People, Process, and Prowess, A Cubic Centimeter of Chance

"All of us, whether or not we are warriors, have a cubic centimeter of chance that pops out in front of our eyes from time to time. The difference between an average man and a warrior is that the warrior is aware of this. One of his tasks is to be alert, deliberately waiting, so that when his cubic centimeter pops out, he has the necessary speed and prowess to pick it up."
— Carlos Castaneda

Back home again in Indiana after an 18-hour journey, and I must say it is nice to be “home.”  Our trip was fun, a good time, our pup loves to travel, and we stayed in some unique places. We arrived home at about 3:00, unpacked, went to the grocery store, and met a few friends. We met and then walked over to our local Mexican restaurant.

We took today to acclimate to our new time zone; it’s 6:10 at “home” and 8:10 at this “home.”  Tomorrow we will be back on eastern time, and I think three days of travel impact how tired we are.  I’ve got a meeting this morning and then have about 2000 documents I will read and create a white paper. I have found joy in writing white papers on complex ideas helping others take something complicated and make it understandable.  

I have a few calls I’ll make, and then tonight, I think we will take it easy and rest. We stopped and got lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings on our way home. As we entered the store, the manager said, “our restaurant is closed due to a lack of labor, but our bar is open.” We usually sit at the bar, so we headed in, and one employee and the manager were serving the entire bar.

I talked with the manager and said, “what’s up with the labor issue?” She said, “no one wants to work, and if they come in, they have no idea what to do?” I said I work with a chain of stores in the east and texted the owner to see what he was doing to help find labor. He replied, “we are in the same situation. Kids do not want to work.”

As an owner, I feel their pain and have learned that, as a rule, we try and hire people over the age of 35. In some cases, that is age discrimination, but we have not had great luck with younger staff members. Our experience is that they do not have the older folks' work ethic and are not the most loyal bunch. Our last two hires were in their 50s and 60s, and they understand what it takes to get the job done.

If I owned a restaurant these days, I would hire older people to serve. I talked to my father about his day, and he is now running auto parts for a local transmission shop. At 83, he loves to keep busy and wants to work; he has a friend in his 80s that he takes with him and travels all over picking up parts for the owner, and he loves it. Many people in their 60s and 70s still have a lot of gas in the tank, and it might be time to focus our hiring on Gen X and Boomers.

Not all younger people are the same; our three kids all have great work ethics; we taught them the value of hard work. I think it’s up to a parent to instill the value of work into our kids, and sadly many parents were not shared that vital message.

Today, there is a golden opportunity for anyone with a bit of grit. It does not take much to rise above. If you can get up at a reasonable time, show up and do a job, you can do very well. I’m not sure what the kids are doing for money aside from clamoring for the government to pay off their student debt for their dance theory degree and wanting free money for, I don’t know, being born?

I think the same thing is happening in the business community.  The pandemic gave everyone a reason not to be great; good was good enough. But some of us found ways to be great during the pandemic. I still see businesses using the pandemic to excuse poor work, poor follow-up, and average service.

My wife just told me we landed a large account in Colorado. She and our daughter worked on it and won. Their current provider could not be bothered to answer their phone and do simple certificates to show they had coverage. The bar is set so low today that you don’t have to be great to thrive, and if you are great, Katie bar the door.

I’m optimistic about the coming years; we have a solid team, our producers are hitting their stride, our revenue growth continues to climb, and we have found ways to cut expenses. I feel more engaged today in my company than in the past ten years. My wife and I have been working on our strengths, and each of us takes on projects that meet our talents. She took the lead when we sold the condo in Denver; I did very little with that transaction. I’m working on another opportunity for our company.

It's essential to get up and go with inflation at a 40-year high every day. Making money is necessary in these times, and if you didn’t lock in that low-interest money, well, I’m sorry, you missed a great opportunity. The days of 3% money are gone, and I don’t see that returning anytime soon. We took on a little debt on purpose, understanding that the low-interest rate would help us as the rates rose. We are now in that world and are positioned very nicely to grow and invest in our people, process, and prowess.

It's a great time to sell real estate. My partner and I have sold two buildings in the past two years, putting the money in the bank. My wife and I sold the condo and now have a nice pile of treasure to invest in when the market turns, and the market will turn. I expect a 2008-type event soon, and when it happens, we plan on buying commercial property. I’ve learned the market has a cycle, and it’s best to sell high and buy low.

I’m going to enjoy my time in Indiana; my son is organizing a time for us to see his kids, our newest grandbaby will be here in six days; it’s a great time to be alive, and although there are things we could focus on that are not optimal, life is pretty damn grand. Today, the opportunities are there if you have the desire and work ethic to grab the silver and gold. Work hard, enjoy life, love your family, and the rest will work itself out.

"All of us, whether or not we are warriors, have a cubic centimeter of chance that pops out in front of our eyes from time to time. The difference between an average man and a warrior is that the warrior is aware of this. One of his tasks is to be alert, deliberately waiting, so that when his cubic centimeter pops out, he has the necessary speed and prowess to pick it up."
— Carlos Castaneda