Great Teams Aren’t Built On Slogans

Ty Cobb Backer 0:00

Episode 338. Great teams are not built on slogans. 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. This is true. Every week, this is our story. We share with you our journey. We share with you our scars. Please welcome your host, Ty Cobb

Welcome And Quick Housekeeping

Ty Cobb Backer 0:33

Backer. Hey, hey, hey, welcome back, everybody, to Behind the Tool Belt. I hope you guys are having an amazing freaking Wednesday. I know I am. It's been a good week so far. I believe we will finish this week out strong. And before we get started, I would like to mention a few things. Do some, what do they call that? House cleaning, house cleaning tips? House house housekeeping. Housekeeping. Some housekeeping tips or just housekeeping? Something. I want to run my mouth a little bit before we get started.

Food Drive Update And Key Dates

Ty Cobb Backer 1:10

Food drive. We had an amazing, successful weekend for our mini, just to kind of clear some things up. Because I believe a few people actually thought that this past weekend was the actual holy grail, the mother load food drive. However, it was not, it was a pop-up food drive that we started, I think two years ago, to help feed the main food drive. So you didn't miss it. You can still participate. It is actually June 30th, and we will be having another pop-up, I believe, on the 27th, the 27th of June at the same location, Dotties, who is so gracious enough to allow our Madness to be within their presence and to solicit their Patreons at the store as they go in and out. Our team is out there begging for food and spare change so we can impact our community. So come on out the 27th, come out, just hang out, or come out, clean your cupboards out, and bring your food, your the stuff that's probably been in there for six months that you forgot and you bought doubles and triples and quadruples of, anyhow. Bring your Roman noodles, bring your Campbell soup, tomato paste, whatever. Doesn't matter, bring it down. We can use it. Our community can use it. So I wanted to sh, you know, plug our food drive. And then I guess. I don't guess.

Anniversary Story And Gratitude

Ty Cobb Backer 3:09

I want to give Janna a big shout out. My lovely, my lovely bride, my lovely ride or die. Today is in fact, and it's gotta be true because I'm getting ready to say it on social media. Today is our anniversary. And thank you, Tina. Somehow Tina either remembered or Jana did her live already and said I have no idea. But Jana said something to me this morning. We kind of laughed about it. Because kind of a funny story behind that. We don't remember the date. So Jana did some I don't know, tracking back to whatever day that may have been, and she narrowed it down to June 17th, four days after my mom's birthday. So, anyhow, happy anniversary, my love. I don't know if you're listening or not, but I love you with all my heart and soul, and every single freaking fiber of my being. So, all right. So today, today is episode 338 of Behind the Tool Belt. I don't know if any of you got a calculator or really good at math or not. 338 episodes divided by 52, because there's 52 weeks in a year, or divide 52 into 338 episodes. That is that is 6.5 years on the frickin' button. So I want to talk about some of my most favorite topics that we discuss a lot on here, not because running out of content, because believe me, there's so much content that I can talk about, and it really doesn't matter if I repeat myself a hundred times because that's what great leaders do. That's what great podcast hosts do. They repeat themselves constantly because I think I don't know how many times somebody needs to hear it. I used to know that statistic, but people need to hear things six, seven times, seven times before it actually starts to think or sink in. You know, in this, I heard I heard this the other day. I heard that they don't necessarily have to believe me, but they just have to believe that I believe it to get buy-in. So I'm gonna repeat myself on a few things today, but I think I'm gonna be able to unpack it a little better for you. I know I unpacked it for myself, and and again, this is usually our topics are where I'm at, either because I'm feeling guilty, because I'm not working on it hard enough, or it's just something that needs to be worked on because it's that time to work on things, because a lot of the things that we talk about are very fluid, it's not very static. Business is not static, business is the game of business, the sport of business. And if you've been in business for any certain amount of time, you know that the rules tend to change during the game. Mid-game rules change, you got to learn to pivot and stay very fluid. So, anyhow, I wanted to talk about having a great team and and and trying my best to lead them well.

Leading With Trifectas And Standards

Ty Cobb Backer 6:49

So, I want to talk about our trifectas. I talked about them a little bit last week and probably every single week, but I want to talk about specifically inside our company the three-legged stool that I'm sure most of you have heard me talk about, but it's the three-legged stool that that holds us up. And I want to talk about why clarity, trust, standards, accountability, empathy, and authority all have to work together if we want our people to win. Too, you know, every business owner says they want a great team, every leader says they they want people who care, people who who take ownership, people who who do the right thing, and people who who can work together without all the drama. We we all want that. Perry's trying to call me. Sorry, Perry. Because a great team does not happen by accident, it can happen by default, I guess. No, bad teams, cultures can happen by accident and and by default. How do I want to say that? Because if you're not doing anything, that's usually what's gonna happen. But if you're doing something, okay, something positive, right? That's not happening, and and with intention, that's not happening by accident. A great team is is built, it's trained, it's led, it's held accountable, and and it's protected by the standards of of the company because at the end of the day, the leader's job is not to do everything. And I'm saying that out loud, so I hear myself say that. The leader's job, okay, is to build a team that knows what right actually looks like. They have they have the tools to to do the job well and and and has the confidence to make decisions based on the values of the company. I've said this many times, okay. You do not grow a company by yourself. You might start it by yourself, you might carry a lot of the weight in the beginning. You might be you might be the one who answers the phone, sells the jobs, checks the jobs, collects the money, handles the complaints, and locking the door at night. Okay. A lot of us have lived that season. Okay. And sometimes I actually go back to that season, you know. I don't know why. I just do. Take shit back. But but there's but if but if the business is gonna grow, the team has to grow. And and when I say that, I'm not saying in size, I'm saying, I'm saying, I'm saying the team has to grow in clarity, has to grow in confidence, has to grow in responsibility, decision making, and trust. Okay, so today I want I want to walk through some of the foundations that that we have built our company around. And I call them the trifecta's. If you've ever sat in any of our meetings, I tend to come up with these trifecta's. I call them trifectas, I know what an actual trifecta is, and that's what I call them. Makes me feel like we're winning. So or sometimes I call them a three-legged stool. And and the reason I like that picture, okay, is because if if one leg is missing, the the stool becomes unstable. You might be able to sit on it for like, I don't know, a second, but eventually it's gonna wobble, and eventually it's gonna fall over. The same thing is true in business. We we have values. If if if we have values, okay, but no systems, we're we're wobbly. If we have systems but no accountability, we become wobbly. If if we have customers but no reviews or referrals, we're wobbly. If we have marketing but no brand or a clear message, we're wobbly. So let's talk about let's talk about the trifecta that that that help a good team work together and stay aligned, serve customers well, and and keep keep building something that lasts. So the first I would say the first most most important trifecta, okay.

Core Values SOPs KPIs For Clarity

Ty Cobb Backer 11:57

The first trifecta, and I believe probably probably the most important one is our core values, okay. SOPs and KPIs. These three things are foundation. They are not just business buzzwords, okay? They are not something you you put in a binder and forget about it. They are the way, they are the way we we tell our team that this is this is who we are, this is how we do it, and this is how we know if we are winning. Core values answer the question, who are we? Okay, what do we stand for? SOPs answer the question, how how do we how do we do the work? And KPIs simply answer answer the question, are we on track? Okay, if a team does not know our values, they will make decisions based on emotions, habits, convenience, or or whatever the loudest person in the room says, okay. And believe me, we're not perfect, we're not perfect at this, okay? But we do, and we can always refer back to them, okay. And if it and if a team doesn't have SOPs, everyone does the job their own way. Been there, done that, and it still happens, unfortunately, sometimes. And if a team doesn't have KPIs, we're just guessing whether we are actually making progress or not. And I remember not having KPIs all in one place where we could look at it. They were all over the place. It was so overwhelming to the point where it was like, we need a KPI dashboard. We hired a development company, we went, spent all this money, and I think James just came up with a simple freaking Excel spreadsheet that at the time worked, but it put all the data in one one spot where every it was visible to everybody salespeople, the sales manager, the the the production team, the the operations team, the the admins, I mean, everybody, you know. So that is why this trifecta matters so much. Values without systems become just words on a wall. And if you notice you walk through here, we don't have any of our words on the walls. Okay. That's not necessarily intentional, but it's kind of cool that we don't have all this, these slogans and these jargons and all this crap hanging on the wall. It's actually something that we wrote and we read it at the beginning of every single meeting that we hold. Okay. Getting back. So systems without values become cold and like robotic. And KPIs without values and systems can turn into pressure without purpose. Vendair did that led that way. Okay. With a whole lot of pressure and very little purpose. But but when you can when when when you can get all three of these to work together, okay, now you have something powerful. And I've seen glimpse of this. I've seen it. I've seen it. And it is a beautiful thing when it starts to unfold. You have a team that that knows the heart of the company, the the process of the company, and the scoreboard of the company. And we have all of these things today. And I know we have worked tirelessly on working for, you know, creating our core values and and coming up with SOPs and putting in them in a binder and making them digital and and and staying on top of them because things change, right? There's things that we might have missed. There's something we need to put in it, you know. But but it but having all of these creates alignment, it creates fairness, it it creates accountability, it also creates freedom because people know the boundaries now, they know what matters, they know what decisions should be based on. And I've said this before, okay, and I believe it. I do. If our people are following our core values, they cannot do wrong in the way that matters most. They make if if they they may make a mistake, okay. They they may choose the wrong material, they they may miss miss a step. They they they may need coaching, okay. But if if they are acting out of the right values, then we have something to work with. Okay. A mistake made while trying to do the right thing is a is is a very different from a decision made out of selfishness, laziness, dishonesty, or even disrespect. Okay. Leaders have to understand the difference. Okay, and that's where I've struggled. Like, when do I freak out? When is a good time for me to freak out? You know, you know what I mean? I have to pick and choose my battles better, even though I don't necessarily freak out. But like, if Chuck calls me up and says, hey, I ordered the wrong materials, am I gonna freak out about that? No. Well, I first and foremost, he called me immediately. He owned up to it, he took accountability for it and he came to me with a freaking solution. Okay. Now, if Chuck came to me or someone called me about Chuck and said Chuck stole the siding off the job site, okay, that's that's the difference. That's not following the guidelines. That's not following the core values, okay? Because now he's a freaking thief. Okay, not only did he order the wrong materials, but he stole it once it got delivered. Okay. I have to know the difference. I have to sift through the shit and I have to know the difference. Are they staying within the guidelines and they made a mistake? Cool. That's great. Why? Because now that becomes a coaching moment, okay? And and teams, our teams need to know the difference as well, too. So that is where SOPs come in. Okay. SOPs protect the team. Okay. They're not there to make people feel boxed in. There it's actually there to give them freedom. They are there to help people win consistently, they help the new person know what good actually looks like. They help the experienced person stay consistent, they help the leader coach fairly because the standard is written down. Okay. And then there's KPIs. Okay. KPIs tell us if the work that we're producing, the results. The KPIs, okay, tell us if the work is producing the results that we need. And KPIs are not just numbers, okay, to to beat people up with. Okay. They are it's actually an instrument, like, like on a dashboard, right? Like so if we're if we're driving down the road and my my truck starts to overheat, the gauge the gauge doesn't become the enemy. The gauge is just telling me something is wrong. It something needs attention. That's what the KPI dashboard is. Okay. That is how we should be looking at our KPIs. They tell us where to coach, where to celebrate, where to adjust, and where to ask better questions. So when I think about leading a great team, I do not start with motivation. However, motivation does matter, but motivation is not enough. We need to start with clarity. Do we know who we are? Do we know how to do our job? Do we know what we are measuring? That is the first trifecta. Okay. The core values, SOP, and KPIs. Okay.

Repeat Customers Reviews And Referrals

Ty Cobb Backer 20:02

Then we have the customer trifecta. The customer trifecta. Repeat customers, reviews, and referrals. This second trifecta, I want to talk about it. I want to talk about is repeat customers, reviews, and referrals. This this is very important, okay, because it tells us whether the customer experience is strong enough to keep going after the job is done. Okay. A repeat customer tells us that we've we've earned their trust. A review tells us a customer is willing to publicly put their name behind their experience with us. A referral tells us the customer trusts us enough to attach their reputation to ours. That's a freaking big deal. Okay. A referral is not just a lead. A referral is somebody saying, I believe in this company enough to tell my friend, my neighbor, my family member, or my coworker to call them. Okay. And that does not just that's not that doesn't just happen because we sold a job. It happens because the team delivered. Okay. They delivered the value, they delivered the promise. It happens because someone answered the phone right away. It happens because the salesperson followed through, not just not just followed up, but followed through on everything. Okay. It happens because production communicated. It happens because the crew respects. The property. It happens because billing was handled professionally. It happens because the whole company was aligned around serving that customer. Okay. This is where team cohesion shows up. Okay. And you can't have any of that without the first trifecta. Okay. A customer does not experience just one department. They experience the entire company. They may talk to one person at a time, but what they are really feeling is the culture, the systems, and the standards behind the person. Okay. If if one if one department says one thing and another department says something different, trust gets damaged. If the salesperson promises something production cannot deliver, trust gets damaged. Okay. If the job gets done but communication was poor, trust gets damaged. If the customer has to chase us for answers, trust gets damaged. Okay. And I'm speaking from experience, man. And I wish it was perfect every single day, but that's why I have to repeat these things on a weekly basis. But when but when the team is connected, the customer can feel it. They feel the confidence. They feel the professionalism. They feel that we know what the heck it is that we are doing. They feel cared for. So when we get a great review, that is not only about the person whose name is in the review. It is probably about 10 people doing their part. It is about the estimator, the scheduler, the project manager, the crew, the office, billing, leadership, building a system where that customer could have a great experience. And when we do not get repeat customers, reviews, or referrals, we need to ask why. Why? Why are we not getting? Where did the experience fall short? Did we miss the communication? Did we fail to set expectations? Did we create confusion? Okay. Did we finish the job but fail to finish the relationship? Okay. Because that's what it's about. About creating a relationship. At least for me, it is. A good team is willing to look at those questions. A good leader creates a safe place to look at those questions honestly. Okay. Because the goal is not to point fingers, the goal is it's to get better. Right. And then the marketing trifecta.

Marketing Brand And Message Must Match

Ty Cobb Backer 25:34

Okay. We talked a little bit about this, I think, last week. Marketing, brand, and the message, right? So I remember trying to think of what the heck I was talking about last week. Um it's also another three-legged stool. Okay. What do we got here? We got the message, we have reputation andor customer experience. Okay. And honestly, all three of those are connected. So let me try to frame this up marketing, brand, and messaging. Marketing, marketing is how people hear about you. Brand, brand is what people believe about you. And message is is what they are saying consistently about you so the market understands who you are, what you do, and why it matters. And and a lot of companies think marketing is just getting the phone to ring. Okay. I used to think that too. I really truly did. Like, how can I get the phone to ring more? However, that that is part of it, but but that is not the whole thing. If the phone rings and the brand is weak, people do not trust you. If the brand is strong, but the message is unclear, people do not know why to choose you. If the message is good, but the team does not deliver on it, then marketing becomes a promise the company cannot keep. That is why marketing cannot be separated from leadership and culture. What we say on the outside has to match what we live on the inside. If our marketing says we are professional, the team has to be professional. If our brand says that we are trustworthy, the customer experience has to be, has to build trust. If our message says we says we care, but our actions don't prove it, prove that we care, that's not a good thing. Our actions have to prove that we care. Okay. This is another place where where great great team matters. Okay. Because I can't do all of this myself. I rely heavily on my team. Okay. The marketing may bring the customer in. And today that's that's kind of my job. I got to get the phone to ring. Okay. That's where it starts. Okay. But the team determines whether the customer believes the message that we're putting out there after they meet us. Okay. And and and the brand, okay, and I used to get this twisted too. A brand is not just a logo. Okay. A brand is not just colors on the truck or a nice website. A brand is the reputation that gets built one interaction at a time. It is how people feel after they talk to us. Okay. It is what customers say when we are not in the room. It is the story the community tells about us. And that story is shaped by the team every single day. Okay. So that's why it is important, it is powerful to have a strong team. So when we talk about building a team and leading them well, we have to understand this. The team is the brand in motion. Excuse me. The team is the message with boots on the ground. The team is the marketing promise being either fulfilled or broken. That should not scare me. Okay. It should remind us how important our people are and how important leadership is. Okay. And what keeps a good team working together? Okay.

Trust Standards And Real Accountability

Ty Cobb Backer 30:13

Let's talk about how to keep a team working cohesively together. It's not just one thing. It's a combination of trust, standards, accountability, fairness, empathy, authority, and learning. Trust is where it starts. Okay. If people do not trust leadership, they are going to protect themselves. I've watched it happen. Okay. If leaders do not trust the team, they are going to micromanage. And when you have self-protection on one side and micromanagement on the other side, you do not have a healthy culture. You have tension. That creates a lot of tension. Okay. Trust does not mean we ignore problems. Trust does not mean everyone gets to do whatever they want. Trust means we believe the best. We communicate clearly. We tell the truth and we handle issues directly. Just like I was talking about with Chuck. I trust Chuck to do his job. Chuck trusts me to do my job. Chuck trusts me enough to call me up and say, hey, I made a mistake. Okay. Because we left enough room for error. A team needs to know that leadership is not looking for someone to blame. Okay. Leadership is looking for the truth so we can solve the problem. Okay. That is a big, big, that's a freaking huge difference there. And and standards. Standards, standards are critical. Standards create consistency. Standards make the workplace fair. Okay. Without standards, the loudest person wins. The most experienced person makes up the rules. Or the the leader makes decisions based on mood. Ben Nair did that. Still guilty of it at times. Okay. That is not fair to the team. That's not fair when I just decide to change my mind because I'm having a shitty day, or change my mind because I'm having a great day. And just you know, it's not fair. So when standards are clear, people know what is expected. They know what excellence looks like. They know where the line is. They know how to coach basically each other. They know how to hold themselves accountable. And accountability then becomes much easier. Accountability is not punishment. I think a lot of people think that. Accountability is helping people stay connected to the commitment they made. Simply. Put it simply, right? It is saying this this is what we agreed to. This is the standard, and this is where we need to get back on track. A lot of people hear accountability and and think it means someone is in trouble. It's not the case. But in a healthy culture, accountability is a form of care. If I care about you, I'm going, I'm not going to let you drift. If I care about the customer, I am not going to let the standard drop. And if I care about the team, I'm not going to let someone create chaos for everybody else. Okay. And fairness matters too. Okay. People may not always like every decision, but they need to believe that the decision was fair. They need to believe the same values apply to everyone. They need to believe that leadership is not playing favorites. That is so hard at times, and people feel that way. I know they do. And I'm guilty of playing favorites. You know, and that sucks. But I that I think half the battle is knowing that that has happened and it's taken place. And I do my damnedest. I don't even show my own kids favoritism. Old Jenna Bananas on there. Okay. Happy anniversary, babe. I love you. Okay, so empathy.

Empathy With Authority To Decide

Ty Cobb Backer 34:46

Empathy matters as well. Okay. We are leading people, not a machine. Okay. As much as I want this thing to be a machine, we're leading people, and people have families, people, people have bad days, people make mistakes. Shit, we get tired. People are learning, right? Empathy, empathy helps us understand what is going on behind the performance. But empathy does not mean we remove the standard. Good leadership holds empathy in one hand and accountability in the other. Okay. Too much accountability without empathy can feel harsh. And too much empathy without accountability can create excuses. So the leader has to carry both. Sounds like the ladies are having a good time out there. I know. Yeah. So this is the one, this is one of the hardest parts of leadership, at least for me, from my experience. We have to care about the person and care about the standard at the same time. Okay. So it's something that I definitely have to work on on a daily, daily basis. And and another another major part of building a great team is giving people authority. Okay. To make decisions. Okay. If if every decision has to come back to me, the company gets stuck. Been there, did that, have been the freaking bottleneck. The team becomes dependent, and people stop growing because they are always waiting for permission. Okay. Now that does not mean we hand out authority with no training, no values, and no accountability. Authority has to be tied to the foundation. It has to be tied to our core values, our SOPs, and our KPIs. Okay. But when people understand the values, know the process, and understand the scoreboard, okay, we need to let them make decisions. We need to let them lead in their area of expertise. We need to give them the room to solve problems. And yes, that means we have to let them make mistakes. Okay. That is a part of leadership. If we only allow people to make decisions when we know they will be perfect, then then we are not developing other leaders. We're just keeping control. Mistakes, mistakes are not always failures. Okay. Sometimes mistakes are tuition. They are what people pay to learn. I know I've paid a lot of tuition. Okay. The key is whether they learn, whether we learn the right lesson. Okay. When someone makes a mistake while following the core values, our job is to coach them through it. Okay. We ask, what happened? What did you see? What did you decide? Right? What what value were you trying to honor? What SOP applies here? What would we do differently next time? Okay. I ask that question quite often. What can we do to avoid this next time? And what would we do differently? Okay. That kind of conversation builds people. It teaches judgment, better judgment. It creates ownership. It tells the team we trust you enough to let you think. But we care enough to help you get better. Now, if someone keeps making the same mistake, okay, and this is where I struggle sometimes, have struggled over and over and refuses to learn. That is a different issue. That becomes an accountability issue. But we cannot create a culture where people are afraid to make any mistakes at all. Okay. Fear will shut down decision making quicker than anything. Fear will shut down ownership. That's where the blame and the finger pointing comes in. And fear will make people hide problems instead of bringing them forward. Okay. A healthy team brings problems forward quickly. A healthy team says, here's what happened, here's what I did, here's what I learned, and here's what I think we should do next. I love those conversations. Okay. That is leadership development 101. That is how you build depth inside the company. The leader sets the weather. Okay. Here's something else, I believe. The leader sets the weather in the company. The leader's attitude, communication, consistency, emotional control affects the team. All of that. I've brought chaos into a room and I've brought light into the room. If I'm chaotic, the team feels the chaos. If I'm unclear, the team feels confusion. If I avoid hard conversations, the team feels the tension and fills in the blanks. Okay. They use their imagination. But but if the leader is steady, clear, honest, and consistent, that gives the team confidence. No different than than your children at home. That does not mean that that we that I that that the leader has to be perfect by no means. Okay. None of us, and I mean none of us are perfect. I am not perfect. Okay. I have made plenty, plenty of mistakes, but the leader has to be willing to own those mistakes. Learn and keep moving. A great leader does not demand accountability from others. A great leader models accountability first. That means if I expect the team to communicate, I need to communicate. If I expect the team to follow the process, I need to respect the process. If I expect the team to live the core values, then I need to live them when it is hard, not just when it's convenient. There's a difference. Okay. Teams watch what leaders tolerate. Okay. And I've struggled in this area. They watch what we celebrate. They watch what we ignore. They watch how we handle pressure. That's a big one for me. Okay. Culture is not only what we say, it's what we allow. Culture is what we repeat. Culture is what we reward. It is what we correct. So if we want a great team, we have to lead with intention. We cannot be casual about culture and then be surprised when the culture gets casual about standards. Okay. Ben there, did that. Okay.

Practical Habits To Lead Better

Ty Cobb Backer 42:30

Let me let me let me give a few practical reminders. More importantly for myself, I guess, at this time. Leaders who who want to build a great team. Okay. Repeat the vision. We need to repeat the vision more than we think we need to. As a leader, we we sometimes think we said something once, and everybody has it. Okay. They do not. People need reputation, they need reminders, they need to hear where we are going, why it matters, and how their role connects to the bigger picture. Okay. Then we need to define what that looks like. Do not, and I do this all the time. I assume people know. I have to show them. I have to write it down. I have to train it. I have to inspect it. I have to coach it. I have to celebrate it. Okay. And I would say I can't confuse activity with progress. A team can be busy and still not be effective. Okay. This is why KPIs matter. We need to know if activity is producing the right results. Okay. Then I need to protect the team from confusion. Confusion creates frustration. And I'm I'm not the greatest at this, right? I I sometimes very unclear and and uh leave people confused, and and then after I see them frustrated, I I'm like, oh shit, I guess I didn't explain myself well enough. But frustration creates like disengagement and clear expectations are a gift, basically a gift to our people, right? The other thing is is uh praise in public, okay, and and coach with respect. Okay, people need encouragement and and they also need correction. Both both should be done with with the goal of of helping a person grow. Okay. I I need to let people own their lane. Once someone is trained, and I struggle with this. Once someone is trained and aligned, give them the space to lead. Okay, and I've gotten better about this over the years. I cannot be, I can't keep pulling decisions back just because they might not do it exactly the way that I used to do it. Different does not always mean wrong. That was a hard lesson for me to learn, right? And then I also have to keep bringing the values back, okay? When when I have to keep them at top of mind when when decisions get hard, values should should help guide me. Okay. When people disagree, values should guide us, all of us. When when we are under pressure, the the values should guide us. That that is why core values are so important. Okay. They they we they are not decorations, I guess. They they are decision-making tools. They they help the team know what to do when the leader is not in the room. At least I hope so. Okay, so let me try to bring all of this together. The core values, the SOPs, and the KPIs, Trifecta gives the team internal clarity. It tells us who we are, how we work, and how we measure success. The repeat customers, the reviews, and the referrals, Trifecta gives us external feedback. It tells us whether the customer experience is creating trust, loyalty, and reputation. The marketing, the brand, and the message, Trifecta helps us tell the story to the marketplace. It tells people what we stand for and why they should choose us. But but here's the key. None of these trifectas work without the team, most importantly, our biggest, hugest asset. The team lives in the values, the team follows the SOPs, the the team drives the KPIs, the team creates the customer experience, the team earns the reviews, the team generates referrals, the team carries the brand, the team fulfills the message. That is why leadership matters so much. Leadership is not just about being in charge. Leadership is about building an environment where people can do the right thing, grow, make decisions, be held accountable, and feel valued. When a team has trust, standards, accountability, fairness, empathy, and authority, they can they can move together. They can handle pressure. And I've watched it, I've seen us handle pressure. They can work through mistakes, they can serve customers better, they can grow the company without losing the heart of the company. And that is what we are trying to build. Not just a company that gets bigger, but a company that gets better, a company where people know the mission, live the values, follow the process, measure what matters, and take care of the customers. Okay.

Audit The Stool And Final Challenge

Ty Cobb Backer 48:41

So I would say my challenge for myself and any leader out there today, we need to look at our three-legged stools. Where are we strong? Where are we wobbly? Do our people know the core values? Are our SOPs clear and actually being used? Are our KPIs helping you coach? Or are they just numbers on a report? Okay, are you earning repeat customers? Are we? Are we asking for reviews? Are we creating an experience that makes people want to refer us? These are all legit questions. These are all questions we should be asking ourselves daily. Okay. Is our marketing aligned with our brand? That's it's a question we ask every week in a meeting. Is our message clear? And most importantly, is our team delivering on the promise we are making to the marketplace? Then I need to look at my leadership. Am I building trust? Am I being fair? Are we holding people accountable? Are we showing empathy? Are we giving people authority? Are we allowing them to make mistakes and learn from them? Because a great team is not built by accident. It is built by leadership, it is built by clarity, it is built by standards, it is built by trust. It is built one conversation at a time, one decision, one customer, and one lesson at a time. So I'm gonna wrap this up. I know it has me, especially thinking about my leadership and the foundation, the foundations that are holding our company up. Remember, the goal is not to build a company where the owner has to make every decision. The goal is to build a company where the team understands the values, follows the standards, measure what matters, and has the confidence to lead inside their role. When you build that kind of team, you build trust, you create consistency, you serve customers better, you earn reviews, repeat business and referrals. And you create a company people are proud to be a part of. As always, thank you for listening to Behind the Tool Belt. Keep building, keep leading, keep growing your people. And remember, the tools matter, but the people holding the tools matter even more. We will see you next week on Behind the Tool Belt.

SPEAKER_00 52:10

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