behind the towers

November, 1991. The company’s Initial Public Offering of its common stock was a rousing success. Everyone in the company was holding his/her head up high. The stock price seemed to reach new heights every week. Sales were hitting record levels, backlog was building, manufacturing was hustling. The air was thick with optimism. Anything seemed possible.

Wellfleet was growing. There was active discussion of a reorganization, more layers of management were being introduced. “Span of control” was the MBA buzz-phrase of the moment. The board of directors was contemplating a larger, more expansive strategic direction for the company. There was a strong desire to become more competitive with Cisco, quickly. The acceleration of growth became the reason to accelerate growth. Every decision was the right decision. Failure was no longer even a remote option. It just wasn’t possible.

It was now clear – to me at least –  that I had failed. The culture was shifting, and I wasn’t moving with it. One of my personal weaknesses is to persist in one direction while the world is going in another. In the words of today’s business climate, I am unable to “reinvent myself”. I don’t even know what that is supposed to mean. It seems to me at odds with Shakespeare’s observation in Hamlet, “To thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not be false to any man”.

I knew that my days with Wellfleet were numbered. Yet, like Hamlet, I failed to act on this knowledge in a timely fashion. Rather than “making it happen” myself, I allowed others to act.

So, in mid-November, I was released. I was a free agent. This time, I decided to pack up my things and go quietly. I was out. Time to face the future, look for new opportunities. There were always new opportunities. And there ultimately would be another startup adventure that I would lead in another year’s time, Agile Networks. But that is a subject for another blog. Maybe.

Despite my personal failures, as I look back on my career, I have considered Wellfleet to be the greatest success. It wasn’t about me, though I played a significant role in the beginning. It was about the team – everyone who came to “Do your job!” And they did. We created our own Super Bowl and competed in it. We were the “Idiots” long before the 2004 Boston Red Sox. Wellfleet was the team that realized that “Anything is possible!” long before Kevin Garnett did with the 2008 Boston Celtics. Through all the ups and downs, wins and losses, the team persevered. It was an amazing thing to simply be a part of.

There are too many people to thank for transforming an idea into a real business opportunity that became Wellfleet Communications. I am most indebted to: Steve Willis, who made me seem much smarter than I actually am; Paul Volk, an extraordinary hardware designer, engineering manager, and skilled private pilot; the entire original engineering team hired by Steve and Paul; Mark Strangio, who put together the message that we engineers struggled to articulate; Jeff Lindholm, who put together a top-notch international business strategy and team; Paul Sylvia, an amazing sales professional; Jacob Strebel, a relentless technologist, and engineering professional with natural sales instincts; Jeff McCarthy, the most energetic utility infielder, excelling in both manufacturing and sales positions at Wellfleet.

To my way of thinking, much of Wellfleet’s success must be placed at the feet of Gary Bowen, Phil Rackley, and Steve Cheheyl. These three leaders of sales and marketing, manufacturing, and finance and administration, respectively, were the team captains. They were the true leaders in our corporate “locker room” every Monday that guided the company, each and every week.

Finally, to conclude the sports team analogy, there was our head coach, Paul Severino. He was the driving force, the persistent, relentless presence that walked the hallways, listened to every employee, offered inspiration and at times, kicked some asses. Paul was the leader of the company and was clearly in command of everything that we did. His magnetic personality was attractive to investors and customers alike. He truly valued the work of engineers and manufacturing types – they created the products that he was so proud of. He was the company’s Chief Executive in every sense.

I worked for Paul for over ten years – first at Interlan, later at Wellfleet. I learned a lot from him. And I am grateful for the opportunities that he afforded me.

Thank you, Paul.

Thank you, Team Wellfleet.

Sincerely, Bill Seifert

*”The End”, written by Jim Morrison, The Doors, 1966