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Building A Dream Business

Competition vs. Cooperation, does it Have to be One or the Other?

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Finding the Balance of These Two Things is Like Walking a Tightrope

On the surface, competition and cooperation seem to be opposites.  I think they are two different things pulling in opposite directions providing the tension needed to keep the bridge of negotiation held up and safe to cross.

Most people see negotiation as a conflict.  As either a win or lose proposition.  This is a competitive perspective.  Depending on the people involved and the circumstances…it can be a pretty intense battle.

Some people love the battle.

Other people want to avoid conflict at all costs.  They are willing to be used as a doormat, rather than to stand up and fight for what they believe.  These people will compromise and avoid uncomfortable situations.  It’s just easier.

Some people will avoid the battle any way they can.

The reality is that negotiation is a part of your everyday life…whether you like it or not.  I’m currently going through another Business Made Simple University course, Negotiation Made Simple. This course teaches that negotiation doesn’t have to be like haggling with a used car salesman. It can actually be a win/win when done right.

By nature, I’m not competitive.  This lends itself to my being a doormat.  As I have matured and through my wife’s encouragement (by nature she’s very competitive), I’m more willing to stand up for what I believe in.

The whole competition/cooperation thing was made abundantly clear to me a few days ago while watching a NASCAR race.

NASCAR is different than other sports. In other sports competition is one on one or two teams competing against each other.

In NASCAR there is a combination of these two.  While there are thirty or forty individual cars on the track racing for the win, there are also multi-car teams.  This makes for an interesting dynamic when two drivers on a multi-car team are battling for the win.

In the race I referred to earlier this was the situation.  In this scenario on a late race restart there was an opportunity for one driver to let another driver win which allowed the winning driver to make it into the championship playoffs.

These types of decisions can come from a variety of places.  Maybe this is what the team owner had mandated.  Maybe it was the driver’s personality.  Ultimately, in NASCAR these types of decisions are made in a split second.

This is why it’s critical to know ourselves and our priorities before we enter into the negotiation.

The competition/cooperation of construction projects is like racing.  On one hand there is a construction company trying to make a profit.  On the other, the customer trying to get a project done as inexpensively as possible.  You throw into the mix subcontractors and suppliers.  They are trying to balance multiple projects and also trying to be profitable.

These construction negotiations can be wins for everybody if handled properly.

Thankfully we don’t normally have to make the decisions in a split second like racecar drivers.

Ultimately, once we understand that competition and cooperation work together to provide the best bridge between contractor and customer…everybody wins.

There’s a Reduced Level of Commitment…What Happened to it?

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Not Keeping a Commitment is no Different Than Breaking a Promise

This past week, we discussed “confirmation” at a meeting at church. This is the process in the United Methodist Church where young people (early to mid-teens) publicly confirm their intention to live the vows made on their behalf at their baptism.

This process requires a commitment to attend ten to fifteen weekly classes as well as retreats, service projects and spiritual exercises. At the end of this process the person confirms their commitment going forward in front of the congregation.

There were concerns expressed that it was going to be hard to get these young people and their parents to commit to the level of commitment needed for this process. The commitment starts with the confirmation process.

The problem may be more about distraction than commitment.

There is so many things going on and we (especially young people) are bombarded with opportunities and information. The problem with commitment may be more of a tortoise and hare situation.

In this fable the fast and confident rabbit is challenged to a race by the slow and focused turtle. Spoiler alert, the slow turtle beats the fast rabbit.

This happens because after the rabbit gets a big lead, he loses his focus and decides to take a nap. Was the rabbit’s level of commitment less or was he just distracted?

What is commitment anyway?

Commitment is promising, pledging, being obligated or dedicated to doing what you said you would. These are some pretty serious words. A promise is not something I take lightly.

Commitment is the same thing as a promise. Ouch!

The topic of commitment came up again in a discussion about accountability in this week’s mastermind.

As a part of the weekly mastermind, we each commit to a goal we will accomplish prior to the next meeting. This past week there were several of us who had not accomplished our goals.

This then became a discussion of why the commitments we make to others seem to have a higher priority than one we make to ourselves. I think this comes from having a servant’s heart and less about the importance of the specific commitment.

If the goals that we set for ourselves are in alignment with the goals that God has given us, then they are important. We need to take an inventory the things we’re trying to do and get them in order based on whose priorities they are.

I do think the level of commitment is reduced due in part to distractions, over committing and receiving participation trophies for just showing up.

I need to stop kicking the accountability can down the road and commit to be more committed.

I need to make sure that my priorities are in alignment with God’s. If I’m focusing on those things, it will help me be committed to accomplish them. Commitment is as much about clarity of purpose as anything.

Making a commitment is a promise to God.

Action is the One Thing Required if Anything is Going to Get Done

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We Can Think Until Our Head Hurts, But Nothing Gets Done Until We Do It

If you’re like me…you have more ideas than you do time to do them. I’m always thinking of new and different ways to do things. These thoughts are bouncing around in there all the time.

Having a desire to use our talents and skills to help others is a driving force in the self-employed entrepreneurial field. Figuring out how to put ideas into action has been in the forefront of conversations in the mastermind and other professional discussions.

A servant’s heart is a foundation that these kinds of businesses are built on. The problem is that there are more ideas than time to do them.

Desire without action accomplishes nothing.

So, what action should I do first? How do I know if that’s the right thing? Quite honestly…you won’t. Not until after it’s been done. Whether or not it’s the right thing is less important than doing something. At the very least doing something, even if it wasn’t the “right thing”, you can learn something.

Think about how many lessons Thomas Edison learned with the light bulb (more than 3000). It would be a dark place if he’d never taking any action on his ideas.

Things will happen every day that influence and effect your plans. The important thing is to know your foundational mission and build everything on that. If you are clear about that mission you can work through the incidentals things that happen with flexible rigidity.

Don’t let distractions prevent you from taking action.

I’ve shared numerous times about the “Life Principles” in Andy Andrews’ book The Traveler’s Gift. Living these principles requires action…one focuses on that very thing. The Active Decision…

I am a person of action. I am daring. I am courageous. Fear no longer has a place in my life. For too long, fear has outweighed my desire to make things better… Never again! I have exposed fear as a vapor, an impostor who never had any power over me in the first place! I do not fear opinion, gossip, or the idle chatter of monkeys for all are the same to me. I do not fear failure, for in my life, failure is a myth. Failure only exists for the person who quits.

“My future is immediate. I will grasp it with both hands and carry it with running feet. When I am faced with the choice of doing nothing or doing something, I will always choose to act!”

Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

One of those professional discussions about taking action was with my friend Vickie Adair. She helps families navigate the process of college admissions at Strategy to Launch. Making each step clear and manageable so the process is smooth and stress-free.

In that discussion, our mutual friend Bryan encouraged Vickie to make a video and post it social media. She took action and did it. She did that first next thing and took action. Way to go Vickie!

Just like a skyscraper, our lives are built one brick at a time.

Like Vickie, do that first next thing that will move you forward toward accomplishing your mission.

There is a Limited Amount of Time, Don’t Spend it All Worrying

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When it Rains it Pours…More Times Than Not, We’re the Ones Holding the Pitcher

What is worry? To feel uneasy or concerned about something; to be troubled. To cause one to feel anxious, distressed, or troubled.

In our weekly mastermind meetings periodically, each members gets the opportunity to ask questions of or present situations to the rest of the group for their input and thoughts. This past week it was my turn. My question was one that has been asked multiple times, by multiple people, in multiple ways, in multiple places.

How do I determine what I should spend my time on?

What makes one thing more important than another? This question came out of my frustration with not getting everything I want to, done.

The problem with this question is…I’m the only one that can answer it for me. Each of us is different and what is right for one person isn’t for another. My priorities aren’t yours.

It comes down to putting my big rocks in first. Most of the time we know the answer. We just need to step back, take a deep breath and get re-focused.

Remember that God has given each of us a purpose. Focus on that and it will make it easier to get the pieces to fit. The important thing to remember is to not worry and stress over it.

The Bible is full of Scriptures about worrying and none of them say that we should. They all say pretty much the same thing. Don’t worry. Worrying won’t make us live longer. Give our worries to God. He will help us figure it out.

I wasn’t worried as much as uncertain about what to do first. Uncertainty is a better description of my feelings. I was just looking for clarity of direction. How do I get more done?

Whether it’s worry or uncertainty that you’re dealing with…it’s within your control.

You’ve probably heard the idiom, “When it rains, it pours.” This generally refers to situations when bad things are happening, then more bad things are going to happen.

This is a pretty negative perspective.

If it’s true for bad things, then I think the same thing is also true for good things. I’m going to make it pour good things.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with everything that you’re trying to do. Just remember…

There’s a limited amount of time and we hold the pitcher.

You can decide what and how much you will do.

Why My Blood Pressure Goes Up When I Receive Texts

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Okay…Maybe It Doesn’t Really…But It Sure Feels Like It

My sense of dread when my phone vibrates with a text makes me apprehensive. This is at a lower level when getting phone calls, but still happens. Why? What about someone contacting me makes me feel anxious?

Some examples –

            Got a text just last night from my wife – Pictures of the chicken pen missing a side and of a chicken on the loose. (Yes, this is the same chicken pen I wrote about last week) This was not good. After some follow up, I found out that the dog had tore it up. One chicken was missing, one was out. I needed to go home and fix this so that the remaining ones had a place to roost. Had to stop what I was doing and deal with it.

            Got a text from a tenant late one evening – Water heater was spraying everywhere; carpet and clothes were soaked. Needed to get the water shut off and stop the leak. It was a 30-minute drive to the property. It was too late to get it fixed then. It was late and I had just got home from a long day. Had to figure out a plan.

            Got a text from a customer wanting to make changes – This was to work that had already been done as per agreement. This is going to upset the subcontractor because they were going to have to redo their work. This was going to cost them, me or both of us, time and money.

What’s causing this apprehension? …communication is a good thing…right.

I’ve been aware of this feeling for a while and thinking about it a lot recently, trying to figure out why. I’ve come to some conclusions that connect with who I am and my personality.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about going through the Enneagram in Business Made Simple. I haven’t finished it yet, but have determined my Enneagram type and my wings (the personality type on either side of my dominant type).

This has helped better understand why my blood pressure goes up when texts come in.

In the previous post I referred to the personality type that I thought I was…it’s conclusive…in the Enneagram, I’m a Perfectionist. For those of you that know me, this is a big surprise, right. 😊 Wings of the Perfectionist are the Peacemaker and Helper.

Traits of a Perfectionist –

  • Fair
  • Reliable
  • Feels obligated to fix errors
  • High integrity
  • Feels counted on
  • Feels responsible
  • High self-expectations
  • Wants everything to be orderly
  • Has a plan and needs to stick to it

Traits of a Peacemaker –

  • Want to avoid conflict
  • Put other’s priorities above their own
  • Like routines
  • Say yes too much

Traits of a Helper –

  • Caring
  • Supportive
  • Need to be needed
  • Focused on meeting other’s needs
  • Want to do it myself

Looking through the characteristics of these three personality types I’m beginning to see why I don’t like getting texts.

It’s going to mess up my plans.

More often than not, texts and calls are cries for help. Most people sending them know that I will do everything I can to help. This is my job after all. What they don’t usually know, is that I will provide this help even if it destroys my schedule.

So, now that I’m aware of this, it’s up to me to deal with it.

This means…

Changing my perspective from a negative, being bothered, messing up my plans attitude to a this is who I am and what I do. I find solutions! These texts and calls are opportunities.

Learn to say no. This is a combination of no’s before getting overwhelmed balanced with giving myself more value compared to others wanting their way.

This newfound awareness will allow me to intentionally change my perspective to see these texts in a positive light.

And who knows…it might lower my blood pressure.

(Stay tuned for the chicken pen update)

Did You Know That It Really Wasn’t Curiosity That Killed the Cat?

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It Was Worry, Not Curiosity, That Did the Poor Cat In

Last week I wrote about the why question and it not being asked enough. It seems to me, that as a society we’ve quit asking why. To much of the time we just drift through life accepting things at face value.

What happened to our curiosity?

Could it be that the phrase ‘Curiosity Killed the Cat’ is partly responsible for this loss? This saying makes curiosity sound pretty scary. Like, being curious could be life threating. Not asking questions leads to our blindly following along like a herd of sheep.

This zombie like meandering through life may seem easier, but it leads to nowhere in particular. If we’re not careful we might blindly walk off the edge of a cliff.

After a little research I found out that the saying ‘Curiosity Killed the Cat’ started out with a completely different meaning. It started out ‘care killed the cat’ in the late 1500’s in a Ben Jonson play. In this case ‘care’ means ‘worry’ or ‘sorrow’. Now were getting somewhere. Worrying rather than curiosity is certainly something that doesn’t add anything to life. The Bible is full of scriptures showing us to not worrying.

Learning leads to less worry.

Early in life I had big plans, when they didn’t work out…I became zombie like…just drifting through life. I gave up and gave in. That’s when God got my attention with a board upside the head. I woke up and realized it was up to me and I could do something about it.

I have control over my choices and decisions.

Since then, I’ve been reinvigorated in my curiosity. I ask why, I read, I learn, I think, I’ve surrounded myself with other curious people wanting more out of life than just floating along.

One of the ways that I’m learning is going through the Enneagram course of Donald Miller’s, Business Made Simple online learning. The Enneagram is an in-depth personality typing system. There are nine basic personality types.

  1. Perfectionist
  2. Helper
  3. Performer
  4. Romantic
  5. Investigator
  6. Loyalist
  7. Enthusiast
  8. Challenger
  9. Peacemaker

This system helps us to become more aware of who we are and why we naturally do things the way we do. Like the BMSU Mission Statement course my friend Shep and I are going through the Enneagram course together. We’re a few weeks in and I’m curious about what personality type I am. (I think I already know)

Remember it wasn’t curiosity that killed the cat…it was worry

The Why Question is the Most Important One That Gets Asked the Least

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WHY is That… and What Do We Do About it?

As I’m working on the workshop for Building a Better Proposal system, I was contemplating WHY questions.

Why –

  • Should construction contractors do proposals?
  • Don’t they?
  • Does a customer want to do a construction project?
  • Do we do the same things over and over expecting different results?
  • Do people in horror movies repeat the same bad decisions?

Small children constantly ask the why question, over and over and over…? You know what I mean. This is how they learn. Why do we outgrow this sense of curiosity and stop asking the WHY questions?

The answer to all questions starts with WHY.

  • Why should construction contractors do proposals?

This question is the one that baffles me as much as any. How can contractors expect customers or production crews to know what work is going to be done and what it’s going to cost without some clear communication? I don’t think you would buy a truck without knowing what you were getting. I know I would be disappointed if I ordered a new $70,000 truck and when I got it, it was a 1999 ½ ton pickup missing a wheel and the driver’s door.

  • Why don’t contractors do proposals?

The most common answer to this question is that they simply don’t know how. This is something that just isn’t taught. Most contractors start out doing construction, not paperwork. They figure out some guesstimation process and then wonder why customers are upset when they get a bill that is higher than they expected for less work.

  • Why does this customer want to do this construction project?

This should be the primary question that a contractor gets the answer to. It is more important than what. The “what” answer has a “why” answer behind it. The why question doesn’t have to be asked directly, but regardless, needs to be answered. The why is the foundation for the customer’s dream. A foundation is critical to building construction projects and dreams.

  • Why do we do the same things over and over expecting different results?

We all do this to some degree. Why? Why do we continue to repeat things thinking it will be different this time? We shouldn’t do things just because… “we’ve always done it this way”. The more we walk back and forth in a rut the deeper it gets and the harder it is to get out. I heard it said once that a rut is just a grave with both ends kicked out. Stop walking and determine if this what you want and if it’s the best plan. If not do something different.

  • Why do people in horror movies repeat the same bad decisions?

This question is a fun example of the previous one. If you’ve ever watched any horror movie you’ve seen this. The teenagers are in a dark scary place and instead of getting out they continue to hide in a basement, an attic, a cemetery, etc. The GIECO “horror movie” commercial is a great example of this.

It’s up to us to decide, are we going to do something different or stay in the rut?

These are just a few questions about construction proposals and…horror movies. 😊 We should be asking the WHY question about everything. This is the most important question there is.

We have the choice. We can just keep doing things the same way…or we can stop and ask why. Why are we doing this? Whatever “this” is. Until we answer the why question all other questions are harder to answer.

Be like a child and ask, why…why…why…why… and never stop.

How Much is Your Time Worth?

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Wow, a Lot More Than I Thought

Over the past several weeks either I or my assistant, on several occasions, have been late to our regularly scheduled daily meetings. Most of the time it’s just a few minutes. But there were a couple of times that it was closer to 30 minutes.

It’s not like either of us were just being lazy and chose to be late. In every case there were some miscalculations of the schedule prior or some unexpected situations that came up. We all know that life happens.

Being on time comes down to prioritizing and making decisions accordingly.

I’ve always struggled with giving my time the same level of importance as other peoples. I wouldn’t be late to meetings with customers, committees at church, or in the community. The lack of importance of my own time oozes over to the time of my assistant’s. This is unacceptable.

As I was thinking about this and considering ways to give my time a greater level of importance I came up with an idea. What if there was a monetary penalty for every minute that we were late. Let’s say $1.00 per minute. If I’m late I pay her a dollar and if she’s late she pays me. This caused me to consider…

What each minute of my time is really worth?

So, I did some calculations –

  • There are 60 minutes every hour
  • There is an average of 12 hours per my workday
  • There are 6 workdays per my work week
  • There are 52 work weeks per year
  • This means there are 224,640 minutes available to work each year
  • My gross revenue target for this year is $500,000.00
  • $500,000.00 divided by 224640 minutes means that each minute of the workday is worth $2.23

$2.23 for each minute doesn’t seem like that much, until I did some more calculations –

  • $2.23 x 5 minutes = $11.15
  • $2.23 x 15 minutes = #33.45
  • $2.23 x 30 minutes = $66.90
  • $2.23 x 60 minutes = $133.80

Who new that my time was that valuable?

It’s amazing how much the little things can change the big picture. This gave me a whole new sense of urgency. It has caused me to evaluate decisions differently. Which of these things on the list is worth spending that much time/money on?

It has caused me to focus more intensely on which actions I need to take to accomplish my mission.

I’ve never been one to give my time the value its worth. Working for myself it’s always hard to give it a monetary value. This new discovery changed that. This weekly solution has cost me $267.60 so far and by the time I find some pictures and get it uploaded it’s going to be closer to $350.00.

I sure hope you find that much value in it. 😊

Of course, everybody’s level of importance is going to be different based on individual preferences. But this new awareness of the value of my time has given me a new focused intensity to spend my time wisely.

So…it looks like the penalty for being late to the meeting is going to be $2.23 per minute.

How to Get All of Your Puzzle Pieces to Fit into One Puzzle

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The Subject of Being too Busy is a Broken Record

The term “broken record” describes something that is frequently repeated — it refers to a damaged record that would get stuck and repeat part of a recording over and over again until you moved the record player needle.

This describes the current topic of “busy”.

Every conversation that I currently have with subcontractors, suppliers and customers, starts, ends or is all about this subject. Throughout my career in construction this has been a popular topic, but no more than now. It’s like a broken record.

Construction is where the majority of my conversations happen, but “busy” is everywhere. I’ve had the “busy” conversation with a lot of people in a lot of places, i.e., masterminds, workshops, church, etc.

The “busy” conversation is nothing new.

As a matter of fact, I’ve written about this topic since I’ve been posting blogs. In October of 2015 I wrote about easing the stress of being too busy.

Here is an excerpt of that post –

This morning as I was posting in my journal, I started thinking about all of the things that I didn’t get done yesterday. Then I began to think about how many times I have posted this same thing over and over. It sure seems that I spend way too much time feeling overwhelmed and behind. I really want to get more done!

Then I thought about all of the times that I’ve had this conversation with other people. “How is your day going? Man, I am so far behind I don’t think I will ever get caught up. I sure wish there were more hours in the day.” I have heard these or similar comments more times than I can count.

Our lives can feel like a 20,000-piece jigsaw puzzle was dumped out in front of us with no picture of what it is supposed to look like when it’s done.

So how can we get all of these pieces to fit…or can we? This is the big question. It would be nice to know what the finished puzzle is supposed to look like. This puzzle can be tough and frustrating. I think it is especially difficult for those of us who are ‘recovering perfectionists’. We want all the pieces to fit just right. To know ahead of time exactly where each piece is supposed to go. This particular puzzle, called life, doesn’t work like that.

Here are some reasons we struggle with our puzzle and some ideas to help us get our pieces to fit.

  • We pick up too many pieces by over scheduling. There are so many pieces…Start with the corner pieces. Put in the most important pieces first.
  • The puzzle isn’t going together as fast as we want. Sometimes (most times) things just take longer…do as much planning and preparation as we can before we start, but don’t over plan. Spread the pieces out, find the edge pieces and get started.
  • With so many pieces in front of us we lose our focus. After we have put the edge pieces in place…remember that we can only put one piece in at a time. Concentrate on that one. If it doesn’t fit, then pick up a different piece and focus on it.

Life is a puzzle. What really makes this puzzle fun and exciting is that while we are putting our puzzle together other people are doing the same thing and their puzzle connects to ours.

Taking control of the “busy” requires that we are clear about our mission and only pick up puzzle pieces that belong in our puzzle.

Just like a “broken record” if we don’t want to keep listening to the stuck and repeating recording…we have to move the needle.

Previous “broken record” posts dealing with busy –

How to Get Your Puzzle Pieces to Fit

Riding on a Runaway Train

Flexibly Rigid

Who Should I Blame for Being Too Busy?

Spend Time Wisely, There’s a Limited Amount

Deciding What Should be First on the List

What Makes One Rock More Important Than Another?

What Makes One Thing More Important Than Another?

What Actions Do You Need to Take to Accomplish Your Mission?

So…What is it That Your Company Does?

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The Importance of Telling Your Companies Story and Telling it Well

We’ve all been asked the question…you know the one. “So…What is it you do for a living?” This is one of the most frequently asked questions when people meet someone new.

A simple answer of I’m a contractor, a painter or an electrician doesn’t cover it anymore. The business world has become so diverse in the different types of things being done. As an entrepreneur or solopreneur giving a clear and precise answer this question can be tough.

A cookie cutter answer doesn’t cut it anymore.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve worked on getting clear on our mission and the characteristics and actions needed to accomplish it. We’ve been using the Business Made Simple process for this.

This week we’ll use the things we learned, making a story that will clearly explain what it is we do in an exciting and interesting way. It won’t be the typical boring history of when the company was founded by my grandfather in 1929….

This story will be focused on our dreams and the future, not the past.

When asked, “What is it that your company does?”, we tell this story:

Construction companies struggle with a lack of business knowledge and construction customers don’t know what to expect.

Lack of knowledge and understanding leads to out of control, unprofitable businesses requiring too much time for too little profit and customers paying more than estimated for less than expected. This results in overwhelm, burnout, unhappy dissatisfied customers, lawsuits and termination of businesses.

We help both achieve their dreams, by providing businesses with systems, processes and training while educating and guiding customers through the construction process.

This leads to happy satisfied customers who become raving fans and profitable less overwhelmed companies separating themselves from their competition.

With the right tools and knowledge, construction companies and customers can build the businesses, construction projects and lives of their dreams.

If we will live out our story everyday in everything we do, we’ll accomplish our mission and…

Bridge the gap between construction companies and customers.

We can choose to live in a boring mundane world, void of purpose and vision…or we can discover our passion and purpose and write the story of our dreams.

It’s up to us.