Powerful Set Of Books That Inspire Us
A Powerful Set Of 4 Books That Drive
The Shugarman’s Bath Family To Serve
See What Inspires Your Local San Diego Bathroom Remodeler
In this article, we’d like to share a set of four powerful books cherished by the Shugarman’s Bath family. They cover a variety of topics around business, leadership, self-improvement, and things of that nature.
We enjoy them because they have many great messages that really speak to us and play into our Growth value. One thing you should know about us is that we’re bookworms.
We’re a bookworm family.
It’s critical for us as people and as professionals to continue learning and lay important philosophies as the foundation for our San Diego bathroom remodeling business.
Enjoy!
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead & Win
This is definitely one of our all-time favorites. It’s a life-changing book written by a former U.S. Navy Seal, Jocko Willink.
The goal is to teach you how to apply the seal’s brand of ‘Extreme Ownership’ in life and business. The seals have one of the most dangerous jobs, and the decisions their leaders have to make ‘in the field’ are IMPACTFUL – oftentimes made during life and death situations. For them, you can’t just shift blame or try to point the finger.
Leaders MUST take responsibility and take complete control while simplifying variables to make as few mistakes as humanly possible. We took this part to heart! Jocko also teaches you how to keep your ego in check. And this is great advice for really anyone, not just business owners and company leaders. We’ve solidified this in our Customer-First Core Values.
Another concept we applied to Shugarman’s Bath is Jocko’s emphasis on ‘Decentralized Command’. In essence, this is about not needing to micromanage everyone in an organization because they should CLEARLY understand why they do what they do and how it fits into the bigger picture.
This is exactly what we strive for within our own Company Culture
The Infinite Game By Simon Sinek
This is another big hit within the Shugarman’s Bath family. It inspires us and reinforces our desire to create a company that will stand the tests of time. We’ve chosen the San Diego area and the bathroom remodeling industry because it allows us to help people, improve lives, and it’s a business we can constantly improve!
As a family business, we appreciate Sinek’s advice to avoid the gratification that comes from short-term fixes. Instead, we’re focused on building systems and solutions that can be warrantied and last for LIFE. This is why our Down-To-The-Studs approach is so important to us. We do everything we possibly can to ensure each and every project is a success!
The Thank You Economy By Gary Vaynerchuk
There are many important things we take away from Gary Vaynerchuk’s Thank You Economy. One of the biggest is to do everything we can to take care of our customers and employees. It teaches us to listen CAREFULLY and pay close attention to the interests and individuality of those who choose to work with us. Gary makes it clear that doing right by people is FUN and makes everyone happier; our employees love giving people a Low-Stress Experience while our customers love feeling respected on a deeper level.
We aim to create and maintain AUTHENTIC connections with people. And to do that, we have to keep certain things constantly front of mind:
“If your organization’s intentions transcend the mere act of selling a product or service, and it is brave enough to expose its heart and soul, people will respond. They will connect. They will like you. They will talk. They will buy.”
We couldn’t agree more Gary, and this has indeed been our experience both as bathroom remodeling professionals as well as consumers and homeowners ourselves.
“You cannot underestimate the sharpness of people’s BS radar. They can spot a soulless, bureaucratic tactic a million miles away.”
Isn’t that the truth! This is why we put such emphasis on sharing our identity and our family with the San Diego community.
“Social media requires that business leaders start thinking like small-town shop owners. This means taking the long view and avoiding short-term benchmarks to gauge progress. It means allowing the personality, heart, and soul of the people who run all levels of the business to show.”
You shouldn’t be taken for granted. And neither should the relationship we can form while working with you to optimize your home. Helping one another and making our society work is what life is all about! We understand that the ways we cultivate customer relationships are the greatest determinant of the type of business we’re building.
Think Again: The Power Of Knowing What You Don’t Know
This book inspires us to be open-minded. It reminds us that TRUTH is much more important than “being right”. Think Again teaches that conviction, while generally considered a good thing, can go too far if it leads to overconfidence or conformity-seeking, both of which can interfere with our connection to the truth.
To avoid a culture of conformity, we need to always be building a culture that encourages people to bring forth opposing views.
We need to prioritize improving ourselves rather than proving ourselves, and enter discussions hoping to learn by having our own minds changed. Leading with this orientation helps homeowners we work with settle into open-minded postures as well, increasing their willingness to revise their own vision of their bathroom.
Open-mindedness and mental flexibility are fundamental to learning on both an individual and organizational level. To foster it, we need to understand the emotional nature of conflict and realize that an onslaught of logical arguments is more likely to shut people down than bring them to our side.
When people don’t agree with us, it may have nothing to do with our logic or rationale…
“Sometimes they’re resisting the sense of pressure and the feeling that someone else is controlling their decision.”
We must seek criticism. Seek constructive conflict. Seek Proactive Communication. Encourage the boat-rockers. Encourage disagreeableness – especially when done non-combatively or aggressively, but with a vigorous and feisty tone, and when people aren’t just disagreeing for the sake of it, but rather because they care.
A trio of helpful quotes:
“Many communicators try to make themselves look smart. Great listeners are more interested in making their audiences feel smart.”
“Listening well is more than a matter of talking less. It starts with showing more interest in other people’s interests rather than trying to prove our own. We can get better at asking truly curious questions that don’t have the hidden agenda of fixing, saving, convincing, or correcting, and helping to facilitate the clear expression of another person’s thoughts.”
“The power of listening doesn’t just lie in giving people the space to reflect on their views. It’s a display of respect and an expression of care.”
When It Comes To Your Home…It’s Personal
If you’re like the vast majority of our customers, a new updated bathroom experience would be transformative for you and your family. That new gorgeous walk-in shower, or that new bathtub, it going to add tons of functionality and value to your lifestyle. And, this is your home we’re talking about.
With Shugarman’s Bath, you know you’re working with people who understand and who truly do care about you. Have questions? Ready to chat with one of our professionals? Have a book to suggest? Reach out and Contact Us. We’re happy to give you the time and the answers you need. We look forward to hearing from you!