Why Making Lots of Mistakes is Good for Business

During these unprecedented times, we take our role as an essential service provider seriously and we remain open to service our customers. We understand that everyone is very concerned with the potential spread of the Coronavirus. We’re following the guidelines put in place by the federal government, local governments and the CDC.

Below are some of the safety precautions we’ve implemented to protect our team and our clients:

We’re offering discounts for our customers who are able to stage their items outside of their property for pickup
We’re vetting our customers before scheduling appointments and while en-route to make sure they’re not showing signs and symptoms of illness
If the customer has access to masks or face covers, we ask that they wear them (if masks are unavailable, please maintain a safe distance of 6 feet at all times)
We are sending home any staff member exhibiting any symptoms of illness for the recommended period of time established by the CDC
All team members have been assigned masks and gloves
We are not assigning more than two team members to a truck
Our trucks and equipment are being disinfected daily
We’ve shut down our office from outside visitors and anybody who can work virtually is being encouraged to work from home
The company continues to hold regular team-wide virtual meetings to emphasize transparency and keep the lines of communication open
The decision to come to work remains 100% voluntary

One of the things we’ve always taken tremendous pride in is being a thought leader in our industry. We may not be the most profitable company on the planet and we’re certainly not the biggest, but we’re plain stubborn when it comes to our values and principles. We know what we stand for and it’s hard for that to be influenced — especially as it relates to the client service experience.

We’re the first to admit that this stubborn posture often gets us into trouble! We’ve done nearly everything the hard way once, rather than copying somebody else who has already found an easier alternative. The result of this is slower (sometimes painful) growth.

However, there is a silver lining to this ideology. The pain you experience from your mistakes often creates a much greater appreciation and understanding for why you shouldn’t make those mistakes in the future. Pain breeds innovation. It creates your “why” behind your processes and procedures. The more your team understands your why, the less you’ll need to manage your what. Managing the why is easy. Managing the what reduces your team to a bunch of uncreative “rule followers.” Where’s the job satisfaction in that?

It’s for this reason, that we relish opportunities to learn from our mistakes. As twisted as it sounds, we almost look forward to these conversations. After all, if individuals within our organizations are making decisions with our corporate values in mind, then it’s unlikely that they’re making the wrong decisions.