Great Managers

By Ron Lloyd, President

What do the truly great managers of our world believe?

1. Managers believe that people are innately good. Without this core belief and faith in people, great management is not possible.
2. Managers believe they do not work on their people, they work with them; they enable and empower them.
3. Managers believe that "empowerment" comes from within, and has more to do with self-motivation and innate talent than with the acceptance of authority. They get their cues from the person, not the task or process.
4. Managers believe that all people have strengths which can be made stronger, and that their weaknesses can be compensated to become irrelevant.
5. When it comes to training, the great managers do not believe they train people, they believe they train skills and offer additional knowledge.
6. Managers believe they coach and mentor people, and they love doing so—not "like," love.
7. Managers believe that the people they manage are more than capable of creating a better future. They hold great faith and trust in the four-fold human capacities of physical ability, intellect, emotion, and spirit.
8. Managers believe in the power of positive, affirmative thinking and they have a low tolerance for negativity. They are confident and eternal optimists.
9. Managers believe it is their job to remove barriers and obstacles so people can attain the level of greatness they are destined for. They believe that “can’t” is a temporary state of affairs, and that everything is only impossible until the first person does it.
10. Managers believe that their legacy will be in the other people they have helped to achieve worthwhile and meaningful goals. They believe that success is measured in people who thrive and prosper.

Why Do Roofing Materials Continue to Cost More Money?

Once again, all asphalt roofing manufacturers have announced that they will be raising prices in the coming weeks. These increases are substantial and reflect the high cost of oil, energy, and transportation. In the current economic environment, forecasts of raw material and transportation indicate too much volatility to predict actual increases. The following explanation may help you understand why.

The U.S. roofing industry is unusually dependent on a number of raw materials that are experiencing dramatic price increases. Asphalt, a crude oil derivative, is commonly used in a number of different roofing materials. There is direct and immediate effect on the price of those materials when oil prices increase.

Another factor impacting the roofing industry is the difficulty in finding regular, reliable transportation. Roofing material manufacturing plants are located throughout the U.S., but cannot possibly serve every market without significant transportation costs. Some material is shipped by rail; most is shipped by over-the-road carriers. The trucking industry is also significantly impacted by the cost of gasoline and diesel fuel.

If you have a price quote situation or any concerns that need to be addressed, please contact us here at the office. We appreciate your support during these unprecedented times.

Getting to Know Peter B. Nottage, Jr. (Tad) of Aloha Insurance

Most of Tad’s free time is taken up with surfing at the beach or fishing with his wife, their 7-year-old daughter and 10-month-old son. The rest of his days are spent solving the puzzle of running an 8-year-old insurance company.

Tad arrived in Kona in 1987 from Maui. "You should get into insurance," his cousin told him repeatedly. Tad’s background was construction sales and service, and when the last building recession hit in the early 90’s, Tad decided to give insurance a try. He got his feet wet as a junior agent with First Insurance Company.

Building relationships with people and problem solving are two factors that have held Nottage’s interest in the insurance industry through 3 agencies, a hurricane and a time span of over fifteen years. His love of the "business side" of work and the ability to "steer his own destiny" were the deciding factors in taking over Aloha Insurance 2 years ago.

"Grow or go backwards," states the businessman, "as it’s hard to stay status quo." This thought explains Aloha Insurance Services' growth of over 5 times since its beginning in 2000, along with the boom cycle that hit Hawaii. With that kind of rapid growth, there is a need for constant attention to match up work flow with personality types. Currently, Ted is working with his staff to determine the'‘time bandits' that interrupt their day.

Streamlining efficiency is another key to effective business. This tactic is the outgrowth of professional advice Nottage sought last spring. Based on the "Peter Principle," a theory that people work to the level of their incompetency, Tad and his staff were able to make some changes. Without that help, Tad is unsure where his company would be today, given the current downturn in the economy.

"When the market goes through change, we need to shift gears." Adjustments are ongoing with the current 'time bandit' exercise and his employees. Even though insurance rates have dropped--taking some commission with them--people will continue to insure their assets. Tad says that after things are more stable, "we will come out stronger."

Employee Spotlight: Teodoro Resendiz

Kailua-Kona is the current home of Teodoro Resendiz, although he has also worked for RR Roofing in Utah. He first started with our company in 1994. He has worked under a couple of different foremen, including Guadalupe Lopez and Antonio Ramos. They have been involved in many beautiful projects in the islands, including Alii Cove, pictured here.

Teodoro is 43 years old. He grew up in Tierra Blanca, Mexico with 2 sisters and 1 brother. He enjoys having some time away from work and “likes to have fun with the guys.” Thank you, Teodoro, for all you do for RR Roofing!

Unity

By Colleen Karren, Office Manager

With all the coverage of the Olympics and the Presidential nominations, I have been impressed with the theme of unity. It seems like that has been the focus. . . unity in a family, a team, a nation. Unity brings strength amidst diversity, a feeling of peace when surrounded by war, and harmony among confusion. I felt an overwhelming sense of pride as I watched Michael Phelps bring himself, his family, his team and his country together by winning 8 gold medals. I watched as the Democratic Party showed the nation that they could unite for the purpose of believing in the same principals and achieving the same goals. I watched as the Republican Party rallied behind what they believed in. In reality. . . don’t we, as Americans, want the same thing. . . a prosperous, peaceful place to live where we are free to be the people we were meant to be?

I believe that all problems stem from a lack of unity. We all need to unite in the knowledge that we are such a diverse people, each with unique character traits, trying to achieve a common goal. We are each just a single strand and as we unify in our causes, our strands are linked together, making an unbreakable rope.

In the workplace, companies succeed because the employees and employers work together, instead of against each other. They recognize the individual strengths that each one can bring to the table. They have a common goal and know that when the company succeeds so do they. They work together to solve problems and celebrate when accomplishments are made.

Unity in art is described as "a relation of all the parts or elements of a work constituting a harmonious whole and producing a single general effect." My hope is that we can unite as a team. . . whatever that team may be and together produce something GREAT!