We recently launched our Quarter 3 plan to the BuildDirect team. It is the 9th quarter that we have been running the same process where we lay out the top 5 priorities for the quarter and the steps needed to achieve them.
I found out a long time ago that if you keep improving a little every day, eventually those little changes add up to make big changes. It is why having a passion for getting better every day is one of our core values.
As part of the Q3 planning process, we ask that every person in the company ”buy into” the plan. In other words, we ask EVERYONE if the plan is something that they can fully support. By encouraging active participation, it is not my plan, nor the senior management teams plan. It is the BuildDirect plan.
One plan; one direction; complete alignment.
You can imagine what happens when you have everyone on your team doing their best to get a little better every day and add that kind of alignment.
Amazing things happen. Who knows? Maybe you can even transform an industry!
Related posts:
Very true….if more people just decided to improve themselves or the world around them just a little bit everyday, we’d start seeing all those changes add up!
Great post and spot on! From my seat it is very clear that the end result of all this is a team of people that are commited, inspired, and motivated to achieve great things. This really makes it a pleasure to come to work each day.
If you don’t change then you will become stagnant and we all know what stagnant water smells like. I’m excited to see everyone here going that extra mile it makes everyone’s job easier and more efficient.
Great post Jeff! Applicable to all walks of life.
Each week I get a quote of the week from my coach to provide a little direction for staying on task for the week’s goals. This week’s: “Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones seem to take care of themselves” – Dale Carnegie.
Great timing for me to read your post and drive the point home!
Well put Jeff, surround yourself with “A” players and its only matter of time before your on a winning team, just look at Burke with the leafs!! (had to sneak that in there!)
Great article Jeff! Too often, companies create barriers to alignment. These include a lack of transparency within organizations, poor communication, complacency, differing core values and many others.
The culture at BuildDirect is remarkable. We’ve crafted a team that not only works great together while trying to get better at what they do each day, but a team that builds one another up instead of tearing each other down. We aren’t handicapped by mistakes but use the lessons learned to reapply to our personal and corporate growth.
This kind of culture can’t be built in a day, or a week, or even a year. It takes a group of like-minded, dedicated individuals with a common purpose years to achieve.
Every single person in our company can shape the future and success of BuildDirect. It’s a fun place to work that fosters a spirit of continual growth and improvement. Is there a better environment to work in?
So. Very. Critical.
Often times leadership has a great vision and a fabulous destination in mind but logistics end up being a nightmare. Although everyone may agree on where the company is going if the route is poorly planned and ill communicated you may find yourself loosing some of your team along the way. It’s not enough to say you want to get to the top. Everyone has to be on the same lift at the same time.
Great thoughts. Keep the team solid, keep the team together. Some pushing, some pulling all knowing their role and knowing exactly how they are going contribute to the win.
Thanks for the post Jeff.
-J
Jeff, one of the great things about Builddirect is the time invested in getting better everyday. Never a blame always an opportunity, people thrive and strive under that level of trust. We will change an industry a little bit each day.
“Never a blame always an opportunity” – I love what Jim has said here, and it really is one of the many reasons why we love working here at BuildDirect!
Almost six years ago, after my first interview at BD, I wasn’t sure if I got the job, but I knew I had learnt something that would stay with me for the rest of my life. It was a question framed in glass hanging right by the elevator of our penthouse office: “Are we better today than we were yesterday?”. I knew then that BuildDirect was a company I’d be lucky to start my career with (and surprisingly it was not because of the penthouse office, although it truly was a bonus !
Six years have gone by, the framed question is still hanging at the same spot; and here I am, still with BuildDirect, still learning something new everyday from my colleagues and our leaders. What has changed for me? For the obvious, I am no longer that fresh co-op student who was excited to use a commercial fax machine for the first time, but the interim Comptroller who is so proud and honored to be able to continue contributing to our company’s growth a little more each day.
So as it turned out, I am indeed so very lucky!
Great post. I really like your new blog. The tone is clear and positive.
Keep it up!
Cheers
John