I recently went one-on-one with Mike Viola, CEO of CongruityHR. Mike was previously the co-founder of Oasis Outsourcing, the largest privately held PEO in the U.S. before its sale to Paychex in 2018.
Adam Mendler: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Mike: Thanks for having me! I have been in the Professional Employer Organizations (PEO) industry for about 30 years. Back in 1996, I co-founded Oasis Outsourcing, which we ultimately grew into the largest privately held PEO in the country at the time.
By 2018, we had 9,000 clients, 300,000 worksite employees, 1,400 internal employees, and 40 offices nationwide. We sold the business later that year, and I consequently spent the next five years under a non-compete working in private equity as an advisory partner. When it expired, several firms asked if I’d consider coming back to run a PEO… and for the right opportunity, I ultimately said yes. So here I am as the CEO of CongruityHR, and in the past 18 months, we’ve doubled the size of the company.
The biggest challenge in my work has always been finding the right people and building the right relationships to grow and scale the business. It takes time to develop trust with employees, partners, and clients.
Adam: In your experience, what are the key steps to growing and scaling your business?
Mike: I firmly believe that any business starts with a positive, ethical culture. A clear mission and values that define what the company stands for and why people come to work every day are essential to setting a strong corporate foundation. From here, every employee should understand how their role contributes to that mission. This is the base within which you can begin to grow and scale. And most importantly, communication must be transparent. A culture of open and honest feedback, starting with the CEO, is what keeps teams aligned and engaged.
Adam: What are your best tips on the topics of marketing and branding?
Mike: Don’t just sell a product; tell a story. Ask yourself what will truly resonate with your clients. Know who you are, who you serve, and the best medium to reach them. And get involved! Join your industry associations, speak at trade shows, and contribute thought leadership. Visibility matters. I’d also suggest hiring a great PR firm because they can amplify your story and open doors you wouldn’t have access to otherwise.
Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader?
Mike: I personally subscribe to the servant-leader mindset. As the CEO, I feel that I work for everyone in the company. My job is to support them, give them resources, and create an environment where they can succeed. Effective leaders must be able to set a clear long-term vision that inspires people, and then they must translate that vision into a scalable business model that brings the employees along for the ride. That buy-in is so important.
Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their skills to the next level?
Mike: Ask for honest feedback from your direct reports. They may be timid at first, but the initial awkwardness is worth the growth you will all experience.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?
Mike:
- Develop your people, not just your business. Invest in career advancement, training, and certifications. When you grow your people, your company grows too.
- Act with integrity in everything you do. If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.
- Build systems that scale without you. A sustainable business is one that can thrive independently of any single individual.
Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams?
Mike: Hire for culture-fit first – the rest can be learned, but values sometimes cannot be taught. I also try my best to set clear expectations and to hold people accountable through data, metrics, and frequent communication. I feel like a theme of our conversation has been transparency and communication. It all comes back to trust. Building trust really is everything. I feel that employees deserve to understand what’s going on, good or bad, because they’re in it with you day in and day out. Finally, recognize and celebrate contributions frequently. Celebrate wins!
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Mike: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Strategy is useless without execution, and execution is impossible without the right culture. A great culture makes growth easier: it inspires buy-in, collaboration, and innovation.
Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Mike: Just that leadership is about people. The numbers, the strategy, the structure — all of that matters. But if you get the people and the culture right, everything else follows from there.
