I recently went one on one with David Giersdorf. David is a longtime executive and entrepreneur in the cruise, travel, and tourism industry, where he has held senior executive leadership positions at Holland America Line, Windstar Cruises, Paul Gauguin Cruises, American West Steamboat Company, and Exploration Cruise Lines. David is also the author of Hard Ships.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

David: I was born in the frontier of Alaska before statehood. My father was a young, single parent, and quite an entrepreneur. He was in the aviation business, the early days of Alaska Airlines. And he played a big role in putting Alaska on the map as a tourism destination. And in fact, when I was in my teens, he started what became the family company, and it was all hands on deck. My dad, stepmother, my sister, and I launched a small enterprise to bring what we called "The Real Alaska" forward for travelers. We developed Arctic tourism; the Pribilof Islands off the far tip of the remote Aleutian chain; we operated Glacier Bay National Park as the concessionaire, the largest maritime National Park in the whole Parks system. We built a fleet of small cruise ships, accomodating no more than 100 guests, that made it possible to access wilderness areas and experiences beyond the reach of any other form of travel. From this start in Alaska, we branched out around the world to other destinations with our concept of immersive travel experiences. We sold that business in the late 1980s. And that propelled me into the larger global cruise and travel industry where I spent decades helping build out several of the brands and some of the enduring concepts of the global cruise industry. In fact, I served a term as Chairman of the global cruise industry association along the path in my career. So I have a perspective of all seven continents, all types of cruising from extreme expedition to extreme luxury, and everything in between. And, importantly, a keen appreciation for the hopes and dreams of travelers who are seeking something beyond the ordinary.

The major setback and lessons of my career came about when my family sold our cruise and tourism business to a very large company, with dreams of expanding our vision and unique approach to travel experiences worldwide. Those dreams were dashed when being a part of that larger company became disastrous and resulted in the total shutdown of our business. It was impactful and disruptive on many levels – my livelihood and career, my family, my vision of the future. As a result, I also learned many valuable lessons about picking up the pieces and continuing forward, and about business integrations.

Adam: In your experience, what are the key steps to growing and scaling your business?

David:

• Establish a compelling purpose that attracts and aligns resources within and outside of your company.

• Differentiate and Deliver continuously.

• Develop a skilled, loyal and motivated team.

• Stay ahead of capital requirements.

• Be transparent. Engage all stakeholders.

• Have fun along the way.

Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader?

David:

• Clarity and Consistency of Vision, Goals, and Strategic Imperatives.

• Transparency.

• Communication Skills. 

• Passion for relentless improvement.

• Decision Making.

Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

David:

• Benchmark Others.

• Seek Input and Guidance from proven Leaders.

• Take time to evaluate and reflect on how your leadership skills are impacting performance and goal achievement.

• Take responsibility.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?

David: Disruption leads to opportunity. Innovation is an essential response to Disruption and the accelerant to the Next Normal. Raise up your eyes, look around the near corner to identify the trends that are ushering in the future. Grab ahold of those trends, partner with the future to pull you forward, rather than resisting the change it is bringing. In the movies, it may be possible to "Go Back To The Future". But not in real life.

Thinking starts where information ends. Patterns, connections, imagination, and creativity fill the gaps. In this age of hyper-data, don't underestimate the value of your own knowledge, experience, and the same of your team.  There’s a point at which you have enough information to take considerable action. Avoid paralysis by analysis.

Define a Purpose that is clear, powerful, and compels others to act. Keep your eye on the prize. Recognize the value of Relationship Capital.

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams?

David:

• Clear Vision and Plan, embraced by the Team

• Alignment and Accountability

• Metrics

• Transparency

• Strategy, Culture, People, (see Dg email note)

Adam: What are your best tips on the topics of sales, marketing, and branding?

David: Pay closer attention to the quality of prospects being generated and the effectiveness of your conversion efforts. Too many marketing programs get sidetracked seeking low cost, high volume lead generation (less qualified) and do not spend nearly enough time and resources in converting prospects to customers.

I don't like the term "Marketing Funnel", it presumes all prospects act in the same, predictable manner. They do not. Identify your customer segments, personalize your customer communications and relationship.

Your Brand is the expression of your authentic reason for being and promise to customers and all stakeholders. Its very important to get it right. However, for most businesses, your Product/Service is what you sell and deliver. You'll likely spend much more resources advertising and promoting your products and services. Ensure that all Product/Service communication aligns in every regard with your Brand position so that over time, the cumulative effect of your spending builds a consistent Brand awareness.

Adam: What do you hope readers take away from your new book?

David:

• Disruption in your company, career, and life is inevitable and occurring at increased frequency and scale. It is possible to prepare for and successfully navigate disruption and recovery. I advise Leaders to "Do the opposite of nothing, be the opposite of helpless" by applying the lessons detailed in my new book, Hard Ships: Navigating Your Company, Career And Life Through The Fog Of Disruption. It serves as a valuable Playbook detailing Six Protocols for survival, stability, and success, plus One Mindset.

• Know Your Waypoint

• Stay Afloat

• Find Your First First

• Get Flexible

• Become Collision-Proof

• Protect Your Value

• Plus, Build An Endurance Mindset

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

David: "What comes first? Compensation or Results?"  What I took from this was to focus on delivering positive results and high value, which creates the conditions under which compensation will follow. Never take your contribution and worth in a competitive setting for granted. Continuously demonstrate and strengthen it.

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

David: Become a beacon, for yourself and others. Your values, character, vision, experience, and courage will light the way. Worry and fear do not go away; instead, they are replaced by something else. That something else can only be faith and belief. Believe in yourself, and others will believe in you. Help others become beacons, and you will have a brighter shared light to apply to each new challenge.


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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