I recently listened to a keynote speech from Gary Brecka, a human
biologist, author and entrepreneur, who gave this powerful talk that
connected so many dots for me.
In his speech, Brecka talked about
this law in physics called constructive interference, which is when two
wavelengths of equal length meet and the size of the frequency doubles.
Neither Einstein nor Newton could explain what this phenomenon is, but
what this means is you can get energy from conversation. You can get
energy from what you’re reading on this page … right now.
See,
you can get energy from people around you. On the opposite side of that
spectrum, we’ve all had experiences with people who have sucked the
energy out of the room.
Researchers are able to measure the
frequency of energy leaving the human body during interactions and can
even tell when someone is experiencing anger, passion or despair.
Do
you know what was the most powerful frequency these researchers
measured leaving the human body? Authenticity. Researchers said it was
4,000 times more powerful than love!
Genuine authenticity happens
when your words are truthful, and you believe what you’re saying. Every
contractor and owner in our industry knows the importance of
authenticity. Brecka’s speech then helped me to understand why we work
so hard to make our Best of Success conference happen every year.
If
we lacked authenticity in our jobs, we would never earn our clients’
trust. If we lacked authenticity with our clients, we wouldn’t be able
to achieve the level of success we’re all aiming for — what every
speaker who took the stage at our event last December should be admired
for.
“How are you leading with authenticity in your everyday job? How can you strive for more?”
Recently, I had the honor of experiencing genuine authenticity in the roofing industry through the heart of Kevin Gwaltney.
I
met Kevin, president of Diamond Roofing in Kansas City, Kan., at the
2012 International Roofing Expo in San Antonio. He had just assumed
control of the company following the sudden and tragic death of his
father — without a succession plan in place.
The pain he was going
through was personally and professionally overwhelming, but his story
was commanding, and it was his authenticity that made his story
powerful. He had pushed aside that grief to share his story so others
wouldn’t face the same perils.
The surge of energy I felt after
leaving that meeting motivated me in so many ways; it inspired me to
write the Best of Success mission statement. Candidly, that meeting with
Kevin influenced how we shape Best of Success to this day.
Tragically,
Kevin passed away from cancer in January of 2023 at just 45 years old.
As heartbreaking as it was to lose him, it was incredible to see how
many people from different corners of the roofing industry jumped in to
help Kevin in his time of need.
All in all, Brecka’s speech — and
Kevin’s legacy — inspired my latest Publisher’s Note, providing me with
some tips I hope you take with you after every Best of Success event:
Always be willing to share information within our industry, even with your competitors.
Leave a legacy of building relationships and connections.
Let down your guard, share your knowledge and ask questions.
Allow your clients and peers to feel like family; after all, the roofing industry is one big family.
Create authentic relationships that change your life and business.
That’s
the authenticity that we foster at Best of Success every year and why I
dedicated this past conference in Kevin’s honor. So, how are you
leading with authenticity in your everyday job? How can you strive for
more?
These are the questions we should be asking ourselves as we
move through the 2024 season. To all of you, cheers to a New Year and
many fresh starts.