Delivering on the unique and critical missions of federal agencies benefits from perspective, or the ability to view issues and options from every vantage point, anticipate challenges and deliver practical solutions. A company led by an executive team of former government officials has compelling insights to offer. OTHSolutions (Over-the-Horizon Solutions) President Bill Hyjek discusses the forward momentum of this company, built on a culture of never settling for the status quo.
Growing from a Foundation of Excellence
Hyjek used his experience as a government employee, Veteran, and industry executive to synthesize OTHSolutions’ three driving principles: perspective in problem-solving, relationships and reputation, and a collaborative work environment where people can thrive professionally. These tenets helped company leadership recognize when it reached an inflection point last year; one that would shape its near-term future.
The team decided to focus on scalability and added new executives to help drive its forward momentum. With Nabeela Barbari, Serena Reynolds, and Amanda Van Hooser onboard, the group began strategizing, refining core services, and building additional capabilities to manage growth responsibly. “We wanted to hone our purpose, value proposition, and priorities as we anticipate being a prime in 2025.” As OTHSolutions seeks to expand its client portfolio beyond DHS, the team is excited to focus on critical infrastructure security and resilience at sector risk management agencies, where their expertise will shine.
The foundation also includes implementing layers of management with intent and enabling leaders to succeed. “When you attract people with the same ethos, who value the same principles and approach to doing business, scaling successfully while maintaining our identity becomes more than possible, it becomes inevitable.”
Just as critical to the foundation of OTHSolutions is a deeply rooted belief that hiring needs to first focus on soft skills such as work ethic, commitment to excellence, and emotional intelligence above all else. At OTHSolutions, interviews focus less on re-examining a resume than on having a meaningful conversation to evaluate whether or not the candidate and corporate culture mesh well together. “Most anyone can be trained to address minor gaps in technical skills or domain knowledge. We work to get to understand people, how they work, and what they value.”
While some business owners may lean towards people who voice similar opinions and approaches, Hyjek realized quickly that was not what he wanted. He values differing opinions and approaches, and has intentionally structured OTHSolutions to embrace diversity of thought at all levels.
A Culture of Never Settling
While many companies define culture in terms of benefits, social outings, or even career development, OTHSolutions considers these aspects more about people care than the entirety of an organization’s culture. “Culture is where purpose and core values intersect. It’s your corporate personality. I believe corporate culture is critical to get right because it becomes the lens by which we make decisions, approach colleague and client interactions, and hone our capabilities. We’re working right now on a corporate culture statement separate from our core values, mission and vision, because it’s the perfect time to reflect on the last few years and define our corporate personality as we move forward with purpose.”
One facet of OTHSolutions’ culture is the essence of never being satisfied with the status quo; wanting more for themselves, clients, and more from the organization. “We’re not happy with 99% on a test. As a team, we seek to understand how we can serve better and achieve more. As individuals, we strive to grow both personally and professionally. It’s our job, as executives, to make sure our actions honor those words.”
When it comes to client delivery, never being satisfied translates to a view towards continuous improvement, sharing best practices, and applying lessons learned across contracts to ensure they are doing better for clients. “We will be launching a new position this fall that is singularly focused on delivery excellence. This new role will, among other initiatives, launch communities of practice to advance both individual skills and domain expertise, while also maturing how we develop outcome-oriented solutions for our clients and partners.”
Ah-Ha Moments
As a business owner, Hyjek says he has experienced many ah-ha moments and learned many lessons. OTHSolutions has been in a unique situation at DHS because, despite an abundance of expertise and experience, it has not yet had the strategic sourcing vehicles DHS requires to prime. As such, the company has had to build its brand as a subcontractor by helping partners shape the team’s approach to supporting clients. “Thankfully, we’re turning a corner and have developed great relationships with strong teammates.” Hyjek is excited these successful business-to-business partnerships will continue. “We lean heavily on our reputation. We endeavor to bring the same passion and energy to every engagement. There is no sitting back just because we know a client or partner.”
Led by former federal employees, OTHSolutions also knows the value of under-promising and over-delivering. “We won’t commit to something for which we can’t deliver at the highest standard. We would much rather set expectations low and then exceed them. We only commit to opportunities where we have both client intimacy and the technical chops to perform with excellence.”
Positive Momentum
While many smaller companies have a ‘do and take anything’ approach, OTHSolutions is committed to slow and steady growth to ensure it honors the path of growing responsibly, remaining true to OTHSolutions’ identity and core values on that path. “We expect that for fiscal year ‘25 and beyond, we will operate mainly as a prime. We’re working diligently to position ourselves to take that on, so that we can be an exceptional teammate others will seek out for enduring partnerships. While our work will almost certainly have a national security and resilience nexus, we will be expanding beyond DHS and intend to follow the same growth and delivery management model we have perfected over the last six years at those new agencies.”
The other focus will be to deliberately continue building layers of management and recommitting to their corporate culture. “It’s easy to get fixated on the mechanics of business and lose sight of what makes us tick. We will continue to hire strategically and soon add a people-focused leader who will help us drive and grow this priority.”
Focused on action, OTHSolutions refuses to be known as consultants who simply think big thoughts. Rather, it is committed to being a company that offers the full spectrum of services–with an edge in delivery success and management as a result of experienced government leadership, a culture of exceeding the status quo, and a shared commitment to excellence.
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