View From The Roof: Vision Casting

View from the Roof:  Vision Casting

I remember my first job as a manager back in the 1980’s and my boss having a dog-eared copy of Tom Peter’s In-Search-of-Excellence on his desk.

My boss’s name was Tom also, so I remember thinking at the time, as a young man trying to find my path, these Tom’s seem to get this stuff, I need to pay attention.

I listened intently as my boss talked about being value-driven and how we needed to constantly be reviewing our core values and vision for the department and how we can do our part to move the company forward.

Picture a lot of 80’s jargon, bad haircuts and tight fitting suits and you get the picture.  My head was filled with other things like just-in-time manufacturing, studying Edward Deming’s TQM process, and trying to remember all 7 Habits.

Just when you thought you had things down along comes John Maxwell in the 90’s and his 21 Laws of Leadership!  I could barely remember the 7 Habits, how was I going to remember 21 Laws?!

But there I was, dutifully carrying around my planner and organizer, ever focused on our departmental goals, tasks, and issues, and doing my part to be value-driven and always in search of excellence, both within myself and with our organization.

Those days seem so long ago and yet the lessons are so very relevant today.  And while I may have evolved from my planner to a palm-pilot, to a blackberry, and now to smart-phone apps – these days I carry with me those same fundamental lessons on leadership and knowing your core values.  And how to translate those core values into a vision for where your company is headed.

Today in my role as the founder of a growing home inspection business, one of my key functions is to cast our vision to our team members, ensuring that everyone truly understands why we do what we do.

That can seem a tall order when all around you on a daily basis, as Ann on our team says, the vortex is swirling and pulling you in.  The vortex, the whirlwind, the daily grind, whatever you want to call it, headwinds always seem to want to hold you down and push you backward.

To rise above that you have to have a beacon, a lighthouse shining to anchor your journey and help you remain clear eyed on your mission and vision.

A vision statement for a company shouldn’t be a static document that you labor over during a meeting, only to stick in a file cabinet.  It should represent where you are going, what you hope to achieve, where you see yourself in the future, and how you plan to help people along the way.

Here is our vision-statement for Scott Home Inspection:

We believe the home is the place where the heart and soul of a family is nurtured, grows and thrives. This sacred belief and the desire to help families drives Scott Home Inspection to continually seek growth opportunities to expand our presence throughout Colorado as the premier inspection services company entrusted by buyers, homeowners, real estate partners, builders and property managers.

That vision drives everything we do.  Every key, important decision we make has to have a clear link back to how it helps us achieve our vision and mission.

Being entrusted by homeowners to help them understand the condition of the home where they will raise a family is a powerful motivator for our team to continually strive for excellence in all we do.

Casting that vision to our team and always reminding them of the importance of what we do on a daily basis is my primary function.

Let’s face it, running a small business is hard, no matter what industry you are in.  The daily demands on your time and energy can seem overwhelming as the vortex swirls around you.

Being pulled in every direction while just trying to keep some forward momentum can make many days long and exhausting.

But if you can persevere and push forward, with a clear vision for where you are going and how you are helping others, the weight can feel a little lighter.

If you are one of our existing or future real estate partners, home buyer, or an industry partner reading this, know that we care about you and your dreams of homeownership or your dreams of helping buyers of homes, and that our vision aligns with your hopes and dreams.

And every day we strive to be just a little better.

I may not carry that planner under my arm like I used to, but every day I have a clear focus on our vision, our mission, our goals, and tasks, always value-driven and ever in search of excellence.

My hope is that you will also find ways to live your vision and that in some small way the team at Scott Home Inspection can help you in your journey.