Michael Collura | President and CEO | In Home Personal Services
“Right off the bat let’s get something straight. I am not perfect. I have failed. I embrace the idea that perfection is ridiculous, and I learn from my mistakes. I’m not good at what I do because I am so perfect; nothing is further from the truth. I’m good because I learn and persevere despite the setbacks I have endured in my career. My transformation is never at its end, and I grow a little more every day”.
This is how Michael Collura, the President and CEO of In Home Personal Services introduces himself.
In an interview with EliteX Michael shares about himself, his company and how vital is teamwork for a company’s accomplishment.
EliteX: Thank you for doing this with us, Michael. Can you please elaborate more about your company and all it does?
Michael Collura: We are a non-medical senior care provider. We are commonly referred to as a “caregiver agency”. We started in 2004 and have been building the service model and brand for nearly 20 years. We have expanded across the United States and are now looking to bring our brand into the Canadian market.
But our brand stands out as so much more in what we do and how we deliver this care to
– Michael Collura, CEO
those that have trusted us.
EX: The quote “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” Looks cent per cent applicable for you. What do you have to say about it?
MC: I’m known as the “laziest CEO ever”, with tremendous pride due to the amazing team around me. They don’t need me, but I could not survive without them. The motto and mission statement of my company is more of a culture. Sure, we have such commonly held beliefs and structures you would want to see. But more importantly than a mission statement we simply build around and make part of the very fibre of our team the genuine desire to help others and provide care to the elderly. It’s simple enough but takes a lot of effort to uphold such an awesome promise.
The first real distinction we hold as a brand is also the most valuable. The team, make us who we are. They are what matters when care is needed and delivered. The team is what ensures our reputation stands strong and it is the team that is there in the night, through the worry and past the concerns our clients and their families experience when they first meet us. Because it is the team that brings ease, peace, love, care, compassion and trust so there is no worry. They provide the security, safety and relief that is sought and ensure the quality of life is worth living. The team makes this all possible.
– Michael Collura, CEO
EX: Please describe your meticulous journey which makes you ‘The Laziest CEO ever’ as you describe yourself.
MC: I have, like so many others, been here since the beginning of 2004. It has been the most rewarding experience of my life and nothing else has shaped my life the way this company has. For better or for worst it has made me who I am today and looking back I wouldn’t change a thing.
EX: They say, ‘Behind every successful man there is a woman’. Do you believe in this?
MC: Yes because the person who has left a lasting impression on my life is my wife. She made me fight for every opportunity just to get a date with her. It took me months of effort before she even gave me a single date. That certainly taught me if you want something meaningful and valuable you will have to fight for it!
EX: What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs as guidance in their entrepreneurial journey?
MC: I would give a three-way approach:
i. Simple enough yet all too lacking. Just be a good person, not a perfect one. You will not please everyone, you will make mistakes and you will face criticism. But never allow these setbacks to prevent you from doing what is right. While we must obey the laws, do not restrict yourself to doing the minimum. Leaders have a responsibility to do the right thing, even when it is hard.
ii. Challenges are part of life. You can face them or run from them, but you can’t wish them away. So, choose to either learn and grow from them or allow them to dominate you.
iii. Just don’t stop listening. Every problem has a solution and 9 times out of 10 you don’t have the answer- but someone around you does.
I recognize that because what I do is what I love my “personal life” is the same as my “professional life”. I have the privilege of being so happy at what I do that there is no need to make that distinction. Life is just good.
– Michael Collura, CEO on how strikes a balance in his personal & professional life
