I am not quite sure if Punxsutawney Phil had his head in the game this year in seeing his shadow and predicting six more weeks of winter, because aside from our friends in Alaska most of the country has not had a winter. The unseasonably mild weather has left many restoration companies scratching their heads and trying not to think about their empty wallets. After last year’s windfall most companies planned to start this year off strong. Now that Mother Nature has thrown them a curve ball, what do they do?

Growing up playing baseball I used to love the high fastball. I was bigger than most kids my age (I know that is hard to believe) and I could step into that pitch
and drive it over the left field fence. As got older and my team mates and competitors got bigger and stronger (and I remained the same size) I had to adapt my hitting style. I had to learn to hit the curve ball! The best way to hit a curve ball is to keep your weight back and take the pitch to the opposite field. No more homeruns but doubles and triples down the right field line are still nice and productive.

Now is the time that companies affected by this slump need to start adjusting their hitting styles. They need to keep their weight back by managing cash, controlling their spending and making good decisions. They cannot be tempted by the high and tight fastball thinking that one big job will bring them out of the slump. Restorers who are thrown this pitch need to take the ball to the opposite field by finding work that is not caused by the influence of weather.  They need to do it diligently  and  aggressively and they need to do it now.


Tim Hull

The Ethics Resource Center recently conducted a Business Ethics Survey for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). In this survey it was reported that three out of four respondents work for organizations that have written standards of ethical business conduct. At first glance I found this to be an impressive statistic, giving me hope for the future of ethical conduct and performance in the workplace. However, my hope was short lived.

The report went on to indicate that "more than half of the survey respondents said that they observed conduct within their organizations during the past year that they believed violated the law or the organization's standard of ethical business conduct." Over 47 percent of these employees indicated they felt at least some pressure from other employees or managers to compromise their organization's standards of ethical business conduct.

What are you observing in your own environment? If your company has an ethics policy is it making a difference and are people striving to follow it? Are there any best practices you’ve observed which are having an impact at driving home just how important it is to have an ethical environment?


Scott Tackett

As “an older person” it’s much harder to embrace “what is” than “what was”.
 
The realities of youth:  They dress differently (more relaxed), they speak differently (less political correctness) and they communicate differently (my sons would rather text than talk).

So the real challenge for you as an “older person” or you as a “younger person” is to understand one another.
 
If you want to win, befriend youth.  And youth, if you want to win, befriend experience.  Together take advantage of every opportunity. Don’t fight each other; embrace each other for who you are and what your talents are!


Tom Cline

When the elder John D. Rockefeller was setting up the Standard Oil Company he said, "The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than for any other under the sun."

The ability to deal with people and potential conflict is even more important today with the current pressures of our world. Being able to handle conflict in a productive way is frequently mentioned as one of the most challenging skills for managers, leaders and owners.

My experience is that some of you thrive on conflict and create it wherever you go, some of you go to great lengths to avoid it, some of you will instruct others to deal with it, and some of you will let it go in the hope that the best (or toughest) man or woman wins.

What's your conflict resolution style and how is it working for you?

 
Scott Tackett

To this day I am astonished by the amount of debt that has been incurred by our society.  You can pick your reasons: assets, growth, risk, social perception or personal enjoyment.  The list is long.  I do not profess to be an economist, but I do feel as though I have a fair amount of common sense and to me this certainly doesn’t make sense.  Small business owners are a unique breed.  They have an uncanny ability to recognize opportunities and risk everything they have to pursue it, expecting the rate of return to far exceed the investment.  When it works, they look like a genius.  When it doesn’t, they look like a compulsive gambler that hasn’t learned when to fold.
 
Over the past month I had the opportunity to spend some time with over 50 small business owners, speaking to them about cash flow in their business.  I asked them all the same question: “Who does NOT have cash flow issues in their business?” Much to my dismay only 3 said they did not.  We then proceeded to have an hour long discussion on the characteristics exhibited by companies that manage cash well.  In doing so I learned a very important lesson.  Those in attendance already knew what I was telling them!  Their actions were just not in alignment with their knowledge.


Tim Hull

Every morning when we wake up each of us asks ourselves a pretty fundamental question: “Do I continue to lay here in bed or do I get up and carry on with my day?”  Our choices for the rest of the day won’t get much more basic than this initial one. Although there are a limited number of answers to this question (either I get up or I don’t) the underlying reasons for our choice are infinite. 

What makes me curious are the reasons people choose to get out of bed and go to work.  In my own case I can point to several, some of which are pretty basic: kids still in college, food on the table, basic enjoyment of life.  Others are a little more sophisticated: my responsibility to the people at VMA, our clients and our business partners, and emotional fulfillment.  Some reasons are downright philosophical: I’m fortunate enough to love what I do and I don’t feel I’ve completed the work I was placed on this earth to accomplish. 
         
 As we get older or as we spend more time in our businesses the answers to this question may change, but the question itself remains the same.  So, what is it that gets you out of bed in the morning (or in the middle of the night when the phone rings)?

 
Chuck Violand

From the very second it begins beating until the moment it stops, the human heart works nonstop. Most people have no idea that in an average lifetime the heart beats more than two and half billion times without ever pausing to rest. It is the core of our human life.

In his book The Heart of Coaching organizational consultant Thomas G. Crane wrote, "Touching people's spirits and rekindling what deeply matters to them is what the heart of coaching is all about. We do not need another book on managing people that shows us yet another technique on how to get them to do what we want them to do. People are crying out for real leadership from leaders who are open and vulnerable and real." In other words leaders who are capable, knowledgeable and proficient in their ability to influence and guide employees. Effective leadership is at the core of our organizational life. Just as with our human life it sustains us and keeps our businesses from faltering.

It would be easy to dismiss all this as just more touchy-feely stuff that really doesn’t have a bearing on how effective you are as a business leader. On the other hand maybe it does. What have you found to be the case in your experience?   


Scott Tackett

This past week I had a client who sought my opinion about performing mitigation work for free. Refraining myself from blurting out the question, “Why in the world would you want to do that?” I asked him to elaborate on the situation.  He explained that he had seen a news story about a woman whose home was flooded during the rains associated with hurricane Irene.  

She had no insurance coverage and no money.  His motive was compassion and a desire to help someone in need.  Since he had benefited greatly from a weather event that devastated others he felt obligated to pay that benefit forward. I approved of his willingness, but advised him to proceed with caution.

As a disaster restoration contractor the unfortunate side of our work is that we are surrounded by those who are victims of  circumstance.  We profit from others’ misfortunes.  That fact needs to be kept into perspective at all times and requires a high level of moral character on behalf of the contractor.  Personally, I have had plenty of opportunities to provide “freebies” to those in need throughout my years in the industry.  To prevent the companies I managed from turning into volunteer organizations I had to resist the urge more often than I care to admit, but those were hard choices to make.

There are many benefits to performing charity work.  Free advertising (news media), tax deductions, and self fulfillment are just a few.  The true philanthropist, in my opinion, ignores these motives and sacrifices his/her personal benefit to meet the needs of others who cannot help themselves. Those rare individuals should be commended.


Tim Hull

If you are a business owner and have children, sons/daughters–in-law or other next generation relatives in management positions in your company, how do you determine when “it’s time” to step aside and let them run the business?  
 
It’s always hard to step away from something you’ve labored to build over a long period.  The way “the kids” manage, lead and make decisions is likely not consistent with how you handle things, which makes it even more difficult.  Sometimes I think this transition is approached like the illogical parent
who takes the child’s bicycle away as punishment and declares, “When you prove to me that you know how to ride it, I’ll give it back to you!”  
 
So, how do you convince yourself to let go?  Is there anything your successors can (or should) do to initiate and facilitate the process?

 I’m curious to hear from both sides of this issue.  From the owners: how do you know when
“it’s time”?  From the next generation: how can you “prove” that you’re capable and ready?  


Tom Cline

In a recent VMA staff meeting the subject of the similarities between running a business and being married came up. In many ways the same issues that cause problems in a marriage are the ones that cause problems in business: money, distribution of work, employees (children), and dwindling passion or interests that grow apart. Unresolved problems cause us heart burn and insomnia regardless of whether they’re business-related or personal.

On the flip side the same things that lead to successful businesses are frequently present in successful marriages. They start with shared values and goals; with a purpose deeper than your own self interest; and perhaps most of all a long term commitment to making it work. 

While starting a business and getting married are fairly simple processes, it’s growing the business and staying married that requires real work. A few of the strategies to a long and happy marriage are communication, being able to say you’re sorry, and of course never forgetting your anniversary.  What are some of the strategies you’ve employed to sustain your company’s growth and longevity?
  

Chuck Violand