A Great Place to Make a Mistake

That's me on the left with (back row L-R): Jay Daniel Moore, Daniel Boone, Scott Taylor, Jason Elquest, Roy Reichow, NWFA Education Committee Chair Todd McDonald; (front row L-R): Jon Namba, Mike Dittmer, Kjell Nymark, Joe Rocco and NWFA Director of Certification and Education Brett Miller.

I'm on the road heading to the NWFA headquarters for the Train the Trainer program and thinking about all the schools over the years and the personalities at those schools.

The whole point of a school beyond learning new techniques is to network, be yourself, listen, absorb everything you can and then truly share the knowledge. It's not that this is the right way or wrong way. If you look at the country we all have different issues, from moisture in the South to no moisture in the West. This year the NWFA is going back to a regional format for the schools and is starting a network of regional instructors who are qualified to lead at the regional schools.

These schools are a great opportunity to learn something new. When you're at a school, don't be afraid to tell people your problems. You admitting you've had trouble with a job doesn't mean you're a failure; it means you have an opportunity to learn something. There is always one guy in the crowd who is there because the owner, his boss, sent him. He's the hardest one to get to buy in, but if you can show him one or two tricks, you've got a friend for life. It's sort of an a-ha moment for that person.

The greatest learning experience for me was I was working with Daniel Boone to install the wood floors at the old NWFA headquarters in St. Louis. We were working under the gun to install the border and get everything ready for sand and finish in lunch room. All I needed to do was take the end-matching bit and run it around the field. I got about halfway through and it hit a nail, and that broke the bit on the router. Daniel said it happens-get a punch, drive in the nail and grab a new bit. Well, that sounds fine until we realize I set the new bit depth with the piece of wood flooring upside down. Rather than replace the wood around the entire perimeter they figured out a way to make a thicker tongue. I was embarrassed, but that's what a school is about:  Make the mistake and learn. Don't be afraid to go out, make a mistake and learn something new.