In 2014, leadership expert Simon Sinek stood on stage and delivered a powerful TED Talk, “Start With Why.” During his talk, he carefully explained that some organizations are able to inspire – and some are not – simply by explaining why, how and what in very straightforward terms.
Sinek’s discoveries and observations left a lasting impression on me. In this post, I will dive into rethinking quality by finding your “why.”
If you know what you sell, what problem you are solving or what solution you are providing, you are like most businesses. And if you know how to sell your product or your service, how to install it and it how it ultimately helps your customer, again, you are probably like most businesses.
However, if you know why you sell your product or your service and why you install it the way you do, you are only like some businesses. The point is that not all businesses truly know why they sell the product they do, or why they install it the way that they do.
So, let’s dive a little deeper. First, let’s look at the concept of quality. Quality is defined as the standard of something measured against other things of a similar kind; or the degree of excellence of something.
As I often do, I compare business strategies to sports, like baseball. As a baseball coach, I have always trained my players not to focus so much on their batting average, but instead to place more attention on Quality At-Bats (QAB).
Why? QAB focuses on processes rather than the result. It helps show the success and development of players based on controllable and measurable actions. To me, this applies to the business world, too.
As we move into the second half of 2020, let’s prepare both ourselves and our businesses by discovering our “why.”
Getting Out of Bed
Why do you get out of bed each day, and what makes you do what you do each day? Are you just going through the motions or do you genuinely love what you do? Do you know why?
I get out of bed each day because I believe in the product we offer and the services we provide our customers and colleagues.
People
What kind of workers do you employ? Are they like you, or are they better versions of you? Where do you find your people? Do you know why?
I am proud to work with my partners and team members because they challenge me to do better each day.
Processes
What processes do you generally follow? Are they accepted by the industry or are they what you learned from the person who taught you? Do you know why?
I choose to follow industry best practices because they are tried and true, they have been tested and they work.
Equipment
What type of equipment do you use? Is your equipment up-to-date? Do you have the latest equipment required for the industry? Do you know why this is essential?
The equipment I use is well-maintained and complies with industry standards and best practices.
Technology
What technology do you use? Are you reliant on the old way of doing things, or have you adapted to more modern techniques and applications, utilizing leading-edge technologies? Do you know why?
I have the best technology that my business can support. It is current and helps my team perform at a high level. I follow this practice because I owe it to my team to keep costs down and performance high.
Are You Ready to Commit to the ‘Why’?
Over the years, I have learned that if you know the answer to most of these questions, you can be successful and this will transfer to the team members you interact with daily.
With this approach, you will feel better about yourself, your work and the solutions you provide your customers.
The bottom line is that I love what I do, and I love the industry that we serve. I have no questions about what gets me out of bed each day or the people I serve.
In order to know and understand my why, I must be open-minded, flexible and willing to learn new things. I also must be willing to put the time in to be trained and educated on the people, the processes, the equipment and technology that I am working in and around.
My why are my family, my customers and our industry.
Yes, we have a great product. Yes, we know how it is made, sold and installed.
But most importantly, it is the why that ultimately keeps it all together.
“The two most important days of your life are, the day you are born, and the day you find out why. “ – Mark Twain
Some Final Thoughts
If you want to provide a quality experience for yourself, your team, your customers and the industry, you must know your why. With this approach, you can deliver a quality product/install efficiently and at a reasonable cost.
Remember, you are an industry professional, so be proud of it and what you do. It all starts with why, and VSI can help you find it. To learn more about how the VSI can help you discover your why, visit: www.vinylsiding.org