Innovation vs Bureaucracy: Teresa Moon Of Parabilis On Strategies for Fostering Innovation Inside Big Business

An Interview With Vanessa Ogle

Truth and Transparency: When you welcome free thinking and sharing of ideas the team has to be open-minded to accept facts and accountability. This takes time. Fostering the ability to grow into a radically transparent environment will take practice. Some will be able to handle it, and some won’t, but it is a great way to really see who is part of the problem and who is part of the solution.

In the business world, innovation is the key to staying relevant and competitive. However, in many larger organizations, bureaucratic structures and processes can stifle creativity and slow down progress. This series aims to explore how leaders navigate and overcome the challenges posed by big business environments to bring fresh, transformative ideas to life. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Teresa Moon.

Teresa Moon joined the Parabilis team in late Fall 2020. She brings to the team her extensive experience in business development within government contracting, marketing and branding, relationship building, and partnership management. Her impact is best recognized in her abilities to generate business opportunities within several industries through networking, developing partnerships, and understanding how to effectively create reciprocal referral relationships. Ms. Moon builds lasting relationships through loyal and trustworthy cooperation and commitment.

She is a consummate academic and began her career as a teacher both at the university and high school levels. She worked several years in B2B sales for a Fortune 100 company and led her Division in corporate partnership collaborations that resulted in sales. In 2018, she reignited her professional career and devoted her efforts to business development in government contracting, specifically within the simulation community in her hometown of Orlando, FL. Her understanding of the contract award process is a necessary support to the small to mid-sized contractors Parabilis services. She has earned contracts within contract staffing and cyber security and is proficient in traditional RFP processes. Ms.Moon has her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Literature from the University of Central Florida and is the proud mother of 2 girls, 10 and 13.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about Innovation inside Big Business, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

Not long ago, I was a happy, stay-at-home mom to 2 beautiful little girls, and life was good. While I am forever grateful for the time I had with them, the provider in me knew I was destined for more than what that path alone could provide. As I headed back into the workforce, I leaned on the wisdom I had learned in the interim to take the second shot at making “big” things happen.

I reignited my career within the staffing industry. I was raised in Orlando and my lifetime of relationships within the community fostered many opportunities. I developed an interest in specialized IT and engineering positions within the robust simulation, modeling, and training industry in my hometown. I was mentored by industry leaders who introduced me to business development and helped me to hone my skills in government contracting. With my writing proficiencies, networking skills, and business development acumen, I earned my team the first subcontract for specialized engineering roles that necessitated top secret or higher clearances.

This boosted my confidence in utilizing my new skills to win cybersecurity opportunities within the federal marketplace. My networking and intuitive connecting capabilities not only produced contract gains, but recognition among my peers. My successful market research also earned commitments resulting in growth. Additionally, I led marketing efforts to grow our visibility through blogs, articles, white papers, webinars, and video production.

My strengths caught the eye of a partner, and as they say, the rest is history. I joined the Parabilis team in December of 2020 and ramped up our visibility in federal markets throughout the United States. In addition to marketing content creation through podcasts, newsletters, and personal branding, I developed relationships with business owners who need access to funding through good times and bad.

I build strategic partnerships with service providers and relationships with government agency representatives, nurturing an ecosystem where quality information and access to opportunities converge.

I am loyal, honest, and passionate about assisting small businesses with access to the necessary resources they need to achieve the level of success they desire.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

The learning curve is vast in GovCon. The gap that needed to be bridged between what I knew and what I didn’t grew even more when I ventured into finance to support GovCon. What I learned is that even though I frequently meet with some of the most intellectual and academically advanced humans around, we are all just that, HUMAN. Our common denominator is usually the willingness to accept we don’t know everything and an openness to learn from those who know more than we do about any specific topic. Growth comes in a lot of facets, but growth through learning from one another’s human experience is powerful.

I’m excited to celebrate your success with you today. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Perseverance: I recreated my professional path at almost 40 years old. After nine years as a stay-at-home mom, most employers saw that gap in experience as empty and even worthless to them. So, I had to work very hard, starting from the very bottom. What they didn’t see was that those years brought wisdom and life experience, which was much more valuable and applicable than any career path would have provided. I leaned into knowing that I could, and I will. Watch me.

Humility: I am supremely aware of my intellectual strengths but never assume that I know more or know it all. I can learn from anyone, at any stage of their career, with any level of success. We each possess something unique and inspiring. I always seek to draw out the best in someone and learn what I can from them.

Empathy: We can all do well if we start by doing good. I begin my day in the hope that my ability to feel for others will inspire me to help them in some way. How can I be of assistance? Serving others and making people feel supported is very important to me!

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. What specific approaches have you employed to encourage innovative thinking within big business?

Get out of your head! Everyone has a good idea at least once in a while, so if you have the confidence and know your worth, even your worst idea could help inspire a good one. I think sometimes sharing what won’t work causes people to think more creatively about what would work. But if you don’t speak up, you’ll never know. Put your ego aside and share your ideas.

Can you share a success story where an innovative idea was implemented successfully despite organizational bureaucracy?

I am fortunate enough to be a part of a team where everyone’s input is essential. Having strategy sessions regarding my area of expertise sometimes leads to recommendations that support other’s growth as well. When you have leadership that is open to the team’s ideas and truly willing to implement more than just their own ideas, there is a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips. The best way to break down the walls of bureaucracy is to be a leader who is open to collective growth. If you know it all, you’re capped out and done; there is no other growth. But if you can concede that there is more to know and more work to be done, and it can’t be achieved alone, you will inspire creativity and thought leadership from your team.

How do you maintain a balance between necessary organizational processes and the freedom needed for innovation?

A lack of process and structure creates an opportunity for chaos. Give your team the foundation they need with the necessary structure but the autonomy to do it and even to fail. Some of the best results come after multiple failures — just ask Thomas Edison.

What role do leadership and management play in fostering an environment conducive to innovation in a traditionally structured setting?

At Parabilis, we believe in open discussions about problems and solutions. You must have open-minded teams that can handle radical truth and accountability. You can have all the hierarchy you want, but you won’t ever achieve true growth and reach your potential without collaborative ideas and strategy sessions where everyone has a chance to be heard.

What is the role for outside companies such as a vendor or a customer to bring innovation to big business without causing resentment from those who feel comfortable and safe wrapped up in all the red tape?

That is the biggest difference between large corporations and growing businesses. The restrictions of an enterprise corporation can make you feel as safe as they can insecure. There is way more ability for growth and change in a small business than a large corporation. So, if you are looking to be part of the growth, you may need to seek a smaller environment because major corporations are laden with glass ceilings for almost everyone.

Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Strategies for Fostering Innovation inside the Bureaucracy of Big Business?”

1 . An agile approach to problem solving. You can achieve more innovation when the process of getting approval and getting to work isn’t laden with bureaucracy and too much time.

2 . Truth and Transparency: When you welcome free thinking and sharing of ideas the team has to be open-minded to accept facts and accountability. This takes time. Fostering the ability to grow into a radically transparent environment will take practice. Some will be able to handle it, and some won’t, but it is a great way to really see who is part of the problem and who is part of the solution.

3 . Check your ego at the door: This goes for everyone from the top down. You cannot be receptive to innovation and great ideas if you think you are the only one capable. Hire the people you truly believe you can trust and are the best for the role, and actually let them show you what they can do. If you are the smartest person in the room, you need to find new people.

4 . Strategy is key: Where I need to go to progress, I will most likely be left behind. Strategy is sometimes bigger than you are thinking, it’s more abstract and takes time. If you don’t take the time to build out what you see as the end goal, how can you ever know if you’re making strides?

5 . Start with what success looks like for you: If you don’t understand what you are trying to achieve, how will you know how to get there?

How do you measure the success of innovative initiatives inside big business, and what challenges have you faced in this evaluation process?

The goal is to have defined benchmarks for success with trackable metrics. It seems easy enough, but intangible goals are hard to track, so you have to really set up and define what success looks like for your overall organization. Then, determine what it looks like for each department so you can see the changes that need to be made along the way. And don’t get too committed to one thing. Be agile.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Be purposeful and be kind. The way you make people feel leaves a bigger impact than the things you say or the things you do.

How can our readers further follow you online?

They can find me on LinkedIn, as well as my podcast, Spilling the Tea on GovCon.

We also share great information on Parabilis’ LinkedIn and website.

Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.

Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.