Company Culture

Cultivating Growth: Integrating Employee Development into Your Business Strategy with Peg Buehrle – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E8

April 11, 2024 Company Culture, Human Resources 0:27:50

Today’s episode of PowerTips Unscripted features Peg Buehrle as a guest. During the show, she discusses the significance of team development for business growth. The growth of a business depends on the growth of its key leaders and their respective teams. Therefore, it is crucial to have a development plan for each team member. Peg will shed light on how to ensure that this remains a top priority.

Peg is a co-managing partner of ActionCOACH Columbus, the co-author of The Honest Truth about Leadership, and an internationally recognized speaker. She has 17 years of coaching experience and has helped hundreds of businesses grow. Peg is also a Remodelers Advantage consultant and specializes in team development. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment, click here: https://remodelersadvantage.com/coaching/

Peg, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:

  • Common omissions that business owners have about their teams
  • What gets in the way of business owners of actually doing a development plan
  • How do you create the discipline to make sure you execute your people plan?
  • And more…

Empower Your Team to Help You Build a Great Business with Jason Blenker – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted]

February 22, 2024 Business Management, Company Culture, Human Resources 0:27:04

If you’re going to build something — a building, a company, a team — you owe it to the world to build something great. Identify what makes you exceptional and empower your team to help you build a great business.

In this episode, Jason Blenker tells Victoria and Mark about how and why he put his organization on the path to greatness, how he defines the term, and inspiring your team to carry out that mission.

Jason is the president of Blenker Companies Inc., a Midwest provider of housing solutions designed to make the building process easier, faster, and better with one mission — to Build Something Great® — great buildings, great communities, great companies, great leaders, and great team members.

About five years ago, he set out to grow his business and build a leadership team around him to make it happen. Jason looked at what world-class companies do, reached out to mentors and coaches, and got to work. A great organization is one that people want to work with and for, and is active in the communities it serves, he says. Getting everyone on the same page is the first step, and he talks about how he did that, including:

  • Creating your roadmap
  • Planning for success
  • Communicating to get employee buy-in
  • Breaking down what it means to individuals
  • Evaluating who does what best and letting them
  • Overcoming the fear of change
  • The changes coming to the industry
  • Why profit isn’t the only driver for success
  • The time you need to take to work on the organization
  • How to let go and  trust others to make great decisions
  • Getting past analysis paralysis
  • And more …

Taking the time to invest in yourself may mean taking time away from working in your business, Jason says, but it’s the only way to propel your organization forward.

How To Double The Number Of Top Leaders In Your Remodeling Company: Hire And Train More Women, Featuring Iris Harrell – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted]

January 25, 2024 Business Management, Company Culture 0:23:46

In this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Iris Harrell discusses the importance of having women in key positions within remodeling companies. They make up half of the US workforce, so there is a sizeable recruitment pool, and they also relate on a deeper level with female customers, who often drive decision-making. Women are multi-taskers, organizers, collaborators, and task-oriented, making them assets to any organization. 

Iris founded Harrell Design Build, a large, female-led, employee-owned, full-line remodeling company.  Harrell has consistently committed to high-quality design and craftsmanship and conscientious customer care since their inception in 1985. They also employ only people who share these ideals, including their reliable, rigorously selected subcontractors, and they are very proud of their commitment to women and diversity in the workplace.

Iris, Victoria, and Mark discuss:

  • Women in key positions in your company are a competitive advantage
  • Overcoming internal (and inherent) biases
  • And more…

Building a Culture of Support in Construction with Steve Barkhouse – [Best of PowerTips Unscprited]

December 21, 2023 Company Culture 0:29:49

Steve Barkhouse joins PowerTips Unscripted to discuss how to create a culture of mental health support in the remodeling industry. In the post covid era, Mental health has affected many employees and business owners, so Steve and his team created a framework for dealing with the added stress that comes from covid. This support framework includes a video and a full-day training session to help employees work on and improve their mental health. Steve talks about how this initiative of offering additional support has helped his company build a healthy culture.

Steve is the owner of the award-winning remodeling firm Amsted Design-Build in Ottawa, Canada. Over the past 33 years, Steve has grown Amsted into a 50-person team with over $20 million in revenues. He is a past Impact Award winner.

Steve, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:

    • The impact of mental health on the employees
    • Why mental health is crucial right now
    • Mental health in the remodeling industry
    • And more…

Improve Team Performance with Virtual Ride-Alongs with Jef Forward – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E1

October 12, 2023 Business Management, Company Culture 0:38:36

When it comes to the employees who are responsible for onboarding and managing your clients, providing consistent coaching and training to your team is crucial for achieving success. One of the most effective techniques for training your team is through the ‘ride along’ or shadowing method. Although this process can be time-consuming, Jef Forward has introduced a new approach to the ride-along. Additionally, he discusses how he employs AI during training and the sales process to help improve the effectiveness of their sales team.

Jef is the Owner of Forward Design Build located in Ann Arbor, MI. He has been a facilitator for Remodelers Advantage Roundtables for numerous years and has been a member of the Roundtables family for even longer. Jef is known as a visionary, an idea guy, and ahead of the curve in most things tech.

Victoria, Mark, and Jef talk more about:

  • How has the use of AI affected the business?
  • AI trackers and how to use them effectively?
  • Using AI apps in a face-to-face meeting
  • And more…

Solving the Challenges of Leadership Development in Remodeling Companies with Wayne Ottum – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted]

August 31, 2023 Business Management, Company Culture, Personal Development 0:25:25

As remodeling companies grow, owners face the challenges of deciding when leaders are needed, how to find them, and train them to be good leaders. In this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Wayne Ottum discusses these challenges and provides tools and methodologies for facing these challenges head-on. In addition, he talks about how he helps owners create a business that works for them.

Wayne Ottum is a senior consultant at Remodelers Advantage. Wayne has over 30 years of experience, with 15 of those years specializing in the remodeling industry. He helps create clear and compelling paths for owners to meet their goals.

Wayne, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:

  • Checklist of leadership skills
  • How to know when to develop or hire leaders
  • Managers vs. Leaders
  • And more…
Dave Bryan

Why You Should Have a Personal Vision Statement with Dave Bryan – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted]

June 29, 2023 Business Management, Company Culture 0:28:17

A personal vision statement charts your course — in life and in business. If you don’t have one, you might as well be lost at sea when you’re making decisions.

For Dave Bryan, his personal vision statement serves as his North Star, allowing him to plot his course through his life. “There are a million ways in any given day to get knocked off course,” he says. “Everything you do should be in support of your life, and having a personal vision statement can help you stay on the path and keep on track.”

In this meaningful episode, Dave talks to Victoria and Mark about the genesis of the idea for him, how he did it, and gives tips for how you can write your own. Most importantly, he shares his reasons why you should.

Dave president of Blackdog Builders, with offices in Salem and Amherst, NH. After starting his business in 1989, he’s built Blackdog into a strong, consistently profitable business, with several diversifications under its umbrella. Dave is an entrepreneur who is known for the discipline and care with which he runs his company. Dave is also one of our popular Roundtables facilitators, where he shares his story with the groups.

Being an entrepreneur can be lonely, with no one to keep you accountable. Planning your life and using a personal vision statement can help define your goals. Dave’s path to writing his own statement began with the recession in 2008. “It was brutal,” he says. But defining the goals and intentions for his life going forward was a turning point.

You’ll hear Dave’s personal vision statement and learn why he won’t share it in written form. But you have to do the work yourself for your own, he says. Dave covers how to develop your personal vision statement, and what it can do for your life and business, including:

  • Creating a vision board as a first step
  • Why work is only a tool to build your life
  • How far out to plan
  • Working gratitude into your plan
  • What you learn when you look back

Employee Reviews: It’s Time for a Change with Tim Faller – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted]

May 25, 2023 Business Management, Company Culture, Customer Service, Hiring, Production 00:25:51

Reviewing employees in the remodeling world is, at best, a struggle.

It is often an employee’s opportunity to ask for a raise and an employer’s opportunity for frustration.

Tim Faller joins Mark and Victoria to talk about the necessary fundamental shift in the employee review process. Tim makes the transition from podcast host to guest to talk about his efforts towards reworking the employee review process in this episode.

Tim is a senior consultant here at Remodelers Advantage and known throughout the industry as the “Guru of Production.”

Tim is a well-known author and works with remodelers and production teams across the US and Canada. In addition to being the lead facilitator for the R/A Production Manager Roundtables Groups, he is also the Co-host of the popular podcast, The Tim Faller Show.

Victoria, Mark and Tim talk more about:

  • The challenges of the “old system”
  • The inspiration behind the reworking of the employee review process
  • The parts that need reworking
  • Objectives and goals of the rework
  • Implementing the rework
  • And more…

The Magic of Disney’s Customer-Service Strategies with Pete Blank – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted]

January 5, 2023 Business Management, Company Culture, Customer Service 00:36:27

In this episode, Pete Blank shares customer-service strategies from Disney with Victoria and Mark, and discusses how to apply these lessons to your remodeling company to boost your own team’s customer-service performance. 

Pete has been developing leaders and improving service levels of organizations for the past 25 years — 13 of those with the Walt Disney Co. and the past 12 in local government. He loves inspiring others with ways to enhance their organizational culture. You can learn more about Pete Blank at his website: www.peteblank.com, or on his LinkedIn page. 

Growing up near Disney World in Orlando, FL., Pete says he knew he always wanted to work there. After a few years as a sportscaster in Alabama, Pete went to Florida and began working for Disney. After 13 years, he and his family moved back to Alabama so he could start working in the local government.

Blank said that the biggest challenges to providing outstanding customer service and experiences are speed and expectations. Technology has changed the speed and convenience with which goods and services can be delivered, so you have to align your client’s expectations with what you can actually deliver. 

Mark, Victoria, and Pete talk more about:

  • The difference between customer service and customer experience
  • How social media amplifies all experiences —good and bad
  • Making customer service part of your mission
  • How emotional connections create relationships
  • How to measure your customer-service success
  • The power of follow-up surveys
  • And more …

Listen Now

How To Double The Number Of Top Leaders In Your Remodeling Comapny: Hire And Train More Women, Featuring Iris Harrell – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E8

December 15, 2022 Business Management, Company Culture, Human Resources, Personal Development, Recruiting 00:23:46

In this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Iris Harrell discusses the importance of having women in key positions within remodeling companies. They make up half of the US workforce, so there is a sizeable recruitment pool, and they also relate on a deeper level with female customers, who often drive decision-making. Women are multi-taskers, organizers, collaborators, and task-oriented, making them assets to any organization. 

Iris founded Harrell Design Build, a large, female-led, employee-owned, full-line remodeling company.  Harrell has consistently committed to high-quality design and craftsmanship and conscientious customer care since their inception in 1985. They also employ only people who share these ideals, including their reliable, rigorously selected subcontractors, and they are very proud of their commitment to women and diversity in the workplace.

Iris, Victoria, and Mark discuss:

  • Women in key positions in your company are a competitive advantage
  • Overcoming internal (and inherent) biases
  • And more…

Listen…

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MASTER NAVIGATION

This website is part of the Remodelers Advantage Network.

Visit our other properties: