Jim Dore, Executive Business Coach with Vistage, the world’s largest CEO coaching and peer advisory organization, joined Discover Lafayette to discuss his career and passion for helping business people become leaders in their field. Jim's role in serving as Vistage Chair is to lead and challenge executives from small and midsize businesses as they learn how to make thoughtful decisions and become accountable for their actions among their peer advisory group, thereby increasing overall business results.

For most of his professional life, Jim Dore worked with Global Industries, the oilfield service and diving company started by his brother, Bill Dore, in 1973, that grew into a billion-dollar company. First hired as a teenager, Jim worked alongside his brother and grew his management skills over the years. He led teams and established markets in the U.S., Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Mexico. During his time with Global, he finished his higher education, earning an MBA from UL-Lafayette as well as attending classes at Harvard Business School's Strategic Marketing Management Program.

As Global Industries grew, the company purchased other companies that facilitated their growth and success. One in particular that Jim remembers with pride is the purchase of The Red Adair Service and Marine Company which Global Industries purchased in 1993. Adair had a worldwide reputation for excellence and wanted to sell his company (which specialized in extinguishing and capping oil well blowouts) to someone he could trust....and he trusted Bill Dore. On Red's worldwide exit tour as he introduced the Global Industries' team, the company gained great recognition and trust within the industry which significantly helped their company achieve widespread renown and acceptance in the oilfield patch.

Working with family members can be tough and Jim shared that his brother could be a taskmaster but always had the company's best interest at heart. Bill Dore had predicted in the early 1990s that Global Industries would become a billion-dollar company one day, and sure enough, it did! Bill Dore retired at the age of 60 years after netting $700 million dollars according to published reports, and Jim, his younger brother, retired at the age of 55.

The Vistage process involves several avenues of working with executives who are looking to finetune their operations for success. There are one on one private sessions that Jim Dore holds with each executive to discuss their concerns. The CEO peer advisory members also meet monthly to discuss common issues that all of the execs face, even as they hail from such diverse backgrounds as insurance, oil and gas, engineering, and until recently, Ruffin Rodrigue of the restaurant industry. Dore stressed that some of the best questions come from people outside the field of expertise of the CEO asking for guidance. Group sessions allow the members to discuss issues openly while retaining the understanding that what is said in the room stays in the room. Privacy and trust are paramount.

Having the ability to talk with other business leaders is important mentally and physically according to Dore. Significant emotional events can throw anyone for a loop and it is important to have a safe outlet in which to discuss your problems. Jim encourages people to join a group with other CEOs, even if it's not Vistage to be able to let off steam and bounce your ideas off other trusted individuals.

Vistage Group sessions allow for open discussions. "You may get questions which make you uncomfortable but accountability is important. If you don't do what you say you will, the group will call you on it. If you've been talking about a topic for six months and haven't acted on it, the group may challenge you and say it must not be important to you!"