Certain roles carry levels of authority – like a parent, manager, or president. This authority is one dimensional, and can be easily disregarded. Unlike power, authority is typically “given” and carries rules in a way that does not ensure buy-in.

Power or influence is earned. It is three dimensional, connecting the mind, body, and soul. People will go through walls for powerful leaders. It’s important to understand power does not come from an authoritative title, a relationship with business leadership, nor the amount of money one makes.

Consider a parent that smokes that is telling his teenage child not to smoke. Although the parent has authority, they will not have much power in this situation. The interesting thing about power is it usually develops by reducing self defeating activities. Consider the difference in power that a parent that does not smoke versus the parent that does.  All three dimensions of power are vulnerable.

Attitude. One who seeks power must maintain control over their attitude and cannot be a victim of their insecurities. They must overcome them. A few examples of violations include avoiding conflict, being controlled by a fear, and not taking making the tough decisions when required.

Body Language. Their physical presence must have a calming effect on others. The must be able to accept difficult information and remain in control. This is easily violated when someone becomes sunken, animated, violent, and/or intimidating.

Interconnections. The people you aim to follow must trust you, believe you care about them, and believe in your abilities. These make up the soul of relationships. Violations typically develop through poor communication. When one’s actions may appear to put pressure on one of the three interconnections, the decisions made must be properly communicated.

If your authority level is not matched by the level of your influence, your team will be disengaged.

I hope you internalize what I have shared here and apply it to boost your influence.

It should be normal for the experience of any project to become knowledge the entire company can share. Imagine the efficiencies gained when a national company is able to learn from a project it completes in Los Angeles, and share that experience with a technician that will complete the same project in New York.

Building this hub of information requires a clear plan with disciplined execution. Here is a basic outline:

1. Organize a client discovery call where you learn how to properly interact with the client (cannot hit a home run if you do not know what one looks like). Topics here include communication, escalation triggers, and accountability/scorecarding.
2. Create step by step processes for each type of project completed. NOTE – Must set goals around this to ensure it is added to each day.
3. Share this knowledge (give access or provide instructions) to necessary parties.
4. Review results and tweak processes.

Once this information is gathered, it should be continuously built. It becomes a library, or as we like to call it, a Knowledge Bank. Its a bank we need to make “deposits” into regularly.

This approach helps our company leverage our self performing expertise in markets where we hire outside vendors. We can prepare any technician with the right material and equipment in advance, speeding up the procurement phase. Plus, providing the step by step process helps the technician be more effective at executing the project, allowing them to be more aggressively priced, while driving up consistency. In this case, less can deliver more.

Experience should be gained, shared, and act as a foundation for further growth.

It should be normal for the experience of any project to become knowledge the entire company can share. Imagine the efficiencies gained when a national company is able to learn from a project it completes in Los Angeles, and share that experience with a technician that will complete the same project in New York.

Building this hub of information requires a clear plan with disciplined execution. Here is a basic outline:

1. Organize a client discovery call where you learn how to properly interact with the client (cannot hit a home run if you do not know what one looks like). Topics here include communication, escalation triggers, and accountability/scorecarding.
2. Create step by step processes for each type of project completed. NOTE – Must set goals around this to ensure it is added to each day.
3. Share this knowledge (give access or provide instructions) to necessary parties.
4. Review results and tweak processes.

Once this information is gathered, it should be continuously built. It becomes a library, or as we like to call it, a Knowledge Bank. Its a bank we need to make “deposits” into regularly.

This approach helps our company leverage our self performing expertise in markets where we hire outside vendors. We can prepare any technician with the right material and equipment in advance, speeding up the procurement phase. Plus, providing the step by step process helps the technician be more effective at executing the project, allowing them to be more aggressively priced, while driving up consistency. In this case, less can deliver more.

Experience should be gained, shared, and act as a foundation for further growth.

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.

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.

CASE STUDY

Proper vehicles maintenance is something people don’t always consider until something goes wrong or a strange rattle starts.  However, a business can’t afford the downtime from out-of service vehicles because maintenance was overlooked or delayed.  Resicom’s entire fleet must be readily available so that our technicians can respond on short notice to the emergency and preventative maintenance facility needs of our clients.  To ensure no vehicles miss routine service, Resicom developed a detailed procedure to monitor the longevity, reliability, and safety of our fleet.   

Scope

The scope of work needed to execute the project includes:

1. A mechanic must be secured and pricing is negotiated for consistent, standard maintenance including oil changes, tune ups, rotation of tires, etc.
2. Vehicles must be logged into company database with all pertinent information including make, model, VIN#, license plates and all prior maintenance history.
3. A checkout procedure including inspection and recording starting mileage must be created when vehicle is assigned to a driver.
4. Upon return of vehicle, a post checkout procedure must be developed to assess condition of returned vehicle and mileage. 

Challenges

The constraints of the project include:

1. Coordinating the drop off and pick up of vehicles at mechanic.
2. Ensuring that drivers are notifying us of all issues regarding the vehicles that are not visibly noticeable.
3. Time span between projects utilizing fleet vehicles is condensed making quick-turnaround maintenance a necessity.

Solution

The key to the effective service of our fleets is to contract a reliable mechanic, and to keep detailed and accurate records of each vehicle’s history.    

Our solution to this project included:

1. A local, reliable mechanic is chosen in close proximity to our headquarter to facilitate convenient drop off and pick up of vehicles. 
2. Mileage is checked in and out on a regular basis and appointments are scheduled in advance for all oil changes or maintenance needs.
3. During inspections drivers are provided a written checklist including items such as faulty brakes, tire issues, cracked windshield, etc. to ensure such issues are reported. 
4. Returned inspections requiring service are scheduled immediately before the vehicle is reserved for the next work project.
5. A reserve mechanic is located when our primary provider is unavailable to expedite maintenance turnaround.  

Summary

Preventive Maintenance is a standard term at Resicom and what drives our business.  However, it is not only a definition we understand to meet our clients’ needs, it is also an integral part of our internal processes.   We strive to prevent failure before it occurs so it is imperative that our vehicle fleet remains in optimal condition.  This prevents the possibility of costly repairs due to procrastinated maintenance and downtime of productivity when vehicles are inoperable.  

CASE STUDY

A client needed a painting rollout completed on 90 locations in 30 days. 

Scope

The scope of work needed to execute the project included:

1. Paint 90 gas stations across two states.
2. Work needs to be completed in 30 days and needs to start the 1st of the month. 
3. Each location has a list of certain items to be completed with a priority level of order associated with each. 
4. Each store has a pre-determined budget.
5. If for any reason cost may exceed the pre-determined budget, the client must be contacted to review and approve the new costs.
6. Specific client approved paint and color scheme must be followed. 
7. Supply the client with detailed updates including photos to ensure compliance. 

Challenges

The constraints of the project include:

1. Organizing and scheduling crews for 90 stores in the 30 day timeframe.
2. Ordering the proper materials within a 3 day turnaround.
3. Educating all crews on the scope of work and properly equipping all crews with correct paints.
4. Weather contingency plans must be determined.

Solution

When a project has such a restrictive time schedule, thorough planning is crucial.  The tendency to immediately jump into execution can actually be a project’s downfall.  Instead, by having a calculated outline and specific plans to deal with inclement weather, we were able to complete the entire painting project within the specified timeframe. 

Our solution to this project included:

1. All projects are entered on a master calendar so that the appropriate crew members and supervisors can be dispatched.
2. Suppliers are contacted to order the necessary paint specs.
3. Time is set aside for all crew members to educate and brief the team on the scope of work and to explain the procedures for paperwork and updates to client.
4. Back up crews are organized and put on stand-by in the event of inclement weather.
5. Crews are in constant communication with an office based contact so that budget is tracked.    If a particular store is nearing the “do not exceed amount” the Home Office support contacts the client to explain the necessary cost.  
6. Each crew is provided a digital camera in supply the client with updates and a visual progress report.  

Summary

Resicom is a thinking company that is committed to developing effective project planning before beginning a single step of execution.  By taking time to formulate our strategy and creating contingency plans, Resicom can guarantee a project’s overall success, an also minimize wasteful and excess spending. 

CASE STUDY

A client felt that discarded, blackened gum stuck to the brick outside their high-end retail facility was beginning to compromise their aesthetic standards and consequently their  brand.  Resicom was contacted to effectively remove the gum without damaging the brick.   

Scope

The scope of work needed to complete this project:

1. Remove all gum and tar from brick at 3 separate entrances.
2. Research cleaning solvent and/ or methods to effectively remove gum without damaging or discoloring brick.

Challenges

The challenges of this project included:

1. The gum was old and had hardened making removal extremely difficult. 
2. The brick is porous and extreme care had to be taken to not damage the brick.
3. Scraping off the gum and using certain cleaning products could permanently discolor or possibly chip the brick.

Solution

Resicom was able to leverage knowledge from our team of experts to research and then create a process on how to effectively remove the gum without damaging the brick surface. 

Our solution to the project included:

1. Allow the product to sit for several minutes to dislodge gum. 
2. Using a pressure washer to not only remove all gum remnants, but also clean the brick.
3. Manually scrubbing in between cracks of the bricks to be sure that all gum is removed. 

Summary 

Although Resicom had not previously executed a brick/ gum removal work order, we were confident in our ability to execute an effective project using our tried and true standard- process- audit.  Resicom gathered the necessary information from our in-house experts so that we did not waste valuable time in trial and error methods.  Resicom understands that poor planning leads to poor execution, so we invest the necessary energy to develop a well-detailed plan.

Resicom is much like a vampire- we often do our best work at night.  Our nationwide scalability usually dictates overnight project execution to minimize disruption to facilities’ guests and staff.  Therefore, when asked to paint a store during the day, we had to shift gears and mindset on how to structure daytime project management during the facility’s regular business hours.  

Scope

The scope of work needed to complete this project:

1. Complete a storefront repaint with a new paint spec during regular business hours.

Challenges

The challenges of this project included:

1. Keeping the store entrance unencumbered of equipment and clear for customers’ passage.
2. Ensure a safe and unobtrusive work environment for both customers and technicians.
3. Prevent overspray on any surfaces that are not to be painted.

Solution

By outlining a specific structure to our project approach, we were able to maximize the small window of time in the morning before the facility opened to paint high traffic areas.  

Our solution to the project included: 

1. The storefront entrance was painted first, utilizing the grace period in the morning before customers were present.
2. Cones and construction zone tape were utilized to prohibit customers from the work areas.
3. Areas were prepped and covered with plastic and drops to protect all non-painted surfaces.

Summary

Because Resicom relies on standard – process – audit to effectively manage and execute deliverables, we were able to apply those same principles to a modified project and still achieve effective results.  Though specifications and circumstances may change for various projects, Resicom’s systematic execution works- day or night. 

CASE STUDY

As part of our preventative maintenance plans with national retailers, Resicom must stock speciality paints that can be efficiently delivered to various job site throughout the country without disrupting project deadlines.  To ensure that our crews are not without the necessary materials, Resicom developed a process to maximize our inventory levels without incurring added cost.

Scope

The scope of work needed to complete this project:

1. Create an assessment form to track rotating inventory and amount of paint required for projects. 
2. Create schedule where paint is ordered from supplier with enough lead time for delivery. 
3. Transfer paint to smaller container for cost effective shipping, and to minimize waste.  
4. Finalize shipment of paint to scheduled job site.  

Challenges

The challenges of this project included:

1. If paint is ordered too close to project start time, lead time on delivery can be upwards of a week pushing back entire project deadline.
2. Having paint shipped directly from supplier to job-site adds significant costs.   
3. Amount of paint required must be estimated accurately to avoid financial waste of paint that is discarded at the end of a project.   

Solution

Creating a process by which we can meet our material demands without disrupting project deadlines was critical to efficient and cost effective project management.  Our solution to this project included:

1. Preemptively order required speciality paint in bulk so it is on hand at home office/warehouse.
2. Creating a planned schedule so that costs are minimized by not having to ship last minute, and shipping in bulk.   
3. Transferring paint into smaller containers than five gallon buckets.  

Resicom is a process driven company.  By having an organized, established process for how we handle our material needs, Resicom is able to boost overall project management efficiency and transfer cost savings onto our clients.

CASE STUDY

Resicom is relied upon for all types of emergency maintenance.  But usually emergency is defined as a broken fitting room door, or a damaged cash wrap, maybe an overnight leak.  However, in this instance, Resicom was contacted to assist facilities in their preparation against a pending category 5 Hurricane fast approaching the coast of Southern Florida.

Scope

The scope of work needed to execute this project included:

1. Protect our clients’ property with preventative measures against possible hurricane damage and to keep subsequent water out of the stores.
2. Measures must be completed within 24 hours in meet our clients expectations and beat the storm.
3. Budget has been set at 4K per store. 
4. There are 35 stores in Southern Florida that need to be protected.  

Challenges

The constraints of this project included:

1. The area requiring service is located 1,200 miles from Resicom’s home office. 
2. Resicom was contacted the day before we needed to be onsite.
3. All flights into this region had been cancelled or postponed due to the approaching hurricane and weather advisory.
4. Resicom could only arrange a small crew of 5 men available to travel immediately. 
5. Hotel rooms were extremely limited in the area.
6. Materials in the area were difficult to obtain as commercial properties and private residents increased demand significantly for lumber and other hurricane protection supplies.

Solution

The success of this particular project would rely on our ability to react swiftly and create a solid plan of action.  In this case, the deadline was completely inflexible with no margin for delay as we were not racing against a client specified deadline, but against nature itself.  

Our solution to this project included: 

1. Our most effective manager/supervisor was pulled from his current role in order to manage the crews and project execution.
2. We contacted local technicians to increase the necessary man power estimated to complete the job.
3. All airlines and airports were investigated to determine which closest city was still allowing arriving flights.  We reserved car rental to drive the remaining distance to schedule job sites. 
4. A separate project manager with purchasing capability is also dispatched to oversee budget and expenses for the job.
5. Local supply houses are immediately contacted that day in order to secure the material needed to complete the project.
6. Documentation and photos are compiled by the office support staff to illustrate to our client what exactly we did to protect their property.

Summary

When Resicom was contacted to orchestrate a major emergency preparation project, we never debated if the task was possible.  By starting from a position of not “can we complete the job” but “what steps do we take to complete the job” we are able to make the impossible possible by executing a thorough plan. 

CASE STUDY

A national client for whom we usually provide planned preventative and emergency maintenance experienced an emergency carpentry need when the local vendor usually contracted to handle such situations was unavailable to complete the necessary repairs.  The client entrusted Resicom to provide an exemplary local vendor to perform the work order.  Because of the established, loyal partnership between the client and ourselves, Resicom accepted the responsibility and assured the client it would be completed within the scheduled timeframe and to our client’s high standards. 

Scope

The scope of work needed to execute this project included:

1. Review work order to determine materials needed for project completion.  
2. Educate the dispatched technician on the exact process and expectations of our client. 
3. Audit the job to confirm our high standards were executed.  

Challenges

The constraints of this project included:

1. The emergency job occurred in a location area we have never serviced.
2. Locate an exceptional local vendor to complete this work to client’s high standards within a short time frame and set budget established.
3. Confirm work was complete without physically visiting the location.  

Solution

We understood that the execution of this particular emergency job would take more time and planning than the usual emergency work order from our client.  However, because we have established thorough training modules and exact processes for all technicians, we could be be confident in our ability that the project would be executed to the client’s high standards.

Our solution to this project included:

1. The accepted work order is assigned to a home office project manager. 
2. Located exceptional vendor referrals, utilizing contacts in the project city for recommendations.  
3. A short list of vendors is generated that then participate in screening and dialogue with home office regarding Resicom’s process, standards and expectations.
4. Selected vendor receives the work order from Resicom and is provided with additional information and specifications needed to complete the work order.
5. Resicom confirms that scope and schedule date is understood and establishes parameters for technician to submit information regarding completed project.  
6. Project Manager remains in constant communication with technician to ensure that deadlines will be met.  
7. When job is completed, Project Manager receives photos (per our discussed standards) within 24 hours of the job completion.
8. Project Manager audits project, and confirms satisfaction with appropriate store management.  

Summary

No matter where a work order originates, Resicom is able to execute project completion that is consistent with our standards.  Utilizing the established information and training we have available, Resicom is able to perform our thorough processes efficiently and in rapid response to the emergency work order.  Our client was able to place their confidence in our systematic approach to project management. 

CASE STUDY

Resicom dispatches our technicians nationwide to perform preventative and emergency maintenance.  As our crews travel extensively throughout the country for project execution, there was a subsequent need to effectively manage our overnight accomodation expenses.  Therefore, Resicom developed a partnership with a hotel chain to keep travel costs low and effectively transfer the savings as decreased quotes to our clients.   

Scope

The scope of work needed to execute this project:

1. Find nationwide hotel chains that had specific amenities that would benefit our traveling crews as well as Reward Point Programs.
2. Gather information about the chains for comparison.
3. Finalize account with selected hotelier that provides significant discounts when numerous stays are reserved.  

Challenges

The challenges of this project included:

1.  Finding a hotelier that met our needs in regards to both locations and amenities available.
2.  Negotiating with the chain for the maximum nightly and length of stay discount while establishing that Resicom would fulfill minimum stay expectations.
3.  Ensuring that the hotel chain management was consistently accommodating and user-friendly, and did not escalate workload for busy home office support booking or modifying travel.  

Solution

Several hotel chains met our criteria, but we needed to ensure we were “getting in bed” with the ideal partner.  We wanted to capitalize the benefits of our extensive travel, while effectively transferring the savings onto our clients to drive down their overall costs.  

Our solution for the project included:

1. Reaching out to several potential hotel chains to compare locations, amenities, discounts, and reward offer programs.
2. Scheduling meetings and establishing correspondence with regional hotel sales representatives to discuss details of such a partnership.
3. Providing target list of frequently visited locations and itemized travel dates to negotiate larger discounts.
4. Creating a program with determined partner whereas 7+ day stays at one location would result in greater percentage discount. 
5. Utilizing the hotelier’s direct bill capability to streamline invoice payments, thus saving time for our home office support staff.
6. Becoming experts with the hotel chain’s online booking engine, increasing efficiency when booking travel for our crews.

Summary

Resicom’s process of using in-house technicians on a national scale provides an exemplary level of accountability and capability.  Resicom’s nationwide presence and consistent workload allowed us to leverage our buying power into a 18% discount on all hotel stays throughout the country.  We were able to capitalize on rewards programs for added benefits of free stays, airlines miles/credits, and gift cards to major home improvement stores.  These benefits and accrued savings allowed us to increase margins, thereby passing said savings to current and future clients.

CASE STUDY

Facilities will experience water leaks- it becomes not a question of if but when.  The inevitability of water leaks is tolerated, however recurrent leaks exasperate facility management.  These leaks have the potential to destroy merchandise, and adversely effect the desired shopping experience.  When a client called with an emergency leak order, Resicom was able to determine the cause, repair of the source of the leak, and provide information to mediate amongst the mall tenants and management when no one wanted to assume liability for the damages and repairs.

Scope

The scope of work needed to execute the project includes:

1. When a work order is received, a Resicom technician needs to be dispatched within 4 hours of the call.
2. Equipped with a detailed checklist and digital camera, the technician identifies the location of the leak and documents any subsequent damage.
3. Project management technology is utilized, and any previous leaks for this location are reviewed to determine similarity to the current leak, and a possible responsible party.
4. The store management is contacted to determine the severity of the leak, and mall management is then contacted by Resicom and the store manager on duty. 
5. Ideally, the technician should arrive at the store when mall management is also assessing the leak.
6. The technician will determine the cause of the leak with the mall representative present, and begin attempts to stop the leak.  
7. Once the leak is repaired, Resicom will then repair any damage caused by the water.

Challenges

The constraints of the project include:

1. The exact source of the leak comes into question, and both facility tenants and mall management are reluctant to assume responsibility; in this particular case the mall management attributes the leak source to HVAC equipment, while the HVAC technicians believe that the issue is with the roof.
2. Because emergency requests are unplanned, the primary Resicom technician may be scheduled elsewhere, and the secondary technician can not get to the store within the 4 hour time frame.
3. A Work Order, the Damage Claim Checklist, and Damage Claim Checklist Example must be received by the technician prior to arriving at the facility. 
4. The technician must submit all paperwork, photos and other pertinent information by the following morning in order to properly update the client.

Solution

Understanding the client’s need is key to a successful emergency leak work order.  In this instance, the expectation revolves around immediate response and determining the source of the leak so that repairs can be approved and expedited.  Resicom must have exact processes in place, along with reliable technicians who have received thorough training of our procedures and client expectations.  

Our solution to this project included:

1. If neither a primary nor backup technician is available, a local vendor who has been trained in our process is contacted so that a technician is onsite within the 4 hour window.  
2. The technician reviews the leak with mall management, gathers and documents information in regard to the leak source, and then relays that information to the client and mall management. 
3. Resicom contacts all parties involved and schedules an an onsite meeting to review the leak.
4. Resicom, the mall operational manager, and the heating and cooling technicians will all be present at this meeting.  Photos and notes are distributed. 
5. The responsible party will be determined for repair work.
6. Resicom will quote for the necessary repairs and will complete all work per the approved quote.

Summary

At Resicom we understand the frustrations that a client experiences when water leaks reoccur, and the source has been unresolved for months, perhaps years.  These damages can result in costing the client an excessive amount of money that is difficult to recoup.  Our goal on every leak is to determine the source of the leak and quickly repair the issue.  If the leak returns we are able to leverage our technology & information where the history of the problem has been documented, contact the responsible party, and then mediate to achieve the necessary repairs.

CASE STUDY

A retailer had furniture placed outside of their storefront that was meant to serve as visual props as well as function as a place for customers to sit and relax.  The furniture was secured to the floor by a system that was easily disengaged, consequently allowing the pieces to move around and damage the painted floor.  The client wanted to eliminate the movement as well as minimize any risk of theft.   The new system needed to be virtually unseen by the casual observer.  Resicom was contacted to develop a solution.    

Scope

The scope of work needed to execute this project included:

1. Complete reconnaissance work to gather information on the construction of the furniture as well as the floor.
2. Develop and test a prototype system that kept the furniture from moving and helped prevent theft.
3. Install the prototype at a location to monitor the success of the system.

Challenges

The constraints of this project included:

1. The system needed to be hidden from the customer’s view.
2. The system needed to serve both purposes – prevent movement and deter theft.
3. The modification of both the furniture and the floor needed to be kept to a minimum.
4. The prototype needed to be fabricated.
5. The prototype had to be initially tested offsite before it could be installed and tested at an actual store.

Solution

Resicom understands the importance placed on the storefront by our clients, as prospective shoppers often make their decision whether or not to enter the store based on visual assessment.    The system we were developing needed to be unobtrusive and remain virtually unseen by the customer, yet the functionality of the securement must be to the standards of the client. Our solution for the project included:

1. Purchased a piece of furniture for testing purposes similar to the one the client was asking us to secure for testing purposes.
2. Developed drawings and worked with a metal fabricator to develop (2) different prototypes.
3. Developed a system to supplement the fabricated prototypes to help deter theft.
4. In our Training and Test Facility we installed each prototype on the test chair and documented the installation process (written with photos).  We also installed the exact flooring of the porch used at the client’s storefront so that the test was consistent with actual conditions and specifications.  
5. We then performed several tests reenacting the types of everyday use and abuse the furniture was likely to receive and documented how well each prototype performed.
6. We provided all data to the client for their review and for decision. 

Summary

The client felt confident in our abilities to design a solution that could be easily installed and meet all of the objectives, thus allowing us the creative license to devise a solution without pre-determined parameters.  Resicom leveraged our Training Facility in order to reenact real world scenarios and thoroughly document processes to provide thorough information to the client.  By providing this information to the client we were able to put them in a position of choosing the best option to implement as an “in-store” test thus keeping their project cost to a minimum.  The prototypes have all been installed and the test continues to operate successfully.  Resicom expects the client to roll out the solution to all facilities nationwide in the near future.