A few days ago my wife, two oldest children and I were sitting around discussing our day. As the conversation progressed my wife asked me a question. I can’t even remember what the exact topic was we were discussing or my wife’s exact question but what I do remember was that it was a very silly question.
I know that we all have been told there are no stupid questions and I am not saying that my wife’s question was stupid but I do remember that it was a sign she hadn’t been paying close attention to our conversation.
As soon as the question left her lips I paused because my first reaction was to mock the question that I was being asked. In fact I paused just long enough for my children to demonstrate that they had less restraint then me.
My children made fun of their loving mother because she had asked a silly question.
So I quickly jumped in and pointed out to my children that they shouldn’t treat their mother like that.
Score two for Dave!!! My children had pointed out the error in my wife’s ways (so I didn’t have to) and I was able to empress her by coming to her defense (because husbands should defend their wives).
But the truth is that nobody really needed to mock Sue. Regardless of who we are talking to, especially our spouses or parents we should treat others with respect at all times and making fun of people for what they have said typically doesn’t convey respect.
Our company is based on treating people the way we want to be treated. It is one of our core values.
On the day in the living room with my wife and children I paused before I spoke and lucky for me it gave me a chance to learn from my inaction for once. I got to see how important it is that we think before we speak. That paused allowed me to treat somebody I loved with respect rather than judgment.
Treating others the way you want to be treated sometimes involves not doing or saying something you are tempted to do.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
Be a Genius not an Idiot
The book "Sparks" by Randy Goruk has a line that says “You are always on stage, so be authentic, but as you are being yourself, remember to always be professional and mature. Don’t put yourself in a position of bad mouthing others or yelling at someone. Be authentic, but don’t be an idiot.”
I send out tips from Sparks every week to key management personal at Willmar Electric. When I sent out the tip above I was blessed to receive the following addition from our Human Resource Director, Jay Tornquist.
"In some ways it is the ultimate vanity, if a person thinks that “being themselves” is the best way to be. That means we are stating that we are the best….perfect.
I believe that we need to be who we are, authentic, with the knowledge that we are led by a sinful nature (which, if not checked, demands we put ourselves first).
By treating others the way we want to be treated and by being People making a difference for People, it encourages us to put others first, giving us an opportunity to improve as a person, thereby increasing our professionalism, maturity, and sincerity.
People want to be led by (or be part of a group where) individuals that are confident in themselves but respect other opinions and are confident enough in themselves to listen and learn.
Some “leaders” have a need to knock others down to appear as though they are better- this is an Idiotic method.
Great leaders rise naturally and bring others up with them, which many times brings success and great accomplishments….this is Genius!"
Jay offers some awesome advice and at the same time he reinforces one of Willmar Electric’s core values.
Treat others the way you want to be treated.
I send out tips from Sparks every week to key management personal at Willmar Electric. When I sent out the tip above I was blessed to receive the following addition from our Human Resource Director, Jay Tornquist.
"In some ways it is the ultimate vanity, if a person thinks that “being themselves” is the best way to be. That means we are stating that we are the best….perfect.
I believe that we need to be who we are, authentic, with the knowledge that we are led by a sinful nature (which, if not checked, demands we put ourselves first).
By treating others the way we want to be treated and by being People making a difference for People, it encourages us to put others first, giving us an opportunity to improve as a person, thereby increasing our professionalism, maturity, and sincerity.
People want to be led by (or be part of a group where) individuals that are confident in themselves but respect other opinions and are confident enough in themselves to listen and learn.
Some “leaders” have a need to knock others down to appear as though they are better- this is an Idiotic method.
Great leaders rise naturally and bring others up with them, which many times brings success and great accomplishments….this is Genius!"
Jay offers some awesome advice and at the same time he reinforces one of Willmar Electric’s core values.
Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Hard Work Doesn't Always Pay Off in the End.
A few weeks ago while hauling a high school friend of my sons to a sporting event we were talking about his potential college choices and I made that off handed comment that "even if he ended up in the NBA I would always think of him as the dork that shot baskets during every break in his little sisters basketball games."
Recently that same family friend was offered a scholarship to play basketball at large school on the west coast. It was exciting news for the young man and everybody that knows him. When I heard the news I thought to myself all that shooting really paid off.
But then I remembered another friend of my sons that also shot baskets during the breaks of his older sister’s games. That friend was done playing basketball by the time he was in 8th grade. Don't get me wrong this young man is also a good athlete. He was in last year’s state tennis meet!!! But in the end basketball didn't work out for him.
It was the same thing for both young man. As soon as the whistle blew and the team headed to the bench for a timeout or a quarter break the brother would grab his ball and start shooting until the referee shoed them off the court so that the game could resume.
In one case he result was a college scholarship (and maybe more) but in the other case the brother was done playing basketball by the time he was in 8th grade.
Why the difference? Why did one young man excel while the other young man was passed by all his peers?
Gifts and talents. One had desire and work hard and when it was combined with the body, gifts and talents God had blessed him with I reach high levels. But in the other case hard work and desire weren't enough. He lacked the body, gifts and talent to excel at basketball.
What's my point? Hard work and desire are key ingredients for success in what we do in life. We need to study our craft and continuously improve but we are all made with unique gifts and talents. We each need to find what our gifts and talents are and make the most of those gifts and talents.
Continuing to pursuit things that we aren't gifted in is a waste of resources. In one case it was basketball and that friend is making the most of it. In the other case it wasn't basketball and that friend realized it. So he went out and found other places that he was gifted in.
The bottom line is hard Work doesn't always pay off in the end. Hard work can just be wasted energy if we spend that energy on the wrong things. I understand that shooting baskets during a break isn't necessarily waste energy. It is fun to shot hoops even if big time basketball isn't in your future. But in the larger picture of life how many of us know people that continue to work at a job that they are ill-suited for or know people that continue to expand energy in directions that they aren't gifted at?
It can be the same feeling that we get when we work hard on something, even putting in overtime only to find out we didn’t do the project correctly or forgot to get a part so the task can’t be finished.
Wasting resources isn't thrifty. Regardless if that resource is time, money or talent. It is important that we are always thrifty with what God has entrusted us with.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Accountablity
Today I had a lunch meeting. A co-worker and I went to Applebee's and had a long talk about a lot of different things. After being served our food the waiter brought us our bill and send they would take care of it whenever we where ready.
A short time later an acquaintance of mine came into the restaurant and sat at the table next to us.
We continued to talk for quite a while and as we started to run out of time the two of us gathered our things and left the restaurant.
When I returned to my desk I decided it was a good time to file my expense reports. As I gather up the receipts from the last month's worth of expenses I noticed that I was missing a receipt. Then it occurred to me. I had just left Applebee's without paying the bill. I had just skipped out on the bill. Dined and dashed!!
I was at a crossroads. Two of our core values coming in conflict with each other.
On one hand I could follow the honest path and "treat others how I wanted to be treated," go back to Applebee's and pay the bill. That would be honest. I had eaten the food and owed the money.
On the other hand I could select another of our core values and choose to be "Thrifty." After all I had already left the restaurant and nobody was going to come after me and try to get my money.
"Treating others the way I wanted to be treated" or "Thrifty."
After having a very good laugh (at my expense) with my co-workers I drove back to Applebee's to pay the bill. It really wasn't that hard of the decision. I although I let the thought "well thrifty is a core value and not paying the bill would be thrifty," I do know right from wrong and I knew I had to do the right thing.
When I got to Applebee's on my return trip the place was still packed, so I had to wait for somebody to come to the hostess station so I could settle up. While I waited I noticed my friend was still sitting at his table.
He motioned me over to his table and asked if I had forgotten to pay my bill. (As he sat there reading his Bible!) I confused that was my reason for returning to the restaurant and he relied to me that when the wait staff went to clear the table they noticed that neither my table mate or I had paid our bill. My friend said that he informed the Applebee's staff that it was out of character for me to not pay my debts. He told that I would in fact be paying the bill at some point (when I remembered that I had forgotten).
I considered it high praise that my friend had that much confidence in my character. I would have gone back to pay me bill regardless of the fact that an acquaintance had seen me at Applebee's but if he hadn't been their I would never have received the compliment he paid me nor would I have been convicted that people notice your character even when you don't expect it.
(I left the names blank because I don't want you to judge my co-worker because he also skipped out the bill. The acquaintance/friend and I work at the scorers table for high school basketball games together. So our interaction is limited to breaks in the action but during those brief moments of time during the last basketball season I left him with a standard of how I conduct my life and to be honest I would expect the same thing of Herb Schrader.)
A short time later an acquaintance of mine came into the restaurant and sat at the table next to us.
We continued to talk for quite a while and as we started to run out of time the two of us gathered our things and left the restaurant.
When I returned to my desk I decided it was a good time to file my expense reports. As I gather up the receipts from the last month's worth of expenses I noticed that I was missing a receipt. Then it occurred to me. I had just left Applebee's without paying the bill. I had just skipped out on the bill. Dined and dashed!!
I was at a crossroads. Two of our core values coming in conflict with each other.
On one hand I could follow the honest path and "treat others how I wanted to be treated," go back to Applebee's and pay the bill. That would be honest. I had eaten the food and owed the money.
On the other hand I could select another of our core values and choose to be "Thrifty." After all I had already left the restaurant and nobody was going to come after me and try to get my money.
"Treating others the way I wanted to be treated" or "Thrifty."
After having a very good laugh (at my expense) with my co-workers I drove back to Applebee's to pay the bill. It really wasn't that hard of the decision. I although I let the thought "well thrifty is a core value and not paying the bill would be thrifty," I do know right from wrong and I knew I had to do the right thing.
When I got to Applebee's on my return trip the place was still packed, so I had to wait for somebody to come to the hostess station so I could settle up. While I waited I noticed my friend was still sitting at his table.
He motioned me over to his table and asked if I had forgotten to pay my bill. (As he sat there reading his Bible!) I confused that was my reason for returning to the restaurant and he relied to me that when the wait staff went to clear the table they noticed that neither my table mate or I had paid our bill. My friend said that he informed the Applebee's staff that it was out of character for me to not pay my debts. He told that I would in fact be paying the bill at some point (when I remembered that I had forgotten).
I considered it high praise that my friend had that much confidence in my character. I would have gone back to pay me bill regardless of the fact that an acquaintance had seen me at Applebee's but if he hadn't been their I would never have received the compliment he paid me nor would I have been convicted that people notice your character even when you don't expect it.
(I left the names blank because I don't want you to judge my co-worker because he also skipped out the bill. The acquaintance/friend and I work at the scorers table for high school basketball games together. So our interaction is limited to breaks in the action but during those brief moments of time during the last basketball season I left him with a standard of how I conduct my life and to be honest I would expect the same thing of Herb Schrader.)
Monday, June 24, 2013
Billy Ball
Back in the early 80's Billy Martin was the manager of the Oakland A's. His team played a unique style of baseball that involved over using starting pitchers and speedy players at nearly every position in the field. The media dubbed it Billy Ball.
I think Billy Martin is an idiot and his type of baseball didn't last very long. But the phrase makes a very good title.
My son Mike is nicknamed Billy and he loves to play baseball. This story is about him and not about a drunk ex-Yankee that made it possible to sympathize with George Stienbrenner. (the origins of the nickname are to long to get into but I can tell you it story of inspiration about a kid that pushed through a tough time and a wonderful coach that help Billy believe he could succeed.)
Recently the Junior Legion Baseball team that I coach hosted a weekend tournament and although it meant spending 32 hours at the baseball field it was a good time. Like every thing in life it had its high points and its low spots.
Removing the unruly McCook parent from the stands wasn't fun. Losing twice to Pleasant Dale including a 11-1 pasting that involved only 3 hits but 9 errors by our team was frustrating.
Those moments where out weight by several other positive moments. Taylor Hanson's 3 hit game. Josh Dilley's 2 hit 2 RBI game. Good pitching in a losing effort by Phil Grothaus.
We had a great time off the field as well. Working together with the players and fellow coaches, serving the other teams was a good team building exercise. Watching the Bond family spent all Father's Day working at baseball with their dad was fun to watch. I am grateful to the Power sisters, Dilleys, Schafers, Jones and Terry Pieloch for selling tickets. The Hoffamans and Vanis families worked together for hours on end and other people pitched in to help with tickets, fields and scorekeepping all helped to make the tournament possible.
Each player wrote a Father's Day tribute to their dad. I know I enjoyed not only receiving a tribute from my son but also having the chance to give a tribute to my Dad. The two coaches had our Dad's throw out the first pitch and everybody seemed to enjoy the moment.
But wins and loses aside there is no doubt the high point of my Father's Day happened at the very end of the day. I was finally able to make it home around 8:30 on Sunday evening. My wife and kids had gotten me several gifts. I loved each one.
But the highlight for me was the hand written notes from my kids. Each of them took the time to write me a personal note. The last line of my Mike's card thanked me for running the tournament. It made me cry. My reason for running the tournament was to raise money of the team. The reason I coach the team is so my son can have a place to continue to play baseball because our high school doesn't have a team. The side benefit is spending time with a great bunch of guys. Any success on or off the field brings joy to my heart.
Not having a spring teams means Legion baseball is this great group of boys only avenue for baseball. The parents of the players have chosen to send their kids to a christian school. That means the parents are making sacrifices to make sure their son is getting a Christian education. Those sacrifices come in many forms. For some families it means paying tuition even though a free education is available through the public school system. In some cases it can mean taking a second job, traveling for work to make extra money, or teaching at the school and receiving lower pay in exchange for a christian education for their sons.
Our school's lack of baseball is small in comparison to the sacrifices I listed above. But it is still there and in the past a few families have considered it to big of a sacrifice and pulled their children so they can play baseball (or other sports) at other schools.
(On a side note I can tell you that it isn't worth it to pull your children from a Christian school so they can play sports at another school. This years senior class has 5 scholarship baseball players and at least 3 of the underclass we get scholarship offers!!!)
In the case of some the players, including my son, they are making a sacrifice by not playing spring baseball for a school team. They take what they get and make the most of it.
Thankfully Mike took the time to write me a note that I will never throw away. It makes everything I have done with him in baseball worth it. Playing catch in the backyard for hours, driving him to select games, and coaching a legion team are all worth the payoff.
Mike is a very good baseball player. Where his talents take him is hard to know right now. But as his father it brings joy to my heart knowing he is making the most of his talent and more importantly he is grateful for the opportunity he has.
Another lesson taught to me through the actions of my child. When he was born we named him Michael but on the baseball field I call him Billy and I likely always will. (Thank you Bob Petit)
I think Billy Martin is an idiot and his type of baseball didn't last very long. But the phrase makes a very good title.
My son Mike is nicknamed Billy and he loves to play baseball. This story is about him and not about a drunk ex-Yankee that made it possible to sympathize with George Stienbrenner. (the origins of the nickname are to long to get into but I can tell you it story of inspiration about a kid that pushed through a tough time and a wonderful coach that help Billy believe he could succeed.)
Recently the Junior Legion Baseball team that I coach hosted a weekend tournament and although it meant spending 32 hours at the baseball field it was a good time. Like every thing in life it had its high points and its low spots.
Removing the unruly McCook parent from the stands wasn't fun. Losing twice to Pleasant Dale including a 11-1 pasting that involved only 3 hits but 9 errors by our team was frustrating.
Those moments where out weight by several other positive moments. Taylor Hanson's 3 hit game. Josh Dilley's 2 hit 2 RBI game. Good pitching in a losing effort by Phil Grothaus.
We had a great time off the field as well. Working together with the players and fellow coaches, serving the other teams was a good team building exercise. Watching the Bond family spent all Father's Day working at baseball with their dad was fun to watch. I am grateful to the Power sisters, Dilleys, Schafers, Jones and Terry Pieloch for selling tickets. The Hoffamans and Vanis families worked together for hours on end and other people pitched in to help with tickets, fields and scorekeepping all helped to make the tournament possible.
Each player wrote a Father's Day tribute to their dad. I know I enjoyed not only receiving a tribute from my son but also having the chance to give a tribute to my Dad. The two coaches had our Dad's throw out the first pitch and everybody seemed to enjoy the moment.
But wins and loses aside there is no doubt the high point of my Father's Day happened at the very end of the day. I was finally able to make it home around 8:30 on Sunday evening. My wife and kids had gotten me several gifts. I loved each one.
But the highlight for me was the hand written notes from my kids. Each of them took the time to write me a personal note. The last line of my Mike's card thanked me for running the tournament. It made me cry. My reason for running the tournament was to raise money of the team. The reason I coach the team is so my son can have a place to continue to play baseball because our high school doesn't have a team. The side benefit is spending time with a great bunch of guys. Any success on or off the field brings joy to my heart.
Not having a spring teams means Legion baseball is this great group of boys only avenue for baseball. The parents of the players have chosen to send their kids to a christian school. That means the parents are making sacrifices to make sure their son is getting a Christian education. Those sacrifices come in many forms. For some families it means paying tuition even though a free education is available through the public school system. In some cases it can mean taking a second job, traveling for work to make extra money, or teaching at the school and receiving lower pay in exchange for a christian education for their sons.
Our school's lack of baseball is small in comparison to the sacrifices I listed above. But it is still there and in the past a few families have considered it to big of a sacrifice and pulled their children so they can play baseball (or other sports) at other schools.
(On a side note I can tell you that it isn't worth it to pull your children from a Christian school so they can play sports at another school. This years senior class has 5 scholarship baseball players and at least 3 of the underclass we get scholarship offers!!!)
In the case of some the players, including my son, they are making a sacrifice by not playing spring baseball for a school team. They take what they get and make the most of it.
Thankfully Mike took the time to write me a note that I will never throw away. It makes everything I have done with him in baseball worth it. Playing catch in the backyard for hours, driving him to select games, and coaching a legion team are all worth the payoff.
Mike is a very good baseball player. Where his talents take him is hard to know right now. But as his father it brings joy to my heart knowing he is making the most of his talent and more importantly he is grateful for the opportunity he has.
Another lesson taught to me through the actions of my child. When he was born we named him Michael but on the baseball field I call him Billy and I likely always will. (Thank you Bob Petit)
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Honey, I Cleaned the Garage.
I recently have been part of family’s struggle to maintain an organized garage. In order to protect the guilty I will change the name of people in my story. But those of you familiar with the story will likely see through the hidden names.
You see at some people’s house the husband and the wife have different views of what is garbage and what isn't. The exact place where this battle takes place within the house can change from home to home but it seems to happen to some degree within most every house I know of. For some the battleground is the closet of the master bed room or the basement. But for the couple in my story it was the garage.
The husband, Donny, likes to save things. Until this weekend the place he kept these valuables was the family’s garage. The wife, Marie, thought that her car should go into the garage. But alas Donny and Marie's garage was too full to fit any cars.
Although the things in the garage didn't make Donny happy they did make Marie sad. She wondered why he can’t throw away those things. They are trash and they are in the way. He is never going to us them.
Donny couldn’t bear to get rid of these valuable. He looked at the items and thought “someday I can use that for something special.” To him they were worth something because potentially the items in his garage had a future use. Donny thought “if we save it we won't need to buy it later.”
Donny also looked at some of the things with a sentimental eye. The items brought back happy memories. (That reminds me of a different couple that has a Porsche that hasn't run since before they were married over 15 years and 2 houses ago. He won't get rid of it and she says it reminded her of his old girlfriend!!! But that is another story.)
This weekend Donny decided to clean out the garage and make room for Marie's car. It didn't take long and soon enough the garage was clean and everybody was happy.
I asked Donny what he did with the old stuff expecting to hear about a sale and how much money he made. Instead Donny said that it all went in the trash. (So much for the items being worth something.)
Marie is quite happy with Donny now. Instead of holding on to these items Donny decided to make Marie happy.
So what is the point of this story beyond being a good spouse that wants to please the other spouse?
Donny is also happy. He wasn't forced to clean his garage. Marie had let it be in the current condition for years. But now the garage is clean an organized.
That doesn't mean that you have to throw everything out to be organized. I am sure that if something truly still had value Donny found it an organized place with their garage. But if an item had lost its usefulness it was discarded.
It is Donny's organizational skills that make him such a valuable team member and co-worker at Willmar Electric. Willmar Electric promises our customers that we will be on-time, organized and approachable. It was has bringing that skill home that made his garage clean and his wife happy.
You see at some people’s house the husband and the wife have different views of what is garbage and what isn't. The exact place where this battle takes place within the house can change from home to home but it seems to happen to some degree within most every house I know of. For some the battleground is the closet of the master bed room or the basement. But for the couple in my story it was the garage.
The husband, Donny, likes to save things. Until this weekend the place he kept these valuables was the family’s garage. The wife, Marie, thought that her car should go into the garage. But alas Donny and Marie's garage was too full to fit any cars.
Although the things in the garage didn't make Donny happy they did make Marie sad. She wondered why he can’t throw away those things. They are trash and they are in the way. He is never going to us them.
Donny couldn’t bear to get rid of these valuable. He looked at the items and thought “someday I can use that for something special.” To him they were worth something because potentially the items in his garage had a future use. Donny thought “if we save it we won't need to buy it later.”
Donny also looked at some of the things with a sentimental eye. The items brought back happy memories. (That reminds me of a different couple that has a Porsche that hasn't run since before they were married over 15 years and 2 houses ago. He won't get rid of it and she says it reminded her of his old girlfriend!!! But that is another story.)
This weekend Donny decided to clean out the garage and make room for Marie's car. It didn't take long and soon enough the garage was clean and everybody was happy.
I asked Donny what he did with the old stuff expecting to hear about a sale and how much money he made. Instead Donny said that it all went in the trash. (So much for the items being worth something.)
Marie is quite happy with Donny now. Instead of holding on to these items Donny decided to make Marie happy.
So what is the point of this story beyond being a good spouse that wants to please the other spouse?
Donny is also happy. He wasn't forced to clean his garage. Marie had let it be in the current condition for years. But now the garage is clean an organized.
That doesn't mean that you have to throw everything out to be organized. I am sure that if something truly still had value Donny found it an organized place with their garage. But if an item had lost its usefulness it was discarded.
It is Donny's organizational skills that make him such a valuable team member and co-worker at Willmar Electric. Willmar Electric promises our customers that we will be on-time, organized and approachable. It was has bringing that skill home that made his garage clean and his wife happy.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
No Need to be Afraid
My oldest daughter has a pet turtle. The turtle stated as her accounting class's pet before to came to live with the Chapins. They named the turtle Petty Cash. We call him PC (To be honest it could be a her, it's a turtle so we aren't sure of the gender).
Inside PC's tank he has a few trinkets and things to climb on top of. If he makes it all the way to the top of the tank there is a platform that is out of the water and close to the heating lamp. He like to "sun" himself there. If you walk up the stairs at our house and look into Anne's room you can catch the sight of him sunning himself but once you move closer to PC he scurries away by diving in the water and swimming to the furthest corner of the tank.
PC isn't very approachable. Like I said PC is a turtle. They tend at pull away or get into their shell at the slightest sign that they might be attacked or in danger.
I don't live or work in a tank. (I'll be honest and tell you that I am frighten by things that are 200 times my size.)
Instead I work at Willmar Electric.
What do Turtles have to do with Willlmar Electric?
Approachability.
As far as I know all tturtles are like PC. They all lack approachability.
At Willmar Electric one of our brand promises is to be approachable. We want our customers to see us as approachable and open to getting input from others. We seek to be a place that when a conflict arises on a project others feel safe approaching us with the issue so that we can be part of the solution.
We want our customers to include us in the process of coming up with solutions on how to accomplish what is best for them and their project. If the plumber or HVAC contractor has conflict with where a pipe or duct is potentially going to go on a project we want them to feel that Willmar Electric is approachable and hopefully we can reach a resolution before a problem develops. Approachability is an important part of those things.
It means we can't be defensive (hide in our shells) or hard to contact (run away at the first sign of trouble). Being approachable isn't hard work and doesn't really take a lot of effort. Even in the case of the turtle all they would have to do stay right where they already are. In our case as humans it means we have to trust others and be willing to be vulnerable.
It is hard to arrogant and approachable.
I hope others see Willmar Electric as approachable. I am going to try to continue to get the message out that we seek to be approachable and hopefully anybody that doesn't see us as approachable takes what they might consider as a risk and approaches us and let us know what they are thinking. At that point it is up to us to respond to them in a way that shows we are approachable.
I don't think PC will ever be approachable but Willmar Electric will continue to seek ways to become more and more approachable.
Inside PC's tank he has a few trinkets and things to climb on top of. If he makes it all the way to the top of the tank there is a platform that is out of the water and close to the heating lamp. He like to "sun" himself there. If you walk up the stairs at our house and look into Anne's room you can catch the sight of him sunning himself but once you move closer to PC he scurries away by diving in the water and swimming to the furthest corner of the tank.
PC isn't very approachable. Like I said PC is a turtle. They tend at pull away or get into their shell at the slightest sign that they might be attacked or in danger.
I don't live or work in a tank. (I'll be honest and tell you that I am frighten by things that are 200 times my size.)
Instead I work at Willmar Electric.
What do Turtles have to do with Willlmar Electric?
Approachability.
As far as I know all tturtles are like PC. They all lack approachability.
At Willmar Electric one of our brand promises is to be approachable. We want our customers to see us as approachable and open to getting input from others. We seek to be a place that when a conflict arises on a project others feel safe approaching us with the issue so that we can be part of the solution.
We want our customers to include us in the process of coming up with solutions on how to accomplish what is best for them and their project. If the plumber or HVAC contractor has conflict with where a pipe or duct is potentially going to go on a project we want them to feel that Willmar Electric is approachable and hopefully we can reach a resolution before a problem develops. Approachability is an important part of those things.
It means we can't be defensive (hide in our shells) or hard to contact (run away at the first sign of trouble). Being approachable isn't hard work and doesn't really take a lot of effort. Even in the case of the turtle all they would have to do stay right where they already are. In our case as humans it means we have to trust others and be willing to be vulnerable.
It is hard to arrogant and approachable.
I hope others see Willmar Electric as approachable. I am going to try to continue to get the message out that we seek to be approachable and hopefully anybody that doesn't see us as approachable takes what they might consider as a risk and approaches us and let us know what they are thinking. At that point it is up to us to respond to them in a way that shows we are approachable.
I don't think PC will ever be approachable but Willmar Electric will continue to seek ways to become more and more approachable.
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