Why Competitive Greatness Matters

Ty Cobb Backer 0:00

Episode 332, performing when it matters most. We have a kind of a belief system that either we're gonna push you up, we're gonna push you out. I don't want to be around five other people that aren't pushing themselves to succeed. Success isn't about taking, but giving value first. Compensation follows contribution always. This is true authenticity. It's the truth. Every week, this is our story. We share with you our journey, we share with you our scars. Please welcome your host, Ty Cobb Backer. Hey, hey, what's happening, everybody? And happy Wednesday. We got a rainy Wednesday. It's Wednesday. And before we get started, I don't want to forget, but it is Jana's birthday. So everybody out in the internet world, please wish Jana a happy birthday. She is 29 years and holding, holding everything she can. So, anyhow, welcome back, everybody, to another episode of Behind the Tool Belt. I am your host, Ty Backer, and today is 332 of these suckers under our belt today. And today I want to talk about something that I believe, truly believe that it separates the average mediocre from the elite, and not just in business, but but in life in general. So today we're going to talk about competitive greatness. That's one of our core values. I believe back on episode 317, we touched on it a little bit. We added it to our values at the beginning of the year, and I stole it from an author, a coach. I believe he was the winningest coach of the NCAA basketball. His name is John Wooden. And he wrote a book. It's called The Pyramid of Success. And I got this little playbook here. It's called Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success playbook. It's just a little thing that you can keep in your back pocket. I refer back to it every now and again. I'll finger through it. And I got a bunch of earmarks and bookmarkers and all kinds of stuff in there. So I stole a lot of what I've learned from his readings and some of his literature and stuff that he's written over the years. But he was an amazing, he is an amazing coach and mentor and to to a lot of young men over the years during his basketball career. So, you know, today, today I want to talk about that a little bit, give you some examples, real world examples on how, you know, I've I've seen things play out and our experiences. Obviously, we share mostly all of our current or past experiences, you know, things that I've felt over the years that that have hurt me. And I try to share with you guys the solutions and things like that. So yeah, so today it's gonna be it's gonna be competitive greatness. And for us, it's not it's not just a concept, but a way, but a way of life, because it it if if you truly understand this and and begin to to live it, it will change how you show up every single day. It truly does. You know, and and it's not it's not about ego, it's not about beating the next guy. Because when I first saw it myself, like, ooh, competitive greatness, our sales team needs needs that. And it's not it's not about being loud or or flashy. It's about something much deeper, at least for me, and my my perception of of what I what I think, you know, and truly that's that's just what I want to share, is my experience with. So it's about it's about who you become when the pressure is on. It's about how how you perform when it matters most. And so today I want to walk you through what this really means to me and how it shows up in business, how it shows up in my personal life, leadership, and and how how you can build this into your team and into your culture. So, you know, when when we say competitive greatness, here here here's what it means to me. It means performing at our best when it when it matters most. So let me say that again. Performing at our best when it matters most. So that means to me, not showing my ass when the pressure gets great, and and freaking out and flipping out when something doesn't go my way, or having a frickin' temper tantrum because people didn't show up for work, or you know, it's it's it's being able to sit calmly while everything is on fire around you and and thinking clearly and attacking the issue, right? And and trying to fix it so it doesn't happen again. So because here's the truth anybody can perform when things are easy. Okay, and I've I've lived that I've experienced that. You know, it's it's it's super easy when things are going great. Cash flow is good, everyone's showing up, we're getting jobs done, it's not rained for a month, what what whatever the case. But you know, and it's easy to be positive when when you know things are are going smooth and and all that good stuff, but good greatness itself is built, you know, in in the moments where you know things go sideways, pressure is high, people are watching, you know, and and outcomes actually matter, you know, when when you know I can keep keep a cool head, but but this is where I feel like great, you know, that that competitive greatness lives. It's the ability to stay calm in chaos. It's it's the ability to execute under under pressure. It's the ability to rise when I think most people run. And and here's the key competitive greatness is is not about defeating others, it's about challenging yourself. It's about asking, can I be better than I was yesterday when it actually counts? You know, pressure is an incredible thing because pressure doesn't create character, it it actually reveals it. Okay, I've seen so many people show their ass when things don't quite go their way, ruin the entire week because their attitude sucks and it's contagious. Their bad attitude just spreads like cancer, and and it everything just seems to kind of go in and turns towards shit. But but when things get hard, you find out, you know, you know, who is prepared, who leads, who folds, and and who rises. And and I've I've got to I've got to experience a lot of that over the years in in our business and in our company. I've watched people fold. I've folded. I've felt like running. I've came up with excuses, I've blamed other people when I was wrong, when I made a poor decision, I didn't I didn't step up, I didn't take it on the chin, and I didn't like how it made me feel. Especially when everybody knew that it was my fault. You know, I just look like a butthead. So that was the word I chose. I wanted I wanted to say something else, but I'm gonna try to keep it PG 13 today. Ish. So I've seen it over and over and over and over over the years. You know, I've I've seen jobs go wrong, I've seen customers upset, I've seen deadlines missed, I've seen storms hit at the worst times. We've had roofs cracked open and storm came rolling through, coastal storms. We didn't even have to be on the coast. We've ordered the wrong materials, installed them, wrong colors. I think one time we actually went knock on some wood here. I think twice over the years we've installed the wrong person's roof. Went to the wrong property, had people get free roofs. I've seen I've seen just about damn near everything. And and a lot of it has defined me. You know, it has created who I am today, whether I acted poorly, behaved bad, badly, but I you know, I almost feel like I needed to do that. You know, and I think one of the things that has helped me over the years is seeing myself in other people. Watching, witnessing other people behave poorly when a situation breaks out, and I think to myself, oh man, and I don't know if this ever happened to anybody else out there, but I know it's happened to me where I've actually had a moment of clarity while watching somebody else completely lose their shit, and how horribly unprofessional and the feelings that got hurt and and how how that made me feel and and those around me at that time feel when when I've acted poorly. And I'm not saying I'm perfect by any means. I I still have my moments. Um I think they're far far and fewer than they used to be. It takes a good little bit to really set me off. But I think the difference today, too, is if I go off the fucking deep end, people are listening, you know, because the other thing that I've realized too, if I'm if I'm going off the deep end every single day, every other day, people stop taking me serious. People stop listening, people avoid me at all costs, they walk on eggshells around me because they don't they they don't want to be subjected to the violence, literally, or the verbal abuse, you know, and feel like peace shit. Nobody wants to feel like peace shit. And I did, I did that a lot, you know. But I've seen people panic, I've seen people blame, I've done it myself, I've seen people disappear. But others, what I try to do today is is is step up, stay calm, take ownership, solve problems. Try to lead, try to lead to the best of my ability. And for me today, that's that's competitive greatness. It it takes more courage and more strength to restrain yourself than it does to unleash the beast, believe me. Okay, and here's the reality people people are counting on us all right in these moments when shit breaks out and storms come rolling through, you know, people count on us. You know, the teams watching our our customers, homeowners are depending on us, our family is impacted by how we show up every day. And and so the question becomes who are we when it gets hard? Who are we? Who do we want to be? Right, is a question I've asked myself many times over the years like, who do I want to be? You know, and it's helped, it's helped a lot. And taking a deep breath sometimes, stepping back, sleeping on things, whatever you have to do. You know, for me, it's exercise, sauna, cold plunge, you know, so I can show up, you know, and I do hard shit. I do hard shit all the time. So when shit gets hard, I'm already prepared for it. And we talked about that many times in a lot of these episodes of like, why do you guys do those challenges? Why? Because they're hard. Why do you want to do hard shit? I want to be comfortable, I want to sit on the couch and eat Cheetos. Well, I do, but don't. You know, I want to do hard shit so I can manage and and and handle hardshit when hard shit comes unexpectedly. You know, and and one of the biggest mindset shifts with competitive greatness is we don't run from pressure. We welcome it. Okay, we ask ourselves why is this happening for us? And not why is this happening to us? Nine chances out of 10, and I would say 10 out of 10 times, things are happening for you, even though they seem like the worst thing that could possibly ever happen to you at that time. Usually 10 out of 10 times, I'm gonna give it nine out of 10 times, but I'll be honest, no, probably 10 out of 10 times. What do you think, Vic? 10 out of 10 times. And I say I want to put nine out of 10 times in there because it doesn't usually work out the way that I wanted it to work out, but it usually turns out the way that it's supposed, it definitely turns out the way that it's supposed to turn out, and is usually the best thing that's ever happened. I keep throwing that usually it turns out, period, the way, the best way possible. Okay, I'll leave it at that. So most people, I think, spend their lives trying to avoid hard stuff. You know, they avoid tough conversations, big opportunities, risk, and responsibility, but they but their mouth says otherwise, but their actions speak louder than their words. What'd your dad used to say to you?

SPEAKER_02 13:52

What it what did your dad your He said to me, Your actions are so loud I can't hear a damn thing you're saying.

Construction Examples When Plans Break

Leadership Standards And Daily Training

Building Culture Through Accountability

Recognition That Shapes Behavior

Ty Cobb Backer 13:59

Your actions are so loud, I can't hear a word you're saying. I can't hear a word you're saying. Does anybody know anybody like that? Right? That that talks a real big game. And listen, I'm not I'm not perfect. I and and I've gotten better at apologies, which I don't like giving apologies, so I don't try to show my ass as often as I used to show my ass, you know, because pressure's gonna happen. Things are things things things are gonna happen unavoidably, things inevitably things are gonna happen because when things come, the the pressure comes. But but high high performers, not said or self-claimed high performers, but true leaders, okay. They lean in, they lean into it, they understand something very powerful. The moments that test you are the moments that grow you. Okay, I'm gonna say that again. The moments that test you, because that's all it is, it's just a test, okay, are the moments that grow you. Okay, so instead of saying, why is this happening to me, say this is my moment, this is where I prove something, this is where I grow, this is where I'm going to lead. I'm going to be a an actual leader today. And and when you build, when you build this, okay, when that mind shift change starts to happen, big things come your way, changes start to happen, and your team, okay, are watching. And if they've been with you long enough, they've watched you endure a lot of pain, a lot of struggles, and get through it. And then what happens, it bonds us because we're actually getting through a lot of things. We had a meeting yesterday, we had our global meeting, and I had made a comment that that we've been tested multiple times. And and Chris Baker locked eyes with me because he knows. And Vic, I looked over at Vic, I looked over at John. Kim was looking up at me. I seen Perry turn around and Sam because they know we've bonded, you know, over the years of getting through stuff, you know, together. You know, because what I can't do by myself, we can do together. And we have time and time again, we have, we've gotten through good times, bad times, ebbs, flows, seasons, doesn't matter, hard winters, good springs, the good times and the bad times, we've gotten through it together. So I'm gonna make this real for a second. In in our world of construction, roofing, you know, competitive greatness shows up daily. You have an opportunity. Okay. It shows up when, you know, the crew is behind schedule, people call off work, a job isn't going as planned, a customer's frustrated, weather throws everything off. Like today it's raining. And I don't think most people understand one day of rain puts us three days behind, a whole week worth of rain puts us damn near two weeks behind schedule. You know, and I understand people get tired, right? But that's when, that's when the question needs to be asked, right? Are are we going to coast or are we going to step up? Are we going to rise to the occasion? Because competitive greatness tells me, okay, we rise, we don't cut corners, we don't lower standards, we don't blame circumstances. We execute, we communicate, we solve problems, we take ownership, and we deliver. Okay, because greatness is not built on perfect conditions. It's not. That's not where the lessons are learned. That's not where you become callous to issues. That's not that's not how you sharpen your problem-solving skills. That's that's that's that's it in in smooth conditions. You know, there's an old saying that smooth seas don't make great captains, right? And I know that firsthand. Anytime it got rough out there and shit got hairy, that's where I've learned the most on how to boat. Same on a golf course. Okay. Traditions are or the the conditions or the terrain is tough, has only made me better. So it builds, it builds, that's where greatness is built. It builds on on consistent standards, especially when when things are hard and they're tough. And if you're listening right now, if you're a leader and you're listening or want to be a leader, okay, this all starts with you. Okay, your team will only go as far as your example. Okay, if you panic, they panic. If you blame, they blame. If you stay calm and lead, guess what? They follow. Okay. So here's something I want you to really lock in on. Okay, success is not a destination, it's a daily pursuit. It is it's a daily pursuit. Okay, so competitive greatness is not something you you turn on once in a while. It's something that you train, it's a skill. You have to develop it. And every single day, it's in your preparation, it's in your discipline, it's in your attitude, it's it's in your consistency. Because when the big moment comes, okay, you don't rise to the occasion, you fall back on your old training. And if you want to perform when it matters most, you got to prepare when it doesn't. Okay. So that's where grit is built, confidence is built, resiliency is built. It's got to become a rubber band. So over time, sometimes something powerful happens. Okay. Pressure no longer feels overwhelming. Okay, it feels familiar. That's why we do hard shit all the time. And when it starts to feel familiar, you can you can dominate it. Okay. So now let's talk about culture, our culture, because this isn't just about individuals, it's about teams. It's way bigger than me. All right. When when you can build a culture of competitive greatness, and believe me, it's tough. Not everyone is gonna pick up what I'm putting down here. Not every and it's it's pain, painful at times. I I get it, I get it. When you can build a culture where people hold each other accountable and and the standards are high and the excuses get eliminated and performance rises, that's when you're moving in the right direction. Where when when I can step back and I actually see our other team members holding other team members accountable, that's that's a pretty cool thing. That's and It's not that we're necessarily it's it's one of those things where it's like I'd prefer to step on your toes and not your grave, especially when it comes to safety. Um we take safety pretty serious around here. It doesn't always go the way that we want it to go, and not everybody's holding everybody accountable because sometimes they just turn a blind eye to it. But and then when someone gets injured, then all of a sudden everybody wants to scramble and figure out what went wrong. And but anyhow, it's a different topic. But but here's the key you have to we have to define it, okay. We we have to talk about it. What is the standard? We just can't say the standard is what the standard is. What is our standard, right? Usually core values, KPIs, SOPs, all those things, right? And that stuff, it's so tiring, it never stops. It's very fluid, things change. It's very tiring. But once you get them and you you start on that path, right? We have to reinforce them. It has to be reinforced, right? And the other thing is too, okay, we have to celebrate the moments when your team shows up under pressure. Okay. So we intentionally do shout-outs. And the one thing that I've noticed, okay, about the shout-outs is usually it's the same people getting shout-out. Okay. The reason for that is because what you recognize gets repeated. Okay. And over time you build a team that doesn't just work together, they battle together. Those that don't normally get the shout-outs should probably look at why they're not getting a shout-out. And it doesn't necessarily mean that they don't deserve a shout-out, it's just that there's other people staying longer, working harder, and accomplishing more things that are being noticed by the whole. What I mean by the whole is the group. You know, so if people have to go and double check and make sure you're doing your job right, or you're stealing time, or you're always late for deadlines and things like that, you're probably not going to get a shout-out. But if you're exceeding timelines and you're getting things done on time, so the next person, you're not holding the next person up, you're probably going to get a shout out. Okay. And this is the thing. You we have to identify, you know, those that are staying late. The salesperson who handled, you know, a tough situation with integrity, the leader who stayed calm when things got uh out of control. Okay. You have to recognize those things. And we've gotten better about that over the years. I know I know we have. I see it. I seen, I got to experience it yesterday. So, anyhow, so be before I wrap up today, I want to leave you guys with this. Okay, competitive greatness is not about being perfect. Okay. Lord knows that I have not been perfect. It's about being present, being prepared and and powerful when it matters most. It's about staying calm in the storm, rising under pressure, okay, and and choosing growth over comfort. Because the truth is, okay, those moments you want to avoid, those are the exact moments that define you. Okay, so don't run from them. Step, lean, lean into them, embrace them, grow through them, lead through them, learn from them. And if if you can do that, okay, you won't just build a successful business, but you'll have an amazing life, okay, and you'll build a culture of greatness. Okay, so thank you guys for tuning in to episode 332 of Behind the Tool Belt. If this message has hit home for you, share it with your team, share it with somebody who needs to hear it right now and always and always remember this. Keep building, keep growing, and let's keep showing up with competitive greatness, and we'll see you on the next one.

Final Challenge And Share It

SPEAKER_00 26:11

Thanks to our sponsors, TC Backer Construction, Hook Roofing Marketing, Rufal, and Project Map It. And thank you for watching. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook. We are streaming on all major platforms. See you next week for another episode of Behind the Tool Belt.