Ty Cobb Backer: 0:02

And we are live. Welcome back everybody to Beyond the Tool Belt, episode 293. I'm your host, ty Cobb-Backer. Thank you for joining us on this Wednesday edition. We will be back after TC Packer Roofing tiling windows gutters solar Roofing tiling windows gutters solar TC Packer TC Packer.

Speaker 2: 0:45

Tool Belt, where the stories are bold, the conversations are real and the insights come to you live, raw and uncut. Every week, host Ty Cobb-Backer sits down to bring you the stories, the struggles, the lessons learned and the wins. No filters, no scripts, just the truth. Please welcome your host of Behind the Tool Belt, ty Cobb-Backer, hey hey, hey, welcome back everybody to episode 293, behind the Tool Belt.

Ty Cobb Backer: 1:09

And I don't know if it's rained yet this week, which is kind of unusual for us, but welcome back everybody. Thank you for joining us on this Wednesday edition. This is the show where we get real about leadership mindset and building something that lasts, not just on the job site but in life. Today's episode, it's going to be all about energy, and no, I'm not talking about solar panels and battery backups. I'm actually talking about energy that a leader should bring as a team builder and as the person looks when things get tough right.

Ty Cobb Backer: 1:57

Things aren't always as easy as things may appear from the outside, and what I've done recently here was is I picked, I picked the book back up and some of you may have heard me talk about the energy bus by John Gordon and let me tell you it. It rocked me. It rocked me again and I'm honestly I I read it and then I'm I've been listening to it on my way to work and on my way home from work every single day for probably about a month and literally, if you sit down to read a book, it's a short read. It would probably take you maybe an hour if you're a really good, fast reader. But for me it's a book that I've studied and I've taken notes and I thought today I would break those notes out of the archives. And as I've been reviewing those notes over the past several weeks, I've added my own little interpretations of certain things. And by all means I'm not perfect at any of these. I still have shortcomings, I still have character defects. I am definitely a work in progress. But when I read it it rocked me so much, probably I don't know, a couple of years ago, so much, that I've added the title to my email signature Chief Energy Officer, yep CEO.

Ty Cobb Backer: 3:23

And why is? Because I believe that the number one job of a leader is to fuel their team and I've known, I've known that, I've known that part for a long time. I've watched my negativity spread amongst the team, I've watched other team members negativity spread amongst the team and I've also watched my positivity spread. And I've also watched my positivity spread and I've also watched other team members negativity spread across, you know, the company like wildfire. So I thought I'd pick this book up, you know, because it kind of was the play for me doing just that bringing back the energy. You know.

Ty Cobb Backer: 4:02

So because, um, because today I'm hopping back on the energy bus, right, um, I'm going to break down the, the 10 rules, my interpretation of the 10 rules, and share how they've hit home for me, and and give you know practical ways, uh, to put this mind, this type of mindset, into play and how I've tried to apply it. And again, this mind, this type of mindset, into play and how I've tried to apply it. And again, I've I've not, I've not been perfect at any of this. And and again, I mean you know reviewing, you know a couple of these things that I've learned along the way. It's a reminder for me as well that I need to practice these principles pretty much. You know, in all my fairs, whether it's on the roof, whether it's in the truck, whether it's at the dinner table, you know, I, I need to practice these, these, some of these principles. And you know, in the book it doesn't necessarily have broken out. You know rule number one, rule number two. So you, you kind of gotta, you gotta listen, you gotta pay attention and and you gotta jot things down Like I do.

Ty Cobb Backer: 5:03

I study books right now. I'm also studying a book right now by Philip Hum. Now, I don't think he has any audible stuff, but it is the storytelling for business and it is so good and again, it's a short read, but the importance of the story behind the business, having and discussing relatable stories about you, about projects to the homeowner, to your team, and how you can articulate your message better through storytelling sometimes, because people can relate to stories right Like they may have experienced something like that where it kind of just resonates really well with them. So, anyhow, reading has been one of the biggest, probably game changers in my personal and professional career that I've ever done, whether it was, you know, self-help, improvement, you know, stuff that you know, and it always seems like there's 12 steps, there's 12 rules there's, or there's 10 steps or seven pillars, there's, you know, there's these, these guidelines, you know, and I was actually going to discuss, you know, some of them today because I was on the horn with Brian Good earlier this morning and I was like all right man, I got to get wrapped up here because I need to finalize what it is that you know we're going to discuss over the podcast today.

Ty Cobb Backer: 6:29

And and I said to Brian what do you, what do you want, what do you want me to, what would you like me to talk about today? And the first thing that came out of his mouth and thank you know, thank goodness and God bless, brian he was like I love it when I hear you talk about leadership. I was like, okay, I can do that, I enjoy that. I prefer one-on-one with somebody so I can see their reactions and that way I know which kind of direction to go and see if what I'm saying is actually resonating with them. So I find it a little more difficult to talk about leadership through podcasts, where I can't actually see people's you know, facial impressions or their body gestures and things like that, because I like to read people kind of like.

Ty Cobb Backer: 7:13

I feel like I enjoy speaking to crowds of people as well, because I can kind of read the room as well too and know which way we need to take this kind of read the room as well, too, and know which way we need to take this, because I have been on many, many, many, many many different journeys over my life and a majority of that, thankfully, has been sober and trying to lead businesses and things like that. So, but I like to share little nuggets with with people, especially those that are very close to me on how I've dealt with adversity, how I got through things, and not always just sharing about the losses, but also sharing about the wins. And I and I feel like that's what's separated this podcast a lot from a lot of different podcasts is that, when you know our guests come on, or if it's just me talking, you know, I, I, I'd like to be as truthful and and just share my experience, strength and hope, and and and hopefully it will inspire, you know, someone else to, um, you know, do great things or or even get them through a dark time in their life, because we, we all, go through it. I don't give a shit man, and unfortunately, social media today only shows highlight reels, you know, and we try to do the exact opposite of that here and continuously personally improving myself and in hopes that by me focusing on that, I can improve the quality of somebody else's life. Focusing on that, I can improve the quality of somebody else's life. So, anyhow, the 10 rules for the ride of your life on the energy bus. So, anyhow, rule number one and it's very simple it's that you're the driver of the bus, and I think we all know that. Right, we all were the driver of our bus. We're the driver of our destination.

Ty Cobb Backer: 9:02

If we tell ourselves something, that we can't do something, we're not going to do it, we're not, it's not going to happen. Because you continuously tell yourself that we're not going to do something, right, but if you tell yourself that I'm going to do this, I can do this. The, the, the power of positive thinking is amazing. I mean it is. You know. Of course, I've been fueled up to by, by others telling me that I can't do something. You know what I mean. But I think you can also allow that to affect you in a negative way as well, and it you'll start telling yourself you've heard enough that you're a piece of shit and you're going to be nothing. You know you.

Ty Cobb Backer: 9:39

You start thinking that, unfortunately, right, and that's why it's important to surround yourself around positive people. You know, and you know, take ownership, take ownership of your life, take ownership of your leadership, and no one else is steering this for you, right? Just because of outside circumstances shouldn't. Outside circumstances shouldn't necessarily affect how you feel, okay, and and I recently got to to practice that, right, like yep, shit's on fire over here, right, and I think that's the difference between a good leadership and poor leadership is that I can sit in the middle of the fire, the burning house right, and calmly sit there while everything is on fire around me, while right, there's other people who are freaking the fuck out and and and running for the Hills, right. But being able to take a step back, take a deep breath and and and focus on, right, obviously, how to put the fire out.

Ty Cobb Backer: 10:39

But you know to to elaborate more on that, that analogy, but but also you know to to elaborate more on that, that analogy, but but also, you know, usually it's not everything, it's not your complete world, it's not your entire world. Yes, let's just say my house burnt down. Ok, that one. First and foremost, that that is a thing. Ok, it's just a thing, right? Yep, I might lose some possessions in my house, but the important thing is, is that I didn't die, the I might lose some possessions in my house, but the important thing is is that I didn't die? The important thing is is that my family's not injured? The important thing is is that we'll be able to probably afford another house because we have insurance on the house today. So, as I go down this list of all these other positive things, right, and see, that's where I think we get.

Ty Cobb Backer: 11:20

We get messed up as human beings is that we get so fixated on the burning house that we're not even really looking at the things that are most important to us, right, really, at the end of the day, right, my, my, my family's healthy, I'm healthy, eventually we'll, we'll find another place to live. I'm sure people will step in and help us, and those people, right, the first ones that show up to make sure that we're okay, that that is who's important, those are the ones that that we need to be grateful for. Those are the people that we know that, no matter what, will show up when the house is on fire. And recently we kind of got to experience something like that where the house not necessarily and I know that sounds pretty devastating to a lot of people but okay, so that's 5%. The 95% of everything else that has gone well, that is going well, that's going to go well, right?

Ty Cobb Backer: 12:10

Typically, when that happens to us, when we feel like it's happening to us, it's actually happening for us, because typically, when something like that happens, you end up with like, instead of like a single story rancher now, you end up with like, you know that, 1700 square feet. Now you end up with, like you know that, 1700 square feet. Now you end up with, like I don't know how or why this works this way. You end up with like a 4,000 two-story house with like a five-car garage, like that is just how, and even you don't even see it, and you're going to bitch. Probably, if you're anything like I am, you're going to bitch because it's too big, or it's five minutes further away from work, or you're going to point out like every single flaw, right, you know. Or let's say, it's even smaller, right At first we're like, oh, it's smaller, it doesn't have enough bedrooms, and it's like, dude, and I was just blessed with a gift from the universe with another house that somebody probably gave me.

Ty Cobb Backer: 13:04

They had an extra house and I know that's kind of far-fetched, but I'm just saying it always seems to like work out, maybe not the way that I think it should work out, and that's the problem is I, it's the six inches between my ears that screws up all that energy, you know. And getting back to why I put that in my signatures, because I email a lot today, you know more than I probably ever have before and, quite honestly, like I probably work on other things in the business harder than I did early on in business too, only because we've been in an expansion growth mode for forever, and I have to watch my reactions more now than I have ever have. And that's what I mean by like that personal development, that personal working, that work that I have to put in to myself in order to maintain while the house is on fire, okay, and and have a clear direction and be as decisive as I possibly can be. So that that's rule number one You're the driver. You're the driver of your bus. Rule number two is desire, vision, focus and focus. Move your bus in the right direction Right, get clear on the goals and obsess, obsess I can't express that enough Obsess over your goals.

Ty Cobb Backer: 14:19

Ok, I think where most people get hemmed up is is like that first sign of pain, that first sign of growth, right, which is pain. Through, through pain comes growth. Can't, can't have growth without pain. I'm sorry, kiddos, I am sorry. My body hurts so fricking bad right now that I honestly felt like I had the flu.

Ty Cobb Backer: 14:41

Okay, and why I'm bringing that up is because I've been pushing myself so, so, terribly hard, because there's something wrong with the six inches between my ears that I thought at the end of this fearless 44, that I was going to look like a, a 32 year old, rip shit brick house, like I don't know what I was thinking. But so I'm pushing, work, we're getting down to it, you know, getting down to the wire here. I think we have four or five days left, right, so I'm pushing, I'm pushing, I'm pushing, I'm pushing, I'm pushing, I'm pushing myself and I'm not seeing the results fast enough. Okay, but I do know, with my biceps, my triceps, and as sore as they are right now, I know through that pain there's going to be growth. I know that and that's kind of what motivates me.

Ty Cobb Backer: 15:33

And it's like, especially when it comes to working out, like you go through these plateaus, right, like at first you might start feeling ripped and you feel that swole and you feel a little bulky, and then, about a week or two into it, like that goes away, right, like you stop seeing that, that swole goes away. And it's like a lot of people don't know how to handle that situation. Right, it's got okay. So now it's time for me to bump my weights up. It's, it's it's time for me to hit that muscle from a different direction. That means do, do.

Ty Cobb Backer: 16:00

Do I do skull crushers? Do I have to do curls? Which way am I holding the curl right? Am I holding it flat? Am I, am I bringing it this way? And a lot of people don't know that you have three heads, right, you got I can't the brachialis, the whatever, but there's three heads on your arm that that form and give you the shape and the size of your arms. Well, you got to work on all three of them.

Ty Cobb Backer: 16:21

You can't just continuously do hammer curls like this. You got to switch it up. Sometimes you got to do preacher curls. Sometimes you have to do incline curls, right, just to hit it somehow some way differently. Right, so you do some more research, right, maybe you ask somebody that's been doing it a lot longer than you, right, just so you don't give up.

Ty Cobb Backer: 16:39

But again, some people, most people, myself included I start feeling that I start experiencing that little bit of that pain. Okay, that obsession starts to go away. It's like oh man, this, this is painful. I didn't realize it was going to require this much work to, to to get through this, to lose 10 pounds, to create an empire. To to buy a car. To to afford a home to whatever? And buying a house, dude, that shit's not easy.

Ty Cobb Backer: 17:08

The paperwork right, and they ask you the same questions over and over and over and over and over, dealing with the bank and underwriters. I don't even think underwriters are real people, I think it's just an excuse that your banker uses just to stall shit because they went on vacation or whatever the case is. But like, but, dude, introduced me to this fricking underwriter, please, cause I'll dot his eyes and cross his fricking T's for him. But anyhow, I'm just saying you know, like it just it's a lot of work and some people just can't, don't have the energy, don't have the time or whatever, whatever. The stupid ass excuses that we tell ourselves on a day-to-day basis. Right, we got to grind through it, right, Anything, man, I wish I could think of that. How that's saying anything worth fighting for is worth.

Ty Cobb Backer: 17:50

I don't know the pain, anything whatever, but I'm sure you know, understand, so desire, vision and focus. You know on which direction you want the bus to go. And obsess, obsess over it. You, you have to obsess over it. So rule number three is fuel, fuel, fuel your ride with positive energy. Right, everything, energy, energy is everything.

Ty Cobb Backer: 18:18

Okay, you either uplift your team or you drain them. And and energy is the most important currency as any manager, as any boss, as any leader, as any entrepreneur could possibly have. Yep, you can have all the greatest KPIs, sops, and they don't mean shit. They don't mean shit if your culture is shit. Okay, if your culture is shit and the energy is shit, they're not going to follow the KPIs, they're not going to, they're not going to uphold the SOPs. They're not going to do any of those things. If, if your culture or the energy sucks, I I've I've seen it, I've experienced it, I've created it. Um, but I can tell you this for the longest time, we didn't necessarily have KPIs or KPI dashboard or a way to track things, and we didn't necessarily have all of our SOPs documented. But the one thing that I can tell you that we had a part of that ingredient was was our culture. Okay, and that is more important, you will get through anything and I mean anything doesn't doesn't matter how devastating it is within your organization If you have a good core group of people within your organization that are amongst that. That you have articulated your vision to that you have articulated the direction, articulated the core values of what it is that we're actually doing here. You can accomplish anything.

Ty Cobb Backer: 19:41

Is there a slight hesitation or something? Yeah, okay, I think so too, cause it's funny because I'm watching my mouth. Yeah, not, yeah, like we're watching. What are the? The old Chinese Kung Fu, kung Fu movie. Yeah, sorry, sorry. So if my mouth isn't moving with my words here, let me get a sip here Quick, hmm, sorry. So if my mouth isn't moving with my words here, let me get a sip here quick, hmm, okay, rule number four. Rule number four and I struggle with this. I struggle with all these. By the way, I'm not perfect. I suck a lot, a lot of times I do, but that's why I reach it like this, over and over and over, cause I have a very thick skull. I do, I really do so.

Ty Cobb Backer: 20:30

Rule number four is invite people on your bus and share your vision for the road ahead. Vision casting attracts the right passengers and repels the wrong ones. Right and again, anybody that works for us, that works with me, that has been a part of this establishment, knows that we've kept the wrong people around for entirely too long. Most of that my fault. Right, because nobody likes confrontation, but not knowing how detrimental that was to our culture, not knowing how badly that was actually holding us back. And I think again, we recently got to experience that. You know it's so funny, you know, when changes like that come, one you get to see the team rally, one you get to see the team rally right, and in the fellowshipping and the camaraderie, that camaraderie, we're going to kick everybody's ass. Let's go Right. And again, getting back to you, can you can accomplish anything, anything is possible with with the right team, and having the right team is so important, so detrimental to so many things on so many different levels. And so, yeah, to make sure you're inviting the right people, you know, and sharing that vision to the best of your ability.

Ty Cobb Backer: 21:52

I know I suffer and struggle with. You know I've talked about the cemetery across the parking lot here, where I've used that as an analogy, where you know I am guilty of just, you know, telling someone to go over to that cemetery over there and they're kind of like, ok, and they'll go over, no problem, but they'll be wondering and asking themselves, why does he want me to come over to the cemetery over here, when I should have said, hey, there's a cemetery across the parking lot over here, and every time the wind blows, the tree branches blow across the top of this tombstone and it's damaging it. Right, just that little bit of more information. Like, I need you to go over there, I need you to trim these branches up. Okay, so now they're pretty pumped, they're like, oh shit, I need a chainsaw and just, and they run over there. Hopefully they get over there and they start trimming up this tree. And as they're there, if you've chosen now, this is this is this is. This is very important here If you have chosen the right people to come on the bus, they'll open their eyes when they get over there and realize that there's two or three other trees over there doing the same exact thing.

Ty Cobb Backer: 23:09

So either they'll ask which isn't a bad thing They'll ask, hey, do you want me to clean these other trees up? Absolutely, do that. I didn't take notice, I missed that part. Yep, they're going to take care of it. So, instead of just going over there and cutting down one limb off the oak tree over there, they've noticed, they recognize, but meanwhile they're over there. They discover that there's leaves all over everything. Not only the tombstones that stand up out of the ground were getting damaged, but those tombstones that just kind of lay flat to the ground, you know, you know which ones I'm talking about. You can almost step on them sometimes. And if you don't see them, if you're not paying attention, well, while they're over there, they discovered that the leaves are covering these up. So, without even asking, they go and get a rake and they start raking things up.

Ty Cobb Backer: 23:56

Right, because you've chosen the right people. But you can have the right people but not articulate the message, the direction, be decisive. Again, guilty, guilty as hell. But I've been doing this long enough to I've actually got to see people on our team do that to other people within the organization as well. Right, which is cool, because I got to experience it. And getting back to the Philip Hum book right, it's not just about marketing, it's about how we speak with people. It. And getting back to the Philip Hum book right, it's not just about marketing, it's about how we speak with people, but sharing my experience, strength and hope with that individual saying hey, you know, sometimes we've got to be a little more decisive, and sometimes that also has to come from me to them, so then they can articulate that message to the rest of the team. Right, right, because technically and somebody said it to me this morning Ben said I should be creating my replacement, absolutely, absolutely.

Ty Cobb Backer: 24:49

He needs such a superior sales team around him, right? That sorry, hold on one second that he needs to have such a great sales team around him so he doesn't have to do sales anymore. Ben shouldn't have to do sales sales manager, right? So he should be looking for his replacement as he went from salesperson to sales manager and we touched on that a little bit. The mindset change and that's a whole complete other topic for another, another podcast here.

Ty Cobb Backer: 25:21

But number four just make sure you got the right people on the bus and know what seats. You know learning, learning how to put them in the right seats and making sure that we're as as managers, bosses, whatever you want to call it right. Make sure we're putting them in the right seats and we're giving them the right message. Right To relate to the rest of the team, and that's called decentralized command right Jocko Willink talks about it all the time and empowering them to make decisions and being okay with them making mistakes. It happens. It happens all the time.

Ty Cobb Backer: 25:54

I've done more wrong than right over the years and you've heard me talk about that, and I could go down a hole. I should. We should have an episode of all the things I've screwed up, but what good came out of them? Right, and that's usually what happens. The lessons learned? Or the 4,000 square foot house with the five car garage metaphor, metaphorically Right, like how shit turned into key lime pie? I don't know, I do too. I freaking love Key Lime Pie.

Ty Cobb Backer: 26:28

So that leads us to rule number five Don't waste your energy on those who don't get on your bus. Okay, they're not meeting us halfway. And I am so guilty I'm so fricking guilty of dumping time, energy, resources into people Cause I like them, they're good, they're a good person, just lazy as hell. Yeah, I've even said shit like that to myself, where it's like I like them as a human being and I've kept them around even though I've got used and abused and manipulated, and usually that's what it is. It's not.

Ty Cobb Backer: 27:16

I don't think it usually comes out to incompetency. Like I have, I have patience and tolerance for somebody who has a learning disability Like I. Will be the first one to draw it for you, draw a map. But if they're not even willing to step up, if they're not even willing to pick up the book, if they're not even willing to open up the laptop, if they're not even willing to screw up, right, then number one thing is is is you got to get them off the bus gently, open up the back door and push them out?

Ty Cobb Backer: 27:58

Right, and I hate to say that, but it's like, while you're focusing all your time and energy on that one individual who everyone else sees is taking advantage of the situation. Everybody else is watching it, everybody, and again, guilty, guilty as charged. Okay, everything and everyone else is suffering. Okay, because we're dumping all this time, energy, resources, all into the individual who really just doesn't give a shit and it's just here for a paycheck, right, and I would like to think people join us for more than just paycheck. Don't get me wrong. We all need to eat, we all need to feed our children, we all need to put shoes, school's coming, we got to go school shopping. We got to do all that stuff. Okay, trust me, I get it. I got three kids, three grandchildren. Okay, understood, got it. We got to make money. But we shouldn't have to surround ourselves around a bunch of lazy people sucking the shit out of everything around us.

Ty Cobb Backer: 29:03

Right, particularly energy. Energy is such a resource that? I don't think we. I think it's underrated, right. I think we need to talk more about, you know, positive energy and how that affects and radiates, right? Just it radiates and it's contagious just just as much, and it's easier than negative vibes. It is so much easier to be positive and have a positive outlook on things than it is to radiate negative energy and it's like misery enjoys misery. You know company, right, like it, just it, it just that's, that's just the way it is, you know. So we can't, we can't let negativity and and negative people, negative thoughts, enter into our circle. I'm not saying it's not going to happen, and sometimes they don't slip through the cracks because it has and it will, it will continue to happen. But now that we're more aware of it, that's, I think half the battle is us figuring out.

Ty Cobb Backer: 30:01

And again, you know we've talked about this at my new year's resolution this year was and I still am right Remove in negative, non-conducive people places things in situation. My goal wasn't to set more goals and stack shit on top of shit and break all these little mini promises to myself. So then I feel like even more shit. Now I'm done with that cycle, I'm breaking the cycle, and one of my resolutions was to was to stop stuffing which sometimes steps on people's toes and sometimes it gets uncomfortable. You know what? I don't give a shit because I'm carrying this shit around and I know what's going to happen if I don't say something now. I'd rather step on your toes now than step on your grave later. So let's just get out of the way, let's clear the air and move on. Right, I love you, still love you, but this bothers me.

Ty Cobb Backer: 30:55

Sometimes that's simple or articulate a story into it. Like, hey, one time I was in a position like you were and I worked for an asshole, just like you or like me, and I had to deal with some little whatever. Whatever the case might be, right, you can figure it out. We're all a bunch of manipulators and salesmen and women out there. I'm sure we can figure it out somehow. So rule number six and this is something I haven't done and I've been meaning to do this is post a sign that says no energy vampires allowed. Quit sucking the life out of all the rest of us, please. Right, let's stop. Do that. Protect our team's energy, protect your own energy. Right, by calling out toxic behaviors. Right, if there's someone toxic like, dude, we had to call that shit out.

Ty Cobb Backer: 31:40

I think there was a situation over at shop this morning or last night. It's like you know what. Deal with it. Like, call that shit out. Like you don't have to do it in front of everybody, but pull them in. Like, look, dude, we don't need that shit. Like you're still acting like you want to be a part of the problem. Right, you are a part of the problem. Like, did you come to me with any form of solution whatsoever? Are you just going to sit there and bitch about it and talk shit and stab everybody in the back about it? Are you actually going to step up and be a part of the of the solution?

Ty Cobb Backer: 32:07

Right, and it sucks when, when you get sucked into that negative vibe and listen a lot of times, it's really hard to get out of it. It's really hard. It almost seems like it's the. It almost seems like it's the easier thing to do. But man, I've been there, I did that. I've allowed it to affect my health, my eating habits, my exercise. Like it affects every aspect, negativity affects every aspect of your life, of your life.

Ty Cobb Backer: 32:35

If you don't wake up right, I'm not saying I wake up and I feel like woohoo and all chipper and stuff like that. I wake up and my shit is sore. Right, I'm sore, it takes me a minute. It takes, you know, but I've gotten into some better habits where it doesn't take me as long to start focusing on the positive things and I think what happens is as individuals, over stuffing things over so many years and decades, right Like we have our only I don't even want to say option or resource, but to wake up in a negative light. It's like like I almost feel like we haven't put ourselves in enough positive situations for us to wake up in a positive mood, because I think just waking up in general, I think we all enjoy just sleeping and relaxing and resting and things like that.

Ty Cobb Backer: 33:20

So you know, I stopped using an alarm clock a year and a half, two years ago. I used to set like two or three, four or five alarm clocks. Man, and I swear to you, man, it would, I'd wake up pissed off. I used to set like two or three, four or five alarm clocks, man, and I swear to you, man, it would, I'd wake up pissed off. I don't give a shit, it would just piss me off Like it would. Just it would. You know. Not that I would again, not that I wouldn't get over it, but it took me a hell of a lot longer.

Ty Cobb Backer: 33:40

So I get up at the same time every day, on Saturday, sunday, doesn't matter. I've been doing it. I've been doing it for decades. So why do I, why do I need to act like a child still in school, right, unless I'm doing things in the evening that I shouldn't be doing, staying up too late, all those things. But if you're a professional and in a professional atmosphere, you probably shouldn't be out doing things that you shouldn't be doing, where you still have to come home and set an alarm clock. I don't know, just my personal thoughts on that. And if you're trying to really do big things, right, if you're, you got to get up before the sun gets up, right, you got to get up before everybody else gets up. That just one thing I've always lived by, and and you know, early bird gets the worm, you know. So, anyhow, again, food for thought.

Ty Cobb Backer: 34:23

Rule number seven is enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride. I think we pretty much covered a lot of that stuff, right. Energy positive energy attracts positive energy. I mean, it's really a no brainer, you know, and and honestly I feel like the book could have been a children's book. You know what I mean. But here I'm an adult in an adult body, I should say, because the six inches between my ears still acts like and thinks like a child. I need shit broken out in layman's terms, right, I need someone to tell me that energy is contagious. I need someone to tell me that I set the tone. You know, in Baker you say when daddy gets home, he sets the tone. It is no different when I get to work, it's no different when I get here.

Ty Cobb Backer: 35:21

If I'm a miserable mess that is so contagious, I'm unapproachable. Nobody wants to be around. That shit, you know it's. Just, I don't know it's and I don't like feeling that way anymore.

Ty Cobb Backer: 35:35

Number eight, and this is something that I've, I've, I think we do, I think we all do a really good job around here with this. But it's love your passengers, right. I really truly feel like, um, we build a culture of of love. Um, you know, and it's it's tough to talk about that in the construction industry, like we're usually out in the field, right, but what I mean by that is that people will go an extra mile when they feel seen, valued and appreciated. Right and that is a statistical fact that that is just not my opinion. Right, if they seen, if they feel seen, if they feel valued, if they feel appreciated.

Ty Cobb Backer: 36:16

And again, I'm not the most perfect. I get wrapped up in my shit, shit gets difficult, blah, blah, blah. Whatever the case might be. But I also don't want to surround myself around people that need a pat on the fucking ass every 2.3 seconds either, like grow some balls. Okay, I'm going through some shit right now. I need you to carry the torch of the energy while my doors are closed, dealing with some shit that you probably caused any fucking hell. Go and spread the joy. Okay, go spread the joy for me. And what's cool is is that I know Vic has done that, glenn has done that for me, baker has done that, kim has done that for me, and Kim has also let me lose my shit on her too and not acted like a little soft-skinned slope head or not. What's that? Smooth head? Smooth head? Yeah, smooth head. I don't even know where the hell I came from. Julie was saying that one day.

Speaker 2: 37:06

Smooth brain.

Ty Cobb Backer: 37:07

Smooth brain, yeah, whatever, one day. Smooth brain, yeah, whatever, sorry, smooth brain, yeah. So, anyhow, I I could only envision what was those eggheads on um saturday night, live, cone heads, yeah. When she said that, that's what I pictured was uh, cone heads on from now. I'm showing my age because that was a long time ago, but, anyhow, love your passengers like everybody you, you know, and this is thing too.

Ty Cobb Backer: 37:34

So, ceo, chief energy officer, everybody can take this with them. I don't care what position, I don't care if you're a janitor cleaning fricking toilets at the high school. Everybody has the opportunity to be a CEO. Everybody has the opportunity to be a chief energy officer. You know, have you put a smile on somebody's face today? And I'm not even trying to get all woo-woo-y and shit like that, but I'm just saying, like you can build empires, you could change somebody's life. Okay, being a janitor, put a smile on your face, you know, just through positive energy, I'm telling you it is a mountain mover, right, a mountain mover.

Ty Cobb Backer: 38:14

So, anyhow, number nine, drive with purpose. Okay, purpose driven right, not necessarily money driven right. I hate when I see people post I did this much revenue, that's awesome. Good, that's great. Usually somebody that's been in business for about a year or two, or three or four, maybe four. Right, 80% of us roofing contractors go out of business in the first four or five years because of that right.

Ty Cobb Backer: 38:42

Chasing the money. Find your purpose, be purpose-driven. Purpose is fuel and I'm telling you it keeps you going. When challenges come, okay, the purpose. And again, challenge. Somebody asked me how do you do it? How do you get through it? Well, I don't stay fixated on the 5%. I focus on the 95%. Right, the 95. And don't sweat the small shit. Right, try not to. And again, every day I work on this. I am not perfect at it, by no means. But again, here I am. I can hear myself through the headphones. I'm listening. I'm hearing myself say this shit. Okay, anyhow.

Ty Cobb Backer: 39:21

Number 10, last but not least, have fun and enjoy the ride. Right, celebrate the journey. Energy comes from joy. Right, rule 62. For those of you that know what rule 62 is, rule 62, my friend, is do not take yourself so damn serious. You're not that important. You're just not that damn important. You know what I mean. And I'll get myself all jammed up. I'll take myself so damn serious. I need to be perfect, I need to be there. I need to do this. I dropped the ball there. Da, da, da, da, da da, okay.

Ty Cobb Backer: 40:03

So the biggest shift for any leader right, is realizing that nobody's going to come save you, okay, no one's coming to save us. That means own your attitude, own your vision and your decisions. If you make a piss poor decision, deal with it. If somebody else on your team makes a piss poor decision, deal with it right. Help them deal with that Right, even if you know what they were going to do was wrong. I've done it, I've seen it. Sometimes you just got to let them do it Right, and other times I have been wrong, even though I thought that they were doing it the wrong way. But it turned out way better than I thought that or expected it to turn out. So sometimes you just got to take the back seat.

Ty Cobb Backer: 40:48

And that's probably one of the biggest things, too, is learning how to not only be a good leader, but learning how to follow Right. And I've, I've thrown, I've wielded that big leader sword out there and right and, and just contradicted everything that everybody was saying and and, uh, it went to shit. Okay, then that's even harder to recover from. Okay, because I didn't want to follow. I didn't want to take suggestions from somebody right, one of my co-members, co-leaders and nope, we're doing it this way, that's it Right, and it turned to shit. But then yet I expect them to help me clean my shit up, okay. So let's put the shoe on the other foot once, right? I'm sure they're talking shit under their breath Like I knew all along that they shouldn't have did this way, but, being in the position that I'm in, sometimes I have to let people make a mess.

Ty Cobb Backer: 41:52

I'm in, sometimes I have to let people make a mess, but also I have to be there to help them clean the mess up, okay. And sometimes they make a mess that I don't even know what they were doing because, again, I trust I empower right People to to make decisions. I decentralized the command a little bit and shit happens, right. I could stand there, I could scream, I could jump up and down shit. I've even gone to the extent of just completely ignoring somebody for a month. None of that is healthy, none of that is conducive. And what have we all learned from it? Not a damn thing, really.

Ty Cobb Backer: 42:25

I found the best thing to do is jump in, help out, figure out what we did wrong. What can we learn from it? Right, I mean, that's, that's probably the biggest thing, um, you know, there, there was a time when I thought things. You know, we talked about this a little bit and I started really thinking about it. I thought there was a time where I thought things happened to me, you know, but this book, this book has really reminded me that. You know, um, that things are actually happening through me.

Ty Cobb Backer: 42:54

It's it's up to me to steer the bus, and once you're in the driver's seat, you got to figure out where you're going and who's coming with you. Right, like I, I can make and I've talked about this before. I can make any situation as good as I want, or I can make it as bad as I want, and today I choose to make it better. You're the driver of your bus, okay. You set the tone, you control the energy, and when you bring positive positivity, the vision, the purpose, you don't just build a company, build a movement, and I really feel like that. We've done that here. I feel like we've built a movement, right.

Ty Cobb Backer: 43:36

So, if you haven't read the energy bus yet, pick one up. I gave one to Lauren. Lauren's never given it back, which she doesn't have to, even though I bust her ass every now and then that she needs to probably pick it up more often. I should probably share it with a couple other people, but it you better get it, pass it on. Pass it on to your team. Start the conversation, ask who's on your bus, who needs to get off and where the heck are we going? Like figure, we got to figure out which way. Where we're going, right, because where we're not here to just do jobs, right we're. We're here to change lives. I've said that forever right For good, for better, for worse, right. So anyhow, thank you guys. So much for tuning in to Beyond Tool Belt. If you got anything out of this episode today, all right, share it with somebody on your bus. And, hey, keep your energy high, your vision clear and your crew rolling in the same direction. Catch you guys next time.