TGIM!

THANK GOD IT’S MONDAY!

Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there—on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.

— Carl Sagan (1934-1996)

********* Some say this proves there is no God.  To me this proves there MUST be a God.   – Joel

TGIM!

Random thoughts over the last several weeks that I have accumulated in the brain.

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One of my favorite ALL TIME quotes:

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, education and his religion. He hardly knows which is which; he simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both.”

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What core values are the Packers missing?

For me, it’s accountability.

In fact, I see that here.  Things are going pretty well, so we tend to let things slide a little bit.  We aren’t being jerks when we hold people accountable.  We are just trying to get better.  And the best organizations accountability is a WE THING, not a top down management thing.

The Packers success, bred a sense of arrogance and a sense that things will be fine, because they have always been fine.

It’s not any ONE thing, it’s ALL THE THINGS.  That’s what is so frustrating.

I think the Packers problem is that they keep looking to what worked in the past, not what needs to work now.

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CHOP WOOD.  CARRY WATER.

You have to wake up every day and chop wood and carry water.  Things going bad for you: chop wood, carry water.  Things going good: chop wood, carry water.

The second reading at the Mass I attended Sunday spoke exactly of this:

Paul wrote a letter to the Thessalonians around 51 A.D….

Thessalonians 3:7-12New International Version (NIV)

⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, ⁸ nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. ⁹ We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

¹¹ We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. ¹² Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat.

Are we busy or busybodies, a huge difference!  I can be busy but really not accomplish much in the next 10 hours here at Drexel… or I can chop wood and carry water.  This is not Joel “driver” mode, but reality.  Think how much you GET DONE the day before your vacation, what if you worked with that intensity everyday?

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Do you believe how good you can be?

As many of you know I love coaching youth basketball.  Currently I am coaching some 7th and 8th grade boys.  The 8th graders, the natural leaders on a middle school boys team don’t expect to win.  It was halftime of our 3rd game in the tourney.  The game was tied.  I told them I expected more. I told them we should be winning by 20.  They looked at me like I was on drugs.   I think they expected me to be thrilled.  TIED AT HALFTIME COACH!   I said if they believed in themselves 1/2 as much as I believed in them, they would be upset as well.  They went out and won that game by almost 10 and got 7th place in an 8 team tournament.  We can’t shoot, dribble, and are very short, and the coach is mediocre at best, but besides that we rock!

I think that is how our margin works.  “Joel, you don’t understand MY customers…. WE ARE SIMPLY NOT WORTH 2% MORE.  WE AREN’T, I AM NOT.  If you only believed in yourself as much as I believe in you, we wouldn’t have margin problems.  We could change the world.  You have to BELIEVE.

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“We shouldn’t act surprised when we don’t understand what a God who says He surpasses all understanding is doing.”

Good point.

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Being more intense rarely gets more done.  Having fun gets more done.  BEING INTENSE AND HAVING FUN CHANGES THE WORLD!

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As we grow, look for SOLUTIONS… not why we CAN’T DO IT.  Same with your customers, you don’t have to say yes… just don’t say NO.

DON’T SAY: Sorry we CAN’T.  Instead say “How about this?”

You have to work as a person that lives for this moment, this time to shine, not a person burdened by rules.  MAKE SHIT HAPPEN.

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Speaking of that…

URGENCY.

Department coaches change the world… IF IT MAKES SENSE, have your annual pow wow scheduled sooner than later.  You can host it in March, but schedule it now, the date is up to you.  Start building that agenda.  Then execute it!

Be sure Andy and I are invited and talk to us prior.  We can help share the vision.

Big topic:  REVIEW YOUR PRICE INTEGRITY.  ALL SHOULD BE REVIEWED, SOME NEED A BUMP UP, AND SOME NEED A BUMP DOWN.  PRICE INTEGRITY IS A PERFECT BULLS EYE.  FIND THAT RIGHT SPOT so we can SELL WITH OUR SOULS ON FIRE!

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What were you gonna get done this year, but you know time got in the way….  That’s a buzz kill friends!  GET.  SHIT.  DONE.

The joy of accomplishment is much better than the joy of fear.

Our company wouldn’t be where it was if we didn’t move FORWARD.

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PEOPLE TIED TO SALES:

DON’T MEASURE YOUR SALES.  I AM TALKING TO ALL OF YOU THAT DO.  I REALLY AM.  YOU ARE MEASURING YOUR FRUIT.  FRUIT IS THE RESULT OF THE PROCESS.

The root gives you the fruit, the fruit is just the byproduct.  If you count your apples, it is really hurting the root.

Grow your root and your fruit will grow in abundance!

 

SO WHAT SHOULD YOU MEASURE WEEKLY?

HERE’S SOME IDEAS:

JOB SITE VISITS

NEW TOUCHES

PERSONAL THANK YOU NOTES

HUGS GIVEN

HOW MANY SINCERE APPRECIATIONS

ON TIME AND IN FULL FOR YOUR PERSONAL JOBS

FIRES PUT OUT (LESS IS BETTER)

TEXTS RETURNED IN 15 MINUTES OR LESS

E-MAILS RETURNED IN 1/2 A DAY OR LESS

ORDERS YOU DELEGATED OUT

HOURS NOT IN THE OFFICE

FOLLOW UP CALLS AND THANK YOUS

A DONATION YOU MADE PERSONALLY BECAUSE OF YOUR SUCCESS

BOOKS READ

I can’t tell you what to measure.  What do you want to get better at?  Measure that!

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CHANGE:

The progression of change:

Shock

Fear

Resistance

Reality

Faith

Positive change

 

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Recently Nick Whitty and I were discussing a book he just read:

In the United States car assembly factory, they were PROUD of the fact that after each car was put together they had a quality control manager with a wooden mallet walk around the car and tweak anything that was off.

In Japan, they were PROUD they had no such person.  When done right the first time, no such person was needed.

DOES YOUR DEPARTMENT HAVE A WOODEN MALLET PERSON?

IF WE DID OUR JOB RIGHT THE FIRST TIME, COULD THEY OR RATHER THOSE STEPS BE ELIMINATED.

CURRENT PROCESS OF A POTENTIAL LOAD THAT GOES OUT AT DREXEL

1. PULLING TEAM, CHECKS OFF ALL ITEMS AS THEY PULL AND MARK ACCORDINGLY AND DESIGNATE A SPACE FOR IT.
2. LOADING TEAM, DOUBLE CHECKS PULLING TEAM FOR ANY ERRORS.
3. DRIVER BEFORE LEAVING, DOUBLE CHECKS LOAD.
4. JOBSITE WE UNLOADED AND THEN TAKE PICTURES OF OUR LOAD

 

COULD ANY OF THESE STEPS BE ELIMINATED OR STREAMLINED?  I DON’T HAVE THAT ANSWER… BUT YOU MAYBE DO.

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If your customers love you and you love those around you and you are having fun doing it…  your job just got really easy didn’t it?

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— – Joel Fleischman.  Joel is Head Coach of the solution providers for Drexel Building Supply.  (drexelteam).   You can follow him on twitter:  @JoelmFleischman.   Our mission is to be a supplier of others happiness.  I hope this little post did just that.

 

 

 

 

FROM THE BOOK

START WITH WHY. BY: SIMON SINEK

SUPPLY HAPPINESS.  TO YOURSELF. TO YOUR CLIENTS.  TO OUR VENDORS.  TO OUR COMMUNITY.   HANG OUT WITH PEOPLE THAT BELIEVE IN OUR MISSION, AND BUILD A GREAT ARMY OF HAPPINESS SUPPLIERS.

 

 

 

 

TGIM!

GUEST WRITER CAITLIN STOLL.

Caitlin leads the charge on the supplied happiness front.  What a wonderfully cool and impactful career.  And she is the perfect fit.  Tough when it needs to be, but soft when it has to be… she is heart of our operation.

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I recently moved back in with my parents after living on my own for 10 years. My small remodel turned large remodel forced me to move out and my parents graciously offered to have me move back in until the remodel is complete. Let’s be honest – once you move out of your parents’ home and move back in you can easily notice the different generational characteristics. Having more than one generation under one roof had me pondering generational differences and what they mean – For my family, for Team Blue, and for our ever changing world. Here are my findings thus far…

 

Interesting fact about Team Blue:  Our team has a generation demographic of roughly 59% Millennials, 29% Generation X, and 12% Baby Boomer.  Each group has its own unique characteristics and mindset on life and work that are based on experiences during their lifetime. To continue to maintain success (supplying happiness) as a team we need to understand each generation

 

“The Boomers”

The Baby Boomer generation were born between 1940 to 1960 and grew up in a time of dramatic social change. They have seen civil unrest, assassinations, and Beatlemania. Many parents of this generation missed out on their youth due to WWII so they pushed for the best possible life for their children (The Boomers). This generation is extremely optimistic and open to change. With their parents’ efforts to give them the best life possible, the boomers are seen as being very career focused, shown through their loyalty to those they’ve worked for and their incredible work ethic. With the intense focus on the personal career we also see the envelope of the 40 hour work week being pushed out.

 

“The Middle Child”

Generation Xers were born between 1961 to 1981. This generation is seen as the middle child because of its placement between the two largest generation demographics. Known for being independent and adaptable to the workplace and its challenges.

 

“The Activist”

Millennials were born between 1982 and 2002. This generation has seen significant change throughout their lifetimes.  September 11th, the Financial Crisis of 2008, and the intense rise of technology. Extreme ambition and desire to make big impacts on personal projects or their careers can be easily misconstrued as seeming entitled.  As a “team based” generation with a civic mindset, many Millennials were part of teams and groups whose focus was to work on projects and ideas as a group. The internet helped foster the ideas by allowing them to always be connected to their friends and could focus their energy on causes that emotionally connect with them (i.e. Komey 2012).

Why is this important? In 2015 Millennials surpassed the Baby Boomer generation as the nation’s largest living generation.  As we continue to grow our Drexel team, our Millennial demographic will also continue to grow. By 2025, Millennials will make up over 75% of the workforce. In an industry that has been hit hard in past years due to recessions and other financial woes, it will be even more important in the next 4-5 years to attract new talent and retain our current “rock stars.” The grouping listed above are buckets of what the media and ourselves have stereotyped each generation. In the next 4-5 years we will need to focus on each other’s strengths and work as a team to retain our current team and grow with the incoming millennials. It truly is an equation for success = supplying happiness!

 

Don’t Generalize my Generation:

Wanna hear something else that may perk your ears up, WE ALL want to be ourselves and not be bucketed. From baby boomers to Gen X’ers to Millennials each one of us is different.

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