An article in my local newspaper The Ledger was brought to my attention. A truck driver for Publix, a regional grocer, had set a safety record. 36 years! More than 3 million miles! No accidents. As someone who has had multiple accidents driving (when you see me sometime, I can tell you stories), that kind of driving safety speaks volumes. The driver wasn’t lucky. He was intentional about safety. He took his job to heart. […]

What’s it like to be on the other side of you? I heard a series of sermons lately that started with that question. It was called “Climate Change.” According to the preacher Jeff Henderson of Gwinnett County, Georgia, we all travel around with a climate. It sort of reminds me of Pig Pen in the Charlie Brown comics. Everywhere Pig Pen went, he had a cloud of dirt discerning his “Pig Pennishness.” What’s your climate? […]

One of the better things about seeing our business improve is that we are “hiring” again. During the tight economy that began four years ago, we had to reduce a good bit. We eliminated shifts, we cut hours and we didn’t replace folks that left in the normal flow of things. In the last two years, we have added more than 200 people corporately. Most all of our plants work a full schedule. Overtime hours […]

A belated Happy Father’s Day to all of you fathers out there. I hope that you received all the honor and praise that was due from your children. If your father was about to be honored, I hope you took time to salute him. The latest societal trends in America indicate that there is a real crisis occurring when it comes to fathers. 25% of kids are being raised by single mothers. In certain impoverished […]

I speak about courageous communication so often that I have people start conversations by telling me that’s what they are about to do. I love it when they do it because that means we are learning to communicate at a more significant level. I read an article recently by leadership guru Ken Blanchard. He described why leaders fail to lead. He listed a number of reasons: “They are concerned they will be criticized unfairly. They […]

I’m thinking about the matchups in the NBA playoffs this week between Oklahoma City and Miami. You are probably wondering what that has to do with us. Basketball is a game that flows. What marks the game is that there is constant motion. Because there is constant motion there is constant adjustment. The coach makes adjustments with personnel and strategy throughout the game. But, the coach’s call only begins the complexity. As soon as the […]

Last week I wrote a note about the power of asking questions. A blogger I follow, Michael Hyatt, recently shared seven suggestions for asking more powerful questions. I wanted to share them with you: Ask open-ended questions. Questions that can be answered “yes” or “no” are closed-ended questions. They don’t generate discussion and they rarely yield any insight. By asking open-ended questions, you get far more interesting insights. For example, instead of asking, “Are you […]

Our treated wood location, Sunbelt Forest Products, is sponsoring a health challenge. Beginning Wednesday, they have invited all employees in their Bartow location to compete in an 8-week weight loss contest. They will weigh in every two weeks. The measurement is total percentage of weight lost. Thus, if you weigh 200 pounds and lose 10 pounds, you lost 5%. Highest percentage wins. In announcing this program, General Manager Ken Delle Donne noted that our intranet […]

One of the guys I follow on Twitter is Andy Andrews, an author of inspirational books. He tweeted this last week: “Quality Work, Healthy Relationships, Good Manners, Lasting Legacy. These virtues: NEVER accidents & ALWAYS the result of deliberate effort.” Deliberate effort is the same as being “intentional.” To do quality work means you are mindful about the product or service you are producing. You have your customer and her expectations at the forefront. You […]

I read an article about building a culture that caused me to think about what we are doing in our company. It supports the idea of building a strong culture because people thrive in strong cultures. It’s good for us. It is what makes us human. According to Mark Pagel, an evolutionary biologist, we are “wired” for connection. Because we are “wired” for connection, we are attracted to people and teams that have similar goals, […]