ACROSS the Board By Patrick Adams
Getting real T
o say we find ourselves in interesting times may be the understatement of the decade. I was given advice when I was young that it was not polite to talk about religion or politics. If you added COVID to that list, we might have nothing that we could discuss! For over 30 years now, I have traveled… a LOT! All over the world and in a very constant manner. There were many periods where trip planning involved packing multiple suitcases that would be swapped during a quick layover at home measured in hours. By a landslide, this is the longest period that I have not traveled! That’s not to say that I have lost touch, however. Now, instead of my calendar being blocked out indicating I’m out of the office, it’s full of Zoom meetings keeping in touch, gathering info, and planning the future. It did get me thinking about something very interesting. First, perhaps I’ve learned that the routine of traveling that was a regular part of my life might actually be overrated and something that I actually might not enjoy anymore. But that is a topic for another day. The other interesting byproduct is that I feel that we’ve actually deepened many relationships during this time in spite of not being able to see each other in person. It occurred to me during a recent call with a customer and someone whom I consider a friend in the industry. We were catching up, sharing stories and discussing business. He was working from home, was dressed casually and in the background could see an assortment of items in his home office with doors leading to his expansive backyard. At one point, one of his children popped in and asked him a question not realizing he was on a call. He smiled and calmly answered his child and they closed exchanging “I love you’s.” Later, in the background I saw his dog tear across the backyard in pursuit of something. He looked over his shoulder calmly and said, “Either a bear or a deer.” He was in his element, was relaxed, and was his real self. This made me think about my business persona in the new work world of COVID. I too am calmer, more casual, and more patient to listen and truly hear the entire story. When working from home, I’m actually secretly proud when one of my kids stumbles on camera because I’m proud of my family and they reflect the real me. And
so, there it is. Has this new era of COVID made us all get real? It’s not to say that we are bipolar or “faking it” when we’re in business mode. But, I remember a piece of advice I got as a young adult. Someone I respected told me that we all have a “brand.” Just like when you say Apple or Mercedes, something immediately comes to mind. Well, we all end up with a brand as well and he stressed that either we build our brand deliberately, or it is built by accident. As a result, I have always been deliberate to conduct myself in the way that I want to be known. Professional. Competent. Credible. Trustworthy. Reliable. But I wonder now if those things come at the expense of revealing the “real” me? I find that I have a great comfort now in taking Zoom calls from home, wearing my T-shirt and ballcap and spending the first 15 minutes doing nothing other than asking about what is most important—family, health and what we’ve learned from this odd experiment we find ourselves in. I laugh when we get interrupted by a kid or dog. I am honored when I get “invited” into someone’s home during a call and as a result, I leave feeling like we just grew a bit closer in our relationship with each other. I do miss seeing our countless friends in the industry that we proudly serve. But equally, I’m grateful of this discovery and reminder of what truly counts in our hectic lives. A reminder that even without all of the “normal” chaos, we can still succeed and perhaps, even thrive by simply getting real. I am grateful for all who have taken the time to reach out, stay in touch, and especially, allow us to play a role in your success in this new year.
Patrick S. Adams Publisher/President padams@526mediagroup.com
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n Building Products Digest n March 2021
Building-Products.com
