Hello! Yes, the bad penny has turned up again on your virtual doorstep. By the way, did you know that bad news travels faster than good news? It’s a scientific fact! If you ever want to test the theory, just say something bad about a neighbor to another neighbor, and within a couple of days, the whole neighborhood will know about it. You could even tell one of them some bad news about yourself and that you will absolutely travel faster than if you said something good. How odd you think, until you watch the news at night and see every bad thing that has happened in your community.

That’s messed up! All that does is make everybody feel negative about life and isolate more. Can you imagine what your company would be like if a majority of what you heard around the water cooler or in meetings was bad or negative news. Ouch! Pretty sure the future of that company is going to be short lived.

Market Alert!!!

If you are thinking this is going to be a growth year, you may want to reconsider your forecast. (obviously depending on your area and position) Material prices for homes are up over 40% since 2020. Housing starts were down 9% in January. Some weather related but mostly slow down.

The treasury note that drives mortgage rates has gone up and it hovered around 4.5% with no help in sight from the Fed lower rates.

Bottomline – it’s going to be a very competitive year for both manufacturers and dealers. These slow downs drive innovation and disruption because people are forced to change and hang on to market share. When I hear Jamie Dimon is laying off people, my ears perk up!

Watch for more technology and integration to lead the “change” charge!

The point is that our behavior is heavily influenced by the culture around us. Ddduhhh dude. Everybody knows that, or do they?

We all have blind spots that we can’t see along with a field of vision that is created by our experiences and perception. So, shall we agree to say “limited” at best? Okay, now the proper stage is set for an open-minded discussion and to stop thinking about the fact that neighbors barely talk to each other anymore.

If we can’t see things, then we must rely on each other to fill in a much larger field of vision. Onward!

Learn More About Elevate Here

Being a “change” leader is very different than being a manager or an owner manager. One helps the company achieve new initiatives and the other is the glue that keeps an existing business together or running. Two different mind and skillsets. Let’s call that self-evident and move along.

When change speeds up in an industry, the mindset of the manager is quickly going to become a detriment to the success of the business. The “change” leadership mindset on the other hand is going to flourish in that environment. First because they are moving forward and secondly, (and just as important) is that a majority of their competitors won’t be able to make the leap. The fact is that the story was written years ago and only because every other overly fragmented channel has gone through pretty much the same process. The point is, if there ever was one, that if you don’t change, your story has already been written. Unless you decide to become an editor and “change” the storyline. Just answer these three simple questions.:

1. As a leader, have you ever driven a lot of new initiatives within the organization to completion?

2. If no, do you think you are capable of becoming a “change” leader?

3. What are you doing to add accountability for yourself as you go through the process of reinventing your mindset?

Because that is really where it starts. The truth is that culture becomes the mindset, and the mindset becomes the behavior.

If you have ever been a part of a successful team, you will know what I am talking about. You witness firsthand what a winning culture tastes like. It’ about people openly collaborating and committed to having everybody on the team directly focusing their energy and resources toward the common goal. Its fiber is made up of:

1. Open and honest dialog. Sounds easy, does hard. It involves some crazy thing called trust.

2. A strong commitment to the teams’ goals.

3. Accountability and attention to the results.

If this all sounds like you read it in a fortune cookie, you probably did. Aaahhh…but there lies the Grand Canyon between knowing something and doing something.

You can offer help until you are blue in the face but no matter, these businesses haven’t relied on outside help to get where they are. They have just not had to deal with lots of change much less the speed of change that has landed on our doorstep.

Like I said, the story of how things will go down has already been written many times over. Now all we need is for the actors to play the part that was given to them. Most will but I am still holding out for others to join the “change” movement and to grow and prosper beyond anything they have ever experienced before. The table is set for a bountiful business and all you have to do is pull up a seat!

2025 is the year to start a new journey.

Let’s do this!

Thad

 Ready to take your customer relationships to the next level? KABS integrates with programs you already use, like 2020 Design, Pro-Kitchens, and QuickBooks online. We’d love to show you how it can streamline your organization and processes.