Recently, I spent the afternoon re-coloring the grout in our bathroom. The color never turned out how we liked when it was installed, so we decided it would be much nicer if we would re-color it and make it a bit darker. We found the product from the grout manufacturer that does just this. A simple applicator where you rub on the new color – simple enough. Maybe an hour of work – two tops, I thought. So I got started…

After about three hours (yes, it took a bit longer than planned), the floor was looking much nicer, but it just wasn’t delivering that final “Wow,” so I went after it again. This time doing a light wash of the product over the whole floor. Lexy works in a level of detail 10X me, so I try to bring my best because I already know she notices things that I don’t. She is the reason I do good work, it’s been developed – not natural. After about four hours, I was done. I stood up, sore and tired but proud of my work and happy that this new revived floor would make Alexis happy. I put away my supplies and called the project done.

The next day I noticed something. Some of the areas once thoroughly dry, still showed some underlying old grout color. Maybe in my more rushed cleaning at the end, I forgot to give it my 100% attention to those extra details. So I followed up with some additional cleaning and did those final color touch-ups the next day. BUT if this were a client’s job-site, I would have already left feeling great. I would have been high-fiving my team; the client would have been ecstatic. But then the next day, the next week – they would have noticed these things. Maybe they would call and have us back to do the touch-up, or maybe not. Either way, it wouldn’t be the best work.

To do the Best Work, we might make the trip back the next day to catch these things that can be so easy to miss. We make a trip back after urethane to make sure it all dried evenly with no missed spots; we wait to burnish and clay bar on a day by itself instead of doing it all in one. We will be tested on this; we are going to want to close out that day, get the satisfaction of the finishing. But it’s not about what we feel at that moment; it’s about installing the Best Product. Doing work we know is our best, and the client knowing it was done well.

Heard. Watched. Read.

• “Where does discipline come from? This is a simple answer. Discipline comes from within. Discipline is an internal force.” – Jocko Willink
• “If you can’t be the strongest, be the toughest. Toughness is a choice.” – David Christopher
• “The difference between a warrior and an ordinary man is that a warrior sees everything as a challenge, while an ordinary man sees everything as either a blessing or a curse.” – Don Juan
• Fred Rodger (Mr. Rogers) testifies in front of a Senate Committee in 1969 to receive additional funding to make and distribute children’s programming to National Public Radio. This was a key moment for us to even know who Mr. Roger’s is.  5 minute video
• Think like a Start-Up. Don’t be so set your ways. Be Hungry. Be Humble.  1 minute video