The Power Of Persistant Passion

If you want to get anything done right, do it yourself. But...what if you can't. What if you need to be able to work through problems, brainstorm with and motivate people who work with you on projects. The human temptation is to think, they work for me so I should be able to get what I want. And yet, life does not work well that way. Even when people are paid to do a job, even when they think they are self-motivated, of good character and hard working, they somehow need your power of persistant passion to reach thier fullest potential.

This is not a revelation for most successful leaders. This may be a new concept for those who are not normally leading people and are finding themselves working with people in the home improvement industry for the first time.

Let me explain..Hail YES! We had damage this spring from two powerful storms. Knowing that getting all repairs needed done well in a timely manner would require an on-site motivator, I opted to work from home this week. I mentally geared myself into a patient but persistant mode. After only two days of working with multiple set backs, I can already feel myself tempted to lower my standards of what we can really get any more in quality of work.

Tempted, but not faint hearted enough to give in.

I have used a combination of compliments, food, lemonaide and water along with selectively blonde questions like:

"Do you think that the light coming in at the top of the door and the way it is sticking at the bottom may mean the door is not hung level?"

"Do you think that the writing on the storm door being upside down may be an indication that the door may actually work right if we put it in right side up?"

"Do you really wrestle gators?"

"I think it is good that you did not eat the shark you caught."

"By the way, did notice the front door lock area has some wood hanging out? Do you think that may be why the door will not close easily?"

"Wow, so you mean if you clean that out the lock will click tight?"

"Does anyone know which of the extra kids working here yesterday took the keys to the storm door?"

"Oh, excellent, that was the head guy, good thing he is nice enough to bring those on back."

Tonight I am told a professional "Storm Door" man is coming to take care of what the other gentlemen felt was too tough to get right.

Our contracter had at first suggested I try to find a professional. I could have bought into the thinking that if you want to get something done right, do it yourself.

I guess I am too stubborn to give up now. Still convinced that persisitant unrelenting passion will motivate this team to complete what they signed on for to a better than good level.

Realistically, great for this team, may be a stretch. Too many other people who got hit by the storm will settle for good. Good will pay this team more than great as they move on in a volume customer mentality.

Hail Yes! Not giving up yet.