January 1, 2020 marks the beginning of more than just a new month and more than just a New Quarter, it marks the beginning of a new decade.

When I think of a new year and even a new decade, I try to imagine what endless possibilities are waiting out there.  It is all about the white canvas, the blank pages, the unwritten stories, and the exciting adventures that are yet to be explored.

As I prepare to turn the page and begin the year 2020 my thoughts focus on how I will fill-in these wide open spaces.  I see myself continuing to provide Safety instruction to the fellows who work on our crews.  This instruction comes in many different forms: sometimes it is teaching these workers in a classroom setting, sometimes it is mentoring them, sometimes it is offering a word of encouragement and sometimes it is just being an example while we are together on a job site pulling-wrenches and hanging-pipe!  In either case, my hope is that these fellows grow into the great leaders they are destined to become; and, that somewhere along the way I am able to help them avoid some costly mistakes, bypass some devastating setbacks and in the end give them a leg-up as they manage their careers.

To begin this new page of January 2020 I would like to share with you a quote from Coach Bear Bryant – you may know him as one of the winning-est coaches in college football (“roll tide”).

I am just a plow-hand from Arkansas, but I have learned how to hold a team together – how to lift some men up, how to calm others down, until finally they’ve got one heartbeat together as a team.  There’s always just three things I say: “If anything goes bad, I did it.  If anything goes semi-good, than we did it.  If anything goes real good, they did it.”

My final thought is this: to make anything work it takes people.  In fact, it is all about the people.  And, great leaders know that acquiring and keeping good people is their most important task.  Leaders and visionaries all know that an organization cannot increase its productivity – but people can.  It is all about people.  People are the real assets that truly gain value within a company.  Think about it, systems become dated, buildings deteriorate, machinery wears-out.  But, people can grow, develop, and become more effective if they work for a leader who understands their value.  And once the people understand that you care about their growth, and development the company will reach new heights and experience exponential growth.

As a Pastor I have seen this happen numerous times.  A church congregation will build a huge building and yet they do not experience numerical growth.  Their focus is all about the building and not on the real asset -- the people.  And then, there are church fellowships that rent a school auditorium and within a little while they expand into a large church family.  The difference is they focused on the people.  The real investment is helping these families, caring for their needs, and sharing their concerns.  That is what I hope to do this New Year and not just this year but this New Decade – invest in the real asset within our company the people!