Road Trip!

LEADER'S FIELD GUIDE

What’s a road show and why is a polished leadership team, clear value proposition, and profitable growth potential critical to going public?

It’s been a while since I’ve taken a proper road trip. These days it’s so easy to hop a plane to your destination, board an overly air conditioned shuttle and tip the driver as the porter rolls your luggage into an all-inclusive resort. When I think of my childhood road trips, I think about how fun it was to pick out a coloring book and snacks for the car ride. I have memories of enjoying the usually forbidden chips while following the rules: no kicking the seat in front of you, no spilling your can of Welch’s grape soda, and no squabbling with your sister.

In business, management teams go on road trips, too. It’s part of an IPO or initial public offering which refers to the “process of offering shares of a private corporation to the public in a new stock issuance.”¹ These road trips are called road shows and leaders travel to various locations to generate excitement before the company goes public.

Of course, many road shows are now virtual, yet the goals remain the same:² 

• Meet Leadership Team: The executive management shares the overall strategy, sales growth history, and expected projections. Investors are evaluating the concept, the organization, and its leadership. As leaders, we are always representing the company!
• Communicate Value Proposition: The value prop “tells prospects why they should do business with you rather than your competitors and makes the benefits of your products or services crystal clear.”³ As leaders, we must be ready to simply describe our edge!
• Share Investment & Potential: The organization is ready to grow. It does so with a cash infusion and newly invested stockholders. Those who have a stake in your work are interested in growth potential. As leaders, we are able to forecast our next milestones! 

In Luke 9, Jesus sent his disciples on a road show! He “sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God.”⁴ The twelve were His leadership team and they conveyed the value proposition, the investment, and growth potential of following Jesus. The only difference, ok, maybe not the only difference… One interesting difference is Jesus instructed them not to take “a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes.”⁵ Today, we would ask, “Wait, where are we going? Are we really couch surfing? …And, what about cell service? Any ideas on how to carry my 4-pound Yeti thermos without my laptop bag?”

At the end of Luke 8, Jesus restored life to a little girl. “Her parents were overwhelmed, but Jesus insisted that they not tell anyone what had happened.” (Luke 8:56 NLT) In the very next verses, He sent His disciples on the Jesus Road Show. They went without a bag of chips or a bag of any kind. Though they did squabble at times, there was no comfy backseat from which they watched signposts flash by. When Jesus went public, the leadership team was trained, the value proposition was clear, and the benefit of investing was (and is) eternal! As Christ-followers we are to represent our work and the Lord’s work well, be clear about why each is special, and take our efforts to the public. Road trip, anyone?! 

Sources: ¹ Investopedia: IPO Definition; ² Investopedia: Roadshow Definition; ³ WordStream: 7 of the Best Value Proposition Examples We’ve Ever Seen; ⁴ Luke 9:2 (NLT); _⁵ Luke 9:3 (NLT).

by Michelle Sugerman • Leading Synergies, LLC • © All Rights Reserved

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