Deemed Essential: Finding Greatness Through the Business of Serving Others

By Claude B. Kershner IV, DBA

"Deemed Essential" invites you on an engaging journey into the heart of the trade service industry, where every page resonates with the stories of unsung heroes. Through this captivating narrative, you will discover the importance of recognizing the dedication and spirit of trade workers. As you read, you will be inspired to see the transformative potential of embracing the chaos and uncertainty inherent in the trade service industry. Dr. Kershner challenges leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs to step out of their comfort zones and discover the fulfillment of serving others.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Led to Lead, LLC
• Release date: Mar 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224907403

Book preview

Introduction

Today, or maybe yesterday, a customer fired me. This perplexing and confusing thought is a harsh reality check from the unpredictable world of the trade service industry. Beyond the surface issue of losing customers, the more profound struggles performing amidst personal and team dynamics genuinely test one's capacity for patience. Was the quality of our service not up to the customer's expectations? Could a misunderstanding with a service provider have led to this outcome? Perhaps our pricing influenced their decision, or an overlooked email played a role. Maybe a delay in responding to their needs or requests was the final straw. And who is to blame?

These factors, or a combination thereof, could be the root cause. Like a mechanical device needing diagnosis and repair, surface appearances often don't tell the whole story when running into issues in trade work. Since diagnosing problems and making the right decisions under time constraints is anything but straightforward, I take the time necessary to grapple with trade service managerial concepts across various layers in this book.

While they may seem mundane and repetitive, the tasks required to manage the daily operations of a trade service business require intelligence and the ability to make sense of complex situations. Excelling as a skilled trade worker, supervisor, or manager involves perseverance, critical thinking, and resourcefulness to navigate unpredictable service calls.

Accordingly, I want to start by expressing my gratitude to essential trade workers and service-minded leaders and highlighting their invaluable contributions. You adeptly solve complex challenges with remarkable grace under pressure, assessing chaotic situations and responding with creative mastery. Your excellence stems not from hasty volume but the meticulous discernment of each task.

I hope this book spotlights your invaluable impact, bolstering infrastructure and enabling economic prosperity. You are pillars of knowledge, persevering through adversity to build cohesive teams and forge enduring relationships. Your reputation is built upon far more than a technical facility; you lead by compassionate example and serve with selfless care.

You transform buildings and lives by tirelessly strengthening the foundations of shared spaces. Your passion and expertise fuel the essential machinery behind modern comforts and conveniences. With courage, skill, and dignity, you construct a proud legacy of reliability. So, take pride in using your unique gifts to solve pressing problems and uplift society.

Although undervalued by some, your noble work is appreciated by many. Your vision, skill, and sacrificial efforts shape a brighter future. Again, we thank you for this and ask you to carry on because if you can stick around long enough with a good reputation, even the customer who fired you will ask you to please come back.

Looking towards the future, I assert that these abilities, honed through hands-on work, translate seamlessly into entrepreneurial pursuits. Those accustomed to variable conditions, rapid decision-making, and calculated troubleshooting have an edge when launching or managing ventures. Skilled workers can become influential industry pioneers by applying field-tested abilities to build companies, train employees, and pace progress. And I want to show you how this works.

I have transformed personally and professionally through a deep engagement with trade service work, its people, networks, culture, and business operations. Our family's stories are embedded with the sacrifices of trade service professionals who dedicated themselves to leaders and missions of significance. This legacy is part of our multi-generational entrepreneurial history, chronicling victories and struggles and enduring strength from a love for people and community.

Guided by the heartbeat of trade service workers, my grandfather, father, and siblings successfully established Philadelphia's most prominent office supply and furniture company. Founded in 1960, they eventually hit $35 million in annual revenue, developed a team of over 170 members, and owned multiple commercial real estate properties.

Today, drawing from our family's entrepreneurial mindset, my two uncles have successfully established distinct furniture businesses in the Northeast, now expanding nationwide. Their companies demonstrate their experiential trade knowledge and business acumen, powered by distribution managers, warehousing professionals, reliable movers, and expert truck drivers. Their commitment to their team members fosters career growth and makes a significant impact on the industry by continually improving customer experiences.

This type of venture-building confidence gained through experience also led my father and me to South Florida into the pool, landscape, and construction industries in 1998, where we expanded to three firms operating as a family group. These companies flourished into substantial teams committed to each other and our customers. We painstakingly found a way towards effective leadership that fostered team development, trusting relationships, and open communication. At the height of our growth, we employed over one hundred people and generated annual revenues of $12 million, combined with two commercial real estate properties owned.

Our accomplishments might easily be attributed to the persistent entrepreneurial spirit of our family or the resources we've accumulated. Yet, I see it as much more layered and different. Thus, this story transcends individual or familial achievements and is not a guide to finding superficial happiness through business. Instead, it is a chronicle of facing organizational turmoil, navigating challenges as a united front, and overcoming obstacles while maintaining steadfast adherence to sound business principles.

I argue that our ventures' sustainable success can be credited to the collective efforts of our dedicated trade workers, their families, and leadership that cultivated a culture of support and collaboration. This approach competitively set our family apart from the norm in the trade service industry, often characterized by authoritative and autocratic leadership styles.

In the early stages, when our business was a smaller entrepreneurial endeavor, I explored the merits of top-down leadership, acknowledging its effectiveness in certain situations. Yet, as the business expanded, I realized this approach clashed with my fundamental values and did not align with the well-being of our team members, whom I deeply respected. This awareness prompted a reassessment of my leadership style to suit better the evolving needs of the business and its people.

As a result, we embarked on a comprehensive organizational change initiative to move from a lifestyle business to a managed growth organization. This planned change involved adopting strategies tailored to align with my personality and skill set, emphasizing mutual respect and collaboration. Furthermore, we undertook a significant organizational redesign. This process entailed merging the resources of three distinct yet complementary organizations into a functional structure strategically aligned to deliver hospitality-like customer service. Internally, we focused on leveraging our team's unique skills to foster a more supportive and cohesive work environment.

This approach did not always yield success and gave rise to numerous stories I will share in the subsequent chapters, including inexperienced management, financial challenges, and employee betrayal. Nevertheless, the journey was unquestionably worthwhile, and this shift toward humanistic management compelled me to view our work from a more contemplative and scholarly perspective.

With some of the more incremental changes, I noticed that we frequently used the terms trade and service interchangeably, leaning much more toward the service side. This continuous terminology usage piqued my interest in the evolving nature of our trade roles and customer expectations, particularly with technology integration. I observed our frontline mechanics providing physical products alongside professional, meticulously composed written consultations. I also witnessed technicians who nurtured customer relationships to the extent of becoming their property managers year-round.

Also, I had the privilege of seeing individuals initially starting as laborers transition gracefully and diligently into administrative roles, ultimately becoming some of our best. Moreover, I have had the privilege of witnessing competent and ambitious middle managers approach me with the aspiration of opening their businesses and seeking my support. These individuals embarked on entrepreneurial endeavors, evolving from employees to business owners and eventually becoming some of our most trusted subcontractors. It has been truly remarkable.

In aggregate, I have observed a phenomenon of structured learning as ambitious professionals recognize how this multifunctional approach enhances the reputation of trades and underscores their comprehensive contributions to today's economy.

Traditionally, the trade industry has been perceived as focusing on the craftsmanship and exchange of tangible goods, such as carpentry and plumbing, whereas the service industry is centered on delivering intangible experiences, like consulting or financial advising. However, as previously mentioned, there is a notable overlap in their functionalities today, influenced by competition, evolving customer expectations, and technological advancements, especially in providing trade services.

This blending is evident in the intangible facets like knowledge dissemination, customer interaction, and administrative duties in contemporary trade tasks. For instance, a skilled tradesperson or entrepreneur in the home renovation trade could leverage their face-to-face customer interactions and access to homes to offer bundled services. This add-on might include combining traditional trade work like electrical repairs with personalized home efficiency consultations.

By offering a package of services tailored to each homeowner's needs, they provide added value and deepen customer relationships in a way that purely digital services cannot. Perhaps this shift is why trade schools are increasingly termed technical schools. Recognizing the innovative potential of combining trade with services brings to mind a client who owns a trade business.

My client shared his early passion for hands-on work with me, which led him to persuade his parents to enroll him in a trade school. His rigorous training in trade school instilled practical skills and values. However, upon graduation, despite completing his trade education, societal expectations and family pressures steered him towards a sales role in an office setting. This diversion from his true calling was a conscious choice, albeit one that left him feeling misaligned, yet not without hope.

Rather than succumbing to bitterness about his work situation, he remained steadfast in his determination to impact his environment, keeping an open mind. Working under Machiavellian managers, characterized by their sly, cunning tactics and lack of moral principles, he learned how not to treat people. Furthermore, by approaching irate customers and prospects with diligence and respect, he transformed routine tasks into valuable opportunities for personal and professional growth. He set clear goals, viewing each position and job-related responsibility not as an obligation or destination but as a helpful step toward achieving his desired place in the world.

After years of introspection, saving money by living below his means, and unearthing his mother's artistic roots, he finally embraced his true passion: commercial painting. He founded his company after combining his business acumen and salesmanship with a genuine desire to serve through hands-on tasks. Today, he is an economic success story, and he takes pride in driving his company truck, which bears his logo and phone number, in a neighborhood of luxury vehicles.

This opening story is shared not to spotlight his business achievements but to explore the impact of his delayed gratification. His sales and customer service tenure notably sharpened his ability to meet various customer needs. Additionally, his experiences under difficult managers inspired him to dedicate time to truly understanding his frontline team members. His self-driven learning in his free time led him to embrace expectancy theory and incorporate the concept of valence in his leadership, skillfully addressing his team members' diverse motivations and aspirations.

Amidst significant family and societal pressures, he crafted his approach around comprehending his team's unique skills, values, and goals, creating an environment conducive to individual fulfillment and collective success within the company. His leadership philosophy extends beyond wanting his team to contribute productively to the company's mission. He earnestly hopes they find their place in the world, even outside his company, and envisions his establishment as a launchpad for his team members, where they can grow, learn, develop, and prepare for the next phase of their lives.

My continual conversation with him, amongst many similar business cases, encapsulated my thoughts while reflecting on our family leadership style and preparing to write this book. His story echoed principles we adopted, such as genuine self-expression, relationship building, opportunity recognition, and the importance of heeding one's inner calling amidst societal pressures. These personal choices can be channeled into a significant influence in the business world, especially for trade workers.

Observing how these parallel ideas similarly guided my client's mission to facilitate the growth and development of every team member, I emphasize the significance of addressing challenges constructively, intending to foster participative and servant leadership within the trade industry. This approach holds the potential to yield positive effects, including the empowerment of individuals and the fostering of socio-economic prosperity.

What can we learn from the personal contributions of trade specialists that help a collective societal cause? How can we encourage them to move through their careers, start businesses, buy businesses, or bloom where they are planted and serve with all their heart and minds? These questions provide a gateway to understanding trade work and service, revealing its extensive opportunities for those who embrace it as a profession.

In the chapters ahead, I share focused, actionable insights tailored for those in the service sector, especially managers of technically skilled workers. I wrestle through problems from my executive management experience related to individual and group motivation, role development, customer service, and leadership.

Suppose you are aspiring to be a business owner. In that case, this book will show you how trades provide substantial potential for small business entrepreneurship, bolstered by the ongoing demand for skilled and dedicated workers. Or, if you are currently working in a trade and feeling stagnant, I will share numerous stories demonstrating how individuals in this industry can attain significant earnings by following a structured and effective process.

The dialogue ahead is not a collection of ideas but a compilation of hands-on experiences reinforced by evidence-based research that I've tested in the thick of the action. From fostering the growth of your business through your personal conceptual and human skills to grasping opportunities like property ownership, I have walked this path, and I want to guide you. To add a spark of excitement, I have sprinkled in wisdom from scholars in humanities and theology. It is a practical yet divine dive into the power of business for individuals and their communities.

From a peace of mind perspective, I hope you notice the resonant parallels across service sectors. These similarities between you and many others will bring a knowing smile, assuring you that your industry's challenges are shared. The aim is to propel you toward exceptional success and true satisfaction by confidently addressing the industry's daily difficulties and ensuring professional sustainability, all while effectively managing stress to prevent burnout.

Suppose you embrace trade work, which has the potential to elevate your professional life. In that case, you can also positively impact your team and family and enlighten and inspire future generations, leaving a legacy of resilience and perseverance in pursuing meaningful work. Through progressive or immediate transformation, I will attempt to assist you in courageously bringing order to a chaotic service-oriented environment. And who knows, this could provide a conditional roadmap for launching your impactful and meaningful venture.

How to approach reading this book is a matter of personal preference and need. The book is structured to offer both depth and flexibility, accommodating various interests and requirements. For those seeking a comprehensive understanding of service-based business, leadership, management, and career development, I recommend reading the book sequentially from start to finish. This approach allows for a holistic grasp of the subject matter as the chapters progressively build upon foundational principles and intertwine interconnected narratives.

The book is divided into two main parts. Part One, comprising chapters one through five, focuses on the centrality of people in trade service companies, the significance of service in the American economy, and in-depth discussions on leadership and internal organizational cultures. This section lays a strong foundation for understanding the human elements crucial to business success.

Part Two, chapters six through twelve, while closely related, shifts the focus toward the practical aspects of business creation, management, and scaling strategies that I have found beneficial over the years. This section is particularly relevant for readers interested in starting, buying, or scaling a trade service business.

However, the book also caters to readers who prefer a more targeted approach. Feel free to jump directly to those chapters if you're drawn to specific topics like preparing to sell your business or exploring leadership styles that match your personal attributes and circumstances. This à la carte approach allows the book to function as a comprehensive guide and a resource for specific needs.

Now, it is your turn to join this quest for discovery. I encourage you to set audacious goals and work hard to attain them because it is worth it. I hope the lessons in these pages help shape your path much like mine. Whether you are an independent service worker, part of a service-focused team, or an investor looking for long-term growth, it is time to realize your immense potential within the trade service industry.

Since we stand at a pivotal moment where skilled service workers have the power to effect significant change, your unwavering dedication and entrepreneurial mindset have the potential to make a real difference.

Together, we can step forward confidently toward greatness. Remember that you are essential as we make our mark on our path. Now is your time because the best is yet to come.

Part One / Growing Together:

Leadership and Personal Development in Skilled Trades

1

Let Us Ride Together

Individualistic cultures tend to celebrate and promote individual success, competition, and personal responsibility, whereas collective cultures focus on shared responsibility, collaboration, and maintaining social harmony.

—Geert Hofstede—

Do you focus on fostering collective accountability and togetherness in your daily actions, or are you more driven toward individual achievement and efficiency?

Perhaps you consciously strive to balance both. While neither approach is inherently flawed, the real skill lies in identifying which path to follow in each situation, making thoughtful choices, and understanding how one can effectively enhance and support the other.

There I was, poised on the precipice of an unintended trip from the gym to the emergency room, an average weekday morning morphing into a pulse-pounding reality. One moment, after a solid workout, I was cruising through an intersection on my bicycle when I became the target of a car hurtling towards me at breakneck speed. The driver, unconcerned about a collision, appeared oblivious to my presence in their path.

In that instant, survival instincts took over. I swerved aggressively to dodge the incoming vehicle, thrusting out my leg to brace against the impending collision. The world around me seemed like a surreal slow-motion scene. My decisive action narrowly averted the disaster.

But avoiding the vehicle threw me off balance. My bike skidded sideways, sending me sprawling off my path. I crashed over a curb and abruptly launched onto a grassy area. Heart pounding, mind racing, I stood up quickly, remarkably unscathed.

After the action, relief washed over me. Shaking a bit, I turned to look for the car that almost hit me and others who saw the action, expecting a rush of apologies or a simple inquiry about my well-being. Yet, there was nothing. The driver, caught in their haste, sped off, leaving me in the aftermath of our collision. The other drivers seemed to shrug off the incident and leave the scene.

However, amidst the apathy, a lone figure remained Craig. A familiar face on my morning rides, Craig was a homeless man whose warmth shone brighter than the circumstances he found himself in. For two years, our paths had intersected in the form of passing smiles and fleeting hellos.

On this day, he had been a witness to the entire episode. As I reeled from the narrow escape, Craig approached me, offering soothing reassurance in the face of recent chaos. Together, we revisited the events, dissecting the layers of what had just transpired and saying our goodbyes.

As I resumed my regular post-workout bike ride, the experience underscored a stark cultural divide I observed on Kendall Drive, a bustling artery in South Florida. During the early mornings, service workers had a palpable sense of camaraderie and shared responsibility.

Nevertheless, as the day progressed and more people joined in, I noticed a shift from the brotherly unity of blue-collar workers to a more individualistic, every-man-for-himself environment. Engulfed in stress and a sense of self-importance, these individuals appeared to believe their roles overshadowed everything else.

My trip to the gym begins at the break of dawn, around 6:00 AM. The sun is not up, but the symphony of service work comes alive. There is a hum of heavy trucks, landscapers, handymen, construction workers, and garbage collectors—each part of a complex operation on the roads, not yet too busy. An acute awareness and careful navigation of their paths, speed, and actions reflect a deep reverence for their craft and fellow service workers. They courteously split the road, their eyes always on their companions; calm waves serve as greetings, a slowing speed indicates potential hazards, and aid is readily given to a struggling truck needing assistance with a challenging reverse.

Upon reaching their respective destinations, these workers embody a spirit of collective unity. Their routine does not immediately plunge into the day's labor; instead, it starts with a shared fellowship over steaming cups of coffee. It is a time when conversations bloom with boisterous laughter that creates an emergent atmosphere of brotherhood and sisterhood. This bond, mutual respect, and understanding form the bedrock of their work ethic. Imagine a group of construction workers at the end of a long day, leaning on each other's shoulders in the truck cab, joking with good-natured jabs, and enjoying the comfort of one another's company — that is the essence of camaraderie.

As I return from the gym at around 7:30 AM, as previously mentioned, the nature of the streets undergoes a rhythmic shift. The spirit of collectivism demonstrated by the early service workers begins to be supplanted by a different wave of commuters. Shrouded in the gleaming armor of luxury cars, these individuals, heading to their respective labor with intellectual prowess, seem steeped in their significance.

The arrival of these later risers heralds the arrival of a culture steeped in naïve individualism. This mindset is marked by manic haste, filling buses and trains with scant interactions between passengers, typically ignited only by a spark of irritation that combusts into anger. The shared obligation and duty that defined the early risers fades gradually and is replaced by an environment pulsing with self-centric urgency.

During this transition, the streets morphing under the tidal wave of change, I narrowly escaped a car collision. The prevalence of texting while driving, alarmingly clear during my observations, was disconcerting. Drivers performing potentially hazardous maneuvers with a hand glued to their phone, the other barely on the wheel, was a common sight. Often, in the backseat, children sat oblivious to the danger their guardian's divided attention presented. The primary focus of these drivers was their digital conversations, relegating the vital task of safe driving to a dangerous afterthought. This disturbing reality was a stark reminder of how personal habits could jeopardize not just one's safety but the welfare of others sharing the road.

Prominent philosopher and writer Dallas Willard said, Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. This insightful statement emphasizes the importance of introspection, tranquility, and spiritual growth instead of succumbing to the constant whirl of contemporary existence.

Upon analyzing this concept, my mind gravitates towards the stark contrast between two distinct work cultures: those serving on the frontlines of the service industry and those engaged in typical office commuting routines. On the one hand, we have individuals who have reached notable heights of accomplishment through strenuous academic endeavors, potent thought leadership, and strategic ascension of corporate echelons. Conversely, some have opted for a path of tradesmanship out of necessity, choice, or compulsion, exhibiting a different rhythm to their professional lives. Intriguingly, this latter group often appears more aligned with Willard's insight regarding the dangerous haste of modern life.

In the daily lives of tradespeople, a collective spirit, a thoughtful approach to work, a sense of camaraderie, and mutual respect often permeate their interactions. These shared experiences, which can be elusive among their office counterparts, lay the foundation for an enriching work environment. Consider the subtle nods between early morning truck drivers; they are not just simple courtesies but an unspoken recognition of shared experiences and mutual respect that add depth to their work.

In the field service industry, chaos is constant amidst the unexpected nature of service-based operations. Leaders grapple with unpredictable challenges — from simple logistics like securing restroom access to navigating the whims of the weather and ensuring equipment safety. My experiences in the field have taught me that chaos is not limited to the journey from point A to B; it extends to the tumultuous nature of human interactions. One moment, there's camaraderie and respect from stakeholders in our work, i.e., customers, security personnel, and neighboring residents; the next, disdain and dismissal without warning. These abrupt shifts in behavior from those we encounter can disrupt our efficiency and sense of community. This volatility is the double-edged sword of service work, impacting productivity and relationships.

While present in office settings, unity and shared responsibility often require deliberate cultivation and sometimes lead to hyper-conscientiousness. In fieldwork, however, camaraderie often emerges more organically, shining through the chaos when collectively experienced. This divergent view is not to compare the two unfavorably but to spotlight the inherent teamwork within blue-collar environments, where a strong sense of collective commitment prevails. This social phenomenon, which naturally arises and thrives amidst turbulence, is what I seek to identify and distill for replication.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, an esteemed risk analyst and author, explores the intricacies of randomness and uncertainty in his book Antifragile. He encourages us to harness volatility, turning unpredictable events into advantageous allies. Taleb proposes that uncertainty is not merely desirable but essential, advocating for establishing systems that embody antifragility over mere resilience or robustness. Unlike resilience, which withstands knocks while maintaining its state, the antifragile continually improves.

Taleb's concept of antifragility, where we not only withstand challenges but grow stronger from them, resonates deeply with my experience in the service industry. In my line of work, I often encounter intelligent individuals who, for various reasons, didn't get the chance to finish their education. They find themselves in jobs that do not fully engage their intellect, which understandably leads to frustration. However, by standing tall and confronting life head-on, they can see these challenges as opportunities to create something remarkable with the resources they control. It is about transforming the messy, complex bits into something manageable and empowering.

These tough jobs they do not like could make them stronger — if they let it. It is about rolling with the punches and getting better because of them, not just getting by. I have seen how holding on to pride can waste what someone is good at, and even the simple tasks at work can lead to something big if we are ready to learn from everything that comes our way.

Having played the roles of an employee, manager, business owner, and customer in the trade business, I bring a unique perspective to these discussions about attitudes and how they shape performance. Subsequently, I encourage others to engage in this multifaceted experience by immersing themselves in employee, manager, business owner, and customer positions. This way, you gain invaluable insights into the attitudes and dynamics from each perspective.

This approach offers a richer, more rounded understanding of the outcomes these attitudes produce. Such diversity in professional experiences, or at least an openness to understand, broadens your viewpoint and strengthens your ability to discuss and influence others' attitudes credibly. This expanded worldview can shape outcomes in the workplace — more simplistically coined empathy. Yet, empathy, which I believe is a conscious choice, tends to elude those who are uninformed or naive.

These concepts resonate with my experiences and provide valuable insights applicable to the service sector. Operating in a dynamic environment filled with diverse individuals is akin to my story of maneuvering through a bustling bike path. The ensuing unpredictability is not an interruption but, as Craig provided me, a catalyst for ceaseless community development and collective improvement.

Rather than being disruptive, the inherent variability becomes, at an individual level, a fertile ground for learning and evolution. Every unexpected encounter in this setting ceases to be an obstacle, instead transforming into an invaluable opportunity for learning and growth amongst the individual and collective. This continual adaptation and evolution propel a service-oriented business forward, navigating the unpredictable currents of life's ceaseless flow.

However, it is crucial to approach this discussion without reducing it to a simplistic us versus them narrative. The aim is not to promote extreme viewpoints but to foster thoughtful reflection across various professions. Knowledge workers and generalists, including managers, should strive to genuinely comprehend tradespeople's distinct experiences, skills, and challenges, ranging from construction workers to janitors.

Similarly, frontline employees must appreciate the daily stressors and expectations of leaders and managers in white- and blue-collar sectors. Navigating interpersonal dynamics for the common good is challenging, but it is undoubtedly a pursuit of great value and nobility.

Communication, both verbal and non-verbal, is critical in achieving this understanding. It is not just about delivering a message but also about considering the receiver's background, cultural or social differences, potential biases, and how they may interpret the message. By grasping these contextual factors, we acknowledge that effective communication transcends mere words — it is deeply influenced by the situational and cultural context in which it is delivered.

The goal is to foster shared understanding beyond dialogue. By recognizing trade workers' hard work, safety risks, and unique terminologies, we can set realistic expectations, communicate better, and create a more enriching environment. Communication is not just about task completion but also building a bridge of mutual respect and appreciation across different professions, ultimately paving the way for a more productive and harmonious workplace.

My grandfather, who spent his life evolving from a hands-on worker to managing a team comprising warehouse workers, sales professionals, and delivery drivers, possessed a deep appreciation and understanding of service professionals. He frequently engaged with service workers in public places such as restaurants, golf courses, or stores. Looking back, this stemmed from his shared experiences with them, a tangible bond forged through everyday challenges and triumphs.

Observing my grandfather, I was always struck by his genuine affection and joyful attitude during these interactions. His approach seemed the only natural way to behave, and I often emulated his behavior, thinking any other attitude toward the people who helped us would be absurd.

However, as I grew older, I understood that not everyone shares this respectful approach. I encountered individuals who, to my dismay, often showed little regard for service professionals, dismissively referring to them as the help or riffraff. This stark contrast highlighted the unfortunate reality of differing attitudes towards those in service roles.

Throughout his life and career, my grandfather's adeptness at verbal and non-verbal communication, fortified by self-awareness and an ability to adapt to situational nuances, made those around him feel at ease. He had the knack for selecting and emphasizing behaviors that aligned with his personality and resonated with the other person's communication style. This understanding and empathy offered a unique comfort to service professionals, assuring them that he truly got it.

My grandfather cherished these moments functioning in the world with friends who happened to be service professionals. He would frequently revisit places where he had established these warm relationships. He was more than just a customer, sharing stories of his own experiences and listening attentively to theirs. These interactions were not merely casual exchanges but opportunities to bond deeper.

He would share stories from his past days in trade, which acted as a powerful medium to connect him with the staff and workers, allowing him to transcend the typical customer role. Through these shared narratives, he fostered meaningful relationships, genuinely appreciating the hard work of others from an authentic standpoint.

My grandfather exemplified the power of shared understanding in bridging social and professional gaps. Likewise, I assert that we all strive to do the same for our individual aspirations and ability to function collectively at a higher level. His interactions underscored how mutual respect and relatable experiences can transform consumer relationships into joyful, profound connections. He did not merely consume services; he celebrated the people behind them.

Again, this observation lies not in polarizing work cultures but in opening the doors for introspection, growth, and a greater understanding of our shared humanity in what we are communicating. We can develop empathy, slow down, and appreciate the interconnectedness of our experiences by pausing, looking closely, and genuinely considering the implications of our actions, embodying the wisdom of Dallas Willard's words on eliminating hurry and my grandfather's communication style in our professional and

Reviews for Deemed Essential

[Claude Kershner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Grateful for this book! It helped me realize what is truly possible in trade work.