Should I have used a title of,” Reputation Management for Renovators”?

I have many friends of mine whom are real experts  in the  field of renovation and home construction. Renovating, rather than new home construction is a  field that — while growing  rapidly — is still under-the-radar in terms of mass consciousness. Due to a small percentage  of  unscrupulous  renovation contractors, the good renovation businesses and their owners out there are being judged in many cases quite unfairly. There do exist many good, highly skilled morally and ethically sound renovators. Due to a few highly publicized bad ones though, it seems a renovation contractor’s integrity is always in question. Seasoned renovation veterans like Don James, David Litwiller and Blair Foisy (for instance) write and speak  to this topic, and have been for a couple of decades.  Often, they feel as though their words are falling on deaf ears.

My general feeling is that people don’t mind being educated so long as they don’t feel the teacher is telling them that they have the “only real” answers…even when the teacher truly believes they have it. HGTV while one  hand can be a tremendous platform to teach and inform, far too often in my mind doesn’t always take the path to enlightenment but plays the ratings game and seems to lean towards sensationalism.  How  about Ying & Yang here – “yinging rather than just yanging”!  A bit of balance perhaps? The picture of renovations  gone bad is too often about the host being the knight in shining armour – there to save the day as all other (besides the host apparently) renovation contractors are out to take the clients money … give it a rest PLEASE. How about featuring the great tradesmen and renovation businesses that really do care about the work they do and those they serve. This latter group far outnumbers the sleazy operators but rarely if ever get the credit for the tremendous work they do.

There used to be a program on for many years featuring Jim Caruk called Real Renos. It was exactly that, real. I wish HGTV would feature more shows that keep it as real! Professional business owners who actually had certification (ie went to trade school) and were certified tradesman, not actors or posers learning the ropes while spinning the spin for ratings, while learning a trade.  Don’t get me wrong, I know many great men and women that have never been to a trades school that perform great work, but they have paid their dues and went to the “School of Hard Knocks” . They have acquired the skills over time.

Our world is such that most don’t easily accept that which is different from their already-established beliefs like, “The world is flat”.   If and when these particular ideas are accepted en masse, it will happen over time. Remember, it took “sliced bread” (i.e., “the greatest thing since…”) 20 years after it’s invention to catch on. Perhaps “reputation management” particularly for highly skilled, ethical renovation businesses at some point will gather together within a  body or organization that truly has teeth for “self policing”? To date, almost everything revolves around organizations with a minor focus on the specialized field of renovators. 

 The people who succeed aren’t necessarily the ones who have the exceptional idea, product, service, solution, etc., but are able to communicate it in such a way that others desire to receive it.

‘Nuf Said

Outstanding value to be sure!

“Hiring an Architectural Designer may be one of the best investments a homeowner can make when planning a renovation. Why should we is a question I am often asked. Dwayne Seal is a local award-winning professional that I can recommend with confidence.

Many of us feel that our renovation project is too small to warrant a design specialist, our budget is not large enough, or since we have a renovation contractor like Jameswood Homes and/or architect, we don’t need to throw another trade into the mix. Designers work on a wide range of projects and within an equally diverse range of budgets. More often than not an architect can be overkill. An architect will generally run into as much as 15% of the overall budget as opposed to 3 – 5%! On a $200,000 renovation, that gives you an additional $24,000 either savings or money that can be spent on the project. Working with a Architectural Designer is like having your own personal tour guide to escort you through the exciting world of home construction.

Designers like Dwayne Seal have spent years mastering their craft in order to be able to create functional and beautiful spaces for living and working. They are familiar with current products, trends, building codes, local trades and resources. Designers can not only help you create the home of your dreams, but also save you time and money.

Even people who don’t follow golf have now have heard of Bubba Watson. Being a sports junkie in general and a golf nut I was a Bubba fan before, but what he did Sunday at the Masters was simply amazing and made him a favorite.If you’re not familiar, Bubba is a humble, good old boy from rural Florida who attempted, and perfectly executed a near-impossible shot on the second hole of a playoff to win the Masters. He did this after an impressive come-from-behind series of holes on the back nine.

It occurred to me that Don James like Bubba, although known in the Calgary building / renovation industry, was still not as well know as someone like Jim Caruk  (pictured above) but all three of them share many common traits that I truly admire. Humility and integrity!  Even though Jim has been on HGTV since 2001 with the program Real Renos, he keeps it real with little if any hubris. He and Don could be brothers with different mothers as they are so similar in so many ways!

While at an event a couple of days ago I had the opportunity to speak with Jim Caruk at great length as well as members of his team like Ian Burns and David Chestnut…outstanding individuals that echo a similar messages. That the renovation industry has no place for huge egos or dictatorial rant.

Humility has sometimes received a bad rap. However remember this; a humble man can never be humiliated!

In closing, it is still fine and a recommended practice to silicone around the base of a toilet – regardless of what some others may say.

Nuff Said!

Since the economic implosion of 2008, the news has been littered with accounts of questionable behavior in boardrooms, corner offices, and other gold-plated spaces. What’s not clear from the headlines, however, is whether white-collar criminals like Bernard Madoff are bad apples or extreme examples of a widespread trend.

A new study may offer a clue to answering that question: A series of experiments conducted by psychologists at the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that people who are socially and financially better-off are more likely to lie, cheat, and otherwise behave unethically compared to individuals who occupy lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder.

“Elevated wealth status seems to make you want even more, and that increased want leads you to bend the rules or break the rules to serve your self-interest,” says Paul Piff, the lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate in psychology at the university.

The research team’s findings, which appear this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, were drawn from seven separate experiments that together included more than 1,000 people from all walks of life.

Piff and his colleagues used a variety of measures to gauge the participants’ socioeconomic status, such as education levels, annual income (which ranged from about $16,000 to $150,000), and the participants’ own perception of their social standing. Regardless of the measure used, however, higher-status people tended to behave in ways that served their own self-interest.

In the first two experiments, the researchers took to the sidewalks near Berkeley and investigated the relationship between car type — a reliable, if crude, measure of status — and driver behavior.

Drivers with shinier, newer, and more expensive cars were more likely to cut off other motorists at a busy four-way stop and less likely to yield to pedestrians in a cross walk. Roughly 45% of people driving cars the researchers deemed “high status” ignored a pedestrian, compared to just 30% of those in more modest vehicles.

In another experiment, a group of college students were asked to rate how willing they were to engage in unethical behavior in various everyday scenarios — such as taking a ream of printer paper from the office where they work, failing to correct a cashier’s error in their favor, or accepting ill-gotten tips about an upcoming exam.

The results echoed the driving experiments. Students who saw themselves as being higher on the socioeconomic ladder were more likely than their peers to say they would make a less-than-honorable decision in the hypothetical situations.

These findings don’t show that unethical behavior is somehow ingrained in people of higher status, Piff says. However, he says, they do suggest that small changes in a situation or environment cause people of varying backgrounds to express their instincts and values in different ways.

“We’re not saying you should distrust the rich, or the rich are corrupt,” says Piff. “Instead, this highlights the disparities in social environments — that different positions occupied give rise to almost natural tendencies and divergent social values.”

What accounts for this divergence? The independence offered by financial security may foster a sense of entitlement and a lack of concern for others, the authors suggest. On a more concrete level, affluent people may be more likely to get away with misbehavior (because they are less supervised at work, for example), and they may be more willing to take ethical risks because they have the resources to bail themselves out — both literally and figuratively — if they get caught.

Then again, there may be a simpler explanation: greed. The researchers found that unethical behavior was closely related to positive feelings about greed. Although the connection appeared to be strongest among high-status individuals, even lower-status individuals were more prone to ethical lapses if they felt that greed was good.

Study participants, for instance, were more likely to cheat on a dice game or mislead a hypothetical job candidate about an available position if they agreed strongly with a series of greed-related statements, such as “To be a successful person in this society, it is important to make use of every opportunity” and “It is not morally bad to think first of one’s own benefit and not other people’s.”

The study findings aren’t black-and-white. Robert Gore, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology at Alliant International University, in San Francisco, says that class, status, and ethics are all slippery concepts that are difficult to pin down in experiments, even those — like the driving ones — that make use of real-world situations.

“Not everyone who is coded as relatively high social class drives a luxury car,” Gore says. “Luxury car drivers are a subset of the well-to-do, and we all know people who drive cars they can’t really afford.”

In addition, Gore says, experiments that test people’s willingness to behave unethically only say so much about their day-to-day behavior. “This study really shows that people who identify as higher social class are more likely to admit unethical behavior,” he says. “It’s not clear whether they actually behave worse or just claim to.”

Piff and his colleagues acknowledge the limitations of the study. At the same time, Piff says, the fact that seven different experiments all produced similar results helps “eliminate alternative explanations.” And, as the study notes, the pattern held after the researchers took into account factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, and religious and political affiliations, all of which are associated with ethics and values.

Only by growing and becoming more advanced personally can we ever really influence the world around us…not by force, but simply by being a much more effective version of…us. My good friend Mike Pickard for instance reads from 50-60 books a year  to be of even greater service and value to those he serves. So, change others? Naw. Instead, let’s take the advice of another very wise man:

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
~ Gandhi

Bob Burg had the above in a recent posting online and got me thinking of what to blog about. I even shamelessly borrowed (no plagiarized his title) Bob is a man in conjunction with co-author John David Mann have been prolifically writing many outstanding books speaking to what it means to be a Go-Giver and a man of integrity.

For those that know me well, trying to live a life of integrity is what I strive for. Do I commit sins of omission or commission? Indeed but I try to make things right the moment I realize that a defect of character has once again raised to the surface. It boils down to keeping my side of the street clean and always taking the high road and doing whats right for those I serve. It’s about developing character. Not creating a corporate vision or mission statement and then never walking the talk…

In a business scenario, the focus is about the client’s needs first and foremost - not about calculating commissionable earnings prior to looking at customer solutions based on profit.  I firmly contend and ask you to consider that once one strays off center it becomes easier to start straying down a self serving path that eventually can come back to bite you. Go long and ask yourself how do I wish to be remembered? What will people talk about at my funeral service?  Personally how are you being measured by others?

It’s not about perfection but seeking continuous improvement. By doing ones best for those we serve, (“always”) soon people begin to refer you to those they care about. Good long term loyal clients ensure that a solid business foundation is not only built but great growth will occur. Client retention and solid referrals will have a tremendous impact on growth and personal earnings when integrity is applied.

Some industries have compliance and regulations in place to protect consumers but if you read the papers or watch the news, more and more you hear about far too many bending rules or downright breaking them for personal financial  gain.  What constitutes right and wrong for many isn’t what it used to be even 10-15 years ago. WII-FM is the only FM station many listen to (What’s In It For Me).

In upcoming Blogs I will be featuring businesses and their owner’s who I know personally to be of high integrity. They unfortunately are becoming the exception to the rule and not the standard they once were. Further to this books and authors  that walk the walk and are people of integrity.

“The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts. Think only on those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the light of day. The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny – it is the light that guides your way.”

~Heraclitus, 535-475 BC, Greek Philosopher 

If you know some of these real modern day heroes that are doing it right please let me know how they are so that we might in some small way promote them. As Bob Burg and Bill Smalley are trying to broadcast, “Its not about but all about you” is the success formula on so many levels.

Live every day like it was your last – what value did I provide today!

“Nuf said.

Once again I draw inspiration from the one and only Harvey Mackay. It was he, well over 20 years ago that  got the ball truly moving in the right direction for me. Having landed my first outside sales position, a manufacturer’s representative provided me  two cassettes which  I have played over and over. I became an immediate fan of the Go-Giver from Minnesota of all places. I started putting his ideas to work and the little successes started to grow almost immediately into far bigger successes…

However you measure it,  success is sweet but is doesn’t happen overnight! Many times I liken the career path of a professional sales rep to an adventurer taking the road less travelled.  It’s a journey or a process and not a destination. Are there bumps in the road? Absolutely plenty of them which can derail a successful career and lead you down a path of negativity. Discouragement, disappointments, even occasional failures… It’s all in how we either dwell on them or use them as a learning experience. I believe it was Dennis Waitley in the early “80′s that used to tell all that would listen to call them temporary setbacks or learning experiences  – reframe it.

Look back on past successes and achievements. Don’t forget to include what you feel in your heart of hearts what your yet untapped potential is! Goal setting is huge. You here it time and time again but so few undergo the actual process of committing  these goals to paper. Once done what is your plan with a proposed timeline to achieve them? Be specific as possible – not vague. If you aim high you may miss your mark however aim low and you hit the target every time!

Instead of being overwhelmed by failure, be inspired by success! Hang out with positive sales leaders either in your firm or industry where possible. Seek out those rare leaders that take the high road and use integrity as their moral compass. Remember too that is all about ensuring you give service and value to the clients you serve. If the primary motivator is only about commissionable earnings the successes obtained in most cases will not be sustained over the long haul. I’m not saying that profit is a bad thing – anything but! At the end of the day if you’re not making a profit you are simply practicing working (a famous Kit Grant line). It is a by-product that should happen naturally as a result of delivering value (products or services). In my particular case it’s about being passionate about assisting clients live their lives in financial comfort. Having a firm belief, no,  a strong conviction in what I do is not just important but of paramount importance. For me it’s all about of being of true service to those I serve.  By doing the right things and at the right time, the law of reciprocity kicks in – that simple.

Rethink your strategy (hopefully you have one) if necessary. Surround yourself with positive people who will provide the encouragement that will help you realize what is possible. We all have friends like this close at hand. In my particular case people like  Stuart, Bob, Chad, Jordan, Jass, Mike, Kirk…very cool.

Re-evaluate your goals (what are they – are they written down and read daily). Are these goals realistic, achievable, specific and measurable? All these components are necessary in the measurement of your success. How else will you know if you have succeeded?

Focus on improvement not perfection. You can always do more, achieve more, get more. Track your progress so you can see how much closer you have come to reaching your goals and ultimate success.

Be proactive. Create your own opportunities by working on what you can control instead of what is beyond your reach. We crawl before we walk, walk before we run…

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Put your ideas out there and give them a chance to succeed and learn from the mistakes made. Think and Grow Rich (a classic must read) by Napoleon Hill is full of stories of how splendid successes resulted from colossal failure in business history. Make history repeat itself!

Instead of being overwhelmed by failure, be inspired by success. 2012 is around the corner have an outstanding year.

Regardless of the industry or market segment, there are true inspirational people that quietly go about their chosen work providing untold value to those they serve. One such individual recently celebrated a 25 year milestone in the financial services industry and was the inspiration for this particular blog post. Although he is not an official mentor to me , personally I draw inspiration from him because he is so humble and free of hubris or the big ego sometimes prevalent with so many top performers…

My friend Bob Burg along with co-author John David Mann have published a highly acclaimed series of books (3 at this point) using the term Go-Giver (highly recommended reads). Quite simply put ,you give more in value than you take in payment; you touch many lives with that value; you put other people’s interests first; you operate from a foundation of authenticity; and you allow yourself to receive.

Of course, while a Go-Giver doesn’t “give to get” but “gives to give,” they also know that doing this creates a benevolent context for success; the powerful seeds of goodwill they’ve cultivated will come back to them many times over, in the form of direct business and referrals.

 There are people  around us like Ray Simundson (a veritable Go-Giver) that are genuine however not as common today – old school values.  They give for the sake of giving, and are selfless. They approach people with compassion, and listen with real curiosity – a veritable breath of fresh air where so many are caught up listening to but one FM station – WIIFM (Whats In It For Me).

There are many paths one can take in building a professional services practise. Ray follows a path less often travelled. Men of real passion and unshakeable integrity are the humble heroes  I want to emulate. Humble, brilliant and focused on providing tremendous value to those they serve. In doing so, reciprocity just happens naturally!

A true friend sticks with you through the good times and the bad, A true friend will say what you might not want to hear, but a true friend won’t stay mad…

A true friend looks from the inside out and doesn’t judge by a glance A true friend will stick by you even when you take a stance…

A true friend loves you for who you are not what you could be… A true friend should be cherished cause’ few exist…

Many times the same is not true about relationships in the workplace . I have found that far too often many are tuned to one FM station, WII-FM “what’s in it for me”. As the direction of the wind changes or your short term usefulness or profitability…

Had the opportunity to spend some time yesterday with a real friend and it got my mind thinking about the difference between the two. The dictionary talks about how a friend is someone you know,  like and trust but when you get disappointed or hurt by acts of either omission or commission…what then? Does the status change to being be friended like on Facebook…hmmmm This is where true friendship comes to the top. A very good friend and mentor of mind once told me, “to have a friend you must first be one”.

In the infantry, where true teamwork has no equal, they will   take a bullet if need be for their fellow comrade in arms and they would  reciprocate in turn. That’s commitment you don’t get in professional sports or in business.

This leads me to what is real commitment to an individual or goal? It’s about taking the time to develop a well thought out strategic plan, taking ownership of same by committing to it and then executing that plan until completed. Having the faith, vision and seeing it through. Daring to plan big!

Dare to dream, have big goals, commit them to paper, develop a strategic plan, create a like-minded team …win and share in the victories en=ven the small ones…

Amazing what hits the page after a limited night of sleep!

 Leadership is the key to success in military operations in peace and in war, as it always has been through the centuries. Yet it is a subject that doesn’t get the attention it deserves today particularly in business. The basic principles of leadership and man management are both timeless and universal.

What I would  like to do is speak to a few very straightforward rules that have helped me immensely. I don’t lay claim to any originality here as many points were demonstrated through example by many talented NCO’s and officers that I served under in my first career as a career soldier back in the early ’70′s.

Definition  “LEADERSHIP is the art of influencing others to do willingly what is required in order to achieve an aim or goal.”

Many of the problems faced by managers today, at all levels, stem from the fact that the art of leadership seems to be dying. Is is being (or has been) replaced by mechanical processes of control that seem to make little distinction between the men and the machines that make up the system. Modern managerial techniques introduced in the name of efficiency and economy, often tend to dehumanize the organization and its individuals.

 Because computers and machines obey instructions consistently and without complaint, modern managers are inclined to assume that people should respond in the same way. They don’t of course. They have capacities, strengths and breaking points that differ from individual to individual as well as from situation to situation. Unlike machines many people work best under stress. Unlike computers , their performance is influenced for better or worse by a wide range of human emotions which reflect, in large measure the quality of leadership that is being exercised.

Two primary qualities that are not as prominent with administrators as opposed to good leaders are integrity and courage.

Integrity means the refusal to deceive others in any way no matter what the circumstances. Leaders must make decisions and accept their results. (personal accountability) You must admit mistakes at least to yourself. Never try to bluff your way through or shake off your responsibility off on to others. This will do nothing but undermine your effectiveness as a leader. It doesn’t work!

Courage is to face danger in the knowledge that it exists. Courage is a quality of the mind which makes one refuse to be swayed from his aim by danger or difficulty. It is a quality that enables a man to marshal all his abilities and powers to overcome the hardships standing in his path. Perseverance then is the heart of courage.   A courageous man is the one who has succeeded in mastering his emotions and weaknesses.

It really boils down to not being afraid to make a decision or ask the  tough questions that sometimes should be asked … 

It’s Not ABout You! A little story about what should matter most in business!

Yes I have been called a disciple of Bob Burg and  co-author John David Mann ever since my friend Stuart Crawford first introduced me to Go-Givers Sell more. Just when we think they have co-authored an unbeatable (or non-repeatable success…) they come back and build upon the last with yet an another masterpiece forcing me yet again to be introspective.

Their writings have and keep me ever vigilant in regards to humility and so much more… in my last blog I spoke about my dear friend Ed Shayler who recently passed away in his 90′s and was the most humble man I know and was a real inspiration in spite of the injustices he suffered. He was like an Emmett Fox – he walked the walk every day.Even having spent over 4 years in the Japanese work camps as a POW here was a spiritual giant of character and integrity. His words to me years ago were that a humble man can never be humiliated. In this book the authors capture that essence of how humility is so often mis-perceived as a weakness when it is indeed a veritable strength.

The title of this blog is a phrase I have heard uttered for years by my good friend William (Bill) Smalley of Route Five International. When I first saw the tittle I wondered if perhaps some collaboration had taken place amongst the authors and Bill. No but so good to know that there are a few good men of  character with a similar powerful messaging screaming quietly that it isn’t what you say but really what you do when no one is watching. Bob and John you articulated this so very well – thank you.

My grand father back in the 60′s on the dock at our cottage on Lake Temagami taught me a couple of life’s best lessons. I must admit I forgot about them until years later. The first was,”the more I learn the less I know”. The second was about being a man of real character – a lesson I’m always reminded of thanks to another good friend in Scott Erb. He and Bob Fedirchuk are always talking about faith, taking the high road and always remaining grounded.

Wealth my grandfather used to say should really be measured by how well you serve others because reciprocity will kick in without having to be pushed! I always remember his telling me how it was easier pull a rope rather than push…I had forgotten about this until reading the book. Thanks for the reminder Bob and John.

So it really it isn’t about me “but” it’s all about you! In 1974 The Chief of Defense Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces wrote a paper on the importance of true leadership and how that looks as opposed to growing an organization of administrators. He saw then the shift taking place in business… Big difference indeed. True leaders in business today are far from the norm.

So – “It’s Not ABout You” (by Bob Burg and John David Mann) is now Frank’s top book of the year. Granted I only read 2 books a month “but”…

“Nuf said