I was recently told that a person I knew only through social media had passed away. His name was Hank Wiley (aka "The Sandman"), and over the last two years he hadbecome a fan of my company on Facebook and often commented on our work and our blog. I had really become fond of Hank, and later, when messaging with him through Facebook, I found out that he had ALS, something that recently took his life. According to a few industry friends, Hank was an exceptional person and a great floor guy. Even though I had never met Hank in person, I know that by his positive comments on our fan page he was still passionate about the trade, even in the retirement years. He was someone I wished that I could have met and learned from before his passing.
I was recently told that a person I knew only through social media had passed away. His name was Hank Wiley (aka "The Sandman"), and over the last two years he hadbecome a fan of my company on Facebook and often commented on our work and our blog. I had really become fond of Hank, and later, when messaging with him through Facebook, I found out that he had ALS, something that recently took his life. According to a few industry friends, Hank was an exceptional person and a great floor guy. Even though I had never met Hank in person, I know that by his positive comments on our fan page he was still passionate about the trade, even in the retirement years. He was someone I wished that I could have met and learned from before his passing.
In our industry the years seem to go by quickly, and I'm always interested in seeing what time does for someone's attitude. Some people seem to use time in the field as an assumption of greatness without regard to contribution to those around them. I see the comments often posted in the forums and sometimes on the blog about the number of years people have been in the business, and yet these people are virtually unknown when you ask around at the distributor or within the industry. I don't assume to know the answer, but when my time comes, I don't want people standing around saying things as generic as, "He did floors for 50 years. He's dead. Let's go have lunch." I want to be known for contribution and passing on information that improved a life.
I don't claim to have 30-plue years in the business, but I do know that I have a level of knowledge that likely exceeds that of most 30-year veterans in the field who never participate in learning, and that is because I have consistently spent the last 10 years around the best mentors in the industry at NWFA. Come to think of it, the veterans who I've been around in the NWFA never really use their number of years in the business as a statement of credentials. They just "talk shop" a lot, and it quickly becomes apparent they still have a passion to educate and a deep base of knowledge. That is what participation in a high-quality organization does for you. It makes the learning curve disappear exponentially and accelerates the process of mastery.
If I were to determine admission to the Expo or membership in NWFA based on who I want to participate, it would be:
- Good attitude
- No experience necessary, but experience is welcome if you qualify for #1
- Be honest
- Be genuine
- Interest in meeting new people.
That's it, that's all.
I want people who contribute to be a part of the NWFA and be a part of my circle. Come join me at the Expo-even if you just bought your first sander-and I promise I'll introduce you to my crew of peers and you'll learn something cool or helpful. Maybe you'll even win the Harley.
What I also really want to start this year is an army of passionate craftsmen (or craftswomen) who, regardless of credentials, want to raise the bar for service and return a level of pride to the business. It's much more productive than the same old speech of how bad the economy is and how much you're being underbid. Those people might as well stay home. There are two choices:
- Complaining about being underbid all the time and expecting jobs based on your tenure. Or…
- Differentiating yourself as a craftsman using the brain connected to your body to justify your cost.
If anyone reads this post and you are coming to Expo, then do me a favor and e-mail me or leave a comment. I want to plan an additional brainstorming and networking session after
my presentation on Tuesday so I can learn from the readers. Sometimes it gets a little lonely writing, because you don't know who is out there reading and what to talk about.
