[00:00:02.870] - Chris
Welcome back to another episode of the MRM podcast. I'm Chris
[00:00:06.390] - Brandon
and I'm Brandon. Join us as we discuss business, life and legacy.
[00:00:11.340] - Chris
It's business time.
[00:00:13.770] - Brandon
Christopher, how are you doing?
[00:00:15.540] - Chris
I'm feeling good today. I'm wearing my hat. I flip the bill up. It's just the thing I do.
[00:00:20.600] - Brandon
Yeah, when I see it. And this is not derogatory, my friend. Okay, I'm not putting you down, but the first thing I think of is like, Lance Armstrong on mile 400 or something. I don't even know how long they race it's. That look. It's the biker. It's the person on a really long ass ride without a helmet because helmets are dorky looking, right. But that hat, it's like a biking hat.
[00:00:46.780] - Chris
Only dumb, dumb ride a bike without a helmet?
[00:00:49.030] - Brandon
No, but it just doesn't fit.
[00:00:51.450] - Chris
It is sort of that cycling hat look, and I don't know why I think it's fun or why I like it, but you like it, but it's just what I do. I get a little embarrassed around all of my restoration buddies that have the flat bill, whatever. It's not culturally appropriate by flipping the bill up, but it's just what I am.
[00:01:13.790] - Brandon
It's wild and waxy.
[00:01:14.940] - Chris
So I feel good in my skin at the moment. I think that's a positive way to tune into our YouTube channel, see what Nordic looks like with his hat bill up his beard out.
[00:01:23.440] - Brandon
Hopefully we'll do a lot more next year, but okay, dude, 2021 in the rear view mirror, right? This will be the last show that we throw up here in the next week or so for 2021. We've started recording our sessions for next year. We really plan to hit the ground running. We're really excited about that. But let's just do an honest assessment of this last year.
[00:01:49.510] - Chris
Kind of the good.
[00:01:50.230] - Brandon
The bad, the things. We hit the Mark on the things where it was close, maybe. And then if we feel so inclined, do a little bit of excitement forecasting. What do you think?
[00:02:02.100] - Chris
Yeah, I like it. I like it.
[00:02:04.130] - Brandon
Yeah.
[00:02:04.560] - Chris
I mean, where I'm at in my head at the moment is just thinking about how much our perspective has changed in just the last eight, nine months.
[00:02:13.110] - Brandon
Oh, man.
[00:02:14.220] - Chris
The people that we've met, the clients that we worked with, I think even just starting this podcast was a really transformative move for us because I think it's forced us to, well, it's forced us to just out of our comfort zone in a lot of ways. This is really fun for you. And I think it's been fun from day one, but it's also been scary because it's like, okay, how much do we want to share? Are there things we shouldn't say because they'll rub people the wrong way?
[00:02:44.910] - Chris
Or it might alienate potential clients, like, they may hear us voicing an opinion or a perspective on something like, I don't want to work with those guys. So there's been kind of that, figuring out what does it mean to be authentic versus being reckless? Because I'm a huge believer in honesty and transparency. I also realize sometimes we can say things out of a sense of ego. We see a lot of that online. People just kind of wearing their emotions on their sleeve or complaining out loud or whatever.
[00:03:20.580] - Chris
And it's like, you know what? Not everybody needs to know every opinion you hold. You know what I mean?
[00:03:25.450] - Brandon
Is there real value transparency?
[00:03:29.530] - Chris
So we've wrestled with that a little bit I feel pretty good about. Anyway, that's kind of been a growing edge for us. We're trying to figure that out, like in the early days, you and I probably threw out ten episodes before we published maybe more. And we had how many takes in the early days? Now we're down to pretty much one take. Yeah.
[00:03:50.950] - Brandon
We want to be professional. I want to be clear that we don't want to waste the attention of folks. We understand that all of you, as business leaders, as business owners are busy, bandwidth is a struggle, and we do not take that lightly. We don't want to step on that. We don't want to ignore the validity or the weight of that. And so we don't want opinions and perspectives to just be more crap. We want it to be valuable. But at the same time, we kind of made a commitment that we wanted to be willing to work through the ideas and the concepts openly.
[00:04:27.640] - Brandon
These aren't necessarily everything is like it's totally vetted and figured out. There's an element of you and I being leaders in our own spheres. And just wanting to say this is what it looks like. And sometimes it's Rad. And a lot of times it just kind of sucks or it's broken or it doesn't go the way you want. And as Chris would say, right, it's not even a but and there's this really unique layers of experience that we get that actually keep you motivated, even when things aren't necessarily going the way you want.
[00:05:00.610] - Brandon
So we wanted to stay in that place and capture a lot of that.
[00:05:04.420] - Chris
You know, what's been interesting to me is when I look back over our catalog of episodes so far, and we looked at how many plays, how many downloads or plays or whatever you want to call it. Each episode has had some of our tactical episodes, like our episode with Jerry at all.
[00:05:18.370] - Brandon
Yeah.
[00:05:18.950] - Chris
Really good. Right. So if you're listening to this and you didn't pick up that episode, it's great. Jerry talks about sort of the changing landscape of how we build relationships with agents in particular, which is that ground has shifted right from the old smiles and candy thing, blah, blah, blah. So there was a lot of interest. In fact, last time I checked, it was our number one episode, the most listened to or whatever. It was great. And the episodes that people have most texted you and I about.
[00:05:46.210]
Yeah.
[00:05:46.800] - Chris
Like, we've gotten texts from past clients and industry relationships, and people direct messages on LinkedIn and so forth have been the ones that you and I were most scared to release, totally because they felt so gut level, transparent, like we were just rolling over like a dog, just like showing our belly.
[00:06:05.550]
Yeah.
[00:06:06.120] - Chris
And those seem to be the ones that have elicited reactions. Like people have felt something. And, you know, I've talked about this a lot. There's something inside all of us that feels alone in certain things. And we were just chatting about this before the show, especially as a leader. I forget who first said this to me, but it's so universal. We've all heard it, right. It's lonely at the top. Yes. And there are so many reasons for that.
[00:06:36.840] - Brandon
Of course, there are lots of things we can do to prevent.
[00:06:39.670] - Chris
Oh, of course there is this thing. And I don't know that leaders ever fully get away from it. Is there's choices we make as leaders that are really hard when no one's happy with us?
[00:06:54.430] - Brandon
Yeah. Sometimes you're choosing the lesser of two evils.
[00:06:58.830] - Chris
Yeah. And there's tension in the role where we feel inadequate to the task. Sometimes we don't feel safe to really disclose that to anybody. We just carry that. We carry that feeling of inadequacy as we're pushing through something we don't know if we have what it takes for. And it's just the grit and determination of I think I can figure this out. I need to figure this out. That's a thing that's not sexy to talk about. But all this feel at some point, right.
[00:07:30.250] - Brandon
I almost feel like you did a really great job of summarizing the majority of 2021 from the perspective of it's been so interesting to have these opportunities to work, let's say, with our client base or with just some of the relationships in our sphere of influence and have really positive impact being their wingman. Almost. In fact, that was a name that you and I kind of wrestled with a little bit, potentially for the show as the wingman. The idea there is that we are reminding people they're not alone and in conjunction with the programmatic, ways that we support them and process procedure, all that stuff.
[00:08:05.890] - Brandon
It's really been this friendship of hey, you're not alone. You have a peer, you have a friend that has your best interest in mind. But then again, as we're offering that as part of our relationship value, then you and I are ultimately in this place as we grow these pieces of our business, where we're in the same shoes that our clients are, where they're often getting ready to move the needle on growth or size or market share, all these different things. And so they're certainly being challenged and working in new areas that intimidate and make them feel less capable.
[00:08:40.200] - Brandon
All those things. And then the funny thing is, almost all year, we parallel them in our own journey. And you and I were consistently on the outer edges of our existing knowledge base, our existing experience, right? Because we're doing things differently than we've spent the vast majority of our professional careers doing. And so gosh, man, if ever there was a year where I really understood the position or the plight of our clients, this year was one for me. I just was like, the whole time, like, oh, my gosh, I totally get what you mean.
[00:09:13.430] - Brandon
Yeah, I know what you're talking about. Like, we see it.
[00:09:16.750] - Chris
There's a lot of pressure to pose to come across a certain way. And I think I've talked about a lot. And maybe it's because I'm kind of a city kid that came into the restoration industry, even when I first came in and was working with you at the company that we helped build, I didn't really look the part. I'm a townie. I did work construction. And, boy, do I have some funny stories from when I worked in construction in high school? Oh, my gosh. One of my first days on the job site, I had a spotting scope, and we were doing some excavation, and I didn't know my path from a hole in the ground.
[00:09:57.110] - Chris
But I was learning how to give these readings from the spotting scope to the guy who had the excavator or whatever. And I had to take a leak. And so I went into the house, and I had this thing on my belt loop while I under my belt loop to take a leak. And that spot, this brass spotting scope probably inherited it from his grandfather slipped off my belt into the toilet as I was peeing. I didn't make a career out of construction.
[00:10:20.900] - Brandon
Yeah, but that guy really enjoyed the fact that he hired you.
[00:10:25.290] - Chris
I was inquiring high school. Anyway, I have been somewhat of an unconventional fit in the industry. But where was it going with that?
[00:10:33.000] - Brandon
I'm not 100%. I was following your journey. I'm not sure. Was that a humility curiosity thing or what was that?
[00:10:44.210] - Chris
I don't know what kind of pose that was.
[00:10:49.490] - Brandon
And there is 2021 for you guys that has felt in brutal honesty. Guys, there's been so much traction in so many areas. Yeah, we just challenged it. Yeah.
[00:11:00.760] - Chris
Where I was going with that, man is, I think people can relate to what I'm saying. Maybe they're not this city kid with whatever. But as we've been working with clients, this has just been a recurring theme, right? There's just a lot of pressure that I think leaders feel. And within the construction sector, there's this other kind of pressure, too. There's a macho kind of drumbeat to the industry of this pressure to fake it until you make it like there's a pressure to appear competent and in control and to know what to do.
[00:11:39.240] - Chris
I think other industries are a little bit ahead of us in terms of self awareness and vulnerability. And some of these topics that are getting talked about a lot more, like in tech, tech is always seems to be a little ahead of the curve in terms of workplace culture and stuff like that. So I think our industry still kind of fights, that macho, get shit done, always have to kind of be strong and have it together. You know what I mean?
[00:12:07.140] - Brandon
No, I do. The interesting thing is and I don't know if folks have picked up on this this year or not, but you and I are different people. We have core things about our friendship, our relationship as leaders and as business partners that we trust. Like these core pillars. We're on the same page because we have trust in those we give each other the freedom to just be who we are in these other arenas, right?
[00:12:32.460] - Chris
Yeah.
[00:12:32.880] - Brandon
And there is part of me that loves that much. I am addicted to it in some ways because I have a military background, and I was looking at the companies that we've worked with and for like, I wanted to recreate that bravado, that machismo that elitism in the healthiest way possible, not the kind that's super exclusive and puts people down.
[00:12:58.530] - Chris
Although I didn't always do all those things kick ass and take names.
[00:13:02.180] - Brandon
Dude, I love face, right. Kickstart face, right. Like faces. I really do love that. And it's a component about our industry that I am somewhat addicted to. However, in conjunction with that, I experienced you experienced both us as leaders, failing big time because we got swept up into that and allowed it to taint what the bigger vision was or the why behind what we were trying to accomplish as leaders. And then there was times where we really balanced being authentic inside that environment. Can you honor, can you enjoy can you create the grit that's asked of us in an environment like that, but still do it in such a way where people get to see real, like, they get to be honest about there's times when you do it well, and there's time to do it like crap.
[00:13:58.110] - Brandon
And there are times where I've got all the energy in the world to do this. And I've got times where I just am totally faking it because I don't have the energy or the bandwidth to do these things that we're being asked to do. Well. So it's like, yes, I agree with you. I think our industry has that I'm kind of addicted to it, but I also know and have seen and you and I have had many, many conversations about that can become really freaking toxic as well.
[00:14:23.100] - Brandon
Right. If we don't do this weird balancing of yes, it is this which is great because it fuels you sometimes when you can't fuel yourself.
[00:14:31.730] - Chris
But it kind of comes back to the three words I mentioned head, heart and boots right head, heart and boots, right? It's all of it. And I think it's just one of the things we've been talking a lot about this whole year, really. You and I have been talking about it for a long time, but it's the Ant. I was drawn to that spree decor that I think you really brought to the team, the kick ass and take names be the best. Like, let's be the leading company in our market.
[00:15:01.360] - Chris
I am a competitive person like that. I have a fiery spirit like you in that. There's always this internal gear that's cranking. And I think you and I have seen and been a part of, sadly, the toxic residue of when it's all that like, we're talking to Clinton yesterday. So spoiler alert shortly after you hear this, one of our next podcasts of the new year is going to be with Clint Pover. Feel free to Google him an amazing guest, different angle than some of the guests we've had.
[00:15:39.550] - Chris
But he's just got this pulse on culture and sort of the changing landscape of leadership and how it has to move from this command and control old school leadership framework to a mentorship model. And I'm just so struck by what he said about mentorship. He said a mentor can only play that role when a mentee has let them into their heart, like, Whoa, yeah. Like, there's a touchyfeely thing for him. But it feels true, right? It's like you really can't lead without the permission of the people you're leading.
[00:16:21.990] - Chris
You can have a title of general manager. You can have the title of owner, but you and it goes to what we said before is like, as a leader, sometimes you think you have your team's buy in, like, you think they're following you when they're really obeying, when they're really complying, which are two wildly different scenarios. You and I have had the chance to see inside and behind some really cool companies, both during our career. And we've been a part of some of them directly. And then we've gotten to meet some leaders here that there's some magic happening underneath underneath the skin and that magic is they've actually gotten permission.
[00:17:03.690] - Chris
They're really leading. People actually are bought in. And we've seen just how different that feels. And we've also seen the fact that they often aren't struggling quite as much as everybody else to get people.
[00:17:16.310] - Brandon
It's true.
[00:17:17.060] - Chris
They're not. They're not turning people over shock. And their employees are bringing like, we were just having a conversation with one of these leaders today. They're like, yeah, we don't really have a labor problem. In fact, we just hired two more people, friends of people that work in the business. And, like, when we were talking to Clinton, Clinton said, I just asked these employees of all these different companies what's it like to work here. And they told me the truth. Our employees, when their friends ask what it's like to work there.
[00:17:49.670] - Chris
They tell them the truth. If your employees aren't recruiting other employees in, it's probably something to think about.
[00:17:57.090] - Brandon
That's huge. You're going into it.
[00:17:59.500] - Chris
Well, I know I'm going off, but these are some of these realities. So you and I've been wrestling with.
[00:18:05.420] - Brandon
Okay, what are we trying?
[00:18:06.320] - Chris
What is this podcast about? The leadership thing is something you and I are fascinated with, but I hate the word because the word is so John Maxwell, John Maxwell is amazing. But I think where our culture is going and where I just feel like my brain is always going is you can have all the right external behaviors. But as leaders, if we haven't wrestled with ourselves and what's happening inside and how we're leading ourselves, just doing certain behaviors or having certain disciplines externally, that's not enough on its own.
[00:18:41.520] - Brandon
Yeah.
[00:18:41.880] - Chris
You know what I mean?
[00:18:42.650] - Brandon
I do. I think the other thing that you wrestle with with that term leadership is that it does feel like that word has been used in so many different ways for so long. I don't know that people are hearing that word and their ears are opening for something new or fresh. It's almost like when you repeatedly hear the same marketing or sales routine, as soon as it starts, your subconscious goes hurt it and shuts down. I think in a lot of ways, anytime we lead a conversation around this term leadership, I think in a lot of ways, people have stopped listening to that word because they assume they know what's coming next.
[00:19:23.670] - Brandon
And I think what's interesting about what Clint is focusing on, which you'll hear a lot more about in that show is mentorship and how that mentorship is possibly the new word to replace what has been for so long. Leadership in quotation marks. We got really dialed in. I think over the years of learning nuance between management and leadership. And I think what we're seeing is this wave of the future of leaders being asked to be mentors. This word mentorship is going to have a whole different context to it.
[00:19:55.450] - Brandon
It is going to ask people to adapt new skills and new tools, new resources, right to be this role. And what we're seeing is the workforce coming. Not only are the young leaders that are stepping into key positions, know how to do it, or, I should say, are more drawn to it themselves, like it's more natural for them as well. But then this workforce come in is like they want it, they need it for them. They don't want to be led. They want to be mentored again, going back to the steam year and review.
[00:20:28.910] - Brandon
I think what you and I experienced a lot this year. I've got some fear factor that perks up when I say this is that we've had some relationships paralleling us, that mentored us, right. They were invited. They did the things that we felt like we could trust them, that we let them in the inner circle, and we were very honest and transparent about certain aspects of our business or about us, our roles as leaders, blah, blah, blah. And they did mentor us. And so looking back on this year, I think the thing that stands out to me, man, is this idea of I want to learn more about what that role looks like and what the title looks like to be a mentor in business with the podcast in our consulting, in the things that we do like, can we cross this threshold and develop more mentors?
[00:21:23.880] - Brandon
So I guess where I was going with that, I look back the sheer man and I go, wow, we were really fortunate with some of the friendships and relationships that we were able to experience and that we know we will continue to experience. But man, 2021 for me, I really felt like we met a whole different caliber of people this year. And even in our client relationships, you and I have gotten so much out of those relationships, too. In conjunction with whatever value that we bring professionally, I feel really honored.
[00:22:04.060] - Brandon
And really what's the word like, blessed? I don't know how else to say it, right. I don't say that to isolate anyone or whatever, but I just feel really blessed in this year. It was not an easy no, but I feel so fortunate in so many ways relationally this year. And it's probably why this whole concept of mentorship means so much. Anyway, I'm kind of Tanging going down a tangent now.
[00:22:31.880] - Chris
But anyway, there's been a lot of that.
[00:22:35.010] - Brandon
You know, what the other word is? And I kind of make fun of it sometimes, but I will tell you, I think the word and the understanding of and versus either or. But in the way that we assess the opportunity or conflict or conversation or whatever that to me was a real game changer this year.
[00:22:58.800] - Chris
It's been huge for me. It's a big theme. I grew up kind of my faith background is Christianity and that and thing that Yin and Yang. I talk about Yin and Yang. I'm not a Buddhist, but I think as I've gotten older and I think business has cultivated this for me, like their black and white thinking is broken down for me as I've gotten older because there are so many things that we encounter in business, in relationships with partners, with employees, like as leaders, we navigate situations that are just all these different shades of Gerry, like, it's just like life is so much of both.
[00:23:36.820] - Chris
And I think it's helpful for me to just lean into that. And instead of the but or this or that or this is right or wrong. It's like I'm looking at it saying, okay, maybe. But yeah, Where's the end in this gosh?
[00:23:53.230] - Brandon
I think a perfect example of this is and we're going to talk a lot more about this this coming year. My guess is with some of the guests that we'll be having, this is going to be a pressure point all year. It's the accountability relationship. I think in the past what we've seen a lot of is you have leaders that either are really good at developing relationship or they're very good at accountability. What we're learning is that the Primo is and it's both meaning you can't hang your hat on the thing that's easier for you or more natural.
[00:24:32.310] - Brandon
You have to adapt to both. And I think that's why that word is so powerful and why you and I think have just really tried to use it to our advantage this year in terms of how we're developing individually is there is a lot of power in looking at a situation and saying it's an and it's not either or you can't be all this or all that or you can't only be strong in this. We have to see the other component that has to be sandwiched to it.
[00:25:02.240] - Chris
And don't you think that is kind of part of the Yin and Yang that you and I bring to our partnership because I think it's default wiring you're more wired towards the accountability and standards. I'm a little bit more wired on the relational connection side, and I've watched you shoring up the connection relationship side, like, dramatically moving towards that. For me, I feel like my growing edge and I felt it in spades this year as our consulting practice has filled up and flourished. It's like there's been more and more opportunities for me to confront that of, like really offering both to the people we're working with because my tendency is to build connection, connection, connection, connection and to pull back from standards and accountability in order to protect the relationship with the client.
[00:25:57.990] - Chris
When I look back over the years, I can kind of spot that trend line of getting more and more comfortable leaning into standards, accountability, honesty, transparency with clients, giving the hard feedback and really seeing that as part of the relationship.
[00:26:16.530] - Brandon
Not only are we learning that it's part of the relationship, but it's that balance. That's actually the difference maker. And I think that that's what's so unique about you. And I think I don't know how else to say it, but just kind of experiencing that this year and prioritizing that in our thought patterns is that it's really a differentiator those leaders or those people that have downline personnel. Man, if you can develop this and approach, it goes from good to Holy cow, that's a difference maker.
[00:26:51.280] - Chris
You know, what's hard for me is, it always has been as a leader as the hang time. What I mean by that is when there's a conversation that needs to happen or a piece of feedback that's very candid and is going to cut it's going to land because it's truth and it's real. There's a behavior or a habit that you're seeing in somebody that's destructive, or it's preventing them from really living out their potential or capacity. My struggle has been there's a hang time, like when you communicate truth.
[00:27:23.070] - Chris
A lot of times when it first lands with somebody, they take a defensive posture. It puts them on their heels. They feel all the things they feel because their ego. And for me, the way I'm wired, I'm like, Super High merchant. If you're familiar with the Core Values Index, I'm Super Super High merchant, and one of our kind of the dark side of that is that it's really destabilizing for leaders like me when there's a break in the relationship. But most of the time when we communicate truth right after the dust settles and people can see what it is you communicated to them.
[00:27:58.720] - Chris
Well, the relationship is restored, but it's that hang time while you're putting something out there and there's maybe a temporary break in the relationship or they pull back because they're offended or they're hurt by the reality you share with them. For a lot of my career, that was the ceiling of my leadership. I was too afraid of that relational disconnect, and so I was holding back. I was only really giving 80% to the relationship, and I think a lot of leaders struggle with that. I've seen that with some of my coaching clients.
[00:28:32.920] - Chris
I think there's just different kinds of leaders that float to the top. And that's one of the struggles I've had. But I feel like I made some progress this year, so that feels good. Looking back on even some of my early client engagements in the Q, one that I'm thinking of in my head and some conversations that I may be shy back from. I've jumped into the deep end later in the year, and it's really produced fruit and seen the positive. Yeah, I've seen the positive from it.
[00:29:02.560] - Chris
So now it's almost inspiring to me. It's like, hey, when I share truth and I do it really clearly and directly, rather than kind of dancing around or kind of tiptoeing into a conversation because I want to prepare them and not offend. I've seen the fruit of when I've built trust, communicating very directly and clearly just how much more valuable that is to the people that I'm working with.
[00:29:29.360] - Brandon
What do you think, like, from your perspective? And I'm genuinely curious here. What do you look back on this year and go, okay. I intentionally set out to do that, and I just killed it. That was one I can really hang my head on that I achieved what I wanted to do. You have one of those things from 2021.
[00:29:48.470] - Chris
Yeah. Boy, that's tough because I'm so hard on myself.
[00:29:57.030] - Brandon
It's hard to say it, like, say, oh, yeah. I really believe it.
[00:30:00.340] - Chris
It's hard to say it because I catch myself immediately benchmarking myself against the people in my orbit. Can you go first?
[00:30:13.780] - Brandon
Yeah. So I'm with you. I think you're right. It's hard to make this assessment because then you immediately want to compare yourself to somebody else and say, yeah, but it wasn't as good as them.
[00:30:25.160] - Chris
I would say this or even comparing it against what I think maybe I'm capable of. I'm so critical of. I think I could have worked harder. When I look back over the year, I think I could have pressed in virtually every we were talking about this yesterday, like, I think I'm capable of more, not in an arrogant way at all. But I look at my performance, and I'm like, I think I could have given more in that area. I think I could have worked a little bit harder in some of the content I put together.
[00:30:59.950] - Chris
I think I could have been more diligent in writing, and I think I could have been even more diligent in. I could have created more material and tools for our clients. I don't know, man.
[00:31:11.270] - Brandon
Okay, so here's mine. And it was an accident. It was an accident. It wasn't part of the business plan. It wasn't part of the strategies for a successful first year. It was none of those things. This year, I accidentally got much better at being in a space that I was either peer or self evaluated without being offended.
[00:31:34.950] - Chris
Break it down for me.
[00:31:37.690] - Brandon
This is weird, but okay. You and I have had the awesome opportunity to spend time with some really neat people. Okay. And there's a common theme with neat people in quotation marks. Normally, folks that are going places and guys, I'm not talking about just money here. I'm just talking about, like, whatever their vision is for themselves personally, they're making traction in that they're achieving the things they want to, regardless if I agree or disagree with the value of whatever that looks like. I just want to get that out and open when I look at people that I respect from a myriad of different ways.
[00:32:09.300] - Brandon
A lot of it is about passion drive, honesty about themselves, honesty about the people that they spend time with, right, their willingness to be evaluated, to self evaluate, to challenge their peers, all those things. I really love all those things, but it's hard if you're honest about it. It's fucking hard to be in that kind of circle, especially when you start doing it more consistently. That circle begins to include some people that are moving at a pace that is just very hard to mimic, I guess.
[00:32:41.080] - Brandon
I don't know. And so part of that and a lot of it's on the back of your nice friendship and relationship this year, just because it was challenged in such different ways for the first time. And it just is I just have had more time to be around people that challenge me and caused me to take note of what I am doing and what I'm not doing. And at the beginning of the year was very intimidating to the point which just almost could create paralysis. And as the year has progressed and as we've both intentionally and intentionally been surrounded and being around more people like this, I've just grown really accidentally more comfortable with some self assessment and a push from a peer, meaning that instead of me looking at, like what you were just talking about instead of it being this thing like, I'm disappointed.
[00:33:33.270] - Brandon
It's full of guilt and shame. I can just look at this last year and go, you know what? I could have pressed in harder in certain areas of my year, and it would have produced more fruit. But I'm not walking away from that assessment going, oh, man, what a loser. What a bummer. You know what I mean? Because I think that in and of itself for me personally feels a lot like a superpower, right?
[00:33:58.530] - Chris
You know what? Actually, you said it better than I did. That is what's kind of going on inside me as I look back over the years, it's a positive discontent.
[00:34:07.230] - Brandon
Yeah.
[00:34:07.840] - Chris
It's not full of I should have or could have. I look back and I see all the things that we've been able to do in a way we've been able to help clients. And I also see, wow. I think actually we could do a lot better. I think there's more in here. I think there's more in here. Yeah. And I don't know exactly how that's going to show up. I mean, for example, I have loved doing this podcast. There's something very cathartic about having a platform for just, like, processing my thoughts and some of the things that are really important to me.
[00:34:44.590] - Chris
That's been great. It's been helpful for me to get comfortable putting stuff out there that later. I'm like, I can't believe I said it that way because I've spent a lot of my career being so cautious about how I'm presenting myself and part of that comes from just my sales background coming into leadership roles is that sales background is you're so planned and strategic and sort of how you're engaging, not false. But you're just really hyper aware of matching up with people speaking people's language, right?
[00:35:20.280] - Chris
We've learned that everybody has a different social style. So, like, as a salesperson, you get really good kind of matching up with people meeting where they're at and kind of the toxic residue of getting really good at that, though, is that you're hyper aware of what people think of you and coming across the right way and stuff like that. So it's been a really good exercise for me. I think even just in my client work of having this podcast to just put thoughts out there and just let them stand on their own, not always be kind of polishing or repackaging or editing out the stuff that wasn't quite right.
[00:35:53.980] - Chris
But just that's been a good exercise for me to get comfortable just putting these thoughts and ideas out there without trying to mastermind how it's going to be received.
[00:36:02.500] - Brandon
Yeah, I can appreciate that.
[00:36:03.720] - Chris
You know what I mean?
[00:36:04.400] - Brandon
And I've seen that in you for sure. And there's a couple of things that stand out to me, as you say that one is I think it's because you've done a better job this year of separating your identity from your thoughts and from perspective, meaning that you have learned this year, at least from my vantage point to hold on to that stuff with looser hands. So that when we put it out there, it can be dissected a bit, and it cannot be agreed with per se all the time.
[00:36:34.960] - Brandon
And it doesn't shatter you because you've created separation between your independent identity and some of these things that we're practicing. Dude, life is practice, right? I think the other thing that kind of stands out to me in that, too. I'm not saying that you've experienced this, but I think there's a benefit to it is that I've witnessed you also giving yourself the freedom to change this year. So when we say things, if we're afraid to put those out there because we're not sure that we've got the fully thought through, flushed out perspective on that.
[00:37:10.290] - Brandon
The reality of it is we are in a constant state of change. As individuals, as leaders, we should be constantly growing, constantly changing, constantly getting a wider perspective and more context on the environments that we're operating in. And if we do that, our perspectives are going to change. We're going to be negotiating those perspectives a bit as time goes on. So for me, you doing more of that this year, I think, is so powerful because all of us in leadership positions really have an opportunity to say, okay, in this particular point in time, in the context that I've been exposed to, here's my perspective.
[00:37:48.020] - Brandon
But I'm very open to the fact that a year from now, when I have more life under me, maybe it'll be a little bit different, right? And that doesn't mean that everything from core values to principles is wishy washy. That's not what we're saying. But, man, I yeah, would say that's a pretty realistic evaluation of yourself. And I've seen that as your business partner this year. And to me, it's made it really fun to do work with you because it spurs me to be willing to do that.
[00:38:14.210] - Brandon
I mean, shit. This year in general, this whole podcast and everything that we do in a lot of ways just totally freaky, right? It's kind of a constant state of looking behind the scenes. So anyways, I think you're right on there. I think it's powerful.
[00:38:31.150] - Chris
All right. Let's take a minute to recognize and thank our MIT Resto Mastery sponsor, Accelerate Restoration Software. And I'm fully aware, by the way, that when I say those last two words, Restoration software, that that instantly creates heartburn for some of you out there, right? Because we probably all fall into one of two camps. When it comes to software, we've either cobbled together kind of a version of free website tools and spreadsheets just to make our business work. Or we're in the camp where we've adopted one of these existing restoration platforms, one that has all the bells and whistles and supposedly does it all.
[00:39:09.930] - Chris
But we can't get our team to consistently adopt it and input information to it. Yeah.
[00:39:16.320] - Brandon
And that's really where Accelerate has honed their focus. They've created a system that's simple, right? It's intuitive, and it focuses on the most mission critical information, I. E. Guys, your team will actually use it.
[00:39:31.010] - Chris
Let's talk about sales right after years of leading sales and marketing teams, the biggest trick is getting them to consistently update notes about their interactions with referral partners and clients, and the essential piece there is. There's got to be a mobile app experience. And in our experience, the solutions that were previously out there were just too cumbersome and tricky to use.
[00:39:54.410] - Brandon
Yeah. Imagine, guys, how your business would change if your entire team was actually consistently using the system. Do yourself a favor. Go check these guys out at xcelrestorationsoftworld. Com MRM. And check out the special offers they're providing to MRM. Listeners.
[00:40:14.230] - Chris
All right, let's talk about Actionable Insights owners, GMs. You can't be your business expert on all things estimated. You might have been three years ago when you're writing sheets in the field, but the industry is always changing, and so are the tools. If you're the smartest person in the room when it comes to Xactimate Matterport, how does that scale you're the bottleneck. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but this is where actual Insights comes in. They're a technical partner that can equip your team with the latest bleeding edge information and best practices and then update them with Webinars and training resources when the game inevitably changes again.
[00:40:51.070] - Chris
For this reason, we recommend actual insights to all of our clients.
[00:40:54.460] - Brandon
Yeah, three of the kind of big things that stuck out to me when being introduced to AI and their team. First off is this consistently updated training. I mean, at the end of the day, these guys are the experts. They're out front all the time. They're constantly learning new trade secrets and ensuring that your team's got access to those things. A 3700 plus page database of exact amount templates. I don't know what else to say here other than don't reinvent the wheel. It's already available. Download it, copy it, use it.
[00:41:23.940] - Brandon
Bam database of commonly missed items. I think this is huge. So many of us can change the numbers by just moving the needle a couple of points and those commonly missed items can make all the difference in the world. So go check them out at value. Gitinsights. Org. What about tomorrow, man? What about next year? Is there something weighing on you that you're like? Man, I'm going to prioritize this next year.
[00:41:56.880] - Chris
I think I'm excited. It's funny. I'm in this kind of pensive, reflective kind of mode at the moment. Here at your end. We were talking about this on our coffee walk yesterday. I feel like I'm being drawn. I'm 41. My oldest kid is 16, and I just feel like I'm experiencing this midlife poll to really discover, like, what is my capacity? What am I capable of? I feel like there's some areas of discipline that I want to really dig deep in and discover. What am I capable of doing?
[00:42:32.540] - Chris
If I really got serious about that? I had a buddy die this last year. And actually, it wasn't this last year. Just feels like yesterday, it was year before last. But he's been on my mind at different intervals. He was 50 and he died really suddenly in a car accident. And anyway, we weren't super close. He'd moved out of town, and so we were long term. You know how you have those friends that you had a lot of kind of face to face history, and then they moved out of town or they whatever get a different job.
[00:43:06.460] - Chris
And so you're more pen pals. We interact on Facebook, we have phone calls periodically, but we weren't super close. But he occupied a really meaningful time in my life where we were close. And when that happened, it just really brought me to the present moment of none of us know how much time we have left. I think for me, one of the themes next year, and it's not so much. It's not a New Year's resolution. It's like this is a theme that I'm feeling. I've been feeling throughout 2021.
[00:43:36.810] - Chris
And as I reflect over the year, that's where my mind and my heart goes is how can I be more present and engaged with what's in front of me? And I think some of it's just like the really day to day nittygritty things of how am I taking care of myself to be at my best? Am I being disciplined with my energy and my creativity? How much do I fritter away throughout the day, even when I'm here at the office, how much of my creativity and my attention gets frittered away?
[00:44:16.410] - Chris
Scrolling through my LinkedIn feed under the guise of staying connected and networking and all that kind of stuff. But I'm really not bringing my full self to that. And then certainly we talk about this a lot, right? It's like we are all whole people. We're not just professionals. We're not just business owners and entrepreneurs. We're here to make money and spend money, right? Like relationships. I think I have a 16 year old daughter. I only have her in the house, maybe for a couple more years.
[00:44:44.340]
Yeah.
[00:44:44.870] - Chris
And a lot of days. I'm thinking I can't wait for those two years to pass. I love you, honey. If you're listening to this, I do. And someday you'll be a parent. Maybe. And you'll understand, right. But I think I waste a lot of brain space just trying to get through versus really being present and really appreciating the moments that I have. I can get really caught up in stupid shit.
[00:45:08.390]
Yeah.
[00:45:08.880] - Chris
And so it's that stuff and it sounds heavy, but it's not. It's actually like, boy, I look back at the year and I think, oh, my gosh, we've been so lucky. We've been so fortunate and love it. What could next year be like if I'm more serious about my day and just my day? Yeah, I'm more intentional. I'm more disciplined with. Okay, what am I putting in my body? How am I taking care of my body? How am I spending my time, like, last night I was at the office working on an article soon to come out on CNR.
[00:45:43.580] - Chris
I'm writing an article, but I procrastinated. I put it off. I waited. I blew some time in between client appointments, whatever checking LinkedIn when I could have been digging down. And so I was at the office till 630 last night doing what I had to do. And I just think to myself, Well, what could next year look like if I was more disciplined with how I expend my energy and what I apply my brain to from six in the morning till six at night. And what could that mean for my relationships with my family?
[00:46:16.670] - Chris
How could that change the game just by being more intentional, bringing more presents?
[00:46:23.010] - Brandon
Yeah, I like the intentionality piece there. I got to mirror that to a certain extent. One of the things I feel like that we learned this year is how different the let's call it decision making mechanisms were as an example, the clients that we took on this year and how there was like this pretty wide spectrum between aggressive Proactive engagement of the business and that's why they wanted to work with someone versus a quiet desperation of like, I am just so sick or being sick and tired.
[00:47:00.950] - Brandon
I'm going to try this to see if it will help.
[00:47:03.270] - Chris
Yeah.
[00:47:03.880] - Brandon
And from us as a service provider, both of those are amazing when we can meet someone that is quietly desperate and they just need help. We love that opportunity to bring reprieve to remind someone how to be excited about their business again. I love that. But I also wildly respect those people that haven't gotten to that state because they're so aggressive about the Proactive engagement, their business and their role and what they want to see happen. And so for me, I've realized over the years I think I've spent more time making decisions out of the quiet desperation, like, you just reach that point, like, I can't ignore this anymore.
[00:47:43.870] - Brandon
And because I've had this really third party perspective of watching people in the throes of this decision making matrix, if you will, there's something that just stuck out to me to all those business owners that engaged with us. From this really healthy Proactive perspective. And I'm just thinking in my mind, you know what? I want to mirror more of that next year. It speaks to what you're talking about, too. It's just this getting really honest and aggressive about looking at my current situation, looking at the current status of our business, looking at the current status of our service offering, whatever, and saying, what do I want to do with that, right?
[00:48:25.220] - Brandon
I'm not a victim. I'm not desperate. I don't have no choice. I actually get to play a Super Proactive role in all those choices. And how do I want to prioritize that? What kind of business do I want to have versus what kind of business do I inevitably get? And so for me, that is really going to be a big deal in 2022 personally, because I think it affects everything, right? Because I can look at my role as a dad with those eyes. I can look at my role as a husband with those eyes.
[00:48:54.470] - Brandon
I can look at my role as a business partner, as an advisor, whatever. And I can say. But what do I want to be doing with that role and not being intimidated by that? But just looking at it and saying, okay, well, then what kinds of things do I need to prioritize in that space in my life to bring or be what I want in that situation instead of just getting what I get?
[00:49:16.810] - Chris
Yeah. You know what kind of sits underneath that for me is? I've been noticing. I've been trying to be aware of it. I've been trying to more quickly notice this. I think sometimes I conflate relaxing or sort of like, I don't use the word self care. It feels like something from a woman's blog. Terrible. But this notion of selfcare, I think men, that's a common idea and theme that I think women are recognizing. Yeah. Because culturally, whatever, there's been sort of spoken or unspoken expectation that women just take care of everybody else who don't take care of themselves.
[00:49:54.660] - Chris
Right. But I think the same thing can be true with men, right? But how much I numb out in different ways, but I call it something else. Yeah. I catch myself numbing out, and sometimes I'm numbing out on podcasts, to be honest.
[00:50:11.030] - Brandon
Yeah, sure.
[00:50:14.210] - Chris
Any good thing, right can become a bad thing. But I catch myself throwing on a podcast instead of just sitting in my thoughts. So last night I went on a I took my dog for a walk the dog thing. It's something else. But I'm starting to have these moments where I'm like, oh, I'm going to walk the dog. And last night was actually the first time in the last few weeks where I realized what was going on there for me is I left the house as I have to walk the dog because she's losing her shit, freaking out, like she's just Wiley and going off the rails spinning around in circles and jumping on everything, and I'm like, okay, Jeez, gosh.
[00:50:52.890] - Chris
But I left my phone at the house and I knew what she needed. I needed to just walk her for, like, 30 minutes. And after I got across the Street, I realized I left my phone in the house because normally I would just put my earbuds in and I throw on a podcast and just, like, basically numb out. Yeah, under the guise of I'm listening to the Knowledge project, or I'm listening to whatever. Like, I'm learning. I'm expanding my whatever selfdevelopment professional development bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.
[00:51:22.970] - Chris
I think that's what I'm realizing that I can bullshit myself really well, doing things that on the surface are good. But I'm not willing to sit quietly, like we talked about with Rachel. This was a big moment for me. And maybe it's why I saw my mind so much. But Rachel brought up on our workshop. We did of the Visioneering. We talked about deep work and that actually got assigned to me. I was the one that I facilitated those slides, and I started to think to myself, how often do I create time as a leader, as an advisor to other leaders, to just actually be quiet?
[00:52:00.140] - Chris
And the answer for me was not very often at all. If I'm honest, I talk about mindfulness, I talk about it quite a lot. What has taken the place of my mindfulness or meditation or quiet time or just time to just process life and thoughts and whatever it is, clients or business strategy or whatever. But being just alone and quiet in my thoughts for whatever reason. I struggle with that. Last night I was thinking about that, and I found so much pleasure in walking around the neighborhood and just kind of decompressing.
[00:52:39.330] - Chris
It felt really healthy. And the one area that I have really grown in this year. So this is success. It's not overtly business related, but I feel like it's spilled over into our business is I spend a lot of times in the Woods and a lot by myself just getting out to the Woods and either finding a sit spot, just sitting down and just literally sitting for 30 minutes trying to just get quiet or walking out there with my kids. It's interesting when my kids and I go out to the Woods, they like to horse around 13 to ten and they like to scream and yell, but it's just funny really quickly.
[00:53:17.590] - Chris
The Woods have a calming effect on them, too.
[00:53:19.680]
Yeah.
[00:53:20.290] - Chris
It's almost like we're all experiencing the same peace when we get out there. So we'll have these long periods of time where my boys aren't saying anything. I'm not saying anything. Like even on this one spot on the path, this place, we'd like to go. There's this clearing that opens up and there's a ravine, and it just looks out over this kind of Valley spot. And I love to just stop and just stand there and take it in. Sometimes the fog is kind of rising off the Valley floor, and it's like the trees are poking out of the fog.
[00:53:52.820] - Chris
And it's just this almost like, what's that fantasy series? Come on. That three part movie, Lord of the Lord of the Rings. Everybody's been like, what a door. He doesn't know. Lord of the Rings. It's almost like this Lord of the Rings kind of set. And at 1.1 of these times, I just stood there and I was so overcome with a piece of it. And my boys, they caught up with me, and they just stood next to me. I was like, God, there's something here. I don't spend enough time like this, recharges my batteries.
[00:54:25.250] - Chris
That's one thing I want to do more next year that spills over into every other part of me.
[00:54:32.450] - Brandon
Do you want to chat a little bit before we kind of wrap this up? And then I think we did a bit of a rearview mirror look and a little bit of tomorrow. But what about our podcast? Dude, I know you and I have really been wrestling with this. We've been wrestling with the show. We've been thinking about the assessment of the show in terms of its performance this last year. How close to the goal did we remain in terms of what we wanted to do? And so I don't know, maybe let's take five or six minutes and maybe talk about that.
[00:55:02.160] - Brandon
What we want to press into this coming year.
[00:55:05.270] - Chris
Are you cool to do that?
[00:55:06.500] - Brandon
Yeah.
[00:55:07.090] - Chris
I'm totally cool here's.
[00:55:08.490] - Brandon
Kind of my perspective on where the start was. We looked at the space and we looked at our podcast to do two things. One is to be brave, to challenge us, to be more transparent and open about our own challenges, as leaders, as business leaders, as business owners and just tell people they're not alone. Like, hey, we're going to be willing to cover some of these topics. Sometimes it'll be very tactical. Sometimes it's strategic. Sometimes it's just a brain dump. And hopefully there's value in that. I feel like in many ways, even though the road meandered a little bit, we certainly had moments where we were more confident than not.
[00:55:48.040] - Brandon
In a lot of ways, I feel like we remained on that path. There's no way I could say that every time it was super intentional. But I think we just stayed there and we challenged ourselves to do a couple of shows that were really unnerving, just personally. Sure, maybe people heard it, and they're kind of like, yeah. So anyways, I feel like to a certain perspective, that would be my take on this year. As we fell forward, we learned a lot. We got better in certain areas.
[00:56:12.390] - Brandon
We certainly continue to make mistakes in others learned a lot. Where are you at in terms of how did you think 2021 went with the show?
[00:56:23.630] - Chris
I just think it's been so fun. One of the reasons why we did it, too, was to expand our connections and relationships in the industry. This is kind of a cool excuse to invite people that we admire we've admired from afar. Or we've just had a very sort of incidental relationship with to deepen our relationship with some of the people we've had on his guests. And we still have a wish list of folks that we're admirers of their work. And so that has been everything and more than I had hoped it would be.
[00:56:59.190] - Chris
I mean, I just look at the friends that are kind of around us now, some from actually being on the podcast and some from people that heard the podcast and reached out or said something. We connected with people on a different level than we had before. So that was great. I feel what you said. I think you and I just we wanted to bring something different, maybe not in a marketing sense of, hey, there's a hole in the market, although I think we thought maybe there was like to just bring a different kind of conversation that wasn't totally focused on the nuts and bolts of the industry.
[00:57:36.140] - Chris
But really, what's happening in our head and our heart as leaders, like what's real? What's the ego struggles that we have as business owners and senior leaders, what feels good about the work beyond the money? Like the legacy piece?
[00:57:51.600]
Yeah.
[00:57:52.060] - Chris
Like building something. These are things that I think as leaders we all relate to. But we don't talk about as much. We tend to get really tactical when we're talking with other business buddies. We're calling them about the current opportunities or struggles or wins or losses we're having. We don't get into what are we feeling and it's real.
[00:58:12.400]
Yeah.
[00:58:13.170] - Chris
So I think we did that. I think it's been a lot of that. And I think for me I want to learn how to become more authentic. Sometimes when we hit record, I put on kind of my podcast voice or I put on my I think you and I are getting more and more natural of just being able to almost talk to each other like the audience is. We're certainly mindful, I guess, of trying to create value, but I want to get better at just having the conversations that you and I normally have not feel like we're in a fishbowl, you know what I mean?
[00:58:50.310] - Brandon
Yeah.
[00:58:50.550] - Chris
So that's one thing that I think we've grown a lot in. I mean, those early days, like I said, we re recorded, stopped and let's start that over.
[00:58:58.410] - Brandon
That was crappy running from.
[00:59:00.150] - Chris
Yeah, we do a lot of that because we just think, oh, that was dumb way to say it. But the reality is sometimes we say it dumb, and then we'll say it better later in the sentence or whatever. But I just want to get more authentic in our conversations. Also, when we talked about this. I want to get better at creating, and this is really a leadership behavior. I want to get better at creating a safe container for other people to feel comfortable sharing at that level.
[00:59:25.840] - Chris
You know what I mean?
[00:59:26.600]
Yeah.
[00:59:27.040] - Chris
Because I look at the guests we've had thus far and the guests that we've already got kind of on the docket for next year. And it's like I want to see them. And I think that's where our culture is headed. Our culture is pushing that my kids. It's really interesting. So my best conversations with the kids are when they start, they start to get candid with me about what they see their observations. I think social media is a big part of this. There's been a ton of crap that's come from social media.
[00:59:59.880] - Chris
All of us feel it right. We're all addicted to our phones at some level. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I think one of the beautiful things is created is the millennials on down have just highly tuned bullshit detectors. They don't want to fake it. They don't want to work for a business that makes them fake it. They don't want to be in relationships where they have to fake it. The weird tension that we're still in, though, is that we fake it on social media platforms, but it's created this hunger and desire to not fake it in real life, if that makes sense.
[01:00:33.360] - Chris
Yeah. Like, we all feel the pressure because this is the social dynamic, right? I mean, this is the social dilemma. If you watch that documentary, but it's this paradox of we all feel pressure to fake it. But there's this growing drumbeat in my conversations, one on one with business people. It's there people feel it. Like I said, we get these texts from people when we did that, filling the whole episode about past wounding and how it affects our leadership and that kind of stuff. And you and I just did an anger podcast.
[01:01:04.650] - Chris
I don't know how that's going to land with people, but I just feel like there's a drumbeat of enough of the bullshit. I want to talk about what's real amongst business people. I think if I had to identify a single thing that I've been really successful in my career, it's not because I'm a Super Rad sales person. I've been an okay to above average salesperson in my career. But what's been the killer thing or what has really, I think propelled me is over the years, I've gotten better and better at just being real in the way I approach people.
[01:01:37.470] - Chris
It just connects with people somehow. And I want more of that. And I think other people want more of that of just, like, enough the bullshit. You and I both feel that way as a shared value of let's just talk about what's real. What's now, what's really happening in this situation, what's going on inside me that I feel so offended by that thing that just happened. What's going on with me that I feel small, I feel insignificant. I feel inadequate when I'm talking to this person.
[01:02:04.570] - Chris
What is that about dealing with what's real? I think for me that's a really lifegiving place to sit.
[01:02:13.570] - Brandon
Yeah. No, I agree with you. And I think what's cool is that you and I and our preparation for next year and getting ready to just really do some. We've been in this kind of planning phase for a bit now because we're going to double down on that to the extent that you and I are evaluating the name of the show, and it's not likely it will happen. One of the first episodes that you'll experience in 2022 will be under the new banner, and we're going to go into a bit of detail at Links explaining why we're changing the name.
[01:02:46.970] - Brandon
But as part of this kind of wrap up a review, we're going to speak to our audience, meaning this industry. But we just felt like the name that we developed out of the gate was too tactical in nature. It doesn't really do a great job of describing and or identifying where we want to be, and we want to continue to deliver next year on some strategy, some technical tactical stuff. We want to do that. But we are really going to prioritize and focus on the non compartmentalized elements of leadership and where it is that we are as business leaders, business owners and really being committed to this idea that it's head heart boots in a lot of ways.
[01:03:29.950] - Brandon
Right. Like, there is multi dimensional elements to who we are, and we don't want to ignore one of those when we talk about our roles as key leaders, as mentors to folks, as to the heads of our companies and our teams. So I think that's going to be really exciting. I think it's going to be fun. We're going to be reaching out of the industry aggressively.
[01:03:50.630] - Chris
That's the piece. What is the name of your podcast? Who really cares? But I think our audience is restoration. We're not shifting gears. That's the space we're really trying to serve and connect people and so forth. And I think you and I are both really passionate about we want to bring thought leaders in operators, people with new ideas from outside the industry, in and expose them to the industry. And Clint is going to be one of those first few people, and it's just awesome to get outside of the four walls of restoration and disaster mitigation all that kind of stuff and to start to pull some kind of different perspectives, different language, fresh perspectives out of other leaders and other operators.
[01:04:35.680] - Chris
So whatever we change our name to that's, one of our goals is to just make it a little bit more when we've reached out to some of these speakers like, oh, yeah, what's the podcast called? I'll check it out and it's like, well, it's called the MIT Resto Mastery Podcast. And people outsiders. They're like, what does that mean? Well, we call it the MRM for short. It's like, it's disaster restoration. You know what I mean? So our audience is not going to change like you are who we're speaking to, but we want to really focus on bringing new ideas and stuff in from the outside.
[01:05:05.450] - Chris
And so whatever name we land on, it'll still, hopefully really capture what we're trying to do. But it will open up, I think, an opportunity to talk more easily to folks that aren't inside our industry, to get them on the show and so forth. Okay, well, I don't know. That was sort of a rambling walk. It's just real, but it's real. Yeah, I'd say this.
[01:05:28.800] - Brandon
Guys, if you've been walking along with us this year, I think Chris and I just want to say thank you.
[01:05:35.570] - Chris
Yes. Thank you.
[01:05:36.580] - Brandon
We've had fun. We've learned a lot. We feel like in many ways, we're falling forward. You guys have been honest and real in terms of your input and perspective on what we've been doing.
[01:05:47.740] - Chris
Stick with us.
[01:05:48.550] - Brandon
Tell a friend. Hang out with us, guys. Next year is going to be a lot of fun, and it's going to be more of us just challenging ourselves. And you to be more real with the reality, if you will, about our roles as leaders and company owners and our responsibilities to those folks, the human capital, if you will, that have been put in our charge. And just remember, guys, you're not alone. That's why we created the show. So hang out with us and keep sending us your DMs.
[01:06:15.910] - Chris
It's really encouraging. You like something. You don't like something. Something provokes you some challenges. You like that stuff. Really? It's encouraging to Brandon, and I just that people are engaging with anything we're saying. So if something is helpful or it makes you think about something, shoot us those DMs. You know how to find us on LinkedIn Facebook. Some of you have our cell phone numbers are pretty easy to find. Shoot us a text.
[01:06:37.380] - Brandon
Whatever.
[01:06:38.160] - Chris
Have a good rest of the year. And we'll see you in 2022 later.
[01:06:45.990] - Brandon
All right, everybody. Hey, thanks for joining us for another episode of the MRM podcast.
[01:06:50.610] - Chris
And if you got something out of it, share it with a friend. Hit subscribe Hit Follow Leave us a five star review. Thanks a lot.