The power of no

f nv n Seth Godin fan. If you are lnot familiar with him. you just might want to be. Indisputably one of the great marketing minds of our time, Seth is a clear and poignant communicator of big, important ideas. Simply put, his messages matter not only to your ultimate professional success, but to the success of your industry overall.

Recently, Seth posted the following list of "no's" on his blog: No. No, we don't take clients like that.

. No, that's not part of what we offer.

No, that market is too hard for us to service properly.

. No, I won't bend on this principle.

. No, I'm sorry, I won't be able to have lunch with you. No, that's not good enough. Will you please do it again?

. No, I'm not willing to lose my focus, and no, I'm not willing to compromise.

A simple but effective reminder of how critical it is to know who youand your brand-are, is served up in the power of a single word: no.

The clearer you can be about who you are, the stronger and more valuable your offering, and your brand, will be. When you know who you are-what your values are, what you stand for, what you will offer and how-the better able you can be in setting the necessary boundaries. In plain language, it's about learning to say "no" to the many opportunities in which you could partake but, when push comes to shove, probably .

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shouldn't.

As is reiterated by the French artisan baker Lionel PoilAne, "In business, it is very important to be able to say 'no' when you feel like saying 'yes' would mean losing your soul."

, a example, if I ask you to lunch and you claim you didn't get my voice message until too late, but when your story doesn't add up, the result is that I no longer trust you. The very outcome you were hoping for-to not damage our relationship because you simply don't feel like lunching today or have other things you'd rather dois exactly what results.

Knowing who you are remains at the core of our decisions and is a powerful place to come from when so many either don't know who they are or worse, try to become too many things to too many people. In short: When you know who you are, you can focus. When you know who you are, you can say, "No."

I find it curious that many people feel they have to be dishonest to others when faced with a choice between making up a story or simply saying: "No,I'm sorry I won't be able to have lunch with you." Why should the reality be so difficult to say? Far too many people feel they have to come up with some excuse or reason as to why they cannot-or simply do not want to-do something that's not in the best interest of themselves personally or professionally.

I find it sad so many talented people feel so vulnerable professionally that they don't yet know the freedom and success that can result when they finally stake claim as to who they really are.

In the words of the late Steve Jobs: "And it comes from saying 'no' to 1,000 things to make sure we don't get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We're always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it's only by saying 'no' that you can concentrate on the things that are really important."

Many of us admire the contributions and brilliance of Steve Jobs and wish we could be more like him. What we fail to recognize, however, is that the opportunity to be the kind of person worthy of our own admiration is always right in front of us. And it's summed up in a two-letter word: no.

Now, let's make this personal: l. What are your top five values?

2. What is your ideal professional reputation? Write it down.

3. Do your answers to the above align with your organization's brand?

4. How well do your daily interactions deliver on your ideal professional reputation - your personal leadership brand?

5. If I came to your organization and spoke with the people with whom you most interact, how many would be able to recite your answer to questions I and2?

Given the above revelations, what is the one thing (yes, one thing) you most need to focus on in 2013? And, given the above, are you committed to using the word "no" a little bit more? I hope the answer to that is, well, yes.

- Susanne Biro is a senior leadership coach with Bluepoint Leadership Development, Loveland, Oh., and coauthor ofUnleashed! Leader as Coach as well as the Leader as Coach Workshop. Reach her at susannebiro@bluepointleadership.com or (888) 221-8685.

Reprinted with permisston of Bluepoint Leadership Development. No portion of this article moy be reproduced without irs permiJsion.

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West Coast Lumber & Building Material Association (formerly Lumber Association of California & Nevada) elected Augie Yenezia, Fairfax Lumber & Hardware. Fairfax, Ca., as it new president during its annual convention in Monterey, Ca.

Other new officers are lst v.p. Mark Ganahl, Ganahl Lumber, Anaheim, Ca.;2nd v.p. Sean Fogarty, Osborne Lumber, Newark, Ca.; treasurer Bobby Senften, Friedman's Home Improvement, Santa Rosa, Ca.; 2nd Growth rep Danny Sosa, Pacific Wood Preserving, Bakersfield, Ca., and past president Richard McArthur, Ojai Lumber, Ojai, Ca.

Directors are Victor Fresca, ProBuild; John Mensinger, American Lumber; Jeff Pardini, Hills Flat Lumber; Matt Petersen, Mead Clark Lumber; Vic Hausmaninger, HBLA CPAs; Seamus O'Reilly, LP Building Products; Mike Potthoff, DMSi; Jim Turrentine, Cargotec USA; Chris Thoman, Simpson Strong-Tie; Chris Swanson, Swanson Group Sales.

The 2Ol2 President's Award went to Rick Roberts, Sunnyvale Lumber,

Sunnyvale, Ca., while 2012 Associate of the Year went to Jim Turrentine. Cargotec USA.

Retiring board members David Thom, Bruce Bauer Lumber & Supply; Bob Shepherd, Sierra Pacific Industries, and John Neel, Reliable Wholesale Lumber, were honored for their service.

Mountain States Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association will host its annual holiday pany Dec. 6 in the Mile High Stadium Club at Sports Authority Field (formerly Invesco Field), Denver, Co.

APA-Engineered Wood Association honored Allyn C. Ford, president and c.e.o. of Roseburg Forest Products, Dillard, Or., with its Bronson J. Lewis Award for leadership and outstanding contribution to the EWP industry.

Los Angeles Hardwood Lumberman's Club will host its annual holiday party Dec. 8 at Mr. Stox restaurant in Anaheim, Ca.

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National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association during its recent industry summit in Savannah. Ga.. installed new chairman Chuck Bankston, Bankston Lumber, Barnesville, S.C., succeeding Cally Coleman Fromme, Zarsky Lumber Co.. Victoria. Tx.

Other new officers include chairelect Chris Yenrick, Smith-Phillips Building Supply, Winston-Salem, N.C.; lst vice chair J.D. Saunders, Economy Lumber, Campbell, Ca.;2nd vice chair Scott Yates, Denver Lumber. Denver. Co.: treasurer Linda Nussbaum, Kleet Lumber Co., Huntington, N.Y.; manufacturers & services council chair Roger Dankel, Simpson Strong-Tie, McKinney, Tx., and federated association executives chair Paula Siewert, Northwestern Lumber Association, Minneapolis, Mn.

North American Deck & Railing Association welcomed new president Bill Ross, Fiberon, New London, N.C., during its recent annual meeting in Baltimore, Md.

Newly elected directors are Brent Gwatney, MoistureShield, Springfield, Ar.; Laura Kueny, DecksDirect.com,

Saint Louis Park, Mn.; Lainie Sleppin, Mid-State Lumber, Branchburg, N.J.; Matt Breyer, Breyer Construction, Reading, Pa., and Gus DelaCruz, Barrett Contracting, Millstone Township, N.J.

Richard Kirk Morse. 81. owner and founder of Canby Builders Supply, Canby, Or., died Oct. l6 in Charbonneau, Or.

During high school, he worked in his father's lumber business in Astoria, Or. He later attended the University of Oregon and served in the U.S. Army.

In the mid-1950s, he went to work for Newport Building Supply, Newport, Or. He and his wife, Carole Lee, bought Canby Builders in t959.

Franklin Bruce ttFrank" r lhe lr,lerdnril r Norrember20l2

Ivanovich, 91, longtime Southern California lumberman, died Oct. l0 in Newport Beach, Ca.

After graduating from USC, Mr. Ivanovich served in World War II as a radio dispatcher in London, England. Afterwards, he started his lumber career at Orben Lumber. Pasadena. Ca.

In the late 1960s, he joined Al Pierce Lumber, Newport Beach, Ca. By the early 1980s, he owned and operated his own business, Ivanovich & Co., Newport Beach. He then worked at Jewett-Cameron, San Clemente, Ca., retiring in 1990.

Mary Eloise Johnson, 70, coowner of Cascade Forest Corp., Shelton. Wa.. died Oct. 20 in Shelton after a year-long battle with cancer.

She and her husband. Al Johnson. founded the business in 1983 and worked side by side for nearly 30 years.

Kenneth James 66Jim" Hall, 87, former president of Western Machinery Corp., Portland, Or., died Sept. 21.

After serving in the Coast Guard during World War II, he graduated in business and mechanical engineering from Oregon State University and joined his father's company manufacturing equipment for the forest products industry. In the late 1970s, he became an independent manufacturer's representative.

MORE WCLBMA (continued from previous page) in Monterey: [1] Miguel Higinio, Steve Almanza. [2] Mike Potthott, Charlene Valine. [3j Pam Petersen, Charlie & Debbie Cain. [4] John Hedges. [5] Amparo & Steven Patterson. [6] Jim & Karen Bell, John Pasqualetto. [7] Matt Petersen, Chuck Bankston. [8] Michael Caputo, Danny Sosa. [9] Rick Roberts, Brian Bunt. [10] Mark Ganahl, Karsten Vardas, Pete Fleming, DeeDee Graham, Pete Ganahl. [11] David Abbott, Jerry Dunn. [12] Tom

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Scott Kassahn, [13] Troy Allen, Jacob Emmons, Greg Guilfoil. [14] Sheryl & Richard McArthur, Scott McArthur. [15] Lacy Palacioz, Bob Palacioz. [16] Donna & Augie Venezia, Victoria & Lany Heiges. [17] Jean Henning, Alan Oakes, Karin Caputo. [18] Jay & Holly McArthur. [19] Kevin llednnt

DECK EXPO landed at Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Md., Oct. 10-12. [1] Mike Rodenhaus, Dan lvancic. [2] Shannon Huneycutt, Dan Grebenc, Carol Kelly. [3] Brooke Whiteside, Alan Oakes, Rachel Avara. [4] Craig Jacks, David Elenbaum, Stuart Dimery. [5] Rick Ralston, Jim Miller. [6] Nancy Hamilton, Karl Sedlarz. [7] Scott Ricke, David Jacobson. [8] Glenn Eberle, Bill Tucker. [9] Adam Gangemi, Doug Reid, Katie Eberly. [10] Kim Drew, Chadie

Jourdain, Jessica Hewitt, Carter Welch. [11] UIf Konradsen, Wayne Hilton, [12] Bill Schaffer, Lee Robinson. [13] Scott McCrawley, Tom Heard. [14] Brian Orchard, Phil Lail. [15] Mike Coffey, Chris Johnson. [16] Paul Houck, Ted Davis. [17] John Forbis, Ralph Leyh. [18] Gary Roth, Erica Savage, Tom Curtin. [19] Tom Horvat. [20] John McGill, Bill Griffith. [21] Gary Bernstein, Ken Bernstein. l22l Erik Kiilunen.

(More photos on next page)

MORE DECK EXPO (continued from previous page) in Baltimore: [1] Joao Alexandre Malinski, Lucas Lundin, Romel Bezerra. [2] Chris Kollwitz, Ken Panitt. [3] Jay Peterson, Darrell Hungerford. [4] Terry Brady, Brett McCutcheon, Dustin Schroeder. [5] Paul Cavanelli, Dean Place. [6] Stephen McNally, Chuck Anson, Tim Luttrell. [7] Wanda Angel, Cindy Miller, Coy Green, Jerome Zenoby. [8] Vern Vincent. [9] Frank Butterfield,Peter Krihak, Robert Simon. [10] Tom Zimmerman, Brian Below, Eric Murff, Steve Schulz. [11]Chantale Pitts, Brad Finck. [12]Gerald Heatherington, Will Prichard. [13] Cathy Schaefer, Travis Jungers, Kelli Bergen. [14] Lisa Martin, Jamie Kreiser. [15] Flo Sanchez, Brent Gwatney, J.C. Rentschler. [16] Kirk Hammond,l/ark Smith, Huck DeVenzio, Erin Canosa. [17] Shawn O'Keefe, Lauren Booth. [18] Joe Dilio, David Kenworthy. [19] Joe Belden, David Peterson, John Burkhart.