It should be normal for people to end their workday knowing how they performed. It gives them the consistent feedback that reinforces the right activity, while giving the supervisor the ability to have objective performance discussions.

I am in pursuit of having every position in our company be able to have this daily feedback. We have recently adopted it with a certain role within the company, and within the first two weeks, we have made significant changes.

I will share an example of the sales since it is the easiest to explain in a blog post. Our sales team is measured based on revenue, number of clients invoiced, and types of services sold. We measure these three things because they are critical to our company’s health and growth.

Quick Notes

1. Revenue by itself can be deceiving. If we only see that number, we may miss the risk associated with it if we do not know the number of clients that comprise that revenue (if it is one big client, rather than multiple smaller ones there may be a higher level of risk of those revenues).
2. Number of clients ensures that the revenue is spread amongst multiple treasuries as well as creating more opportunities for growth. If we can continue to add new clients each month, while improving relationships with existing accounts, our company will grow.
3. Types of items sold shows us opportunities to sell clients other services, creating opportunities for growth. It also shows us a level of risk with a client. If they are only buying one type of service, then decide to suspend all spending for that type of item, our revenues are more at risk. This provides insight to both growth and protection goals of the company.

How We Share It

• Everything is goal versus actual. This provides feedback without subjectivity.
• It is reported on daily, with weekly, monthly, and quarterly recaps. Providing the information in a timely fashion.
• They are reported side by side, so that management can show correlation of all numbers.
• The question asked when the numbers are missed is “How can I help you achieve your goals”. This is a much different discussion than discussing the fact that the numbers were missed – that is easy to see and does not require a discussion. That already happened. The only thing relevant to that is to learn how we were derailed and how can we get back on track. Autopsy without blame.

This type of approach can help your management team can manage without emotion.

It should be normal to practice thinking correctly under pressure so that we can be best prepared in pressured situations.

I learned this exercise in London. It was quite revealing to me. Its about preparing your team for situations that may come up where they will feel under extreme pressure. By practicing it, they will be better prepared to handle pressurized situations that may arise.

How To Do It

1. Need a room with a white board and a group of your team.
2. Write out a scenario on the board.
3. Write out the list of the resources the person will have to work with.
4. Set a timer to a short amount of time (2 minutes or less usually works out well).
5. Present the situation to one person and have them solve the situation, with no work allowed after timer sounds.
6. Have the person explain what they did and why.
7. Ask the rest of the group what is right and wrong with it, then define what the ideal solution would have been.

This is a simple process, but can be used in most situation. How can you help prepare your team for success in pressure filled situations?

Humans have always pursued improved solutions to their problems. Think of the transformations we have experienced in transportation between 1900 and 1970. We witnessed the transformation from horse and rail transport, to automobile, then flight, and eventually rocket propelled space exploration. It should be normal to… take everyday challenges and opportunities, and create extraordinary solutions.

It should be normal for someone to understand how performance is measured. School and sports are great examples of this. The opportunity to review the results and ponder adjustments help us align our efforts with our desired outcomes. Be bold in the pursuit of what normal should be.

It should be normal to give someone your full attention when they are talking to you. Listening with the intention of understanding the other person’s intended message is fundamental in leadership and relationship development. One cannot listen well while working on something else or thinking about a response or other things. There is no such thing as multi-tasking.

Guard your time like it is a valuable asset. People know when you quit listening. You cannot fake it. Good listening takes commitment. Be careful of how many people you commit to listen to. Otherwise your time will disappear and you will become ineffective. It should be normal to filter out the white noise and focus fully on the things you choose.

Lemont, IL

Resicom has been invited by Benedictine University and Professor Jerry Pasierb to present an interactive dialogue with undergraduate students regarding strategic planning and aligning marketing initiatives with core values.

Next Thursday, Benedictine students will meet with Resicom’s marketing team at the Lemont corporate headquarters for a facility tour and presentation.  Students will be encouraged to ask Director of Marketing Laurie Ledonne, Project Coordinator Nicolette Malewski and marketing intern Carly Strama how Resicom puts applied theories into sound practice.

Reiscom structures marketing efforts to mirror purpose.  Whether offering brand and asset protection through facility maintenance or venturing into new endeavors, Resicom’s cause doesn’t change.  All decisions and actions must reflect our purpose- the bold pursuit of what normal should be.  It should be normal that the companies you hire make you better.

How do you improve car dealership service areas that are traditionally dingy,

dark and dull?

A dealership decided that their service area misrepresented the overall brand image.  Car fumes, dirt and  open bay doors exposing the area to the elements left the service area looking dull and dingy.  The area was a stark contradiction to the bright, well-appointed showroom.   Options were needed to improve the overall appearance.  Resicom presented solutions as to how to best execute a project within the confines of these conditions while achieving the desired look.

CASE STUDY

When the very floor becomes a safety concern, how can emergency maintenance rapidly return a facility to normal?

Project Summary

A retailer discovered a high traffic area in the store were the wood floor was buckling prompting immediate on-demand maintenance.  Normalcy at the facility was disrupted because of the possible tripping hazard that now existed.  Resicom was contacted to execute repairs to the flooring.

Scope

The scope of work needed to execute this project included:

1. Arrive within 1 hour of request to assess repair work, prepare scope and take photos.
2. Secure area so it is restricted from all pedestrian traffic, deterring tripping hazards.
3. Remove section of flooring to determine the source of the buckling.
4. Update client as to extent of repairs and replace damaged flooring.

Challenges & Solutions

Completing this project would require immediate action.  The facility could neither operate in a state of having a section of the store blocked off, nor could it allow a potential safety threat to staff and guests.  The constraints of the project that were overcome included:

1. The damaged area of the floor is a potential tripping hazard to staff and guests.

1. • Upon arrival, area to be repaired is immediately sectioned off with caution tape to deter walking over uneven flooring.
   • Damaged flooring is temporarily secured with nails as a tripping precaution.
   • The crew will systematically work in marked off sections to have the least impact on the customers’ ability to access merchandise and move through the store.

1. Manufacturer information for replacement flooring is not available from client.

1. • Small section of flooring is removed from store and brought to local flooring suppliers to source proper replacement material.
   • Technicians are dispatched to pick up replacement flooring from several local suppliers to ensure that enough quantity is on hand to complete the repairs in one evening.

1. Determining source of buckling needs to occur during normal business hours.

1. • Small section of the flooring is removed to determine cause of buckling, and a temporary piece of wood flooring is installed there is are no open holes or gaps.

1. All repair work must be completed after hours.

1. • Crew returns that evening and completes all replacement to wood flooring prior to reopen of business the next day.

Summary

We understood that the execution of project was unique because we were working during business hours.  Resicom was confident that detailed project management and organized execution would not have adverse effect on the retailer’s daily revenue.  Regardless of working conditions or environment, Resicom is able to coordinate project completion that returns facilities to normal.

CASE STUDY

Excuse me?  Resicom removes fish tanks?  ::  How can leveraging business structure assist in offbeat projects?

Project Summary

A client’s design team created a comprehensive scope of work to update their current restaurant decor.  A central focus of the rollout outlined the removal of existing salt water fish tanks at multiple location.  Relinquishing the tropical appearance was a dramatic change, and the client was concerned about the impact the renovation would have on its loyal clients.  By removing the tanks and making the necessary repairs to swiftly return the facility to normal, Resicom was able to restore the location to usual operations without disruption.

Scope

The scope of work needed to execute the project includes:

1. Have live fish removed and relocated prior to crew’s arrival.
2. Dispose of the old fish tank and palapa.
3. Replace floor tile, stained concrete, damaged dry wall, replace stained chair rail, skip trowel and repaint the walls.

Challenges & Solutions

The constraints of the project that were overcome included:

1. Locations are distributed in multiple locations.
   • Resicom coordinated with District Managers so that project runs could be grouped together by region.
2. Live fish need to be removed and relocated prior to project start.
   • While scheduling project runs, exact start date are coordinated so that the aquarium company can transport live fish before crew arrives onsite.
3. Demolition work can not take place during normal business hours.
   • Resicom schedules after-hours/overnight crews to minimize disruption to staff and guests, while discretely removing fish tanks.
4. The damaged tile needed replacement was discontinued years ago.
   • Project management researches numerous tile vendors to match discontinued product and offer options to client.
   • Product is ordered for delivery before project begins.
5. Area surrounding fish tanks is in various states of disrepair.
   • Stained concrete is replaced.
   • Stained chair rail wood is replaced.
6. The combined required drying time for the concrete, tile, painted walls, stained chair rail is considerable.
   • An installation strategy is developed to accommodate the drying time for thin set, tile grout, skip trowel compound, chair rail stain and varnish and the wall that was painted.
   • A combination of materials with different drying times, is utilized so that technicians could complete the necessary repair tasks in under 2 nights.

Summary

With so many customers sad to see Nemo go, restoring normalcy also meant operating with a certain level of discretion.  Aside form the emotional element, sourcing materials and scheduling within the allotted time added to the complication.  However, because Resicom is able to leverage our business structure, we can successfully manage and execute projects regardless of how unusual specifications may seemingly appear.  Approaching with a team effort of trained technicians and detail-oriented project management, we were able to deliver a turn 2 night project into 1 night- along with the disclaimer “no fish were hurt in the process”.

Lemont, IL

Resicom invites our clients and employees to experience normalcy.  To achieve that purpose, we are always looking to add great people to the team who are able to provide objective clarity and solutions to our clients.

Therefore, we are pleased to announce the addition of Terry Fulmer to our Sales/Solutions Team as part of our national business development.   Terry will be responsible for expanding our national client base.

Terry brings proven sales and client base building experience having worked in the parallel industry of commercial custodial maintenance.  Most recently, Terry enjoyed consulting for a start-up talent agency endeavor assisting with both the overall launch of the business and the organic growth of newly created sales team.

“Resicom’s core values resonate with me personally,” says Terry.  “I look forward to working with the team in helping relieve clients’ points of pain by offering Resicom’s differentiating options.”

“We’re very enthusiastic to have connected with Terry,” says Laurie Ledonne, Team Development Manager.  “Terry is an excellent compliment to not only our sales team, but to our Resicom culture.”

At Resicom, we are committed to delivering world class service. We embrace our role of brand protection through facility maintenance and repair nationwide.  Through innovative technology, customized visibility, accountability without emotion, and disciplined structure -  our clients are able to choose smarter spending options.

The most successful companies are purpose driven, and operate from their why rather than their what.

What?!?

Simply stated- whether a company delivers a professional service or manufactures an actual product, ideally the cause behind why a company exists in the first place shouldn’t change.  For example, a company may say they exist just to make and sell toothpaste.  However, if that same company recognizes that their cause is really to offer pristine hygiene utilizing advanced research through innovative products, the company’s decision to shift into the market of say, manufacturing deodorant makes sense; it still resonates with their why.

Resicom understands that we are a purpose driven company.  Whether we offer brand protection through facility maintenance or we manufacture widgets, our why doesn’t change.  All of our decisions and actions must reflect our purpose- to invite both our clients and employees to experience normalcy.  We define normalcy as those endeavors, emotions and initiatives that speak to us on a human level- creativity, community, the need to teach and nurture, the drive for efficiencies, the desire to create structure.

When we present our company in this way, people tend to desire involvement with our organization as it resonates with them on a human level.  The question becomes, “If this is what Resicom offers, who wouldn’t want to work for us?”  However, there is a cost associated with experiencing normalcy.  Things like status and ego, not wanting to work in full transparency, resisting development, unclear or unauthentic communication, artificial harmony, and absence of trust are in direct opposition to our cause.  Much like the ends of a magnet, people who operate with this agenda are quickly polarized from the company.  Experience tells us that a seemingly ideal candidate on paper can be extremely different from how a candidate reacts to our unique environment.

Therefore, even more paramount than simply expertise and experience, employment candidates must be a cultural fit to be successful at Resicom and promote our growth as a company and individually.

Why should a significant block of time be scheduled for quarterly strategic meetings when busy executives have so many other pressing responsibilities?

Few phrases elicit as many groans in a company as the dreaded “Let’s schedule our quarterly meeting”.  The most effective quarterly strategics should take place over the course of 1 to 2 days.  When participants learn quarterly strategics will encompass at least a day, they aren’t just groaning at the prospect, they are now gnashing their teeth!  Corporate America has come to correlate “marathon” strategic meetings as synonymous with boring, unproductive, and even a waste of time.   Many employees actually see these meetings as a chore that’s simply a formality, with the real decision-making happening afterwards.  

It’s a shame that strategic meetings evoke such negative connotations.  What is more vital and exciting to a company than determining where the company is going, how it’s going to get there and how the team knows if it got there or not?  Too often, companies fail to schedule the appropriate amount of time needed to generate and debate these questions.  Instead, meeting organizers bow to the misconception that less is more.  To delve past surface issues, dive into poignant objectives and then outline concrete action plans, strategic meetings can’t be rushed.  Trying to compress strategic meetings will only result in ineffective discussion where little is resolved.  Making the time investment of a strategic meeting is actually investing in a company’s future.   

Setting aside the appropriate amount of time ensures the participants can achieve four key objectives:   

1. Review corporate strategy
2. Review industry trends and competitive landscape
3. Review key personnel
4. Review team development

Pitfalls to avoid when scheduling strategic meetings include: 

1. Not scheduling the meeting offsite is inviting disruptions and distractions
2. Including social activities and inviting spouses/family dilute focus
3. Over-structuring topics burdens the schedule 
4. Poor planning leads to poor execution