Andrew Doyle, founder of The Doyle Group, has been in IT Consulting and IT Placement Services for the entirety of his career. Taking the lessons he learned from working at the largest privately-run IT staffing company in the United States, along with his experience at a boutique management consultancy, in 2009 he opened his own firm, The Doyle Group.
Here are some insights, observations, and lessons Andrew has gleaned over the years:
What is the core philosophy upon which The Doyle Group is founded?
A key understanding in our business is that we actually have two clients to serve: the customers who are engaging us to build high-performing teams and the individuals who are delivering the work. Both of our clients have to be aligned for everyone to enjoy successful outcomes. That alignment is both technically and culturally.
Each member of our team embraces this philosophy. As a result, we are constantly looking at how we can match the right candidate to the right employer, not just skill-wise, but in all aspects — personality, career and business goals, cultural fit, etc.
What are some of The Doyle Group’s accomplishments that make you particularly proud?
We’re proud of both our business achievements and the ways we’ve been able to give back to the community. In terms of business, we’ve been named to the “Inc. 5000” list four times and counting. We were recognized as one of the fastest growing privately held businesses in Denver. And, just recently, we made Denver’s list of “Best Places to Work, 2023.”
With all the success we’ve enjoyed over the years, we are also very happy that we’ve been in a position to give back to the community. We’ve donated to local charities, like The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Tennyson Center for Children, and the Colorado Technology Association. We are also very much in tune with the value of volunteering. I’ve made it a point to provide a “day of service” for my team members. This is a time and place they choose to volunteer their time.
What was your inspiration behind starting this venture?
From a business standpoint, the answer is simple. I saw an opportunity in the market that I felt was not being served. Our focus at The Doyle Group has been providing senior-level resources to clients, some of which come from management consulting, but in a staff augmentation model. We also aim to facilitate top-level talent converting to full-time with our customers in a contract-to-hire model. Our ability to provide scalable senior-level resources to help clients solve problems has been one of The Doyle Group’s greatest strengths.
On a more personal note, I’ve always wanted to lead and guide an organization of talented professionals. I love watching team members develop, grow, and rely on each other to accomplish shared business goals. It’s been one of my main goals to create a culture of trust, transparency, and mutual respect. I want everyone to be excited to come to work every day. I want their focus to not just be supporting their own success, but the success of their fellow team members. I’m especially proud of what we’ve built at The Doyle Group in that regard.
What type of client could benefit from your offerings?
Virtually any organization that needs assistance filling roles within their technology teams could benefit from our 70+ years of combined experience. We understand technology. We understand the nuances of the right cultural fit, and we understand how costly a wrong hire can be. In fact, SHRM estimates that the cost of a wrong hire can be up to five times the expense of the position’s annual salary, once you factor in low team morale, potential loss of customers, frustrated top performers who leave, and even legal issues. The point is, companies need to get their hires right. That’s our mission with each and every client, and we take that responsibility very seriously.
I could mention several examples of how we’ve made a significant impact on large-scale projects, as well as smaller startups that needed help scaling their teams. For instance, in 2020 we had a very large, Fortune 500 manufacturing client that needed help to implement their HRIS SAP Success Factors program. We worked with the customer to understand what the right project leader would need to bring to the table, not just in terms of technical skills, but also with regards to the human element. By the end of this two-year project, we’d brought in enough project management resources, analysts, and developers to deliver the final product to 30 countries and roll out 35 SAP systems in 21 different languages.
What are some highlights you’d like to share that fostered your growth as a business leader?
There are a few key lessons I’ve learned over the years that have really helped me become a better leader and have contributed to our team’s growth as a whole. These are:
- It’s so important to create a vision for your organization, and then communicate that vision to each and every team member, from the top down. When you know where you want the company to be in one, five, or 10 years, you can develop scalable processes that will guide your organization in the right direction.
- Failures aren’t catastrophes. They’re learning opportunities. Some of the greatest growth is born of failure, both individually and on a company-wide level.
- A caring, supportive environment is one of the biggest drivers of success. People do their best work within an environment of trust and transparency. You need your team to feel safe if you want them to go all in for your vision.
What would you like your legacy at The Doyle Group to be?
I would like other entrepreneurs and business leaders to look at our company and realize that you can create wealth and success by working hard, putting people first, and always taking the high road. You can achieve business goals while truly serving your clients, and looking after their best interests. If you take good care of people, they’ll take care of you.
