The man that owns the building I've leased for six years, my landlord, stopped in last night to see how we're managing and we had a wonderful conversation. Actually, he talked and I just listened. He is a very successful and very wise business man.
Over the course of 40 years in commercialconstruction, he built or bought over 40 industrial buildings of which he now manages and he shared story after of story of the downturns he survived (sometimes barely) and the memorable decisions he made...good and bad.
One of the bad ones was choosing to enter the timber-framed vacation house business during a major commercial building slump. They really didn't know that side of the building industry and there was so much competition for the work they bid it at cost, thinking they could make up for it in volume!
If you've been chasing unprofitable work to keep your crews working, you know the rest of that story.
He summed up the moral of the story by sharing one of his favorite business quotes, which is now my new favorite:
Profit thrills; volume kills.
Dwelling on the simple brilliance of this quote got me thinking about one of my other favorite quotes by Thomas Edison: "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." Brilliant, like Mr. Edison, and very true.
That in turn got me thinking about quotes in general and just how powerful they can be to inspire us. So to start the year off with a "bang" I have compiled a short list of quotes describing some of the most important traits a leader needs during difficult times:
Courage - Courage is being scared to death, and saddling up anyway. - John Wayne
Perseverance - If you start to take Vienna, take Vienna. - Napoleon Bonaparte
Vision - The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious. John Scully
Frugality - Industry is fortune's right hand, and frugality its left. - John Ray
Diligence - Patience and diligence, like faith, remove mountains. - William Penn
Clarity - Clarity precedes success. - Robin Sharma
Urgency - Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value. - Jim Rohn
Focus - The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire, not things we fear. - Brian Tracy
Decisiveness - In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. - Teddy Roosevelt
When one looks at history, it is largely defined as one ongoing struggle punctuated by brief periods peace and prosperity and as a result, the history books are full of famous examples of how to act and lead when victory seems doubtful and failure appears more than possible.
With two tough years behind us and another just beginning, let us seek the wisdom of those who have been there before and be not defined as ones who gave up on the eve of success.
Aaron J. Crowley is the founder and president of FabricatorsFriend.com, the exclusive promoter of Stone Sleeve fabricator sleeves and Bullet Proof aprons. He also owns Crowley's Granite Concepts, a prominent stone fabrication company in Portland, Oregon. Aaron can be reached at aaron@crowleysgranite.com
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