Over the past few years I have been very dedicated in developing Leaders within our Company. Everyday we have a choice in how we are going to run our day… either it runs you or you run it. In an Industry like ours, we are in the business to find “Solutions” to your problems. It can be a bit wearing at times on my Call Center, because most the calls they receive are based on something needing to be fixed.

I have worked very hard to develop a Call Center that understands your needs when you call and not get hung up on the problems, but to get you taken care of, no matter how many calls we already have scheduled, the solution will follow. The word “BUSY” is a HUGE four-letter word for me…and I am very clear with our Team, we are not busy until our entire year is booked out for each Technician. We have developed some tools to help guide our Team to be successful when receiving your call…it is just human nature to “plurp” an excuse or say the word “BUSY” before we really think about it…when we are really committed to intentionality, my “NEW” favorite word, excuses begin to disappear.

In the book “Good to Great,” by Jim Collins, where he researched why some businesses are just “Good” and others are “Great.” He has a phase in his book when related to intentionality and getting things done, “Good is the Evil of Great.” Think about that for a second, are you OK with “Good enough,” or “Do you strive daily to find greatness in all you do and who you are with?”

Those of us who strive for “Greatness,” are really held back by those that think “Good Enough”’ is OK…and because in our society, the weak will rule…this can cause a lot of dissension…until the “Great” get very clear on the TEAM they either are committed to developing or wanting to be part of.

I have gotten very clear at Central who I want on our Team… “good enough” just really does not work for me any more…for about four years I have been getting very clear on the people who will be on Central’s Team…this takes time to build such a Team, and “Great” is not cheap.

Our Leadership Team and several members on our Team that I see really want to bring “Greatness” into their lives are reading the book, “Developing the Leader within You 2.0,” by John C. Maxwell, one of my Mentors. His second chapter in the book is titled “Priorities” and he shares as No. 3 of priorities, similar to above, “The Good is Always the Enemy of the Best.” It is easy for most people to choose from good or bad, right or wrong…the challenge is when we are faced with two goods. John shares this parable:

A light house keeper who worked on a rocky stretch of the coastline, before the days of electricity, would receive, once a month, a supply of oil to keep the light burning.

Not being far from town, he often had visitors. One night an old woman from the village begged for some oil to keep her family warm. He had pity on her and gave her oil. Another time a father asked for some oil for his lamp so that he could search for his missing son. Another person needed some oil to keep machinery going so that he and his employees could keep working. Each request was good, and each time, the light house keeper gave them oil for their worthy cause.

Toward the end of the month, he noticed the supply of oil was very low. By the last night of the month, it was gone, and the beacon went out. That night in a storm, a ship wrecked on the rocks and lives were lost. When the authorities investigated, the man was very repentant. But there was only one reply: “You were given oil for one purpose — to keep that light burning!”

Unfortunately, today, this response is interpreted as being too harsh. In the beginning, when everyone who is now creating judgment was not part of the original directions and commitment by the Lighthouse Keeper, they are coming up with “Excuses” for him, he was just doing the right thing…however, the right thing is the commitment from the beginning and staying true to THIS commitment first and foremost. The “Great” get this, and the “Good” waffle and control for the betterment of the Lighthouse Keeper, however, forgetting the people lost, and his commitment.

Our Society has just plain got clouded, and if you know anything about wine, never drink a wine that is cloudy…we must get back on track to more “Black and White” than all these stupid colors of gray.

So, as I share in each of my columns, your Comfort is my Central concern for all your heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and draining cleaning needs. Today, Central is stronger than we ever have been, and the right home service provider for you, your family and your friends. Everyday, we are committed to making “Lifelong Relationships and Raving Fans,” and staying true to “RIGHT” choice.

Spring Planting: I heard in the News, going to be in the 50s next week. My favorite flowers to plant in pots, this time of year are Pansies…Their name is very deceiving, they are very hardy and cute at this time of year!!!

In my last column I shared about
 a YouTube video by John Maxwell, “The Five Levels of Leadership”, in this video, he shares, anyone can be a leader...that was very encouraging to me... however, they must want it, and do the work to be it.
The ole’ BE – DO – HAVE, unfortunately, no matter who I chat with, where I am, the conversation goes something like this...this “Millennial Generation” just does not get it, they want to BE, skip the ‘DO’ and then Have it all...

OMG, what this generation does not get...without the DO, you will never
get to the full potential of HAVE. To really appreciate life and be grateful for the things you do have and appreciate the people in your life. Rolling up our sleeves, getting down in the trenches, feeling a bit of pain, and really working through a project, staying with it, to get to the other side of succeeding, builds up confidence, character and growth that does not happen without the “Do” you will NEVER, earn the stripes.

I am pretty sure the parents, teachers and our “Society Mindset” certainly played a role in these young lives. I remember a moment in time when I was putting our son Michael to bed, and he had just had his first practice of touch football. So we were discussing his day, and he shares, “I am not sure I really like touch football, and do not want to play it.” So, my response to this 9-year old BOY, “Well we had talked about this, and it is really hard to determine you do not like something when you do it only once. Let’s do this, if after you have finished the season (which was 6 weeks long – not going to kill him) you still are not liking it, you will not have to sign up again.”

So, he finishes out the season, ended up loving it, and went on to play foot- ball at Carroll College, played in 3 National championships, and won two!! Our Society Mindset, and it still is out there today...as parents, Teachers and other Adults in their lives, we make it too easy and then they do not learn the confidence or the self-discipline to succeed in life when they go out on their own. Our goal as a parent is to guide our children...what does a 9 year old little boy know about life that he can just quit if the going gets a bit tough. We must allow our children to participate and fail, in order to succeed.

To this day, one of the “Stupidest” sports concept that my family was exposed to, is NOT keeping score when they were in grade school and played Soccer, REALLY!!

I would like to find the parent(s)
 that came up with this wonderful idea and see how successful their children are once leaving the “Hovering” of their parents. Evan though this was a “RULE”, I, my husband and our children and most all the other parents and players STILL kept score. Life is all about winning and losing and learning how to pick yourself up and try again. My children have been on winning teams and losing teams, they have had good teachers and not so good teachers...’HELLO’, that is called life. When they enter the ‘REAL’ world without their parent’s hovering, life hits them in the face, and now we have the same parents writing articles on how to best employ this Adult generation.

Our daughter, Lauren, is going to be doing an internship in Seattle this Summer and currently has a lot going on as
she is working on her Master’s. Meanwhile she is looking for a place to live, and was sharing how really time consuming it is to find something that will fit her budget and within reason to where she will be working. And through our conversation, I did think briefly that I could take this on for her, and just as I was thinking this,

out of my mouth comes, “Well, this is just one
of those things in life
that does take a bit of time, but when you find the right spot, you will appreciate it...Welcome to Adulthood.”

Dan Sullivan, the owner of a company called, “Strategic Coach”, shares, “I just really do not want to really engage with any one until they really get into their forties. As we are in our twenties we are still operating off the values of our parents, good or bad, and then we hopefully get a job, may get married, have a few kids and then in our thirties, you really have to start designing your life and what it will be...our real life experiences are what shape us and then how we ‘DEAL’ with life, is the true essence of how successful someone can be. Do they just let life rule them, or are they making sound decisions to grow, build a strong value base for themselves and their family.”

If the Millennial are from the years of when they were born, 1982 – 2004, their ages today are 13 – 35, we may just need to see how they grow as they enter into their forties.

Whether you are in Kalispell, Whitefish, Bigfork, Columbia Falls or anywhere else in the Flathead Valley. . .As always, Your Comfort is my Central concern for all your heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical & drain cleaning needs. And no different than how I raised my own children, I am committed to our Team members to have the opportunity to grow, not only professionally, but personally as well, everyday.

Value; this can be a very BIG word, and its interpretation can be subject to opinion. So I looked up the general definition: “the regard that something is held to deserve, the importance, worth, or usefulness of something. The word value could also be a person’s or business’ principles or standards of behavior, one’s judgment of what is important in life.”

At Central, we are committed to customer service training for our Call Center, Service Technicians and Installers EVERY week. Our Team is in constant communication throughout the day to make sure you are being taken care of in a timely manner. Our Field Team is trained weekly on all the new technical information. Heating and cooling systems are much more complicated than they were even a few years ago and soon, “smart” thermostats will be the norm. Throughout the year additional off-site trainings are scheduled with a best practice group we belong to called “Nexstar”.

The Heating/Cooling, Plumbing and Electrical trades are very important to the overall safety and sanitation for our valley, and I take this personally to make sure our team is trained appropriately. As your home ages, things need to be updated. What many of you don’t know — especially if you are living in our valley, and I take this personally to

make sure our team is trained appropriately. As your home ages, things need to be updated. What many of you don’t know — especially if you are living in a “spec” home, or a house built before a buyer was involved — is that we are finding a poor quality of workmanship and equipment throughout our valley. It is wrong to assume all service/ replacement businesses are the same. Just as in the food industry, you have your fast-food burgers and you have well-trained chefs that create a gourmet burger. When you bite into it, you just want more, and we expect to pay more for that.

As the president of Central, I need to know what it costs to stay in business. But even bigger than that, I need to know what my team is going to do bigger and better than the “fast food” contractor. If you are given advice over the phone, to just go to: “1-800, you-can-do-it-yourself website”, it is because they do not want to come to your home. These contractors do not like service; they are into “New Construction” and their prices run into the thousands of dollars.

The other day, I took a call from a woman I will call Sarah, from Whitefish. Right out the get-go, Sarah asked “how do you sleep at night? I called the “1-800 plumber, and he said ‘You can buy that online for half the price and install it yourself.’” (This plumber had not been to her home, and was not offering to come to her home). So we sent two guys, a Master Electrician and Journeyman plumber — both licensed with the State of Montana — there for almost 4 hours to fix it for her and she paid $89.00.

As a woman-run company, there are a few things you are going to get that are different from my male counterparts in the valley:

• Always parking respectfully
• Always well-groomed and in uniform, always with shoes covered, and with drop-cloths. Our Team will spend time with you when they arrive to let you know what to expect while they are in your home
• I expect my guys to do a thorough evaluation of your home, inside and out, with ALL the services we off — period. In the example above, my plumber spent almost two and half hours doing a thorough evaluation of the woman’s home and then sharing with her some items of concern to be aware of as her home ages.
• We will always share what the immediate solution is today. Most contractors are not about educating the consumer, they are concerned about their pockets today. My background is unique for a business like this. I have a secondary education degree, and have taught hundreds of Adult Education Class. I want my guys to plant seeds today, so that you are prepared in the future. As with Sarah, my plumber was just sharing some seeds she should be aware of, with no intent to do it all today.
• Remember, these are guys going into your home — and they could be a bit better at communicating. However, I believe we are leaps and bounds above my valley “Peeps.” Can my Team get better? Always.
• We have a fully trained “Call Center” to answer your call when you call…and they answer all of your calls 24/7.
• We just did a major overall to our Technical Training area in our shop. I want to make sure we’re staying ahead of the Technical arena. Soon, all homes will have a “Smart Thermostat.” The guy on the phone, referring you to go online and do it yourself, he is not investing in you.

We are always here to build “Value” for our customers, so when you bite into our “burger,” you want more. That’s why your comfort is my Central concern, now and in the future.

Whether you are in Kalispell, Whitefish, Bigfork, Columbia Falls or anywhere else in the Flathead Valley. . .Call: (406)756-6656 for all your heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and drain cleaning needs.

The big game is just a little over a week away, and depending on which reporter’s article you read, the Super Bowl game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots could go either way. And as we saw in the miraculous win by the Vikings against the Saints, football games can be won by one play.

That was unfortunate for the Vikings, who would have had a short drive to the Super Bowl, but just could not get it together last weekend. This year the Super Bowl will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, which saw its first game in 2016. According to the U.S. Bank website, this stadium cost $1.1 billion to build, spans seven levels and will expand from 66,655 seats to 70,000 seats for the Super Bowl. And to ensure that the fans do not miss a play while heading to one of the 430 concession stands, there are 2,000 HD flat-screen TVs strategically placed throughout the stadium.

It is estimated that approximately 175 million people will be watching the game this year, and with that said, I have come up with a few items to ensure your guests are comfortable, your space is inviting and there is plenty of food for everyone’s tastes:

• First of all, the television will be the focal point, so rearrange your furniture, if need be, to maximize the space and to create a relaxing atmosphere.

• My favorite go-to snack for a coffee table is two-thirds dry-roasted peanuts and one-third M&M’s. And if I can, the color of the M&M’s would match my favorite team’s colors.

• Simplify your party plan. Your guests are coming for the party and want to pitch in. I like to choose a few favorite items to make and then ask people to bring their favorite “tailgate food.” Keep it simple with one signature cocktail, beer and wine. For the non-alcoholic drink of choice, I always have sparkling water on hand as well as a pitcher of flavored water, with either slices of lemon, lime or cucumber — it just makes it a bit more festive. This time of year, blood oranges are in season and are a good complement.

• Plan ahead, and go to the grocery store a few days before to get all that you need including items to add a bit of fun, like napkins and plates in your team’s colors.

• Make your life easier, and set up everything, so your guests can just help themselves. Then you can kick back and enjoy the evening as well
• Research shows that most people are comfortable in a room temperature of 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit. As your guests overall will add warmth to your space, I usually turn down our thermostat about an hour before our guests arrive.

And if you are an Eagles fan, get your beer mug ready and watch out for the “FREE” beer that their offensive lineman Lane Johnson promised when he commented earlier this year, “We win the Super bowl, I am giving out free beer to everyone.” Sounds like Bud Light, one of the main sponsors of the NFL, tweeted, “Hey Lane. We’ve got your back.”

As always, your Comfort is our Central concern. Call 756- 6656 for all your heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and drain-cleaning needs.

This feeds a crowd: French Dip Sandwiches

6 lb chuck roast cut into 6 pieces, 2 cans each of condensed French onion soup, beef consommé, beef broth, one medium onion sliced and ¼ cup red wine.
Place in crock pot for 8-10 hours on low, serve with favorite French rolls.

Enjoy!!