Do You Consistently Walk the Walk?
In 1980, Apple did something that was quite revolutionary at the time. Remember, this was in an era long before the iPod, iPhone, or the MacBook. What did Apple do, and how does their bold move translate into the construction business?
Please tune in this week as Wayne reveals what action Apple took, why it was game changing, and why we need to make sure we’re “eating our own cooking.” What similar lones in the sand have your drawn, and what difference did it make in your company? Please hare your comments with us.
FBI is offering The Contractor Business Boot Camp in Dallas, Denver, Toronto, and Raleigh in 2023. Contact Charlotte at ckopp@familybusinessinstitute.com to learn more about this one-of-a-kind offering.
Hi, this is Wayne Rivers at FBI, where We Build Better Contractors. Boot Camp is coming up all over the US and even Canada
this year. Dallas in May, Denver in August, Toronto in October, and back in Raleigh in November. So, contact Charlotte for
more information about the Contractor Business Boot Camp.
This week, I want to talk about, do you walk the walk? In 1980, Apple, now Apple Corporation in 1980 was public, but it
was nothing compared to what it is today. It was a very modest sized company. But they did something revolutionary. And
this is long before the iPhone, the iPad, the MacBook. It was before the Macintosh even. What did they do in 1980? That's
a long time ago. For some of you folks, it was a really long time ago. Even for me, it was a long time ago. Well, what about
this is important to you?
Well, you'll understand in a minute that Apple walked the walk. They did exactly what their values said they should do.
Sometimes we, all of us, every one of us fails to live up to 100% standard of the values that we say we live up to. It happens
to everybody. We're human. But the CEO, Michael Scott at the time, not Steve Jobs, but Michael Scott at the time, sent a
memo out to everyone that basically said, "Look, we're building word processors. If we believe in word processors, we
have to do something, do something radical. We got to get rid of all of our typewriters." Now, think about that. In 1980, I
can guarantee if you went to any contractor's office, you found not Apple computers, you didn't even find PC computers.
What you found was typewriters everywhere. And the IBM Selectric was the Cadillac of typewriters.
So, Apple's offices recovered. By the end of that year, he said, "We're going to get rid of all of our typewriters." And
everybody thought that was a huge deal. It was a big disruption. But Apple intended to be a disruptive company, didn't it?
So, what he was saying is, "If we're not willing to eat our own cooking, why should anybody else eat it?" And you have to
think about that as a contractor in your own companies. If you're not willing to live by the values you say you live by, if
you're not willing to eat your own cooking, why should anybody else? Why should any new potential employee want to
be there? So, I'm not advocating that you issue an edict in your company that, "We're going to do something radical and
transform." I'm not suggesting you do that. But I am suggesting that you should eat your own cooking in the areas of
company values and behavior.
That's one thing that you as senior leaders absolutely have to do. You have to live and model the values and behaviors
that you want to see in your company. People listen to what you say, but they really, really, really watch what you do and
how you behave. And if you behave in ways that are outside the company values, you yell at people or you're shorttempered, you bring your personal issues into the company, that kind of stuff, then you're going to have problems of
incongruence. Is it technology? Do you have people that are reluctant to adopt technology in your company? It may even
be some of the senior leaders. There again, if you don't model the behavior that you want to see, you're not going to see
it. Okay? Safety. I remember going into a contractor's office one time and the place was empty. Only the two owners were
in the office, and they were in their offices working away.
And I said, "Where is everybody?" And they said, "They're at the safety meeting." I said, "Wait a minute. You guys want
safe work sites? You want safe people. Why are you two, the two senior leaders, the owners of the company, why are you
not in the safety meeting?" That, to me, was a problem of incongruence, that the two owners were too busy or didn't care
to hear the safety talk or whatever it was. They weren't inspiring their people by being there live and in-person and getting
behind the safety message. So, what other things can you think of? Maybe it's not safety, maybe it's not technology. What
can you think of? Send it to us in the comments. Where are places that you see contractors failing to walk the walk? And
remember, if you're not willing to eat your own cooking, you shouldn't expect anybody else to eat it either. This is Wayne
Rivers at FBI.
