Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Advisors Hires Chief Development Officer - Like a Coxswain!




Since July, 2014, Development Advisors, LLC, has been making plans to strengthen our team. We recently added a new Chief Development Officer who will be the primary organizer and executor of our project operations including managing our Project Directors. I am pleased to introduce Mr. Drew Kraft.
 
The criteria that we used to consider many candidates can be best characterized as a coxswain in a rowing boat as described in the book “Boys In The Boat” (by Daniel James Brown). Here is the description. “From the moment the shell is launched, the coxswain is the captain of the boat. He or she must exert control, both physical and psychological, over everything that goes on in the shell. Good coxes know their oarsmen inside and out— their individual strengths and vulnerabilities— and they know how to get the most out of each man at any given moment. They have the force of character to inspire exhausted rowers to dig deeper and try harder, even when all seems lost. They have an encyclopedic understanding of their opponents: how they like to race, when they are likely to start sprinting, when they like to lie in wait. Before a regatta, the cox receives a race plan from the coach, and he or she is responsible for carrying it out faithfully. But in a situation as fluid and dynamic as a crew race, circumstances often change abruptly and race plans must be thrown overboard. The cox is the only person in the shell who is facing forward and can see how the field is shaping up throughout a race, and he or she must be prepared to react quickly to unforeseen developments. When a race plan is failing to yield results, it is up to the cox to come up with a new one, often in a split second, and to communicate it quickly and forcefully to the crew. Often this involves a lot of shouting and a lot of emotion.”

Please join me in welcoming Drew as our new CDO!

If you would like to contact Mr. Drew Kraft, you may reach him at dkraft@developco.com or at 303-534-3344 x106.

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