# You can buy a company. Keeping its people is the difficult part.

John Laughlin joined what became CTI as an accountant. It was supposed to be a stepping stone.

That plan lasted about as long as most sensible career plans.

In our conversation for Before It Was Obvious, John explains how he fell into AV, became an owner through sweat equity, and helped build a business around something considerably less fashionable than the latest technology: people who trust each other and get the work done.

His approach to acquisitions is particularly interesting.

The balance sheet matters. So do the contracts. But John spends a great deal of time asking whether the people will want to stay.

Because the customer relationship often belongs to the engineer, project manager or salesperson who actually delivers. Buying the company does not automatically transfer that trust into your spreadsheet.

There is a useful leadership point here, too. If someone has the right attitude, makes the effort and can be trusted, poor performance may mean they are in the wrong role or need better training.

Blaming the employee is certainly quicker. It is not necessarily more accurate.

John's distinction between culture and strategy stayed with me: change the plan when new information arrives, while remaining clear about how people are expected to behave.

We also explore vendor partnerships, private equity, education and why an AV system passing its technical tests is not quite the same as delivering a good experience.

That is where the value sits.

Listen to the conversation at B4Obvious.com, and subscribe to the B4Obvious YouTube channel.

#Leadership #CompanyCulture #AVIntegration #B4Obvious