“Don’t ever be too good to do the small stuff in your business. After all, that isn’t how you got to where you are at.”

He was up on the roof again. The sun had started it’s decent to the West, but not a cloud in the sky stopped its shine. The roof, maybe only 15 ft higher than the ground just seems to get a little bit closer to the sun and a bit warmer. It was about 6:30 pm and after 12 hours of work, Chandler was still at work. Drinking water out of a 1-gallon container, dip in mouth, and just staring at the chimney he was building. I watched from across the yard. Chandler was rebuilding the chimney for a neighbor and his goal was to finish the whole project in a day.

I knew Chandler in passing because he had done some work on my own chimney a few weeks back. I had been driving home from work on a Saturday and saw him doing some tuck-pointing on a project. I simply saw him completing this work, knew we had a few problem areas at my home, so I stopped and got his contact information. Two weeks later he was on my roof, fixing my chimney. Throughout the day our neighbors were interested. The homes in our neighborhood were built in the late 1950’s and all seem to have some brick or stone that needs a little help. A mason for residential projects is a tough find; so catching a guy who does this full-time and does some side work is your best bet. Maybe 25 years ago, you knew a guy, but not in this day. We must have been the unofficial neighborhood approval process for Chandler because before he left, I think he had two more jobs lined up, including the chimney he was now rebuilding.

His day started at 6:30 am.  As I stood in the kitchen cleaning some dishes, I saw his truck pull up. The sun had already begun its ascent, the temp was mild but you could feel in the air it was going to be one of those hot sunny days. He and his friend set their ladders against the house and started doing. These guys are doers. You know the type. The kind who just get stuff done. No worries about too many meetings or chatting. They know they best way to accomplish a goal is to do the work. Their goal, to finish the project in one day, was clear and concise. Both skilled tradesmen knew what lay ahead.

Not knowing Chandler very well, I was still unsure of what kind of drive, ambition and follow-through he had. I saw today as a good day to assess what drive this guy had. For my own amusement, and if I see someone who can push, who drives, or works with a level of determination, it helps drive me as well. At 6:30 pm I knew the real ‘test’ was coming.

I have worked tough construction before. My past work put me in basements doing concrete walls. This type of work is brutal for most, but a key shaper of mental toughness for me. Everything we did was hot, cold, or wet. There never seemed to be any in-between. It was long, physically tiring days. Fun for sure, I was on a team between 2-6 guys who were all a bit rowdy in their own way but these guys were tough and strong, and not ‘gym strong’; these guys were ‘work strong.’ There was way too many cigarettes, Mountain Dew, beer and bologna sandwiches to shape us into elite athlete physique, but mentally these guys were straight forward – do the work no matter the circumstance type guys. I was seeing some of these traits in Chandler through the day. By the looks of the chimney at 6:30 pm I knew what was running through his mind. “This is taking longer than I thought. Do I finish tonight, or call it a day and finish tomorrow?” As I looked out again around 7:30 pm I knew his answer – the work continued.

It was 8:30 or 9 pm before he left the job site. Over 14 hours of work and he was done. Now I know some people brag about how long or how much they work. People starting businesses do this all the time. Having experienced both a 14-hour day filled with some physical work, driving, working on the computer and just straight 14-hour day in the sun – it is a different story. 14 hours in the sun is brutal, most people can’t or wouldn’t do it. Your body and mind are starving for rest, your body stops sweating, and it’s a mental game to the end.

This same kind of drive and commitment is what drew some customers to us in the beginning. People like to help others, and I think some people liked hiring me to do their work because they saw how committed I was to grow the business and they could sense that drive and persistence. I see those same qualities in Chandler. I saw him power through a job which took longer than expected and know first-hand how committed you must be to make it through a day like that. That’s the type of guy I want to see succeed in whatever he does, and the kind of drive I want people to see in our work. I want people to feel and see the commitment we put into their project. In a way to show we care, but in another way to show we are hungry to succeed on their project for them. Because if we don’t, there is a ‘Chandler’ somewhere who will.

Heard. Watched. Read.

• Jocko Willink, ex-Navy Seal, and co-author of Extreme Ownership shares insight about leadership. He has a very matter of fact way to life and living.
• Craig Groeschel shares the importance of your vows in marriage and how a husband and wife should serve each other up and build each other. Your marriage is the pivot point of success in your entire life. Take some time to be the best spouse. Be the person they choose.
• Reading. On Writing,by Stephen King. I recently subscribed to a Ryan Holiday’s Writing Routines weekly newsletter and this book came up over and over again. Just getting started but some biographical details about Stephen King’s early childhood and first published works.
• “No one ever said you were born with all the tools you’d need to solve every problem you’d face in life. In fact, as a newborn you were practically helpless. Someone helped you then, and you came to understand you could ask for help. It was how you knew you were loved. Well, you still are loved. You can ask anyone for help. You don’t have to face everything on your own. If you need help, comrade, just ask.” – The Daily Stoic, June 16th.
• “The details are not the details. They make the design.” – Charles Eames 

“Vision without action creates pipe dreams. Visionary leaders are not only dreamers; they are doers too. Visionary leaders repeatedly remind those they lead of where they are going and why and develop plans for follow through.” – Becoming an Extraordinary Leader Devotional.