Ron Fleming is current Chairman, President & CEO at Global Water Resources and offers pearls of wisdom to young Arizona entrepreneurs. Says Ron, “I believe in and try to follow the concept of the (Twenty Mile March) created by renowned business author Jim Collins. First, you need to have an idea of where you are going and who you or the company want to be way down the road, then march twenty miles every day towards that destination/goal – regardless of daily chaos, external factors beyond your control, or even positive wins. Just keep marching twenty miles every day, and you’ll be amazed how far you get when you look back over the years. https://www.jimcollins.com/concepts/twenty-mile-march.html.
When asked how Mr. Fleming handles business obstacles, he states “Obstacles are never ending – resource constraints, recessions, regulatory/politics, even pandemics. And, if you are looking, you may even create obstacles where there weren’t any. Focus on the destination, not the obstacles. That said, the true ability to keep this positive momentum/attitude and overcome such obstacles is the people you put around yourself. I am very fortunate to have the team that I do here at Global Water. But ultimately, the people part of the job can take more than 50% of your time. As another famous business author put it “It’s about the people, Stupid!” (to be clear the boss/CEO is the stupid person being spoken to here – the book is trying to wake up leaders to this fact). If you focus on your people first, help them understand the destination and opportunity this provides them, and march with them those twenty miles every day, it is a rewarding journey and regardless of when you “get there” you will have enjoyed and contributed to the journey itself”.
When it comes to current projects both professional and personal Ron says, “Reliable water and wastewater service is becoming both more complicated and more essential. Our goal has been to truly be a great partner to our communities and business stakeholders, and to do so in an environmentally and socially responsible way. In Maricopa, we are now trying to take this to the next level as it pertains to technology that benefits customer service, conservation, water resource management, and safety and compliance. Additionally, with the growth of our community and Arizona overall, we are being asked and are earning opportunities to expand our business to new areas and communities. This is exciting, but also challenging considering everything going on in our state. Outside of work, it’s all about family and friends, and trying to ensure quality time together while being active”.
