Schedule Call
Richard

Richard

Richard Spangler is a leading business development consultant and recognized change accelerator who creates actionable results. An original founder of PlazaBridge Group, he has an intense desire to help growth companies migrate through the maze of issues and to help the executive/entrepreneur accelerate into success while minimizing errors. His expertise includes product strategy and management, entrepreneurship, mergers & acquisitions. Richard has over 25 years of experience in large corporate branding beginning with product management, corporate development and acquisitions for Compaq Computer Corporation. Following Compaq, Richard was the Program Director of Wireless Strategy at IBM, where he redefined the wireless application business. He continued at IBM as the Worldwide Brand Manager overseeing the Aptiva consumer product and new licensing programs for the IBM logo. After IBM, Richard leveraged his extensive experience in web merchandising, technology and strategic management to create 6 startups including Planet Portal Inc., Square Loop Inc., Creative Leadership Adventures, Interpretis Inc. and his current non-profit, PoleFlyers. Richard holds a B.S. from Guilford College and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Beyond the PlazaBridge doors, you can find Richard flying, golfing or playing the guitar with his band, The Headless Chickens.

The Creative Umbrella

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

PlazaBridge Group works with many technology and biotechnology companies. Collaborating with engineers and technology visionaries is part of what we do. And we do it quite well. I have come to notice a fundamental tenant of engineering excellence that should be intuitive but isn’t.

Tech-centric managers must offer “creative room” to their staffs. Engineers love to get into the specifics of solutions. They can dive deeper into problems than most others. If these same engineers find themselves in senior positions like CTO or V.P of Engineering without acknowledging they should no longer work the details, their staffs and the creative passion that should accompany them disappear.

We see lots of engineering organizations with tour de force senior management that still define the details of their projects. This leaves the staff to simply go through the motion of root design. It is painful to watch the disenigration of the organization and the energy collapse that precedes it. We advise: Open wide when the rain comes and clam up to let the sunshine in.

More to explore