From left to right, Beau Jeppesen (CPO), Scott Matulich (CFO), Casey Callinsky (COO) and Bryan Derbyshire (CEO and Founder) of Protecht.

It’s Bosses’ Day and we asked our bosses at Protecht for important factors when it comes to choosing their teams both in and out of the office.

1. “Loyalty goes a long way — it’s a two way street”

comments Bryan Derbyshire, CEO and Founder of Protecht and die-hard Denver Broncos fan. “Whether it’s in a game or building a company, there will be great plays and moments but also turnovers. But you don’t give up and lose the faith in your team. They can always pull through until that clock strikes out. Loyalty is both something I have for our team, but also look for and appreciate amongst our current Protecht family.”

As a loyal fan to the Denver Broncos, Bryan has been with them through it all despite the losses, the wins, the Superbowls, and beyond. He recalls cheering them on even when their success could have been deemed as ‘mediocre’ and now as an adult, being able to celebrate when he treated his dad to the Superbowl 50 where the team beat the Carolina Panthers.

“I think if you’re a true fan, you have a loyalty built up for the team that you root for to be able to root for through the highs and lows.”

It may be difficult to watch your team go through the mediocrity, but there’s the hope and faith that “this is your year” and you have the trust in your team to pull through.

Building a great company is similar to that of feeling like a great coach. As the team begins to grow, the stature and size of our team allows me to truly feel like a fan of our team at Protecht both as a whole and with each individual player. “Similar to my fan experience I have an extreme faith, trust and respect for my team that this year is our season. And every game day we have the opportunity to win.”

2. “The more you invest into your team, the more you’ll receive back”

states Casey Callinsky, Chief Operating Officer of Protecht and founding fans of both the Portland Timbers and (lifelong) Seattle Seahawks (both born and est. in 1976). “I invest aggressively into the team— actually my family and I do. In doing so together, we have a lot of fun with it. A Lot of wonderful experiences have came as a result. Similarly, it makes me excited to see the energy and efforts grow from both myself and the team at Protecht.”

For Casey, choosing teams and building success have the same rhyme and reason to them. “You can choose to be passive/reactive to your team. You can live in the memories, cling to the past, or work in a cycle —but you won’t grow and it will eventually burn out.” The alternative that Casey chooses is to be invested.

“When you invest into your team either at work or an athletic team, your experience becomes so different. Putting in active efforts changes the equation which brings you a new result: a constant building foundation. The energy you put in, you’ll feel it back no matter the result.”

Take it from Casey that it’s important to never take any relationship for granted and to keep investing into it, it’ll always grow.

3. “You’re either ‘all in or in the way’. A hardworking team is a powerhouse team”

comments Beau Jeppesen, Protecht’s Chief Product Officer and legacy Utes’ fan. Beau is an extremely involved member of his teams. His loyalty with Utes’ started with his grandpa, as he is a third generation Utah fan (might have to take account that he graduated from the school!) He was really involved with the Mighty Student section (one of the best student sections in the nation) and is engaging with the office on a daily basis — joining the fellow execs at the company softball games!

“What excites me about getting ready into battle/game, always excited and rooting for my team is that even though I may not necessarily be the one doing all the work; they’re the ones on the field and I’m on the sidelines rooting for them, always willing to support them, as a mentor/peer/teammate.

Beau made sure to bring in the mindset of wanting to work hard and be involved with his team to Protecht. He strives to have great communication to and from his team. “With Utah, you may not get the best “flashy” people or recruits but they somehow find the gems in the rough.” Likewise, Beau looks for people that he can home grow, and transition into powerhouse professionals.

4. “I would say that Protecht’s finance team is built on O.K.G.G.”

chimes in Scott Matulich, the powerhouse Chief Finance Officer and proud Washington Huskies fan. Matulich has been following the team since he was six years old.

“Much like a football team you need a jack of all trades, skillplayers, Kris Peterson coach of the Huskies calls his team OKGs or ‘Our Kinda Guys’. For me that means, you may not have the ability to recruit every single person that you want, but implements the program of finding “Our Kind of Guys”, and I would say that Protecht’s finance team is built on “Our Kind of Guys and Gals” or O.K.G.G.

“What does OKGG represent? Two things. A team that has 1) broad skillsets and leverages each other and 2) a positive team mindset.”

At Protecht, Scott knew it wouldn’t make sense to have a large team with a lot of specialization so he consciously seeked out individuals that had broad skillsets so that in total, they overlapped in skills but also distinctly had focus.

It’s important to him that his team have the mindset similar to football. “They shouldn’t look for individual accolades but achieve accomplishments together as a team — moving forward at the right speed and time.”

Protecht is very appreciative for the efforts and passion put behind each of these excellent leaders. We wish all the leaders and bosses out there a Happy Boss Day and encourage you to share your appreciation for your boss, mentor, and leader today.