Preseason Advice to Avoid

As an advocate for continuous improvement, I love the snow and ice management industry’s pre-season. The late summer and fall months bring tradeshows, conferences, symposiums, and articles like the one you’re reading right now to the industry’s business leaders, managers, and sales professionals. The preseason promises a look at the latest and greatest equipment, technology, trends, ideas, education, and exciting networking opportunities.

However, as snow and ice management professionals need to be incredibly careful what information we allow into our heads. We need to be careful what we listen to. Truth is, there’s some pretty bad advice and some damaging thought sharing out there. Most of this is not malicious in intention, but instead folks are simply reluctant to change and think differently.

Capitalizing On The Wrong Differentiator
This won’t earn me a spot on the Christmas card list of vehicle and equipment manufacturers, or software and technology providers, but that’s okay. Most of these folks wouldn’t take the time to handwrite or personalize the card anyway, but I digress. Look, I’m not discounting the importance of having the right equipment, tools, and technology for the job. And anti-icing and deicing alternatives to bulk rock salt are worth a snow pro’s attention. But, if you’re taking any of this to the market as your big differentiator, your prospects, clients, and marketspace is going to be only mildly and temporarily impressed.

An organization is nothing more than the sum of its people. Period. The team with the best people wins. If business leaders spent as much time focusing on their team members as they do their vehicles, equipment, software, and deicing products, their boost in measurable results would be astounding. If business leaders spent as much time shopping for and obtaining their next set of hires as they do that GPS system or new salt spreader, they could positively transform their businesses at an unbelievable scale. Despite all the iron involved, you should really be in the people business.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of Mike Voories guest column.