Taking pride in your business is a topic that comes up often in profiles that Dig Different runs. Owners and employees both take pride in their companies and the work they are doing.
By doing this, not only will the company continue to grow and evolve, but the employees will too. An employee who doesn’t take pride in his or her work will likely not go far in the business or the industry.
Bill Lietzke, owner of Poseidon Hydro Excavation in southeastern Wisconsin definitely takes pride in what he does. His company, featured in this issue, ensures its hydroexcavation units are cleaned at the end of each day and ready for use the next, and he makes sure best practices are observed when his crews are hydroexcavating.
“I believe we’ve been successful and profitable because we stick with what we know and do that to the best of our ability,” Lietzke says. “Looking back, starting a business like this from scratch with no help was an unbelievable task, but the dedication and having my heart full-in with everything on the line just kept me going.”
The main reason for taking pride in your work is to strive to be the best in the crowd and give your all in every task. Taking ownership of your work can increase the value of your company and your value as an employee.
TIPS FOR TAKING PRIDE IN YOUR COMPANY
1. Build a good reputation. Try to build a good reputation by having a constant record of great performance and work. Try to always produce the best results possible. This can build your company’s reputation within the industry as a go-to company and can make you more noticed and recognized among supervisors and customers.
2. Try to be satisfied with your role. As an employee, you should try to remember that each and every person has an important role in the company. From the swamper to the operator, learn as much as you can in your role and succeed in it.
3. Always try to improve. As a crew member, always try to learn things you don’t know. Then try to slowly improve by yourself. Same goes for the company — improve on the jobs you are working on. On each job, your crews can learn a new way of doing something; so have them implement that on the next job.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Taking that pride and using it in your next step is important. Don’t just sit there and do nothing with it. If you are an employee, work toward that promotion or toward running your own truck or company someday.
If you are the owner of a company already, have goals set out — to be a million-dollar company, grow by a set number of trucks or employees each year, or gain so many new customers in a year.
Having goals to work toward will only help you take even more pride in what you do and what your company does.
ENJOYING THE RIDE
It can be fun to learn and grow with a company, no matter which position you hold. There will always be challenges and ups and downs, but if you continue to take pride in what you do, you’ll be heading in the right direction all the time.
How do you show pride in what you do? Email me at editor@digdifferent.com or call me at 715-350-8436. I’d like to hear your story.
Enjoy this issue!
