steve Gaffney became DynCorp International’s CEO this past August, he’s been helping the company build upon its 60-year history as a global government services provider in support of U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives. A key part of his approach is staying focused on his employees: more than 17, 000 in all. If anything, that approach is based on one simple philosophy: Focus on your people first, and the rest will take care of itself.
In his first two months on the job, Gaffney read every employee survey comment — more than 1, 000 in all, conducted in the months before he came on board. “The feedback, ” he recently said, “is consistent with what I’ve seen at other companies where I’ve had a leadership role … the employees would like more opportunities to grow and move into other projects — we’re going to make sure we give them those opportunities.”
Meanwhile, DynCorp International’s acquisition by the private equity firm, Cerberus Capital Management, for $1.5 billion in 2010 is another key growth driver, just as the company’s recent acquisition of Phoenix Consulting Group, Inc., and Casals & Associates, Inc., expands its inroads into intelligence and developing nations work.
Looking ahead, Gaffney is confident despite the challenges. “The market is flat, at best, so that means the only way you can grow is to take share, ” Gaffney told us recently. “Everybody else is sitting in their boardroom saying the same thing. What they’re not talking about is how to build high performing teams and how to manage their constraints — that’s our differentiator.”
