Executive Letter #2: If the Door is Closed, Go Through a Wall

I'm being literal with this one. It's time to go through walls if that's what it takes. 

In this letter, I'm going to talk about obstacles that can get in your way and how I've conquered obstacles that have gotten in mine. All of these are centered around communication and mental focus. Mental focus in particular... makes you UNSTOPPABLE. 

Throughout this letter, I'll mention three key tips I'd like you to consider:

• Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
• Your Words Have Weight
• Put the Pedal to the Metal 

Let's start with a story. 

A few years back, we were renovating a house with a detached, two-car garage. When it was time to begin working in the garage, we opened it up to find mattresses, sleeping bags, and other items telling us we weren’t the only ones trying to make a buck there.

We cleaned it out, changed the locks, and secured the perimeter. The next morning, however, it was clear that the evening entrepreneurs had been back. Again and again, despite our efforts to communicate that they should leave, these trespassers returned to our property.

So, I made one last visit, and upon finding even more mattresses moved in, I'd had enough. I leveled the garage by driving my truck straight through it and hauled off the remaining junk. Problem solved!

Where the garage once stood, I put up a sign that said, “Out of Business.”

Message communicated. Obstacle removed.

I’m a lot of things, but subtle isn’t one of them. In my 55 years of leadership, taking bold actions in business has moved me lightyears ahead on more than one occasion.

Do Your Damn Job the First Time

The way I view obstacles, you’ve got three options to get past them: 1. Keep knocking (subtly.) 2. Move on. 3. Bust through a wall.

I guess you know by now which option I’m likely to choose.

When I was a district manager back in the grocery store days, I had a store manager who was giving me the run around about scheduling proper evaluations with his team. He kept telling me he didn't have time.

This was an obstacle for ME. If he didn't do his performance reviews, I couldn't do my job.

So, I scheduled a meeting with him that guaranteed he wouldn't be an obstacle for me moving forward. I had him meet me at 4 a.m. in the deli department at his store to go through his evaluations together.

It took one early morning meeting to clear that obstacle and I never waited on him again.

In this example, subtlety wasn't working. Moving on wasn't an option. So I busted through the wall before the next business day started.

Create a Playbook That Will Win

It's essential you have a playbook for your company. The details in this playbook, or mission statement, will drive you to excellence.

Part of ensuring that you're heard—by your team, your clients, etc.—is ensuring that everyone is speaking the same language. Too often, companies create an obstacle by communicating inconsistently.

There is an easy answer to this obstacle, but it requires specific actions. First, you need to start with a mission statement.

Now, I didn't go to business school, and neither did any of my sons. But you don't need an MBA to know that you can't take a business past the one-year expiration date without a clear idea of what you're up to.

When putting together a mission statement, it's easy to feel intimated by the blank sheet of paper in front of you. Begin by asking yourself a few questions, and write down the answers as they come to you.

What do you intend to do that nobody else does?

Who is your business for?

What can they expect from you?

What can you promise? What can't you promise? Why?

These questions should be easy to answer if you've developed a solid business plan—or, if you don't have one yet, the answers will help you write it.

Once you've answered these questions, and you've organized your thoughts, write it down into a sentence or two.

Take REI Nation's mission statement, for example.
"We make it easy for investors to purchase the right property, at the right price, with the right team, from anywhere in the world, by managing risk, protecting capital and providing exceptional customer service and property management."

Let's break that down:

Great, but you're not done.

Sure, it reads fine to you, but what about your team? Have they seen it? Do they have confidence in the mission they are meant to achieve?

Shop it with as many people as you can. Then print it out on poster paper and hang it on your wall.

But you're still not done.

Your mission statement is never final.

Your Business Is Never Done

A true entrepreneur will never achieve all of their goals because they never stop creating them and they never stop growing. The target is always being pushed out. New obstacles are always popping up that need to be crushed.

If your business is growing, evolving, or expanding, you need to keep a close eye on the details of that mission statement you've drafted. You need to make sure that:

Number one, you're ALWAYS working in alignment with your mission statement.
Number two, as you grow and add new team members or new services, ask if you're still meeting the expectations of your mission statement.
Obstacles such as people, circumstances, and sometimes real road blocks will threaten progress as you work through the challenge of meeting the expectations of your mission statement.

As entrepreneurs, the mission statement should guide us and help ensure that our actions meet our words. I could not imagine anything worse than being accused of talking a good talk but not being willing to walk it too!

This leads me to my last key takeaway:

Being bold in business isn't just about the wow factor, or even the oh shit factor.

It also isn't about thinking. Thinking doesn't achieve outcomes. Action does.

So put your foot on the gas and drive through the millions of distractions and obstacles that hinder the everyday entrepreneur.

Commit to The Grind

Along the way, I've learned that big, bold moves don't always work.

But they make things happen.

They get results. Bold moves make obstacles obsolete.

We were recently asked by the owner of a small property management company how we find new team members and get them acclimated to our culture.

It's a good question. Because we can't expect every new hire to be instantly at ease with our big, bold way of operating.

The answer? Get them comfortable with being uncomfortable.

How? Lead the way. Show up and be true to your words!

I know it can be uncomfortable to hold ourselves accountable. I know it's even harder to hold others accountable. In today's environment, as an entrepreneur—or as a leader of any kind—your words and actions never go unnoticed. Be bold but be accountable.

It can be hard. It may be uncomfortable. It will be worth it.

Until next time,

Kent Clothier
Chief Grind Officer