Garage door industry magazine for garage door dealers, garage door manufacturers, garage door distributors, garage door installers, loading docks, garage door operators and openers, gates, and tools for the door industry.
Issue link: https://idoi.epubxp.com/i/134362
tEchNIcAL by Gary Lombard Guarding Against Complacency ne of the things I enjoy the most when meeting people for the frst time who are beginning a career in the garage door industry is their enthusiasm and optimism for what they see the future to be. O truly enjoy your work, why then would you ever consider pushing yourself out of your comfort zone? The danger is that being too complacent can derail your career. As you read this article, the IDAExpo™ conducted in Nashville has recently passed, and hopefully you were one of those who attended. Whether you are an industry newcomer or industry pioneer, you have no doubt had a chance to meet some new acquaintances who introduced themselves as being new to our industry. If you assume that the status quo will remain in place, you are possibly setting yourself up to be blindsided. If you stay in the safety of your complacency without a notion as to what's happening in the company or industry, your safety zone can become a danger zone overnight. Changes are occurring all around us that can make our skills and competencies obsolete. It is so important not to walk around with blinders on and to be aware of the changes going on in the door industry that can affect the performance of your job. Whatever the case may be, try to recall when you where frst getting started in your business or began working for a door dealer. Remember the optimism, excitement, and even nervousness you felt as you began? You tried to do your best every day, to ft in, to feel part of the team or to create the team atmosphere that you knew was needed to operated a successful operation. How long did all this enthusiasm last? How long did it take for you to perhaps not enjoy coming to work every day? How long did it take for you to feel that you knew what you were to do every day? Did you ultimately develop an attitude that you could do what you wanted, and when you wanted as long as you got your do's done for the day. Perhaps you developed the mindset that you didn't need to try as hard as you did before because your job was secure. No matter what your job title is, owner, manager, feld technician, or offce manager, I encourage you to consider the signs of complacency. It's wonderful to feel fulflled and comfortable with your colleagues and the company. If you 34 International Door & Operator Industry™ What is complacency? The dictionary defnes it this way: "A feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc." If you attended the IDAExpo™, what did you learn that you took back to your place of business and put in practice? A new product, a new idea, or a new way to run your business all together? Did you enhance your technical skills by attending the numerous training opportunities that where available? Making ourselves aware of what changes are occurring around us can keep us stay on track. Here are fve signs that can derail us if we become too complacent. 1. You are no longer striving to do your best. If you have been doing just enough to get by, beware. You should continue to add value and meet and exceed expectations to not only keep your job, but to have an opportunity to move up within your organization when the opportunity presents itself. Continued on page 36