Here’s a little secret… I turned 50 last month. And reaching such a milestone has given me pause – “What is it that I have learned?” In many ways, these are personal, but I feel that they stretch over to professional as well. So what is it that I take away from both my 50 years of living and my recent years with Jani-King? Let me share.
Embrace “The Good” & “The Bad”
I used to think it was just about the good. But I have since been taught over and over again that there is no good without the bad. In fact, the bad is typically what propels change, resulting in the good. Take the pandemic for example. There has been wave after wave of challenges and loss for so many of us. But personally, it has brought my family closer and made me appreciate time very differently than I did previously.
Professionally, I was so very proud to be part of an essential industry by keeping our businesses, children, and community safe. The work that the Jani-King team does every day matters, and how lucky are we to be a vital part of something.
It constantly reminds me to continue improving the cleaning standard of Jani-King as we move into 2022.
Feed Your Soul — Not Your Ego
We all need to grow and learn (personally and professionally) and I believe this can only be done when we act as a village. Sharing your knowledge and seeing someone thrive can be more rewarding and motivating than focusing on yourself. For our franchisees, we will provide training throughout the new year to help educate us all on the science of cleaning which will enable them to make informed decisions on products and processes, quality control, and COVID safety. By sharing knowledge and tools, we produce “captains” who can steer their own ship.
For myself? I have learned that I need to ask for help. My personal and professional network are there to support me and genuinely want to help. I have been nothing less than amazed by what I have learned when I simply said “I’m stuck, I can’t figure this out, I need help.” If I had let my pride prevent me from seeking support, I would have likely never achieved success.
There is a community – a village – out there that wants to help and needs your help. Remember that.
Appreciate Exceptional People
I will admit that as I got older, I started to not necessarily recognize the people that made my life better and easier and more rewarding. That is a mistake I will never make again.
Where would I be without all of those people (friends, family, teachers, mentors) who gave me support and guidance on my journey? And what would I have done the past few years if any of these people didn’t show up the way they did? I need them to know that I appreciate them. They matter in my life.
The one thing that I can do is to be truly intentional with people I spend my time with. You know those moments or days when you feel connected and real joy? I’m going to strive for more of those days with the people I appreciate.
For the amazing Jani-King team, I want to focus more on how I can help our franchisees to feel confident building their best team in the new year. I want to create an even more positive and open working environment for our Jani-King family to enable even more growth and give everyone a voice.
A thank you can mean the world. But action can take it to a whole new level. I challenge you to find ways you can show appreciation to the people around you.
Milestone reached. Lessons learned. Time to keep moving forward.
Vulnerability is a good thing. Be honest with yourself – it opens you up to help others. Take action on your dreams. Be bold in your decisions to better yourself. Be innovative. Pick up and start what you have been putting off.
Here’s to 2022. Here’s to another 50 years.
Bill Cole
Jani-King is locally owned and operated, serving Manitoba cities for over 25 years. We are committed to offering an ‘above-and-beyond’ professional cleaning service for all commercial properties; contact us today to find the perfect solution to your cleaning needs.