EXECUTIVE UPDATE

UPDATE EXECUTIVE

JON MELCHI

BIA Executive Director

Striving to Be Better

I've been involved with sports since I was five years old, and in the intervening years between then and now, I have played different sports (team and individual) and coached (high school and now for my daughters' activities).

One mantra that can be applied to any level of sports is "Be better" and, more specifically, "Be better today."

I like to add the "today" component because incremental and daily improvement is critical to achieving overall goals.

This ties into our industry and where we stand at this moment. I recently spoke at an event for a group of mortgage bankers. Following the meeting, I remarked to someone that I was surprised to hear the consternation in the voices of some of the attendees. This person replied, "Everyone is fast when you're running downhill with tailwinds. Now there's an incline and some headwinds, and some people don't have a plan."

We have had two years of increased activity, and many companies have been running at maximum capacity for a sustained period of time, navigating supply chain challenges, labor shortages, increased demand, and not always helpful cooperation from local governments. Now we layer on the economic uncertainty that has picked up over the summer, and there are a lot of very smart people who have no idea of what the short-term or long-term future holds.

I can't predict the future, and if I could, I would have cashed that $1 billion lottery ticket this summer. What I can do is see that the individuals, departments and organizations that focus on being better at their job and helping their teammates be better at theirs are going to find a way through.

In times of uncertainty, we all must look for ways to improve and more effectively and efficiently deliver for our customers, colleagues and ourselves. Create a plan, work on the plan, and get better every day.

At the BIA, we want to be a part of your plan to be better. We believe that engagement with one of our committees and councils, educational opportunities (online and in-person) and the many resources available to our members on biahomebuilders. com, can be invaluable assets to the development of individuals and companies that take advantage.

However, we need to be better too. And part of how we can be better is to get positive feedback from our members about what we are doing well, what can be improved, and what might not be relevant to you and your organizations.

I'm not exactly sure what the world will hold by the time the magazine is published. But, I can confidently state that your organization will strive every day to be better for you. I welcome your input and suggestions on how we can meet the needs of our members.

Author's Note: There are a few groups and individuals that I hope do not commit to being better. They include…the Pittsburgh Steelers, Michigan Wolverines, NIMBY activists and anyone playing the Bishop Hartley Hawks and our 9-year-old’s soccer team.