Forced creativity is a powerful tool.

The absolute sheer pressure of a pandemic, where the playgrounds are wrapped in police tape here in my little town, the churches are closed, the dying die alone, it is almost unimaginable, but here we are.  Totally reality.

Funny really, how it took THIS for many of us believers, to say, woah, I guess GOD IS IN CHARGE!

Here are a few things I learned both personally and professionally.  And it’s more than I’ve learned in quite some time.

As T.S. Eliot said:

*****

FLOW

FLOW.  You operations people and production people understand it, because we have worked on it.  It doesn’t mean it can’t be better (it can) but it means you get it.  Maximize your time, stay focused and the magic will happen.  You know some hours, minutes, seconds, where you just “get shit done” and it feels “right” that’s flow.

An interruption as simple as looking at an e-mail, your mind shifts to a new task, then you have to re-engage on your main task.  NO FLOW.  Critical minutes lost every time you do that.  Some research says 7 minutes it takes your brain to shift to a new task!  Wow!

Drexel’s inside team and sales team, we basically DISCOURAGED FLOW.   We called Campbellsport, the zoo.  Controlled chaos.  The finance team’s life IS being distracted.  A phone call, a sales touch, everybody stops to say hi (which IS NEEDED, THAT’S CONNECTION), an e-mail, another task that has to happen RIGHT NOW.

We can’t do that anymore.  We have to let people get in the flow.  Here’s a really long, but badass article on it.

That doesn’t mean our customer service goes down, it means IT GOES UP.   More people in flow, better work being done with more engaged and happier team members!  Clients will love it.

*****

A team member (I won’t name) emailed me something Friday.  I was saddened by it honestly.   Over a decade, a career of no flow in their job, and well, to be honest, they like it that way.  They either fear the change or can’t see the other side.   This person tells by 6am the phone and emails are coming in, and then with appointments, more emails, and much much more, they just can’t simply do what they were hired to do (their core task).  See, that person has to realize we have to simply REDUCE, REPURPOSE OR ELIMINATE A BUNCH  of that NON-ESSENTIAL…. without reducing or hopefully enhancing the connections with her team and his contractors!

Here is how I am going to coach her on Monday:

1. CHECK EMAIL TWICE A DAY.   It’s an email, which means it is NOT A 911.   A 911 will come in as face to face or phone call.  It’s an addiction.  Good luck!

Consider using my away message that I have personally set up:

**

Thank you for the e-mail.

In an effort to be most effective, I am currently checking and responding to e-mail three times daily at 7:35am, 10:55am, and 4:35pm.

If you require urgent assistance (please ensure it is urgent) that cannot wait until then please contact me via phone or text at 920-979-4045.

Thank you for understanding this move to more efficiency and effectiveness.

It helps me accomplish more to serve you better.

Thank you for understanding,

Joel

(I learned that from Tim Ferris and his book “The 4 Hour Work Week.”)

**

2.  Do not fire off rapid emails.  Also, close the loop on emails.   What do I mean by that?

The more emails YOU SEND the more OTHERS will lose THEIR FLOW.  Also all those emails you send off… they are all going to just boomerang back to you.  Send emails only when they are effective and essential (there are those words again).

I personally, will try to limit my emails to my team to ONE A DAY.  ONE EFFECTIVE ONE.

If I send a team blue email, and it just takes 3 minutes for someone to open, read and digest BEFORE THEY CAN GET BACK IN THE FLOW … that is over 1350 minutes!   

22 LOST HOURS.  FOR ONE EMAIL.

Consider not responding if it doesn’t require a response or even putting on your email NRR  (NO RESPONSE REQUIRED).

Also, close the LOOP.    You if/then statements.  Here’s an example.   Please let me know if 3pm works for you, if not I am available Monday at 8 or Friday at 10, if that doesn’t’ work then please propose a time that does works for you.   Or, I plan on having this done by Tuesday at 4pm, if that doesn’t work for you, then let me know what does.  Instead of, what works for you?  Leaving a long email thread coming.

Lastly, please SCHEDULE (google has a nice function on that) WHEN you want your emails to send.  Why send one when you are trying to get in the flow, knowing response will boomerang back in 5 minutes.   Schedule the send when you WANT responses to come back.

Understanding and owning your time is NOT a dis-service to the customer.  The client wants you to do your job well and fast.  So do your teammates.  Don’t let them hijack your time.

THINK!  Think different.  This person perhaps needs to find someone at work to do the tasky things. Perhaps a part-timer even.   Maybe work when we are not open.

Or really rethink it.  I use stitch fix.  Quarterly, this service sends me clothes.  I tell them what I am looking for via something similar to a google survey.   It loads up all my needs for them, leaving me time to not shop and they don’t have to be open at all to get that done.  If we send people the right information, via questions, the first time, we should reduce LONG appts to brief introductions (connection) or no face to face at all.  I am sure some of you are following this, and some of you are not, and that is ok. I love it and I do a feel a connection, they check in on my occasionally!  🙂

This person for years has chased the busyness of the job and actually has made it worse, not better for him and her team.

**

If you are still reading this, I do want to thank those working on the front lines.   It’s scary out there.  And you are doing it every day at work.

Please if you have the slightest COUGH OR FEVER OR SYMPTOM, JUST STAY HOME.  PLEASE.  PLEASE.

COURAGE IS TO WORK.  COURAGE IS TO STAY HOME.

 

****

LASTLY THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK.

OVER 4 MILLION IN SALES LAST WEEK.

32 HOUR WORK WEEK.  I KNOW YOU ARE BUSTING YOUR BUTT AND STILL HAVING FUN.

This won’t be over today, tomorrow, or by the end of the week!  Buckle down and let’s get creative but effective.  (That word again.)

THANK YOU!

 

STAY CONNECTED!

JOEL

I AM GLAD THE CORONA IS HAPPENING TO ME, AND OUR COMPANY.

Certainly, I don’t wish it on anyone, but for me… it isn’t all bad.

Even if I die from it, I am glad it happened.  And this is not an “optimistic” or the “glass is almost full” view.  This is my reality.

I am reminded of this Bible verse (although this realization is only Spiritually based.

 Corinthians 15:54-55 English Standard Version (ESV)

What I simply mean by this is… everything has changed, HOPEFULLY, forever.

 

For me personally, on a million levels, my life was ideal.

Here’s the thing, time was never my friend.  I love my life.  I love all aspects.  The juggling of it was always the problem.  I love being everywhere.  Knowing everyone.   Playing superman both at home and away.

I missed stuff.  I love to golf, fish, hunt, travel.  I love Drexel.  I just love being at work.  But work, at least I told myself, doesn’t define me… but I easily work 50 hours a week.  Maybe 70.  Who knows the real number.  AND I RELISHED IT.  HUMBLE BRAGGED.  I didn’t go on a vacation with my love Pam this year.  I planned on not doing many family vacations this year.  I missed family time a lot.

“You know guys, dad has to work.  He has a big job,” we told the kids more often than I can count.

That’s the way it has always been in our industry.   TIME, BEING BUSY, WAS REWARDED.   Want to get a raise, move up in the company, just act and look and feel swamped.  Help will arrive, support will be given.  What if you were just productive?  8 times faster than the person next to you?  Well then do 8 times more we said.   WORK SO HARD.  AND THEN WORK SOME MORE.

David Goggins, man I love you, but maybe quit running for a bit and watch a sunset, bruh.

Just stay BUSY, STRESSED, AND BEG FOR OVERTIME, ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE FOR MY TEAM, MY CUSTOMERS, MY DREXEL!

Want to sell more?  WORK LONGER AND HARDER.  Drive around.  A LOT.  REPORT TO WORK DAILY, BRIGHT AND EARLY, BUT LIVE ON JOB SITES.  DO BOTH!  MAKE BIG COMMISSIONS AND DIE TRYING!

We talked about technology to enhance Drexel but not to save time.  Time?  Who cares, there is always more.

WE NEVER EVER VALUED A PERSON’S TIME AT DREXEL.  COVID-19 CHANGED THAT.

I was home yesterday for work.  Honestly, it was hard.  I WORK.  MY TEAM NEEDS ME NOW MORE THAN EVER.  JOEL, WORK!  My brain told me.

Yet there I was “trying” to be with my family.  Gosh, that should be normal!  It isn’t “yet” but it will be!

 

*****

WE WERE DOING IT WRONG.  WE WILL NOT ANYMORE.

*****

This week at Drexel for the first time ever…  we took out all the BULLSHIT.  Just focused on design, bids, orders, production, delivery and helped each other on the essential, getting those loads out, on time, in full.

We did that with us working 20% less.  Each of us.  Wow, that must have sucked.  It must have really hurt us!

NO SIR!  NOT AT ALL!

Drexel ran at 96% OTIF and we also had ALL-TIME RECORD March Sales.  We each worked 30 or 32 hours as a team this week.  We played games, cleaned shelves, napped, read books.

If we did it this week.  We can do it EVERY WEEK.  It’s now been proven.

We sold 1 million dollars in Campbellsport alone this week.  3 million dollars as a company, this week!

I bet most of you are less stressed EVEN WITH THE ANXIETY OF THE PANDEMIC upon you.  Wow, is that screwed up or what?!?

It’s like all of us were in a giant test tube, a discovery world, and were able to see the results.  Pretty damn amazing.

****

Here is a day in the life of a QB (account manager) just two weeks ago.

5:30am rise.  Hustle off to work.

6:00am drive 30 minutes.

6:30am (or 7), get to work.  “Punch in.”   Check e-mails.  Walk around.  See the team.  B.S. a bit (hey, I’m a salesperson) answer a few calls.  Fairly chaotic and certainly not totally productive.

9 or 10am.   Hit the road. (Most likely an hour later than they hoped.)  Most likely in the direction right back from where they live and came from.

Do job site visits.  Be HIGHLY IMPACTFUL AND PRODUCTIVE.  This is GOLD.

2:30pm Get back to the troops, drive back to the location.

3:00pm  Arrive.  Bombarded with people, e-mails, questions, etc.  Not really productive.

5:00pm Start that drive back home.

5:30  Mentally a mess.

7pm.  Grind out more emails and phone calls if necessary.  Get ahead of a busy day tomorrow.

I would guesstimate the productivity here is about 50% or much less.

How about this week?  

Work from home.  Go to job sites.  Come back home.  Send perfect information to the inside team.   Incredibly high productivity.  Essentials only done well.  And from what I have seen the team did not miss their chaos hovering over us.  (Yes we do love you though!)  Stay connected!

How about the future?

Stay connected.  Use Google hangouts.  Video feeds.

Steve Herriges did a pep rally video to his whole team.  No longer do we have to take 100 plus team members for 20 minutes at 630am on a Friday to hope to make it and take notes.  Actually, that even sounds odd.

Steve Herriges did an awesome pep rally video.  Now, anyone can watch it, anywhere.  At their pace.

We can take job site videos or pictures if needed.

We are going to connect with our teams using a program called Monday.com.

We are in negotiations with them RIGHT NOW, and will re-assemble using this platform (or one similar).   We are assembly a world class team to work on it.  Watch a video of it HERE.    Go ahead watch it.

Here is a bunch of leaders using– Google Hangouts –this morning from Drexel Systems.  Two weeks ago we would of all traveled to be together to do this.  Saving drive time I estimate a 10-12 hour savings!  And I feel it was more impactful.  We still had fun. We were still connected.

Work at home or your home location, but stay CONNECTED.

THIS IS GOOD CHANGE.  I AM GLAD WE WERE FORCED TO QUICKLY LEARN IT.

*****

This week we really don’t know who helped out the most… in an essential and productive way.  Who helped out to do the most bids?  Who did the most orders?  Who knows?  No one… and that is wrong.   We should all know those things to empower the strong and train the ones that are slower.

We track OTIF and the operations teams down to the minute. Works exceedingly well!  (I made two loads this week, the process was awesome.)  This is amazing.  We need to bring things like this to all the departments!

 

How long you are punched in will no longer be rewarded.  That is NOT A BADGE OF HONOR ANYMORE.  It always has been that way in our industry.  It might always be that way.  NOT FOR DREXEL.  Just because you work long hours, does not mean you are productive.  We care ABOUT WHAT YOU GET DONE, ACCURATELY AND QUICKLY.   THAT WILL BE REWARDED!

Estimators, designers, sales team, we help them by walking around, giving them incentives  – WHICH DOESN’T WORK– or worse yet by gut feel and relationship alignment.    Good people don’t need carrots, they need empowerment, happiness, training.  They need to be listened to and sometimes coached.  They need to see what they are doing right— and wrong.

*****

Team, we will be coming out of this a DIFFERENT COMPANY.  Working less (yes then more hourly pay) but DOING MORE.   That’s everyone.  Me included.  My kids are 16, 14, 10.  I already missed a large window.  Time to buckle down and spend some time with them.

FOR THOSE THAT HAVE A “BAD GUT”, OR TEND TO WORRY, OR BECOME OVERLY CONCERNED, OR ARE SKEPTICAL… I DID NOT SAY LESS PAY.  I STATED FEWER HOURS.  YES, THIS ISN’T DONE YET.  WE ARE WORKING ON IT.  RIGHT.  NOW.

This isn’t just about me though.  Not even close.

Going to 40 hour work weeks will give you 250 more hours a year… to change the world, to impact your life, travel, nap, hunt, garden, fish, etc,  hours at home & out in the world making an impact.

That is multiplied by 450 people.

112,500 hours.  Annually.  To supply happiness.

Over a million hours in a decade.

So even if I fall over dead tomorrow from Corona, or worse yet a loved one, we will have saved 1 million hours to impact the world– and not figuring out how to get a bid back on time.

For that, I am forever grateful.

I also believe this will make our company much, much more profitable.   As we track productivity, we will get much better at doing everything we do, making our customers and team happier!

“IF YOU CAN’T MEASURE IT, YOU CAN’T CHANGE IT.”  – PETER DRUCKER

*****

What we fear about our new world… and how we will attack that?

As we get further away by working at home and measuring the snot out of everything, I have always worried that we will get… disconnected.

We will not be a family or team.  How foolish I was.  Of course, we will still together.  Just like families do.  Maybe more often.

But my sister is still my sister even though I don’t share a cubicle with her.  We are connected.

We will be adding our 11th core value:

#CONNECTION

That way we can always remember this time in our lives when we added, but more importantly, hold our culture dear by the connections we must make.  It’s not the physical presence we need in 2020.  It’s the connection.  I can be connected, by a video, a call or a chat.  We will use a connection to stay ENGAGED in our team and Drexel.  Engagement is the number one way to protect Drexel.  I can be aloof at my desk next to you,  I can be CONNECTED anywhere!

 

*****

Our contractors will be happier.  We will have a team ready for them.  Ready to help.  Not stressed and busy.  That’s what they have always wanted a team DEDICATED TO THEM.    We can do this. We already work share, cross-train, and much more.  We will just do that better.  So any builder or their client can be helped by an army of connected people.   Sounds pretty cool and fun.

Of course every teammate, every person will have to re-wire their brain and think differently.  Based on a conversation with the special forces team on this topic this is Bradey Frank’s reply.

*****

WE WILL NO LONGER EMBRACE WORKING LONG HOURS, WE WILL EMBRACE PRODUCTIVITY.

For me, I will honestly say it would be 2pm, I would find a way to stay busy, make a few more non-essential phone calls.  Check some more emails.  Run through Facebook.  Just to say I “grinded” until 5pm.  No more.  Honey, I’m coming home.  My work is done.  And, gulp, I will no longer feel ashamed.

I will have faith my productivity will be valued.  Because it will be measured.  Isn’t that all anyone wants?  To feel valued?  T

Thank you COVID-19.  My world and our teams have changed forever.

#CONNECTION

MUCH MUCH MORE TO COME.  LOVE YOU ALL.

GO!

JOEL

 

 

 

 

 

Team,

90 days ago I never heard of it.

60 days ago I didn’t care.

10 days ago I was mocking it.  (Media, politics over hype.)

Today… I am taking this as reality.  Don’t panic.  But let’s figure this out and what you need to know as it pertains to your career.

Here is a great article I would read explaining more.  (Best one I have read.  Very non-bias.)

A fantastic podcast to listen to on this is by Joe Rogan.  No this is NOT giving you permission to watch a podcast at work for 90 plus minutes (lol).  But if you go back to it later, are driving or whatever….

Here’s the deal.  Two of my favorite lines on Twitter.

*****

As said by someone on Twitter recently…

“I feel like I’d rather say ‘hey, remember when we overreacted to the whole COVID-19 scare wow we were so stupid’ years from now rather than “hey remember when we just carried on like normal instead of taking proper precautions and put the most vulnerable people in danger.”

A second tweet that stood out to me:

“I see a lot of people being like: ‘I would survive the Coronavirus. I’m taking my chances.’ The way I see it, yeah… I’d survive it… But I might carry it to someone who wouldn’t. And that, folks, is the problem.”

*****

So what does it mean for Drexel?  What’s the plan Stan?

FIRST.

We are gonna be fine.  I talked to Julie Korth our CFO (money person) we have a plan for worst case scenario.   Our bank relations are good to hold us over.  We have cash deserves we can tap into.   We can weather this storm.  Our roots are deep.  The trees without roots… I would be worried about them!

Short term. 

As ALWAYS, if you are SICK.  STAY THE HELL HOME.  DON’T BE A HERO.   IF YOU ARE THAT IMPORTANT DREXEL IS DOING IT WRONG.  CROSS TRAINING, WORKSHARE, TEAMWORK, BEST PRACTICES, ALL ALLOW FOR YOU TO GET OVER THE COLD AND NOT SPREAD IT.

As ALWAYS, wash your hands.  Do smart things.

Live your life.  Don’t live in fear.

WORST CASE.  NEXT STEPS.

If we are all quarantined can I work from home?  Kind of an interesting thing right?

If we are quarantined… there will not work at the job sites.  We won’t have work.  So what would do at home?  There won’t be bids to do, jobs to ship, homes to design, no bills to pay, no vendors will be open.  So… never say no.  But if the state of Wisconsin shuts down, at this time, I assume we would too!  We will follow our builders.  No plans to do any of this.  Just an awareness and letting you know we are on top of it.

Would that affect our jobs?  My pay?   

Well if we aren’t open yeah, that wouldn’t be great.  Who knows how it would effect the world’s economy.  Domestic made products it might actually help.  If you are stuck in your home for 2 weeks, you might decide to build a deck this summer.  If people don’t travel this summer…they really might say, hey, instead let’s do our kitchen!   Home interest rates are historically low.  It’s a great time to build!  No one can predict the economy… so who knows…. how it would effect our industry.

Closed would be closed…

SOMEONE WILL SURVIVE (IN A BUSINESS SENSE, THIS ISN’T THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE.  SOME OF US MIGHT GET A COLD…)  IT MIGHT TAKE OUT THE WEAK BUSINESSES.  FINE WITH ME!

SOMEONE WILL THRIVE.   THAT PLANS TO BE DREXEL.

THIS MIGHT IN FACT BRING OUR COUNTRY TOGETHER!  WORKING AS ONE!  HELPING EACH OTHER!

NO MATTER WHAT, WE WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED.  WE WILL KEEP YOU AWARE.

WE WILL OVER COMMUNICATE.

GO!

Joel

 

 

 

 

Words are powerful.

Coronavirus caused people to avoid Corona beer.  Sales were up 5% anyway  (The media is not our friend; they don’t report the good news often.)

Drexel has made a shift away from “Account Manager,” a term we used for what we used to call our “Outside Salesman.”  THEY ARE NOW QUARTERBACKS.

We shifted away from Outside Salesman, or my least favorite term OSR (outside sales rep), for what we perceive as a negative connotation in our industry.  An OSR… THE STEREO TYPE ANYWAYS…  is a white middle age male with 20 years of experience that makes milk runs to jobsites, dumps work on his team, is disorganized and spends his expense account on beers at the bar, golf rounds, and burgers for lunch.  Although I do like beer, golf, and burgers…

We are better than that.  Much.  Since our people’s goal is to be “organized on our client’s behalf” we felt… account manager was way better.  Our organization has talented people with a supply happiness mission, each specialist that work with an account manager to manage a contractor’s account…. to simple MANAGE THE ACCOUNT.   EH…. that was ok.

But we are sports related company, we are Drexel Building Supply.  WE ARE DIFFERENT.  Account manager is pretty… normal.

The “former” account managers have green lighted the term: quarterback.  Not in the pompous arrogant, jock sort of way.

But in the good way.

Quaterback:  Teammate who directs and lead an offense.

A LEGENDARY, HALL OF FAME QUARTERBACK, DOES ALL OF OUR CORE VALUES….

SO GOING FORWARD… WE DON’T HAVE ACCOUNT MANAGERS…WE HAVE QUARTERBACKS!

THOSE CORE VALUES IN QB TERMS!

HAVE FUN.  WITH THEIR TEAM. CELEBRATE THE WINS.

 

Hold others ACCOUNTABLE.  DEVELOP TEAM MEMBERS (especially the inexperienced.)

 

WINNING ATTITUDE

BALANCE

COMMUNICATION

ETHICS * RESPECT * TEAM WORK * CHANGE

WATCH UNTIL THE END!  ALL 3 MINUTES!  GO!

TGIM!

Oh baby…

So what did I learn recently?

The best people DO NOT make the best company.

The BEST CULTURE makes a great great company.

Great people are EVERYWHERE.  All over the globe.  For instance, sometimes we hire from our competition.  They SUCK.  But there is a GOOD PERSON THERE.  So yes, find great people, but the culture you create with them…that’s the magic sauce.  That’s everything.

Leadership is driving CULTURE.  It is GIVING VISION.  It is holding down the core values.

The TEAM, each individual needs to bring their best, why God made them, to work every day, and their VOICE, their ACTIONS must be heard.  They must be empowered, engaged…that drives the company. NOT VICE VERSA.

The power of “downtown”, “captains”, “leaders”, “head coaches” … is not to DICTATE TO YOU… but to guide you… to help you… to EMPOWER YOU!

We must constantly cultivate that drive.

That CULTURE.

We all need to strive for this.  Hopefully you are considering joining CULTURE CLUB.  If you are not, ask yourself why not?  Fear, boredom, a belief you are not a superstar?  Shame on you!

You are.  You are all superstars.

Also… why we need to FIRE PEOPLE that don’t fit in with this style of leadership.  If they don’t want to love, serve, care and be a leader of where they are… with great core values, they simply are not a fit.  THAT IS 100% OK.

****

One more topic:

Our head coaches swapped for 2 weeks.

What a sacrifice for them to stay humble.  To realize they are influence but do not control.  To be authentic.  To show this is ONE TEAM.

They have realized I believe from their feedback.   They need to teach, rally, set the pace, learn, listen… and that our team is amazing.   A summary from each of them… at least what they told me… not exact but close… A very, very brief summary from what I took from what they told me.

Nick Whitty, “The flooring team doesn’t know how amazing they are.”

Craig Johnson, “It’s a new store.  Daily, minute to minute learning lessons.”

Keith Batenhorst,  “20 year store.  Runs smoooth.”

Steve Herriges: “Pace.  We can go much faster.”

Steve Larson: “Welcome to the zoo.  Teams empowered to go on their own and do it.”

Matt “Gronk” K:  “New categories, but things still run the same.”

WE CAN ALL LEARN A LOT FROM THE SWAP!

****

Lastly….

EAT CHANGE FOR BREAKFAST.    EMBRACE CHANGE IN EVERYTHING YOU DO.  LOOK FOR IT.  OWN IT.  LOVE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE.  THAT’S WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS.

GO!

JOEL