Exceptional leadership in government contracting requires more than technical knowledge or business acumen — it demands systematic methods of team development, organizational culture, and performance standards. For Margarita Howard, sole owner and CEO/president of HX5, leadership philosophy represents a foundational element in creating an organization capable of meeting the stringent demands of federal clients.
Howard’s leadership begins with a clear principle: demonstrate the standards you expect others to uphold. This creates alignment throughout the organization and establishes credibility with both team members and clients.
“Our guiding principle is to lead by example. We hold ourselves to the same high standards of performance, and integrity, and honesty that we would expect of our employees,” Howard explains. This leadership standard extends beyond operational metrics to encompass core values that shape organizational culture and client relationships.
The emphasis on exemplary leadership establishes expectations that permeate throughout HX5, which currently employs over 1,000 professionals across 34 states and 90 government locations. Howard elaborates: “We try to remind them always that our customers have important missions, and we are trusting in them to help us support our customers. We always want to provide the best possible services at the highest levels.”
Strategic Team Assembly
Rather than adopting a conventional take on talent acquisition, Howard has implemented a methodical team-building system that prioritizes government experience and specialized expertise. This ensures that HX5 professionals understand the unique context and requirements of federal clients.
“We prefer to hire experienced individuals, so we look for people that have worked with, or supported, NASA or the Department of Defense, as this experience is always very helpful,” Howard notes. “Experience in their respective fields, while supporting these agencies’ respective programs and missions, is very different than experience gained from working in the commercial world.”
This recruitment philosophy recognizes that government contracting requires specialized knowledge of agency cultures, protocols, and expectations that differ substantially from commercial sector experience. Howard’s approach creates teams with immediate credibility and operational effectiveness in federal environments.
Deliberate Leadership Team Development
Howard applies particular scrutiny to leadership selection, recognizing that a management team composition determines organizational capability and culture. Her careful leadership development has created remarkable stability in key positions.
“We were very selective of people that we chose for our management team. And really, I could not be more proud of the team that we have,” Howard states. “Many of them have been with us 10 years or so, and we just have a highly dedicated, experienced management team. We could not do what we do without them.”
This leadership stability creates institutional knowledge and consistent client relationships — critical advantages in government contracting where mission continuity and understanding often determine program success. The strength of HX5’s leadership team has enabled it to expand service offerings while maintaining performance excellence across diverse federal contracts.
Cultivating Technical Excellence
Howard’s leadership philosophy places substantial emphasis on technical proficiency and continuous development. She recognizes that government clients entrust contractors with mission-critical functions that demand exceptional capabilities.
“When we talk to business entrepreneurs or new staff we remind them: We know that what we do is not easy to do, and it’s very expensive to ensure it’s done right. A phrase we use often is, ‘If it were easy, everyone would do it,'” Margarita Howard shares.
This commitment to technical excellence manifests in systematic compliance procedures and comprehensive documentation practices. “From working in the industry, we knew the importance of impeccable record keeping. Therefore, we’ve always ensured our finances, and all our records of everything we say we do must always be supported with the appropriate documentation and recorded accurately because, as a government contractor, all of our records are open to the government’s inspection and audits at any time,” Howard states.
Building Mission Identification
A distinguishing characteristic of Howard’s leadership style involves connecting team members to the larger purpose of their work. She cultivates an organizational culture that emphasizes the significance of federal agency missions and the role HX5 plays in supporting them.
“Working side-by-side with civil servants and the military, supporting their respective missions is a privilege. I love this business and the work that we do. I’m extremely proud of it,” Howard says.
This mission identification creates meaning beyond transactional contract fulfillment, motivating team members to deliver exceptional performance. It also fosters a genuine appreciation for government clients’ objectives, enabling HX5 to align its services precisely with agency needs.
Maintaining Ethical Standards
Howard’s leadership philosophy incorporates unwavering commitment to ethical conduct across all business dimensions. This principle has guided her response to competitive challenges and market pressures.
“Our hardest lesson has absolutely been the realization that there are certain competitors who don’t play by the same ethical rules that we do, and accordingly, are not above using underhanded tactics in an attempt to try to take the work away from you, or to take advantage of you, especially as a small business owner,” she observes.
Rather than compromising standards in response to competitive pressure, Howard has maintained ethical principles as non-negotiable elements of HX5’s business approach. This steadfast commitment has reinforced the company’s reputation for integrity while building sustainable client relationships based on trust.
Howard extends her team-building philosophy beyond internal staff to encompass key business partners and service providers. Her leadership emphasizes consistency and loyalty in these professional relationships.
“We have remained very loyal to our key people that started with us. Our accounting firm, our banking firm, some of our insurers for our commercial equipment and things like that. We still have the same people we started with. And I fully believe in trust and loyalty. And when I talk about success, those are some of the keys,” she shares.
This relationship continuity creates stability in business operations and reinforces organizational values. It demonstrates to team members that loyalty matters while providing HX5 with partners who understand its business model and can support its continued growth.
Strategic Leadership Perspective
Margarita Howard’s leadership philosophy combines practical business management with a prescient vision. She balances immediate operational requirements with long-term capability development, recognizing that sustainable success in government contracting requires both dimensions.
“For a company to be successful, they must be able to clearly articulate their unique value proposition and differentiate their services from their competitors,” Margarita Howard explains. This perspective guides team development, infrastructure investment, and service delivery approaches.
Howard’s leadership has created more than a successful government contracting company. She has built an organization with the technical capability, ethical foundation, and mission commitment to deliver consistent value across diverse federal contracts—proving that leadership philosophy ultimately determines what a team can accomplish for its clients.
