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

 

The Reason for the Season

When I was a child, I lived in Germany with my family for a few years. Each December 6th, we celebrated Saint Nicholas Day by placing our shoes outside our door. “Saint Nicholas” would come in the night to tuck candy and small gifts into the shoes.

This European tradition began as a way to honor Saint Nicholas of Myra, a Greek Bishop from the 4th-Century. Saint Nicholas was known for his generous and anonymous gift giving. He sold all his belongings and gave to the poor, often leaving coins in the shoes of the needy.

That’s a long way from the advertisements for Black Friday blow-outs and Cyber Monday savings that flood my senses before I put the Thanksgiving leftovers away.

BUY BUY BUY. SALE. SALE. SALE. SAVE. SAVE. SAVE. MORE. MORE. MORE.

The soulless, slick commercials make my head spin. The holiday spirit has become about getting yours first. People camp out for days to be first in line, then trample their neighbors in a gift-buying frenzy. It is disheartening.

Rather than celebrating the gift of Christ’s birth and the charity of the giving, Christmas has become an over-indulgence and over-abundance free-for-all. The simplicity and true meaning of the season is lost in a vast commercial vacuum.

As a business person, I spend a lot of time thinking about and implementing plans to market Custom Services. Print ads, television commercials, websites, and blogs are an important part of promoting our services.

In my heart, I know the best marketing comes from kindness, concern and compassion. It comes from a genuine desire to help others.

Commerce is an important part of our society. Buying and selling keeps our economy strong. It creates jobs. In the process of making a living and supporting our families, it’s easy to get caught up in the selfish machine of consumerism, the desire to have more, do more, buy more. Too often, we lose sight of true charity.

During this Christmas season, I challenge you to slow down and think about the spirit of giving. Take the time to enjoy the wonders and miracles of the holiday. Open a door for someone. Help a neighbor in need. Donate time to a community group.

As Christmas morning dawns, my hope is that you will discover, as Dr. Seuss’ Grinch did, the true meaning of the season:

“It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!… Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”

Happy Holidays!

–Bob

Inspiration and Gratitude

Dana and I are grateful for over 33 years of inspiration, laughter and joy at Custom Services. We are thankful for our dedicated employees and loyal customers who have supported us both professionally and personally through the years.

On Thanksgiving, as we gather around the table offering thanks for family, food and friends, we are reminded of the abundance in our lives. It is a time to reflect on the people who inspired us, the moments that made us laugh, the joy of simple things.

As I think about the holiday season and the past years at Custom Services, I am humbled by how fortunate we are to have such great customers, both those who have just joined us and those who have been with us from the beginning. The trust they give us makes Custom Services the company it is today.

Trust is something we earn with every phone call, every repair service, every installation. We are committed to honoring this relationship today and for the years to come.

Loyal customers keep our company strong. This strength allows us to employee the most dedicated and professional staff.

Our employees also have trusted us to be a part of their lives. On November 2nd, we celebrated Alan Pfieffer’s 20th Anniversary with Custom Services. Alan began as a service technician and now serves as our technical advisor. His commitment is an integral part of our company’s success.

“I’m grateful to have good people to work around and to be part of all the positive changes over the years,” Alan said. “The best thing about working at Custom is the leadership core that helps employees realize their potential.”

At Custom Services, it is humbling to know we have have provided growth opportunities for our employees.

I want to thank both our customers and our staff for the privilege of serving them. We feel blessed to be such a trusted part of so many lives.

Happy Thanksgiving!

–Bob

Anticipating Transitions

Transitions are challenging.

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “Nothing is constant but change itself.”

The paradox is not lost in business.

In any company, there are levels of transition. Management must navigate the sea of change in order to progress, grow, and achieve the next level.

Custom Services began as a grassroots, startup business. I ran the service calls and Dana, my wife, managed the office. As the company grew, we added more employees. When we hit the 1/2 million dollar revenue mark, we transitioned to a new level of operation. No longer was I simply working in the business; I was working on the business.

Our commitment to quality created rapid growth.

When Custom Services’ revenue increased from 1/2 million to 1 million, the company continued to evolve, adding managers who shared our vision. We developed strategies to anticipate the challenges ahead at each new level of revenue: 1 million, 3 million, 5 million. We managed our resources and hired more staff. We lead the employees through the transitions with clear, precise expectations.

Air Technology joined Custom Services in August. We welcomed the opportunity to grow once again.

How would we handle the transition?

First, we did our research and surrounded ourselves with people who knew industrial HVAC. We asked Kym Barger, Air Technology’s founder, to join the team. Second, we created a strategy to manage the resources and lead the employees through transition. We projected our revenue based on Air Technology’s past sales.

The synergy of the two companies is apparent in our new stream of revenue and growth. Most importantly, our new customer base is served well.

Successful leaders anticipate changes on the horizon. They are like good captains navigating ships through new waters. They are ready before the transition and anticipate the changes that are coming.

Our history of growth and our ability to transition through change makes us a dynamic operation able to excel. Transition is part of our operating structure. It is integral to our success.

–Bob

Architecture of Success

“I’m working on a business plan,” my sister said, excited about her new venture.

“You don’t need a plan at this point,” I said. “That comes later. Just keep doing what you love.”

Entrepreneurs, like my sister, often get  in “analysis paralysis.”  They spend too much time analyzing the plan and lose sight of their innovative ideas. They paralyze the creativity of the process.

Getting your ducks in a row is not as important as following your dream.

Starting a company is an exhilarating and challenging process. Many people fail before they have an opportunity to succeed. They don’t trust the direction of their dreams, and, instead, dive into the details, bogging down the passion that will make them successful entrepreneurs.

Success isn’t about having all the solutions. It is about knowing where to find the answers.

I learned early in my career that taking a chance with a dream, doing what I love, drives the entrepreneurial spirit and leads to happiness and success.

Building a successful business takes time, energy, and imagination, as my sister is discovering. It also takes a trust and a belief in a future that may not always be clear.

In my experience, the keys to business success include:

• Do what inspires you.
• Instill the love of the business into anyone you bring into the organization.
• Collaborate with people who have strengths you don’t.
• Start from where you are. All the challenges do not have to be solved.
• Build quality and consistency into the product or service.
• Address challenges as they arise. Don’t anticipate failure; envision success.
• Get in there and do it. Figure it out as you go.
• Keep the passion alive: manage from the perspective of what you love about the business.
• Be frugal. Don’t spend more than you have. Use your time, energy and imagination, rather than money, to create the company.

Each day, I put these principles into practice, though I still do not have all the answers.

Plans are important and they develop as your business grows. The architecture of success–the plan–is built on a foundation of your vision.

Stay true to your vision.

–Bob

Commitment to Quality

“Quality is not an act; it is a habit.” -Aristotle

Quality isn’t an act at Custom Services; it is a habit on which we have built our reputation.

Every day at Custom Services, we focus on the details: those small things that set us apart and keep you coming back.

Building the quality processes of our system is like being a marksman on the shooting range. We take careful aim at our target, pull the trigger, then analyze if we hit the mark. When we fall outside our bull’s eye for acceptable variation, we make small adjustments–a little to the left, a little to the right–fine-tuning our aim.

Your positive feedback reinforces our commitment to quality and lets us know we are doing the right thing. We know we hit the bull’s eye.

When we get negative feedback, anything that tells us we didn’t live up to our reputation and your expectations, we analyze what went wrong.

Did we make an error? Did you need a product or service we do not offer? Are we the right company for you?

I am reminded of the scene in Miracle on 34th Street where Kris Kringle refers a Macy’s customer to the great rival Gimbel’s. Kris’ dedication to finding the best quality product for the customer launched an entirely new level of service at the fictional Macy’s. They shifted their aim from simply selling quality merchandise to doing whatever it took to build a quality relationship with the customer, even if it meant helping them find another store.

At Custom Services, we do the same thing. We are more than an outlet for heating, air conditioning and plumbing service, we want to help you find what you need. Our system for quality processes includes building a quality relationship with you.

W. Edwards Deming once said, “Quality is everyone’s responsibility.” 

Each person in our organization is an essential part of our commitment to quality. Even you. Be a part of our commitment to quality by giving us your feedback. Let us know what you think.

How may we help you?

–Bob