Restoration logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Restoration logo
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Products & Technologies
    • Submit Your Product
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
  • EDUCATION
    • KnowHow.
    • Podcasts
    • Trade Shows & Expos
    • Training & Certification
    • Webinars
    • Whitepapers
  • TOPICS
    • Water Damage
    • Fire & Smoke Damage
    • Mold
    • Contamination
    • Odor
    • Contents
    • Architecture
    • Catastrophe
    • Cleaning
  • BUSINESS
    • Managing Your Business
    • Insurance/Legal Matters
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • VIDEOS
    • Ask Annissa
    • Ask the Expert
    • Ironclad Marketing Minute
    • TradeTalks
    • Video Channel
  • INFOCENTER
    • Mold and Mycotoxins
  • THE EXPERIENCE
    • Conference & Exhibition
    • Convention & Trade Show
    • R&R Special Issue
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP
ColumnsManaging Your Restoration BusinessGuest Columns

The Intentional Restorer

Leadership Distinctives of an Industry Giant

By Jon Isaacson
intentional restorer 900
June 18, 2021

How does a company that started in 1929, by a former minor league baseball player with an eighth grade education, as a door-to-door moth-proofing provider, develop into an industry leading brand? Founder Marion Wade was able to grow his service business from its meager origins in Chicago, Illinois, to an international organization grossing over two billion dollars annually in 2019. Author Albert Erisman masterfully digs into the foundational principles that contributed to the 90 plus years of exponential growth as property restoration industry leaders. His book, The ServiceMaster Story, sets out to demonstrate how early leadership navigated the tension between people and profit as well as the unique role that faith played in those formative years of the organization. Personal and professional development starts with the right mindset and habits, so it was encouraging to read about the leadership distinctives from this industry giant.    

Distinctive #1 - The shingles on a roof mindset of leadership

Marion Wade built his company by seizing an opportunity to develop and provide a product, which he called Fumakill, that was better than his moth-proofing competitors. Marion had to perform the awkward dance that so many entrepreneurs are familiar with. He was wearing all of the hats - selling, serving, and adapting his invention. When he was selling, he wasn’t producing. When he was producing he wasn’t developing the product. Even though he was losing sales to perform hands-on research and development, he was sure his investment would be worth it. Mr. Wade also began to notice a value of the work itself, not just how he did the work, which would become a foundational principle as he brought in talent to help him build his company. Servant leadership was a hallmark; the ServiceMaster code was known as shingles on a roof whereby leaders worked together to fully utilize each other's skills.   

Marion had definite ideas on the role of his faith in how he treated people as well as how he conducted business. While this is said by many, Wade took great care to hold himself and the four preceding generations of executive leaders to these shared values. Marion was the starter shingle for the leadership dynamic, and those who followed him would be overlapping and complementary “shingles”. Co-incidentally his first hire came at a time when his business stumbled into an opportunity to integrate a new service line, fire damage restoration, which would become a capstone division for the emerging brand. When Wade made the key decision of onboarding Ken Hansen, the job description he provided outlined a rough yet vision forward process: “You start to learn the business by going out on production jobs. Then you can move into sales. This experience will equip you for real leadership. After that, you can start where you are needed most.” 

Distinctive #2 - The six weeks on the front lines habit of leadership 

As ServiceMaster grew, each person in a position of leadership would come to embrace their predecessors as key contributors whom they honored and from whom they sought ongoing counsel. This demonstration of respect for each other and their shared values carried over into how they treated their employees. Even as an owner in a growing company, Mr. Wade regularly participated in the work that his teams provided. One day a former colleague came by a jobsite where Marion was on his knees scrubbing away and offered him a well paying director of sales training position with his company stating, “You could be making many times more than whatever you’re earning now and have a job with some dignity.” Conversely, the experience is further engrained in Marion’s resolve that executives should engage in the cleaning work of the company to understand both the work and the response workers often receive when doing manual labor. Wade would say, “A job only has as much dignity as the man gives it.” 

Throughout the early years and through several layers of leadership, this core value was held in high regard and practiced from top-to-bottom in the organization. All of the four executives at the helm of ServiceMaster participated in at least a six week field training to acquaint themselves with the work, the workers, and the organization. Like Undercover Boss, the executives would perform the work that front line employees delivered on a daily basis, only they had no disguises. Wade and his predecessors believed in the value of their people and the work that the organization did. Bill Pollard shared his perspective that, “People are the subject of work, not the object of it.” 

Distinctive #3 - Taking care of your employees as a leader 

This book opens two quotes from Marion Wade that all persons in a position of leadership should acquaint themselves with:

“Don’t expect to build a super company with super people. You must build a great company with ordinary people.” 

It is interesting how many companies are founded by pioneers who then develop their organization to a point that if they walked through the door they would not qualify for employment. While procedures and standards are part of the maturation process, these should not be to the exclusion of recognizing the value that any individual can bring to the team. ServiceMaster placed a high emphasis on training and leadership development; what many refer to as soft skills today. Ken Wessner noted, “Training is not so much about what we want people to do, but rather what we want people to be.” Those who wanted to grow their careers in the organization needed to develop their technical skills, but they also had to understand the commitment to servant leadership. Aspiring leaders saw these principles in the examples of their executive leadership team through overlapping shingles and the six weeks on the front lines, whereby they engaged with and recognized the value of their team members - 

“If you don’t live it, you don’t believe it.” 

Erisman’s subtitle is Navigating the Tension Between People and Profit. We shared a wonderful opportunity to discuss this topic together in greater detail on The DYOJO Podcast Episode 49. Working from Pollard’s quote, which we mentioned earlier, Al discussed how ServiceMaster did a good job of rightly viewing profits as an essential means, but not the goal or end. As Don Flow phrases it, “Blood is like profit - necessary to live, but not the reason for living.” While the first five executive leaders were not perfect in every instance of maintaining their shared vision and values, their common mindset and habits helped to keep them accountable. In describing integrity, the author notes that, “The best definition is wholeness - that is, when a person is the same in any situation.” While some readers may not share the faith claims of Marion Wade and the early leaders, those who conduct business intentionally can certainly identify with the struggle to live out their values in all facets of life and business. 

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Isaacson

Jon Isaacson, The Intentional Restorer, is an author and host of The DYOJO Podcast. The goal of The DYOJO is to help growth-minded restoration professionals shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. You can watch The DYOJO Podcast on YouTube on Thursdays at 9 a.m. PST, or listen on your favorite podcast platform. 

Jon recently released, So, You Want To Be A Project Manager? written to help restorers develop the mindset and habits for success with project management. This is the third book in the Be Intentional series. Previous titles address the topics of Insurance Claims Estimating and Workplace Culture. 

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • mold remediation

    Fighting Mold and Bacteria Damage

    Successful mold remediation can be multidisciplinary,...
    Mold Remediation
    By: Josh Woolen
  • certifications and licenses for restoration professionals

    Certifications and Licenses Every Restoration Company Needs

    Restoration companies need to make sure they have the...
    Restoration Training/Education
    By: Sharon Elzarat
  • a wall covered in moss and fungus

    Zero Tolerance for Toxic Molds: Essential Steps for Successful Remediation

    Understanding the importance of zero tolerance for toxic...
    Mold Remediation
    By: Michael A. Pinto CSP, SMS, CMP, RTPE, FLS, ERS and Kendra Seymour
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Manage My Account
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

More Videos

Popular Stories

Pop Art Female Superhero Punches a Masked Villain

TPAs vs. Independence: The Restoration Industry’s Own Version of the Cola Wars

RIA Carrier Advocate Mark Springer

Turning the Page: A New Era of Trust and Collaboration in Restoration

particle count hands-on demonstration of a HEPA filter

The Truth About HEPA Filters

Submit Your New Product/Technology to R&R!

Would you like to promote a new restoration, remediation or cleaning product/technology with Restoration & Remediation? Fill out the question below to start your submission:

Events

September 3, 2025

The Experience Convention and Trade Show

The Experience Convention & Trade Show logoJoin us in Las Vegas for The Experience Convention & Trade Show, the leading event for cleaning, restoration, and remediation pros, packed with hands-on demos, expert speakers, and high-impact networking. Happening September 3–5, 2025 at Caesars Forum—this is where the industry comes to learn, connect, and grow!

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Doffing PPE

When you are doffing your PPE, do you sanitize between every step?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

The Cleaning, Restoration, Inspection, and Safety Glossary

The Cleaning, Restoration, Inspection, and Safety Glossary

The Cleaning, Restoration, Inspection, and Safety Glossary.

See More Products
Prepare for CATASTROPHE with R&R!

Related Articles

  • uniting industry pt1 corona

    Uniting an Industry to Battle Coronavirus | Part 1

    See More
  • IR uniting industry pt 2

    Uniting an Industry to Fight Coronavirus | Part 2

    See More
  • Can't estimate

    An Estimator Who Can’t Install vs. an Installer Who Can’t Estimate

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\r&r\new site\waterinbuildings.gif

    Water in Buildings: An Architect's Guide to Moisture and Mold

  • secrets-of-insurance-game.jpg

    Secrets of the Insurance Game

  • More-Answers---Part-2.gif

    More Answers Than You Have Questions About Carpet Cleaning Vol. 2

See More Products

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • June 16, 2021

    Women in Leadership | A Violand Executive Summit Special Event

    A Violand Executive Summit special event.
View AllSubmit An Event
×

Stay ahead of the curve with our eNewsletters.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Submit a Press Release
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Reprints
    • Marketing Services
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing