Restoring Success: Embrace the New Year, Broccoli and All

Ditch the cliches and get to work

January 7, 2016

The New Year is a time of goal setting and resolutions. Yes, I did the most predictable thing and downloaded the Fitness Pal app onto my phone. I have been eating raw broccoli with a big smile on my face. I am visioning myself a size smaller every day that I wake up in 2016 and am extremely focused (5 days now). For some reason, the raw broccoli is not so bad. I have a mindset and a vision of being a size smaller and it is stronger than the craving of the cheeseburger and fries or the candy bar – eating broccoli is worth it.

We have a fresh start with the New Year. New goals, plans and strategies are in place and maybe we even wrote them down or have a checklist of items we plan to accomplish. Did we include the broccoli? It is a great time to buckle down and do or get done the items you may have been avoiding.

It is a human tendency to avoid what we do not like to do. Even the most disciplined owners and managers may avoid there least favorite tasks or turn their head to something that needs to be done or addressed because it is distasteful.

As we start the new year and perhaps take a look at our businesses with fresh eyes, develop our plans, make goals, look at our operations, marketing programs, and areas of improvement; I encourage you to eat the broccoli and focus on a strong vision in your business. Let your vision of a healthy, prosperous company guide you through your New Year’s goals and even the things you prefer to avoid. Ironically, sometimes the very things we are avoiding are the things holding us back both as individuals and as a company.

Some of the easily avoided items for your New Year’s list that will benefit your company:

Confronting and addressing a staffing issue.
Evaluating inefficiencies within your operations.
Tweaking your marketing plans and approaches.
Embracing or implementing new technology or systems.
Employee reviews or assessments.
Safety programs and compliance.

Next, the list for the restoration professional’s own self-development:

Take a class.
- Professional development class or
- Restoration-related class
Read.
- Industry-related: Make a commitment to read more industry-related news. I know a great periodical that will help you stay in the know and get started on this resolution.
- Professional development: There are numerous great books that will help you develop professional skills, give you inspiration and great ideas that will help your company.
Identify one weakness you have and commit to working on and improving it.
Communication skills: Both written and verbal communication skills are becoming increasingly important in today’s business world. Make a commitment to continually evolve and develop these skills.
Make a commitment to have a positive outlook and attitude every day.

Back to the broccoli, it is not bad. I am mixing it with other foods and I am trying some new recipes. I like that I am feeling better as I enter week two of my new healthy way of eating. Both in our organizations and personally, we sometimes avoid the things that are best for us, that will make us feel better, and perform better.

I wish you a happy and successful New Year. Tackle everything and be strong. The following video by Larry Winget will give you a smile and get you to work, “The Secret is Work.”

Share your ideas and feedback for topics that you would like to see in 2016 Restoring Success columns!

Lisa Lavender holds her IICRC Master designations in Water, Fire, and Textile Restoration. As Chief Operating Officer and Co-owner of both Restoration Technical Institute and Berks ∙ Fire ∙ Water Restorations, Inc., Lisa has more than 18 years of experience in water and fire restoration services and has been training other restoration professionals since 2012. In 2018, she has expanded her passion for serving other restorers by partnering and becoming VP of Operations Design for iRestore, software. You can reach her at lisa@restorationtechnicalinstitute.com.