Starting With the End in Mind

I first heard the quote, “Begin with the end in mind,” from my coworker, friend, and mentor, David Richardson. This concept of foresight was not an original of David Richardson’s but from Stephen Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

With that in mind, last month, I attended the AHR Expo in Orlando, Florida. This was my first year working at that conference, a different perspective than attending as a visitor. In the past, I focused on exploring new products. This year, it required more engagement with others and sharing my experiences.

I was asked to join a panel of “industry experts” and speak to students from local trade schools. During the panel, I realized that Covey’s quote is valid in many aspects of life.

As the panel started, I looked around the room and noticed some students were nodding off, others looked a bit nervous, and a few had excitement in their eyes. I realized there were times when I could relate to every student in the room.

Until now, these students have spent most of their time in a classroom, learning things that they may or may not have found interesting. After high school, each decided to pursue a path in HVAC. I wondered if any of them knew where this path would take them.

Know Where You Are Going

When I was 10, I spent weekends with my dad, running residential service calls and helping with small installations. I didn’t realize then that these weekends would foreshadow my HVAC career.

After graduating high school, I wanted a break from sitting at a desk worrying about homework and report cards. I decided to take time off from school and work with my dad in the family business. A few months quickly became years, and in the blink of an eye, I realized HVAC was my career. I knew early on that one day, I wanted to own a residential HVAC company.

Twelve years went by, and my family sold the company. This was a turning point in my career. I took a chance and started a company with less than $5,000 to my name.

I quickly took my company from a dream to $1,000,000 in revenue per year. It was a small company in the grand scheme of things, but I was happy with the size and was more concerned with quality than quantity.

Ten more years went by, and I realized I was ready for a change. I decided my efforts should be spent sharing what I learned. I considered my options and found that three companies stood out for their values, commitment to excellence, and the positive impact they made on the industry. I realized that I would be happy to work with any of them.

As soon as my mind was set and I knew where I needed to be, things started falling into place. Within a year and a half, I sold my business, and two of the three companies I wanted to work for made me job offers.