manufactured home

The Power of Boat-Burning

Inspirations for Manufactured Housing Professionals, Uncategorized / By

Years before I saw the video of Tony Robbins and Oprah Winfrey below…

For those not familiar with YouTube Videos, we have nothing to do with the commercial
that starts this potent 90 second video.

…I’d already known the historic power of commitment, symbolized by the words, “burn the boats.”

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Victory Loves Commitment in Latin, image credit, calledconvictedconverted.

Those who move a proverbial mountain are always the committed! They make real decisions, a true commitment.  By definition, the committed give their all in the effort. By contrast, the half-hearted, toe-in-the-water measures are not how you move a mountain. For those folks who like the toe-in-the water method, sorry, but that’s the just proven by daily life. A quick example.

In professional football, the team drills, prepares and practices. They watch game film (video). They learn what each player is supposed to do, PLUS they learn what their opposition does. Then they draw up a plan to win. Then, they execute that plan. To be successful, the winners give it everything they’ve got.

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As every solider knows, real battle is life and death. Victory Loves Preperation…and commitment. Image credit, Tumblr.

Try to think of any time in any sport that wins with half-hearted efforts. You can’t. That’s just not how life works.

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Victory is achieved by Preperation, effort, courage…and Commitment. Image credit, My Life in the UK.

What we learn from athletics and team sports is a good lesson for professional life in MH is too. Toe-in-the-water gives you that same kind of result. By contrast, when Go-for-the-Gold, give it a burn the boats effort, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised how often you will succeed.

Norman the Conqueror earned that name by taking England, the first time that had been done in centuries. When he crossed the English Channel in 1066, he ordered that they burn-the-boats that brought his soldiers across the channel. That made it win or lose. Nothing in between.

Norman the Conqueror then addressed his men. He told them, in effect, ‘We are all in. We burned the boats. It is complete victory, or total defeat. Win or die.’ They won.

Fortunately in business, ‘all in’ doesn’t have to mean you risk it all! But it does mean, that once you have a sound plan, you don’t do it half-hearted. No-toe-in-the-waters. You go all out until you win.  Hit a road bump?  Adjust, go over, under, around or through it.  You do what it takes to win.

We see that principle at work with our clients. We’ve seen that principle work with MHProNews and MHLivingNews. We saw that principle work for the Louisville Show’s post-2010 comeback.

I had someone very well connected to the Louisville MH Show tell me a few days ago how terrible the show was in 2009. He recounted how it had been running down hill for years. No surprise that in 2010, near the depth of the great recession and how it hit MH so hard, that the industry’s members bailed, and would cancel the show. Bringing it back was no small feat. It took the works of hundreds of committed pros, we at MHProNews are pleased to have played an important role in that effort.

Who says? How about the Louisville show chairman, see his words – scroll past the video to the text in blue that he shared for publication – on the webpage linked here.

Lesson? Want to win? Set a good plan. Line up the resources and talents needed to make it happen. Keep in mind that talent can be rented, it can be contracted.

Then, go all in. Victory Loves Preparation. Victory Loves Commitment. Want to win? Burn the boats. Then watch as amazing things happen.##

LATonyKovach-LouisvilleShow-2015-mhpronews-com-275x156-11
L. A. ‘Tony’ Kovach is one of the most popular speaker-presenters in MH. He routinely has standing -room-only crowds. He will be presenting at the Tunica Manufactured Housing Show in March, for more details, click here.

By L. A. ‘Tony’ Kovach.

Another Key to Success

Inspirations for Manufactured Housing Professionals, Uncategorized / By

If you walked into a restaurant and the server didn't know the menu well, you'd be concerned or miffed.  If even a good restaurant you liked looked the same now as it did twenty years ago and served nothing new or different, you might be looking for another restaurant.

Study your product and service routinely.  See how it can be improved.  Check out this related article in Manufactured Home Living News, Professionalism, the KYPs and Manufactured Housing.##

Great Things Start Out Small

Inspirations for Manufactured Housing Professionals, Uncategorized / By

Reason suggests that all great things start out small. Warren Buffett’s mighty Berkshire-Hathaway, Bill Gates’ Microsoft or Sam Walton’s huge Wal-Mart all had very modest beginnings. Christianity began with a handful of committed souls; today 1/3 of the world says they are Christian. The mighty oak starts out as an acorn, and so on.

That said, we all too often judge a venture or opportunity based on the size of the thing. Based on the examples we saw above, one might ask, isn’t that a bit backward? Great nations, great companies and great causes all start out small!

What does it take to start your own or grow with another person’s budding opportunity? 

  • Forward-looking vision, seeing what is possible (visualizing the oak in the acorn)
  • Sound plan of action and ability to adjust
  • Deep commitment to the cause
  • A willingness to risk in exchange for the rewards
  • Leaving the comfort of the known for what is hoped-for possible 
  • Doing whatever it takes to make the vision come to life!

When a seed is planted, at first blush, it looks a little like a burial ceremony. For days or weeks, nothing may be visible. Yet all during that time, care must be given to that buried seed: the warmth of the sun (or artificial heat source), rain or watering (irrigation), proper nutrients in the soil and so on. It takes time to see the first green sprout, then the shoot and later still, the mature plant or tree that may then later feed its planter, caregivers and others.

In like manner, a new or budding opportunity requires similar factors:

  • The warmth of faith and positive action
  • The nutrition and moisture needed for the cause from the work of those involved 
  • Adjustments as needed to respond to conditions that arise (just as weather affects plant life, so too, conditions affect the new cause; both require adjusting to meet those conditions).

There is security sitting under the shade of a cause, company or organization that is already well established. Joining McDonald’s today is different than being a worker or manager of one of their first locations! Joining today isn’t a bad thing, but joining the budding enterprise takes courage, commitment and a spirit of adventure – and the rewards for those willing to take that early leap of faith and who stick with it tend to be greater.

Starting or growing a modest venture can be transformative. Taking what is to the next level can put a spring in your step, if…

…you believe and are willing to do what it takes to make the vision become a reality.

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Written and submitted by:
L. A. ‘Tony’ Kovach
Publisher and Marketing Director
www.MHMarketingSalesManagement.com  or www.MHMSM.com

Mending Fences

Inspirations for Manufactured Housing Professionals, Uncategorized / By

Ask any rancher about the uses and purposes of fencing and you will hear things like this:

Fencing:

  • marks your property line,
  • protects and keeps things in that you want (cattle, sheep, etc.),
  • impedes or keeps things out that you don’t want to allow in.

Because fencing serves useful purposes and has value, fencing is worth preserving. Cowpokes ‘ride the fence’ with the idea of finding breaks in the fence, so they can be identified and mended. Fencing can be breached or broken by:

  • accident, 
  • intent or 
  • through forces of nature.

Fencing can be a metaphor and a reality. We have borders and connections in relationships (personal and professional) much the same as we have fencing along property lines. When we find a fence that needs mending (a breach in a relationship), it is good to try to mend it. This is the process known as ‘mending fences.’

Now, the reality is that unlike wire, wood, rock or other types of man-made fence, the mending that takes place between people may not be mended solo. One party may initiate, but another must reciprocate for the breach to be mended. There are times and some things that simply require one or both sides to let go and move on.

What are the alternatives? Conflict, for one. But to what end? What is the value of the feud in contrast to the rewards of having the breach healed? Maybe one party was truly wronged, but there is no real way to correct the harm. What to do? Think about this:

“If everyone practiced an ‘eye for an eye,’ then pretty soon, the whole world would be blind.” – Mahatma Gandhi

You and I have seen enemies become friends through the proper effort. We have also seen friends become opponents or enemies. There are as many ways to mend the fence of a ruptured relationship as there are people. The first step is often to try to understand what has happened, from the other person’s perspective. As Dr Stephen Covey wisely wrote, 

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

So asking and listening are important. Mending fences can start with something as easy as an email. It often takes more to do the mending, but if the ‘fence’ has value, it is worth the effort. Consider the value and the peace of mind fence-mending can bring.

Then take the baby steps to do it.

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Top 10 Inspirational quotes of all time?

Inspirations for Manufactured Housing Professionals, Uncategorized / By

According to Simran Khurana of About.com, these are the Top 10 Inspirational quotes of all time.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
~ Mark Twain

“In bed my real love has always been the sleep that rescued me by allowing me to dream.”
~ Luigi Pirandello

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”
~ Zig Ziglar

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
~ T. S. Elliot

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.”
~ Buddha

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“We know nothing about motivation. All we can do is write books about it.”
~ Peter F. Drucker

“If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.”
~ Nora Roberts

“Begin with the end in mind.”
~ Stephen Covey

Without taking anything away from these ten, I’m betting our readers can do better. If you have a list of Top 10 Inspirational or Motivational quotes (they aren’t the same), send them in and we’ll be happy to publish your list.

Earl Nightingale’s The Strangest Secret Excerpt

Inspirations for Manufactured Housing Professionals, Uncategorized / By

Earl Nightingale’s classic, The Strangest Secret, earned the first Gold Record for the spoken word, with sales exceeding 1 million copies. Nightingale, known as the “dean of personal development,” reveals how he discovered and lived the secret to success. For the first time, Earl Nightingale’s famous words written in 1957 are presented in a beautifully designed gift book with a CD of his original recording. This inspirational message is as timely today as it was when first written. The book and CD set is a great gift to inspire anyone in your organization to truly understand how to get from where you are to where you want to be.

“For all of us, there are turning points in our lives. One of mine was the first time I heard The Strangest Secret in 1964. It was then, and still is, the most powerful and thought-provoking message I’ve ever heard.”
— Mac Anderson, founder, Simple Truths and Successories

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Inspirations for Manufactured Housing Professionals, Uncategorized / By

You’ve probably seen this before. 12 million of you have. It is worth seeing again.

Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving presentation, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.

Brian Tracy: If You Could Achieve One Goal in 24 Hours

Inspirations for Manufactured Housing Professionals, Uncategorized / By

Self-made millionaires have been studied extensively throughout the years. The good news is that success is not an accident. Success can be learned and it leaves tracks. The great news is that you can follow the tracks of successful people to arrive at your ultimate destination. In this upbeat presentation, Brian shows you: Ways to get off Someday Isle and move your life in the right direction; How to develop a sense of control and sense of coherence in life; 16 qualities or learnable skills that will virtually guarantee your success; The 20-idea “mindstorming” method to find your self-purpose.

What does it take to Change?

Inspirations for Manufactured Housing Professionals, Uncategorized / By

Two maxims set the stage for this topic of change:

  • “If it is not broken, don’t fix it.”
  • “To keep doing the same thing in the same way and expect a different result is the very definition of insanity.”

We read and hear about change all the time. In the manufactured housing industry we are told or personally express the need to change and adapt. But what does it mean to change, and what does it take to change and effect change personally, organizationally or in an industry?

First of all, change is constant. We measure time by measuring change:

  • the change of the position of the earth in relation to the sun for the seasons,
  • the earth’s rotation in 24 hours to measure hours and minutes,
  • we grow older minute by minute, day by day…
  • so change is something that simply is constant. Only those in denial, the irrational or the simpleton don’t accept or understand change.

But effecting change, adapting to change, that is a different question! What is that process for change? When should we make changes?

The two quotes at the top point the answer in very clear and direct terms. If what you are doing works, don’t change it. But make sure that it truly is working, you have to be objective. You can’t make excuses. So are you doing better than 1 year, 2 years, 3 years ago? If not, then you need to consider and implement some positive change! If all is well and growing already, then perhaps you should stay your course or consider only those changes that would further enhance your performance.

Let’s presume that all is NOT well. If you business is suffering from ups and downs, and more downs lately than ups, there is a need to change. Period.

The process for change is as simple as acceptance. Be open to the change, and then take the first step…

The moment we accept and are open to a change, we can begin the process of adapting and growing with it.

  • The change may be as simple as how we comb or brush our hair (if we have any…),
  • to how we see our role in our household, work place, industry and society.
  • change may be how we deal with Industry image issues,
  • how we face financing challenges,
  • how we work with public officials or
  • how we relate our co-workers, customers, suppliers or to others.

For some, change comes when a two by four strikes us on the side of the head. Meaning, change comes during a crisis. In fact; for people and organizations, this is often how change occurs, when it is forced upon us.

What causes you pain? What makes you irritable during the day or sleepless at night?

For those who are wise, change comes as a result of analysis, planning and implementation. Change should ideally be a thoughtful process.

Check these articles out. Be open to change, think them through, be ready to do something new when new is needed.

Hire a pro if you need to, read a book or article to ‘do it yourself’ if you can. But do what it takes, don’t become a statistic that wouldn’t change and failed as a result.

Don’t say ‘no’ to some change because it is different, or because ‘you have always done it this other way.’ As an industry and for many companies in it, it is OBVIOUS that change is needed.

If that ‘tried and true’ way is producing a great result for you and your company fine. But the truth is we fall into patterns and habits. We get stuck in our ruts, which Zig Ziglar defined a rut years ago as an ‘open ended grave.’

If what you once did no longer serves the purpose – it no longer moves you ahead – then think: what change do we need to make?

Then reach out to the resources that will help you make that change effectively. You can start with the resources found by the hundreds right here at MHMSM.com, you can turn to your state or national association, turn to a colleague or to a trusted friend.

Be open to change. The future, your future, starts one moment from now. When it is time to change? The sooner you begin, the faster you will get to where you need and want to go. # #

L. A. ‘Tony’ Kovach

Publisher, MH Marketing, author and the Masthead blogger at
Manufactured Home Marketing Sales Management online industry trade journal at:
MHMarketingSalesManagement.com or MHMSM.com
tony@mhmsm.com
847-730-3692

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