Opportunities are work in disguise

Thomas Edison once said, “The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work.”

Too often we look for opportunities to arrive on our doorsteps, dressed up like an exotic trip to a faraway land, a perfect house with a white picket fence, a flashy new car, a dream job or a winning lottery ticket. Those opportunities are easy to embrace.

When opportunities arrive wearing overalls and looking a little more grungy and beat up, often we step over them, chasing instant gratification or giving up completely.

Think about it: how many opportunities have knocked on your door, looking like failures with a lot of hard work attached?

“I have not failed,” Edison said. “I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” In 1899, he founded the Edison Portland Cement Company. He envisioned building everything from concrete houses to concrete pianos. The company even supplied concrete for the construction of the original Yankee Stadium. Yet Edison’s concrete dreams never took off, and the company went bankrupt.

Today, Edison is not known for this failure. Instead, he is remembered for 1093 patents that advanced systems for electricity distribution.

Edison is a model for success because he used failure as preparation for new opportunities.

I had an opportunity 33 years ago to start Custom Services. The opportunity did not arrive in a pretty package wrapped with ribbons and bells. It arrived in the form of hard work. My wife Dana and I devoted many 12+ hour days to build Custom Services into Oklahoma’s premier heating, cooling and plumbing company. We experienced many challenges and failures.

We never gave up. Each failure became a stepping stone for our growth. We learned to accept our weaknesses and enhance our strengths with new knowledge and skills. With tenacity and resolution, we developed solutions that lead to success.

Today, this desire for growth through hard work is a cornerstone of our company’s philosophy. At Custom Services, we are solution developers. We prepare, prepare, prepare for the opportunities that come our way, even when they come in the form of challenges and failures.

Call us today and let us turn your heating, cooling and plumbing challenges into an opportunity for increased comfort. Problem solved.

–Bob

Our technicians prepare, prepare, prepare  to solve your heating, cooling and plumbing problems.

Comfort begins with our employees

Our technicians face extreme conditions in the summer heat. They crawl into 120 degree attics and walk across scorching hot rooftops, sacrificing their own comfort to ensure our customers’ cooling systems are in top working order.

Our technician Markus creating comfort on a rooftop.

Custom Services’ employees are committed to creating comfort.

As I mentioned in the last post, comfort is more than a setting on a thermostat. It is a feeling of ease amid the discomforts of the world, like a hot attic or sizzling rooftop.  Creating comfort is our purpose.

However, our commitment to comfort begins long before our technicians get your cooling system up and running again. Comfort begins with taking care of our employees. Custom Services provides employees with everything from opportunities to advance their careers to cold, filtered water on a hot day. We encourage our staff to take care of themselves and to slow down and take a break when they need one, especially when temperatures soar into the triple digits.

We care about the individual needs of our employees and make it a priority to offer competitive compensation. Our management team also helps each person at Custom Services understand how vitally important his or her role is in the organization in order to create an emotional investment that provides more fulfillment than any paycheck  could.

This emotional bond is about commitment, not just participation. When employees emotionally connect to our organization, they are committed to our purpose. They don’t just participate in the process — they become advocates for comfort.

We know that when our employees’ needs for competitive salaries, job security, and physical comfort are met, they are better able to provide for our customers’ comfort. They are more willing to go the extra mile to help you.

At Custom Services, we understand the discomfort and stress the summer heat creates for customers and employees. There is no way around the skyrocketing temperatures. Rest assured, our highly-trained technicians and customer service representatives are committed to creating comfort for you; they have this commitment because our management team has created it for them.

–Bob

Passion for the Purpose

When temperatures hover near the 100s like they have these past few days, there’s nothing quite like the cool comfort of lounging on the couch in a well-air-conditioned home, sipping a freshly brewed glass of iced tea.

Comfort, though, is more than the setting on the thermostat or the coolness of iced tea. Comfort is the feeling of ease amid the discomforts of the world—the trust that even when your air conditioner goes out or your sewer system backs up, everything is going to be OK.

At Custom Services, we install, maintain and service heating, cooling, and plumbing equipment to keep your home or business comfortable. But our purpose extends far beyond the mechanics of replacing a blower motor or changing a filter.

Our purpose is to make people comfortable.  From the way we answer the phones to how our technicians enter your home, comfort is a priority that shows..

A few weeks ago, I took a course called “Disney’s Approach to Leadership Excellence” at the Disney Institute in Orlando, Florida. During the week-long class, I learned about the importance of defining and committing to a purpose.

Disney’s leadership has clearly defined their purpose: to create happiness. That purpose has nothing to do with how fast (or slow) an amusement park ride goes or how goofy Goofy is, though those things may inspire giggles. The goal for every person in their organization is to make sure customers feel happy, especially when unexpected events happen.

At Custom Services, we strive to do the same. We invest significant time and money into continuing education programs to ensure our employees are equipped with the skills and knowledge to solve our customers’ heating, cooling, or plumbing problems. But we have something more as well: passion for the purpose. Every day, we work to instill the passion for comfort in all of our employees.

And, you see the results when Benji Hundley, one of our project managers, stays at your home until 8:30 p.m., making sure your system is working to perfection. You see it when when Brian Singleton, one of our service technicians, takes the time to explain how your cooling system works and thoughtfully answers all your questions.

That is passion for the purpose.

We want you to enjoy the comfort of knowing we are here for you 24/7 to help with all your heating, cooling and plumbing needs. Your comfort is our passion.

Call us today.

–Bob

Corporate Creativity

M-I-C…K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Mickey Mouse!

Mickey Mouse!

Forever let us hold our banner

High! High! High! High!

Come on, you remember the words. Grab your mouse ears and sing along:

 M-I-C…K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E.

Behind the catchy tune, the amusement park thrill rides, and the costumed entertainment exists a corporate culture created by Walt Disney over 80 years ago. Today, the Walt Disney Company remains one of the most successful corporations in the world. I admire and respect their almost scientific ability to replicate corporate creativity throughout the organization.

As the Disney Institute explains on their website, “Walt effectively demonstrated that the actions of one leader, multiplied by the actions of many, can re-shape a culture and an organization.”

I recently returned from a week at the Disney Institute in Orlando, Florida.  Here, with over 30 other people from places like Brazil, Japan, Canada, and Germany, I studied “Disney’s Approach to Leadership Excellence.”

 

My official graduation photo from the Disney Institute.

On the first day in the classroom, we were each presented with blank sheets of paper and brand new eight-piece boxes of crayons.   The instructor asked us to draw our version of the iconic Mickey Mouse.

I sketched and scribbled the beloved mouse, quietly humming, M-I-C…K-E- Y…M-O-U-S-E. Some in the group drew fairly accurate representations of Mickey. Others, like me, drew something that bore little resemblance to the original black-eared rodent.

The instructor then asked us to take out a fresh sheet of paper. He had us use the crayons to draw a faint yellow grid and showed us where to place three black circles. Following the instructor’s directions, each of us, regardless of our nationality, education, or business experience, recreated a recognizable copy of Disney’s Mickey.

The exercise showed us the difference between personal and corporate creativity.

Personal creativity is wonderful. It allows us to pursue our talents for and interests in music, cooking, art, writing, fashion, and gardening. But, as my first drawing of Mickey showed, personal creativity is based on an individual’s interpretation and often varies from person to person.

Corporate creativity is something entirely different.

While organizations flourish with new ideas and fresh approaches, the innovation must come within the parameters of the established corporate identity. It is management’s responsibility, whether at Disney or Custom Services, to define and maintain that corporate identity.

If you have ever visited Disney World, you may have noticed employees are called Cast Members. Each has a role in the grand production. When Cast Members are in front of the guests, whether in a custodial uniform or a Mickey costume, they represent the Disney name and image.

The same is true at Custom Services. As soon as our service technicians put on their uniforms and tuck in their shirts, they are “on stage” and ready to perform top-quality service for their audience. They represent our name and image. They are Custom Services.

Our technicians won’t arrive at your door with Mickey ears on. Silly hats are not part of our corporate creativity. What is part of our corporate image are professional employees who consistently deliver quality service.

Stay tuned for more of my adventures at the Disney Institute.

–Bob

Decision Makers

Have you ever been put on hold for what seems like hours, only to be transferred from employee to employee? Did the problem get solved to your satisfaction? Or were you left feeling frustrated at the wasted time and effort?

Custom Services strives to solve your heating, air conditioning and plumbing challenges right the first time. We do this by empowering our employees to make frontline decisions, saving you time and money.

Recently, our employees completed training to enhance their decision-making skills. With no managers present, they identified the four most  common concerns in our company. Then, they were tasked with finding creative and innovative solutions to solve these challenges. They did it!

This employee-empowerment philosophy is based on renowned Total Quality Management experts, like Peter Drucker. Drucker believes frontline employees should make decisions and solve problems, while managers should serve as guides, mentoring rather than dictating.

“Most discussions of decision making assume that only senior executives make decisions or that only senior executives’ decisions matter. This is a dangerous mistake,” Drucker writes. “Decisions are made at every level of the organization, beginning with individual professional contributors and frontline supervisors… Making good decisions is a crucial skill at every level. It needs to be taught explicitly to everyone in organizations.”

Our service technicians and customer service representatives practice these decision-making skills everyday as they address your heating, cooling and plumbing needs — effectively and efficiently. Our management team stands behind each frontline employee, offering guidance and coaching.

At Custom Services, our employees are our most valuable resource. We invest in extensive training programs to insure they have the tools and skills to provide you with quality service. We strive to solve your heating, air conditioning, and plumbing challenges right the first time.

Call us today. Our highly-trained decision-makers are ready to offer you a solution.

–Bob

The Dire Consequences of Competition

Which came first: the competition or the egg?

A few weeks ago, the Custom Services management team faced a challenge: carry an egg through the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming without cracking it. We carried this egg while riding on snowmobiles and competing in various activities.

Team building with Custom Services managers at Freeze Out Point in the Big Horn Mountains

The management team was divided into two groups, each with a leader who knew the mountain trails. Before we left, I handed a towel-wrapped egg to the first group and said with a grim tone, “You’re to take turns carrying this. And, there will be dire consequences if it gets cracked or damaged.”

For most of the managers, this trip was their first time on a snowmobile. Not only did they face the stress of competition, but they also faced the challenge of learning a new skill. Dave Miller, our Service Manager, flew over the front of his machine, landing on his shoulder in the snow. Charlie Ogle, our Service Agreements Manager, panicked when his boot got stuck on a moving snowmobile, threatening to drag him along with it.

The competition between the two teams became intense at times. Each team wanted to win. The more they focused on winning, the less important the egg became.

When we returned to the cabin on the last day of the retreat, I carefully unwrapped the egg from its cocoon. The managers waited, remembering the threat of “dire consequences.”

I held up the egg. It survived. Undamaged.

Custom Services’ management team with the un-cracked egg.

Then, I showed them the words I wrote on the egg before the retreat began:

CUSTOMER – EMPLOYEE

“The competitions were distractions,” I explained. “We can’t sacrifice the customer or the employee simply for the sake of winning. There are dire consequences when we lose sight of what is important. We win when take care of our employees and our customers.”

At Custom Services, we are committed to placing the egg before the competition. Our managers understand the importance of building employee teams who take care of our customers.

“The thing that stuck out most for me,” Charlie said when we got back to Custom, “was how we all wanted to do our best.”

Chris Townsend, our Plumbing Manager-in-Training, said, “I learned we need to think of others, not just track our own path. We have to bring everyone along on the journey and take care of them.”

Custom Services is here to take care of you and help solve your heating, cooling and plumbing challenges. Call us today.

–Bob

Direction not Intention

Direction, not intention, determines destination.

As the New Year begins, I find myself pausing and taking inventory of the direction in my life. Most of the time I have the best intentions, a sense of what I believe is the right action. I plan, read books, and make resolutions both to achieve my professional goals and to improve my personal development. However, unless I take actions toward those intentions, then I end up some place other than where I want to be, shaking my head and wondering what went wrong.

My intention when I began Custom Services was to build a successful heating and air conditioning company. To achieve that intention, I took steps toward my destination, choosing my direction each day. I hired top-notch employees who shared this intention. I made sound financial choices, never spending more than we earned and always making wise purchasing choices. I invested in continuing education and personal development for myself and our employees. I built quality and consistency into our services and products.

Through the last 30 years, our company has faced obstacles that could have diverted us from our destination. Rather than allowing these challenges to change our direction, we addressed the issues, turning the obstacles into opportunities for growth. Custom Services’ commitment to employee development, and my personal commitment to life-long learning, means that we are prepared to handle each new opportunity and challenge that comes across our path, remaining true to the original intention.

Our choices, not just our intentions, determine our destination. On the journey to our goals, sometimes we must pause and re-evaluate our actions.

• Are our actions leading us toward our intention?
• Do our choices line up with our vision?
• What stands in the way of getting where we want to go?
• What do we need to do to prepare for future challenges?

It is our responsibility to ourselves and to our customers to evaluate what has worked in the past and what we would like to change in the future.

When our actions line up with our intentions, we continue the rewarding journey toward our destination.

At Custom Services, we continue toward our destination of being Oklahoma’s premiere heating, air conditioning and plumbing company by providing you with quality service.

Wishing You a Safe and Happy New Year

The holiday season is a time of great joy. The Christmas tree is decorated. The lights are glowing. A fire burns in the fireplace. Family and friends gather around the table toasting the cheer of the season.

With all of the festivities, it is easy to forget how important safety is this time of year. Sure, we’re all aware of the concerns regarding the tree catching fire. Fire safety is crucial.

What you don’t hear a lot about is how important it is to maintain your home’s furnace and water heater.

The demands on your furnace and water heater increase during the holiday season. Whether you stay in town and invite the neighbors to a party or close up the shutters and travel, the chill in the air has your furnace running more often. Those long, hot showers that warm your toes place greater demands on your water heater, too.

Cracked furnace heat exchangers and clogged water heater vent pipes can create life-threatening situations in homes that are closed to the winter winds. That is why carbon monoxide detectors are so important.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that kills. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, several thousand people end up in emergency rooms each year because of carbon monoxide poisoning. Close to 200 deaths are attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning each year.

These emergencies are preventable with a little bit of planning and proactive service. First, install a CO alarm that meets the requirements of the current UL 2034 safety standard. You may purchase these CO detectors through Custom Services or visit a local home improvement store.

Next, call Custom Services at 918.258.8686 (Tulsa) or 405.470.0888 (OKC) to schedule a maintenance check on your heating system. Oklahoma Natural Gas is currently offering a $30 rebate for natural-gas heating-system check ups performed by licensed HVAC contractors. Our highly-trained, professional service technicians will conduct a precision tune-up on your furnace, making sure it is running safely and efficiently.

Let us help you make your holiday safe and comfortable. Call us today for your heating maintenance check.

Practice Makes Perfect

A few weeks ago, as I drove down Memorial on my way to my first piano lesson, the phrase “practice makes perfect” popped in my head.

I thought about the paradox of the cliche “practice makes perfect” and realized no one ever arrives at perfection, do they? Think about it: there is no perfect. If we are doing something we have a genuine interest in, like playing the piano or managing a business, the practice is no longer about perfection; it’s about achieving new levels of improvement.

In my teen years, I spent hours practicing the drums. As I achieved new levels of proficiency, I wanted to do more and learn more. My passion for music emerged, just like my passion to build a premier heating and air conditioning company grew as I learned the tasks of owning a business.

There are many parallels between practicing music and creating a company dedicated to quality service. Managing Custom Services is a lot like playing a new instrument: it takes countless hours of practice. The harmonious music we make comes from practicing our skills each day.

If I were to use music as a metaphor for our business, it would look like this: When I began Custom Services, I learned to play simple songs, like Jingle Bells. Each day I practiced the notes, building proficiency and quality, until a beautiful melody emerged. I learned not only by consistent practice, but also by surrounding myself with teachers and mentors who knew the business and could explain the new chords to me. Through the years, I began to play complicated pieces, adding more skills to my management repertoire. Eventually, I brought in other musicians to join me.

Whether you listen to Mozart or Led Zeppelin (I like a little of both myself), you know great music when you hear it. That quality comes from people who are never satisfied with simply being good enough; they have a drive to achieve more.

Our success happens because we practice quality in all we do. We stay true to our vision. We are committed to developing life-long relationships with our customers and employees.

As I turned into the parking lot at my piano lesson, I felt blessed and humbled at the opportunity to learn to play the piano, especially at my age. I doubt I will be playing at Carnegie Hall any time soon, but I’m sure the piano is something I will become passionate about. It will just take some practice.

While I may not be playing at Carnegie Hall, at Custom Services I conduct a full orchestra. I direct the various aspects of the business and make sure the violins play in harmony with the cellos. The beauty of the practice shows in the quality service we provide.

–Bob

The Joy of Giving

The Joy of Giving: I hear it a lot, especially during the holiday season. Last week, I mentioned Saint Nicholas and the tradition of leaving coins in the shoes of the poor. That tale embodies unselfishness.

The true essence of giving comes when pride is absent. The unselfish gift is powerful.

A true gift is given without expectation. It is given without a motive to receive something in return. Giving because there is a need lifts the spirits of the giver and the receiver.

There is a lot of talk in the business world about corporate social responsibility. When corporations donate money, people can view it cynically. The benevolence is often lost. The act of corporate giving takes on a selfish air when it’s promoted.

Successful corporations have a heart. It beats with a generous rhythm. They give from a place deeper than the line item on a budget or tax return.

At Custom Services, our social responsibility policy comes down to a simple philosophy: when it is the right thing to do, we do it.

Churches often contact Custom Services about congregation members who struggle with heating, air conditioning or plumbing challenges. No one wants to suffer in the extreme heat of Oklahoma summers or the frigid ice-storms in the winter. For those with health problems and financial difficulties, these extreme conditions can become life-threatening. Through churches and community organizations, we donate our services to help those in need, making their heating, cooling and plumbing systems safe.

Custom Services is here to serve our community.

Doing the right thing gives us the satisfaction of giving back to the community that has supports us for the last 33 years.

As we embrace another Christmas season, remember the giving spirit and help support your community. If you are looking for volunteer opportunities to help your neighbors in need, please contact these organizations:

Neighbor for Neighbor 

Tulsa Habitat for Humanity

Domestic Violence Intervention Services

I have found the secret to the gift of giving.

The secret: Giving without motive or expectation is a pure joy. A sense of true goodness and well-being overwhelms you. You want to replicate that feeling. The more you give, the more you are compelled to give.

Be compelled! Enjoy the gift.

–Bob