“If you’re a platoon leader and you’re following the Battalion Commanders … you gotta be able to distill it down to what it means to you, what it means to your Squad Leaders, and what it means to the guy in the foxhole without overwhelming them,” Kraemer says.
BJ Kraemer is the president and CEO of MCFA, an SBA-Certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, specializing in providing strategy and planning and program and construction management services. Kraemer is a former active-duty engineer Officer with a great deal of leadership and management experience.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Kraemer began a newsletter, first sending it to employees as an optimism force multiplier. Since then, every Friday, employees and customers alike find Kraemer popping into their inbox with a little bit of happiness and inspiration. He also has a podcast featuring inspiring people and places. In his weekly newsletter, Kraemer makes it clear that he is leading with intent. His candor with employees is refreshing and inspiring.
“So, whether leading your family, your department, your project team, your company or yourself … I think it’s best to start out with your intent. Write it down and read it aloud to anyone who can help you get there – and hold you accountable to staying on course!” he wrote.
Kraemer says that his goal is to build a company that we would all want to go work for. Keeping that in mind, he believes he has two customers to serve: actual customers and employees. He believes that’s what sets his business apart from others, including larger companies.
“I can be intentional about creating a culture … By letting people feel connected to that and the mission,” he says. “While we’re working for a government client or government program, how do I make you care about the company, but also asking you to care about the organization that we’re supporting and, in some cases, embedded in.”
Kraemer says that by leading with intention and being honest with people, the more likely you are to connect with them, and in turn, leaders also begin to show themselves. By giving employees the opportunity to hear the truth from leadership, Kraemer says that he’s also giving them the chance to be inspired by it.
Adding to the intentional leadership theme, Kraemer began MCFA University video calls during the pandemic. “At first it was just BJ in front of a white board, and we had a couple of employees that were remote … And now we’ve evolved it into a little bit more of a syllabus and some intentionality around it. We rotate who’s presenting and what the topics are, some internal, some external.”
Kraemer also believes in giving back. MCFA’s goal is to give 10% of profits to their foundation, and then the foundation does community-based work. Mike Steadman and IRONBOUND Boxing were also a recent recipient of a grant from MCFA.
Leading with intention may seem obvious, but one that often tends to get overlooked as deadlines and contracts get settled.
“So whether leading your family, your department, your project team, your company, or yourself … I think it’s best to start out with your intent. Write it down and read it aloud to anyone who can help you get there – and hold you accountable to staying on course!” says Kraemer.
Written by: Sheila Rupp