Monday Morning Memo 6-27-16

JLG,

Good morning, and welcome to Summer!  I can’t believe that we’re half way through the year already!  You’ve helped us accomplish incredible things in our first 6 months of 2016.  Now I want to focus on keeping the momentum going and building the foundation for an even stronger 2017.  A couple of years back, we used the theme of “accelerating the course” in our strategic plan.  Now is the time to give this engine a bit more gas and accelerate!  To do this, we need to focus on and understand our Corporate Goals.  If you remember from our Strategic Plan meetings, we take the liberty of defining these goals as something that we will never reach.  The minute we get close to them, we will move the bar.  The point is that we need to continue to push ourselves in these three pursuits:

1. Attract, develop, and retain the best people.

2. Execute 4 core competencies with excellence.
3. a)  Sales and Marketing
4. b)  Data collection / Distribution
5. c)  Project Management
6. d)  Field Execution

3. Exceed Our Annual growth and profit budget.

Take ownership of your own personal and professional development.  Then take ownership of the development of your coworkers.  We can only accelerate if we are all individually firing at full capacity.  Understand how you impact our 4 Core Competencies.  Work every day to improve all 4.  Finally, look for every opportunity to increase revenue or reduce expense.  Everybody touches our financial performance in one way or another.  How can you drive our performance?

Acceleration is often viewed as working harder.  I’m not going to use the “Work smarter, not harder” cliché.  Think of it this way.  Acceleration is only possible if the entire organization is running fluidly together.  Everyone has to be rowing in the same direction AND at the same cadence.  The more efficiently we work together, the more we are able to accelerate.  Acceleration comes not from you doing your job as an individual.  It comes from you contributing to the jobs of everyone else by driving the processes and working together to ensure a mutual success.  If any one of us is not in sync, we lose our capacity to accelerate.

I’ve said it before, and I mean it . . . I’ve never worked with a more capable and exciting group of people than at JLG.  If any business can accelerate, it is US.  Let’s step on the gas!  Have a great week!

Dave Foellinger

President & Chief Operating Officer

 

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Add A Spark To Your 4th of July Festivities

With our nation’s Independence Day fast approaching, it’s time to start preparing for your celebrations. Whether you choose to spend the holiday relaxing with family or putting on an extravagant party for your friends, we’ve got you covered with these awesome 4th of July tips!

Red White and Blue!

Synonymous with the 4th of July are the colors red, white, and blue. These patriotic colors never go out of style and incorporating white as a base while accenting it with different shades of red and blue is a great way to liven up a room without giving it a tacky feel. Consider showcasing a vintage American flag as the center piece of a room, as it allows you to flaunt your national pride in an elegant manner. Finally little fringe pieces such as themed flowers, tablecloths, and ornamental food dishes will make your celebrations feel complete.

Entertain Outdoors

New to hosting parties? Well, feel free to relax because creating an enjoyable backyard soirée is easier than you think. Pull up a grill and let the good times roll with 4th of July classics like burgers, hot dogs, and sweet corn that are sure to keep your guests’ hunger satiated, and for your vegetarian company, perhaps a delicious gilled margherita pizza would take their fancy. Decorate your backyard or patio with light hearted décor such as floral table linens, string lights, and festive candles to compliment the summer landscape

Arts and Crafts

Incorporating your own arts and crafts into your Independence Day decorating is a great way to get the kids involved while saving a little extra for your wallet. Using something as simple and inexpensive as paper can lend to countless possibilities such as cool red, white, and blue paper rockets or star shaped cut out placemats. Use your creativity and let the imagination flow!

There are many ways to honor our countries’ independence, from firework shows to bonfires with friends, that there will be no shortage of celebrating come July 4th. We at Flooring America wish you and your family a happy 4th of July and hope you thoroughly enjoy whichever way you choose to spend it!

Monday Morning Memo – 06.27.2016

Good morning, and welcome to Summer!  I can’t believe that we’re half way through the year already!  You’ve helped us accomplish incredible things in our first 6 months of 2016.  Now I want to focus on keeping the momentum going and building the foundation for an even stronger 2017.  A couple of years back, we used the theme of “accelerating the course” in our strategic plan.  Now is the time to give this engine a bit more gas and accelerate!  To do this, we need to focus on and understand our Corporate Goals.  If you remember from our Strategic Plan meetings, we take the liberty of defining these goals as something that we will never reach.  The minute we get close to them, we will move the bar.  The point is that we need to continue to push ourselves in these three pursuits:

1. Attract, develop, and retain the best people.

2. Execute 4 core competencies with excellence.

a)  Sales and Marketing

b)  Data collection / Distribution

c)  Project Management

d)  Field Execution

3. Exceed Our Annual growth and profit budget.

Take ownership of your own personal and professional development.  Then take ownership of the development of your coworkers.  We can only accelerate if we are all individually firing at full capacity.  Understand how you impact our 4 Core Competencies.  Work every day to improve all 4.  Finally, look for every opportunity to increase revenue or reduce expense.  Everybody touches our financial performance in one way or another.  How can you drive our performance?

Acceleration is often viewed as working harder.  I’m not going to use the “Work smarter, not harder” cliché.  Think of it this way.  Acceleration is only possible if the entire organization is running fluidly together.  Everyone has to be rowing in the same direction AND at the same cadence.  The more efficiently we work together, the more we are able to accelerate.  Acceleration comes not from you doing your job as an individual.  It comes from you contributing to the jobs of everyone else by driving the processes and working together to ensure a mutual success.  If any one of us is not in sync, we lose our capacity to accelerate.

I’ve said it before, and I mean it . . . I’ve never worked with a more capable and exciting group of people than at JLG.  If any business can accelerate, it is US.  Let’s step on the gas!  Have a great week!

Our Top Tips For Maintaining A Clean & Organized Home This Summer

Summer weather is upon us, and with that brings grass-stained clothing, children covered in dirt, and lots of sweat and germs that are bound to contaminate your home. In order to keep the mess of summer outside and the summer joys inside your home, we’ve compiled several of our top tips for maintaining a clean and organized home this sunny season. Read on!

Floors

First and foremost is the importance of your floors. We all know the value of beautiful and quality floors, so keeping those floors clean and free of damage is extremely important for both your wallet, the value of your home, and for the safety of your friends and family.

If your kids play summer sports or attend camp, chances are there is sand in their shoes, clothing, or hair, so make sure to keep a doormat at your entrances to limit the amount of dirt that comes indoors. Along with that, make sure to vacuum your floors weekly in order to rid your floors of dust and allergens.

Floors can ripple, discolor, and crack from the amount of sunlight and humidity that they encounter, so be proactive and keep your blinds and curtains closed.

Bathroom

The bathroom will be a room that will see plenty of activity this summer season thanks to sporting games and outdoor play, so make sure that counters, toilets, showers and doorknobs are regularly cleaned. If your home is prone to humidity, make it a point to keep shower curtains and windows open, and fans on, as this will aid in the prevention of mold, mildew, and moisture build-up.

Laundry Room

If summer is the season of active children, that means that your laundry room will be the room where they will unload their sweaty shirts, grass-stained shorts, and dirty socks. Keep multiple hampers for active wear and casual clothing, and make it a habit to clean the floors, hampers, and surfaces with disinfectants on the regular.

If you have additional tips for keeping your home clean and healthy this summer, share them in the comment section below!

Monday Morning Memo – 6.13.2016

Good morning!  My message today is really around the question, “Why do we do what we do?”  Sure, we’re in a for profit business, and profit is NOT a dirty word, but that’s not really our CAUSE.  To understand our cause, you need to look at our Mission and Vision Statements.

MISSION

We deliver great service experiences to our customers.

VISION

To create sustainable vibrant organizations which leverage each other’s strengths to enrich all customers and all stakeholders (owners, employees, and suppliers) and are driving forces (preferred, unique, and influential) in the Industries in which they compete.

First and foremost, we do what we do to deliver great experiences to our customers.  We have the opportunity with each and every customer to dramatically improve their work or home environment.  We have a visible and fairly immediate impact on their lives.  If we are not dedicated to excellence in the services we provide, we are just another “also ran.”  We have to be the best . . . for our customers.  We have to genuinely care about their experience and the quality and service we provide.

While the customers are critically important to our cause, we also have to remember us.  JLG can’t just be a place to punch a time clock.  We have to offer personal and professional growth to every employee.  After all, without all of us, there is no way to provide the great service to the customers in the first place.

When it comes right down to it, our cause is people . . . customers, employees, suppliers.  Doing the best we can for each person connected to our company.  So is profit and productivity not important?  Of course they are both critically important!  The profits generated are exactly what we need to reinvest in our company – our employees and our customers.  The point is that the profits will come when we are excellent at the services we deliver.  When we are excellent at our individual jobs.  When we are growing as people and professionals.  When our customers never think of a “competitor,” because there are none.  Are we doing all that we can today for our cause?  Keep driving!

Have a great week!