Elevate Your Why: A Conversation with Pansy Romo

What drives someone to rise from mechanical trades to vice president multiple times? For Pansy Romo of InTech Mechanical, the answer lies not in credentials or connections, but in authentic servant leadership and an unwavering commitment to valuing people.

This conversation delves into Pansy's remarkable journey—one that began without a college degree but flourished through intentional relationship-building and genuine appreciation for others. "When you invest in people and value them truly for no other reason than they are people and matter, everything else comes as a byproduct," she shares, revealing the philosophy that's guided her ascent in an industry not always known for prioritizing human connection.

Particularly fascinating is Pansy's perspective on career transitions and setbacks. Rather than viewing career progression as linear, she embraces the zigzags, including moments when "doors closed on purpose"—situations that initially seemed like failures but eventually revealed themselves as redirections toward greater opportunities. Her transition from trade-specific work to broader general contractor responsibilities demonstrates how vulnerability, resourcefulness, and willingness to learn can transform apparent limitations into strengths.

For leaders struggling with talent retention in today's competitive market, Pansy offers a compelling alternative to simply competing on compensation. When organizations demonstrate genuine interest in employees as complete human beings rather than mere contributors to dashboards, they create magnetic cultures where discretionary effort flows naturally. As she puts it, "Titles and authority are needed for business, but that's not how I show up every day—we're all trying to advance the ball together, just with different responsibilities."

Ready to transform your leadership approach? Listen now to discover how being a "light to others" can create both personal fulfillment and organizational success.

Connect with Pansy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pansy-romo-leed-ap-42b49818/

https://www.intech-mech.com/

Make yourself a priority and get more done: https://www.depthbuilder.com/do-the-damn-thing

Download a PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be
https://www.depthbuilder.com/books

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Why do you want to elevate and how are you going to
elevate?
In your own way, being yourauthentic self.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
What is going on L&M family?
Welcome back for anotherconversation.
I have like a super, super rockstar for you today.
She is the vice president ofInTech Mechanical and it's not
the first time.
She's been in a VP role acouple of times, maybe even a
few, there might be some.
I didn't find stalking her onLinkedIn and Intech.

(00:35):
In case you're wondering, intechMechanical is a full service
contractor serving the NorthCalifornia region, so she's out
there in NorCal with all thefancy people, the beautiful
weather and all the amenitiesthat most of us wish we had
every day.
Her name is Ms Pansy Romo and Igot to connect with her on

(00:56):
LinkedIn.
She's a powerhouse, she don'tmess around and I'm excited to
learn, like the details abouthow she got to, where she's at
and all those beautiful things.
But before we get to that point, if this is your first time
here, this is the Learnings andMissteps podcast, where you get
to see how amazing human beingsjust like you are sharing their

(01:18):
gifts and talents to leave theworld better than they found it.
I am Jesse, your selfishservant, and let's get to know
Ms Pansy.
Ms Pansy, how are you?

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Good, I'm doing great in beautiful Northern
California, the sun's shiningand everything is good.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
It's always perfect up there, oh my goodness.
So where exactly is Intay Is intaste like Sacramento, we're
just outside of Sacramento.

Speaker 1 (01:48):
We're in Roseville, okay, 30 minutes outside of
Sacramento, but still capitalcity, sacramento region yeah, I
was in Sacramento.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
hell, it's probably been six or eight months now.
I started in Sacramento and Iwent all the way down to San
Diego and I tried to take thewhat is it?
The highway one or the one, butthere was part of it was
blocked off so I had to take areroute and that was boring,
like the worst reroute.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
I went through the central Valley, bakersfield and
all the eggs yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Oh, it was like oh, this is so hard, I should have
just got a plane.
Anyways, it was a goodadventure.
I think I stayed the night inAnaheim and then I finished, the
next morning I drove down toSan Diego.
I think that was October.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
Southern California in October is still nice, though
.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Oh yeah, it was amazing.
Okay, so I got a super simplequestion.
Oh yeah, it was amazing.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Okay.
So I got a super simplequestion how do you water your
why?
Wow, that's a.
That's not a simple question,but it's important, though.
I think it's a combination ofjust being in my own thoughts
and reminding myself what is mywhy and how my why might impact
other people and help elevatetheir life, especially when

(03:10):
things get difficult, justremembering that nothing that I
do is about me.
It's about other people, andthat watering process, I think,
is a combination of thoughts.
That watering process, I think,is a combination of thoughts

(03:33):
engagement with people, seeinghow their lives start to
flourish, learning from otherpeople too I'm a mentor for
Placer County here and engagingwith those young ladies and
giving them some wisdom and thenhaving them feed some wisdom
back to me, even at their ageand their career stage, helps me
water my why.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Oh, I love it.
I stole that off of one of yourposts on LinkedIn.
So this appreciation for people, where does that come from?

Speaker 1 (04:02):
Probably just because I didn't feel appreciated
growing up.
So I think it's just a personallife experience.
Really, I didn't feel thatgrowing up and then, kind of, as
I got more engaged in businessand I started to realize how
much I love people, all it didwas just skyrocket from there.

(04:24):
Like I always was engaged witha lot of different groups
growing up, had a lot of friendsI love spending time with
people but then as I got in thebusiness world and I really saw,
like you know, what I couldhelp people, it just sparked
something that aligned with thecore values I already had as a
person.

Speaker 2 (04:44):
Oh, I got it Okay.
So it was like a need that youhave and then the world of
business kind of became thevenue for you to source and fill
that need.
And I don't know, am I wrong?
Because I'm just like a solooperator here, I don't have a
real job, I don't wear pantsmaybe once a week.
But am I wrong that investingin and valuing people is a good

(05:08):
business decision?

Speaker 1 (05:10):
Absolutely, I mean.
I think the most importantpiece, though, is when you
invest in people and value themtruly for no other reason other
than they are people and theymatter.
Everything else that comes as aresult of that is a byproduct
of investing in valuing people.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
Oh, I love it.
I love it.
You're talking, my lovelanguage.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
Yeah, nothing in return should be expected.
Things happen as a natural, asa general rule, but nothing in
return should be expected.
And then what is returned toyou will be more than you ever
expected.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
Oh, my goodness.
So it's like give withoutexpectation, serve, share,
connect, appreciate, becauseit's the right thing to do.

Speaker 1 (06:02):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (06:03):
And then miracles happen on the backside.

Speaker 1 (06:05):
Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (06:06):
Yes, oh, my God, you know, I've been living that, and
now, full disclosure.
I've only been living thatexperience we'll say about eight
, maybe nine years, and I'm not19.
So I spent a lot of my yearsdoing it the other way Super
transactional, always demandingor expecting something in return

(06:29):
, undervaluing relationships andit was hard, like it sucked.
It was not fun, it took all thejoy and energy out of me, but I
finally saw the way now.
What's interesting, though, isback when I was operating that
way, there were a lot of peoplein at levels in the companies I

(06:51):
was at.
They operated that way, so I'mlike well, if I want to get
there, this is how I need tobehave.
Like it was I'm not blamingthem right like I was the one
that decided to be a jerk, butthe signals around me were
saying this is how to get towhere you want, and so I'm
wondering in your path, did yousee the same thing, or did you
just have like amazing peoplethat modeled that kind of

(07:13):
behavior and made it easy foryou to adapt to that?

Speaker 1 (07:16):
No, I saw the same thing that you did Over time.
Things have changed.
Over time, things have changed,and we've, as a society, even
and especially as a businesscommunity, we've evolved, I
think, on so many levels tofigure out that the people are
the most important.
Even if you never believed thatbefore or never found that
valuable, you're looking atpeople in a different way,

(07:38):
because now we havemulti-generations in businesses,
we all have kids, that some ofus have kids that are the same
age as people that work for us.
For you to maintain atransactional approach today,
you're intentionally doing that.
Yes, in my opinion, and I thinkI saw leaders.

(07:59):
I'm glad I had leaders thatdidn't model for me what I
wanted to be modeling for people, because they taught me what
not to do, and legitimately, itis painful as it was back then
they taught me how I did notwant to be as a leader, and I
took those things and I just usethem to kind of propel myself

(08:23):
not to swing the pendulum allthe way.
The other way, though, becauseyou still have to hold people
accountable, but at the sametime, you don't have to be a
jerk about it.
You could be direct, but youcan be respectful.

Speaker 2 (08:37):
Yeah, I feel like you're getting after me for my
past.

Speaker 1 (08:41):
No, not at all.
I have jerk moments too.
Don't get me wrong, I'm notperfect.

Speaker 2 (08:45):
But I got it Okay, so you started.
I mean again, like I said, Iwas stalking on LinkedIn and
from my just a quick glance Imade at your entry into the
workforce after university,you've progressed relatively
quickly to VP roles, roles, andit kind of like, wherever you go

(09:06):
, you shoot to, you shoot up theladder yeah, I've been very
fortunate that the my style ofhow I show up has helped me in
my career and also peopleopening doors recognizing that
there's talent there.

Speaker 1 (09:22):
But I didn't graduate .
I dropped out of college,listed on.
There is no degree, butultimately just kind of the
culturally the way I was raised,how I show up as a person.

(09:42):
That matters because peoplesometimes will pay attention and
see that you have potential andethic and give you
opportunities that you might notget otherwise.
So I had a mix right.
I had to work really hard backwhen I first started in
construction because it was agood old boys game.
Many women and the women thatwere there were office staff,
you know, at a very low leveloffice staff, you know, at a

(10:10):
very low level.
And so I just I set an ambitionway back when and I just kept
working to it and connectingwith people and I networked a
lot and I listened to people.
That's what I tried to do for areally long time is what are
they saying?
Why are they saying it and howdoes it impact my day-to-day?
How can I leverage what they'redoing?
If there was benefit there oflike they're good leaders, they

(10:32):
speak well, they say the rightthings.
They don't just talk for noreason.
Those are the kind of thingsthat I tried to pay attention to
, because there are people thatjust talk for no reason.

Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yes, the people that I got two favorites and I'm
going to talk smack, maybe I'llget canceled.
I don't care the two folks.
They drive me up the damn walland it's part of the reason why
I don't have a real job, becausethey would drive me crazy.
One is the topper right.
No matter what you do, whatvacation you've taken, what diet

(11:07):
you're trying, they're doing itand they've done it and they're
doing a better one.
You come across people like thatand then so those are.
I see those out in the wild,not just in the workplace, but
the other ones are thebobbleheads.
And these they lurk in meetings, especially when there's people

(11:31):
with a lot of influence andauthority.
And when I say bobbleheads,what I mean is when the person
with the most authority in theroom says something, they go out
of their way to repeat it usingdifferent words and say I agree
, and oh, that's such a greatpoint.
And they're just bobbing theirhead.
Yeah, it's probably like allyou got to do is nod, your head
Shut up.
We're here to make progress ona thing, not hear how much you

(11:55):
agree with the most popularperson in the room.
Do they have those inCalifornia too?

Speaker 1 (12:03):
Yes.
It's everywhere, right Insociety, everybody's always
trying to get to that next level, and we don't all know healthy
ways to do it.
In my opinion, I agree.

Speaker 2 (12:14):
Yeah, we've been modeled.

Speaker 1 (12:17):
the way that you get advancement is to be a
bobblehead, and that's notreally valuable is to be a
bobblehead and that's not reallyvaluable.
You can advance.
I've seen it.
There's plenty of people passme by over the years because
they were that and it wasfrustrating.
Right, when you're coming upyou know you're putting in the
effort but at the end of the dayit's set all that aside.

(12:39):
Why do you want to elevate andhow are you want to elevate and
how are you going to elevate?
In your own way, being yourauthentic self.

Speaker 2 (12:51):
We got to do the L&M family member shout out, and
this one goes to Ms ClaudiaGarcia.
Claudia took the time to sendme this awesome message.
She says I was so happy to beable to attend this session.
The way it was organized andconducted, the lessons learned
and also the realization of howmuch more I still need to learn

(13:13):
and improve and, best of all,the humanity behind it all was
incredible.
Thank you all again.
And so Claudia was one of theearly victims of the Do the Damn
Thing Time Mastery Workshop andclearly I didn't disappoint her
or run her off, because shetook the time to send me that
nice note.
So, folks out there, if you takethe time, or when you take the

(13:35):
time to send me a comment, ashare, a star, whatever, please
do so, because it helps me knowthat somebody's listening and I
get the opportunity to shout youout in the future.
Ok, so two things like what youjust said why and how are you

(13:55):
going to do it?
Staying true to you, playingyour game, running your plays,
super, super powerful.
You also said earlier that youset an intention for yourself
way back when.
So for the youngling that'slistening right now, what does

(14:16):
that look like.
What is the, let's say, theingredients to setting an
intention for whatever futurethey want to build for
themselves?

Speaker 1 (14:28):
I think it comes down to what are you passionate
about that?
You don't have all the giftsand skills that you're going to
need when you set that intentionand there's going to be a long
it's.
You're running a marathon, andso those checkpoints are going
to change over time.
They're going to be difficult.
You're going to need stamina.
You're going to need someone inyour corner, whether that's

(14:49):
your sister, brother, bestfriend, spouse, whoever, or a
mentor, because you need someoneto keep you going.
You're going to get in the quitzone more times than you can
count.
And also, it's not a straightline, right?
We were just talking to theseyoung ladies last night at this
mentoring forum and it's likeyour career will never go on a

(15:11):
straight line, and sometimesit's not.
It's or all the time.
Maybe it's not meant to.
All of those different pointsin time that feel like failures
or obstacles or frustrating.
They all feed into the journeyand you just have to roll with
them and then make gooddecisions.

(15:31):
When you see there's aroadblock that clearly is not
meant for you, the door's closedon purpose, then you really
have to sit back and go.
Okay, my intention isn'tchanging.
Maybe the place that I'm atneeds to change.
So, okay, my intention isn'tchanging.
Maybe the place that I'm atneeds to change.

Speaker 2 (15:47):
Or maybe my attitude needs to change.
Okay, I want to dig into thedoors closed on purpose.
What does that mean?

Speaker 1 (15:55):
So I was at another mechanical years ago and we were
going down the path ofsuccession planning and I was
one of the people that was inthe succession plan and
ultimately that didn't work outand today I know that was
because the door was closed onpurpose, not by me Got it.

(16:24):
Closed on purpose, because I hada different purpose to fulfill
and it wasn't there, even thoughit seemed like it was and I had
put in all the work and I wasvice president and I was running
major parts of the organization.
It was just not meant for melong term.
Yeah, and you don't know thatat the time, right, you don't
know that until you get down thepath and your journey goes in

(16:44):
zigs and zags.
And then you look back andyou're like, well, clearly
that's why things happen.

Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah, oh yeah, yes.
So here's.
Here's how I'm trying to makesense of it, cause I'm slow.
I think it happened Like in myhead.
I'm seeing two versions of thedoor closing on purpose.
There's a metaphorical kind ofperspective there, and then
there's like for real, thatpeople just decide you're not
going to have this, and itdoesn't matter what you do or

(17:12):
how qualified, you are not goingto have this.
And that happens, so like it'sa reality.
And so what I think I heard yousay is you're helping people
understand, be prepared for that.
And if it closes at one firm,that doesn't mean it's closed at

(17:33):
every firm in the country.
Find another one, a betterplace for you, that nurtures
your gifts and talents and canhelp, or who appreciate talent.
That was always my problem,pansy, like why can't they all
just see my talent?
They just couldn't, theycouldn't see it.
So now, metaphorically, when Ihear the door closes on purpose,

(17:54):
is it's not the biggest thingthat's available for you?
You need to get off the highwayfor a little bit because
there's something bigger.

Speaker 1 (18:05):
I 100% agree, that's a great way to state it, because
it ties back to even just howyour job opportunities, I think,
pop up.
Sometimes you could be all theway at the top of an

(18:27):
organization, let's say, andanother opportunity comes up and
maybe it's a step back in title, maybe even financially, but
this opportunity that came toyou is within a bigger
organization and maybe there'smore impact.
And the going off the highway,like you said, is only for a
short period of time, becausethere's something bigger like

(18:48):
you said, is only for a shortperiod of time, because there's
something bigger.
Yes, yes, and so you'veexperienced that Like I saw you
like oh yeah, that's it.
I did.
Yeah, I took a step back andI'm glad because looking back
those points in my journeyhelped me get to where I am
today, and they were so valuablebecause it allowed me to step
outside of what I already hadthought my intention was.
I didn't derail what myultimate goal was, but it helped

(19:12):
me see it from a differentperspective and I feel like
today that's one of the biggestgifts is I let my humility come
to the surface for a biggerpurpose, because to me like
titles are needed for business.
Titles and authority are neededfor business, but that is not
the way that I show up every day.
I don't show up trying to havethis big title and authority.

(19:36):
It's no, we are all trying toadvance the ball in the same way
.
We just have differentresponsibilities.
Yes, some of them keep you upway late.
We just have differentresponsibilities.

Speaker 2 (19:45):
Yes, some of them keep you up way late, whether
you like it or not?

Speaker 1 (19:50):
I know I'm simplifying it a little bit for
what I have on my plate, but atthe end of the day, from a back
to people, we're all people andeverybody matters and
everybody's valuable and we allhave our different roles to play
or different plays to make.
But if you just keep that frameof reference, for me personally
I think that's where I love tolive oh, my goodness, okay.

Speaker 2 (20:14):
So you speak so clearly about these things and
with like straight up confidence.
Did you have a secret cheatsheet when you were at the
middle school dances and saidthis is what I'm going to do.
I've got this.
I'm going to do this.

Speaker 1 (20:30):
Still in cars in middle school.
I was not thinking about people.
We'll go into all of that, butno, I know it's just.
I mean I have had some reallygood people in my life that have
helped me cultivate who Iwanted to be.

(20:52):
My character is what it isright.
That's a God-given thing, Ithink.
And cultivating that and beingtrue to yourself and really
putting yourself to the side notfake humility, but really
putting yourself to the side, Ithink, takes other people to
show you how to do that,different perspectives, and I've
been pretty fortunate.

(21:12):
I've had some really goodpeople mentor me and coach me
and help me develop over theyears.
Yeah, Okay.

Speaker 2 (21:21):
So mentors come up multiple times.
You are actively committed to amentoring group situation.
I'll just say it.
I've worked with amazingcompanies.
So, similarly, I got lucky inthat I worked with some really
outstanding companies companiesbut we all know it don't matter

(21:46):
how outstanding the company is,if your boss is a jerk, you're
screwed.
I got lucky with someoutstanding bosses while I was
working for those outstandingcompanies.
Now, within those outstandingcompanies, they both had
mentorship programs.
It was formal and it wasassigned.
I'm going to mentor somebodyand somebody is going to mentor
me.
And I'll just say straight up,it was a miserable experience

(22:09):
because we had a meeting andthey said okay, tell me what you
need mentoring.
I'm like I don't know.
I don't even know you.
Bro, Can we talk a little bit?
My point in that is youunderstand, you've experienced
the value of having a mentor.
You've committed, on top of allyour responsibilities and
everything you have going on, tomentor others.

(22:30):
So the question is how do youbuild the mentoring skill and
what are you looking tocontribute as a mentor?

Speaker 1 (22:40):
I think the first order of business is getting an
understanding of who they areand where they want to go.
And it doesn't have to be justbusiness.
It could be in life, right,because I didn't have a mentor
in life and I wish I would have,because I wouldn't have made so
many crazy, silly decisions, Iwouldn't have been running the
streets as much.
But I think it's justunderstanding who they are and

(23:03):
where they want to go, becauseasking those inquisitive
questions first and foremost,rather than just dumping what
you think is wisdom on somebodyor your lived experience, is
probably the best way to go, getto know them and really get to
understand, like what drivesthem.

Speaker 2 (23:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (23:23):
And then frame your mentoring engagement that way.

Speaker 2 (23:27):
Oh, I love it.
I think I've said this to abunch of people and everybody
rolls their eyes at me becauseI'm wacko, right, but I've said
this multiple times especiallyin the conditions that our
industry is in right now,everybody is offering
competitive pay and benefit.
So if that's your sell, whocares?

(23:48):
Because everybody is offeringthe same thing.
I think, rather, what I'mseeing there's not a bunch of
them and something tells meyou're one of them the decision
makers in organizations thatfigure out how to show
appreciation in the whole humanbeing, not just how they
contribute to the dashboards andthe KPIs, but like what their

(24:10):
interests are as an individual,as a human being.
I think those people I see themwinning the talent game.
They're winning the attractionand retention game and they're
not spending money, they're justdemonstrating interest and
appreciation in the entire humanbeing.

(24:30):
And so when I hear you talkingabout mentoring, that's what I
hear you doing, like it's not.
This programmatic, gendizedapproach to having one-on-one
conversation is let me get toknow you.
What's your feel, what's yourflavor, what's your interest,
what are the gaps you have, sothat I can adjust and serve you
appropriately.
Am I smelling what you'recooking?

Speaker 1 (24:52):
Yeah, you're picking up what I'm laying down.
Because that's exactly it Legit, it can't be contrived.
That's what I like in thebeginning.
If you put people first withthe right intentions, then the
byproduct of a good businessdecision just naturally happens.
You're not forcing it, it's notcontrived.

(25:13):
You're not trying to get areturn, you just will.
And on top of that you havefulfilled passionate high
performers that have anenvironment that is, it leaves
them bound over any, just anyold paycheck.
And then you carry that on intotheir family because if they
come to a bad environment everyday, they're going to take that

(25:36):
home.
And then it's a cycle thatnever stops and we all know what
that looks like.
And that is not.
I don't like it ever.

Speaker 2 (25:45):
Yeah Well, so let's think of, let's like, take the
human part out of it.
That's expensive.
If you're running a business,it's extremely expensive because
if, let me say it this way,when I was that miserable
apprentice or journeyman andpissed off and I'd like, I want,
why did I go to work?
To get the hell away from thehouse.

(26:06):
Cause it sucked being at thehouse.
Well, depends on which X youask, but anyways.
So to come to work and then alsobe treated like a disposable,
consumable thing, my performance, like you, weren't going to get
any of my discretionary effort.
I was going to do preciselywhat you wanted, precisely the

(26:29):
way you said you wanted it andthat's it.
But again, I had some amazingbosses along the way that I'm
like man I'm going to, you gaveme so much.
By just demonstrating interestin me, you get everything.
Like I'm going to contribute asmuch as I possibly can and take

(26:51):
on more responsibility outsideof my job description so that I
can grow.
But also because, man you'regiving, you're pouring into me,
so like I got to pay it back,and I think that's one I applaud
you for, like you're alreadythere.
But that's what we need peopleto get, or maybe we don't.
That way they're great.
People can go to the leadersthat already know how to do that

(27:14):
.
What do you think?

Speaker 1 (27:15):
Yeah, I mean, yeah, I don't know that's a tough one,
because I think it's a choice.
I really believe that it's achoice.

Speaker 2 (27:28):
When you're in a leadership position.

Speaker 1 (27:29):
You're either making a choice to do one thing or the
other, agreed, and again, ifit's contrived, people will know
yeah.
But on the flip side of that,it's like people also have a
good opportunity, like me andyou said, you work hard enough,
you put the effort in the right,people will get attracted to
you and then they will open upopportunities for you because
they have that leadershipquality of hey, I want to see

(27:50):
this person elevate.
And if we could all do that.
It's like that whole.
What's that analogy of the pond, the rock in the pond and the
ripples?
It sounds corny but it's not.

Speaker 2 (28:02):
No, it's true, it's 100% true, and it just comes
back in waves.

Speaker 1 (28:08):
Again, it took me a while to learn it, but I got it
and I'm not stopping.

Speaker 2 (28:11):
Okay, you started your career, your working career
with a mechanical contractor.
Then you went to the dark sidewith the GC which I've done also
and then you came back.
You came back home to themechanical contractor.
So for the folks out there thatdon't know, let's start with
what is a mechanical contractor?

Speaker 1 (28:32):
So in a building we do commercial HVAC, plumbing and
piping.
So we are the ones responsiblefor ventilation, indoor air
quality, making sure you'recomfortable, process piping,
specialty gases, all of thosefun things that live in every
building.

Speaker 2 (28:52):
Oh, I love it, I love it.

Speaker 1 (28:54):
Did you know, that's my background.

Speaker 2 (28:56):
Also, I did not.
So I'm a plumber.
Oh you are.
Oh yeah, I know it's hard totell because I'm so handsome,
but yes, I'm a plumber.
Well, I shouldn't say I am,because if you look at my hands,
I'm not a plumber anymore.
But I came up with TDIndustries mechanical contractor
here in Texas.

(29:17):
I was with them for 17 yearsand I was on that side of the
business for about 20 years andevery time I say mechanical
contractor, people are like youwork on cars?
I'm like, no, let me tell youwhat it is.

Speaker 1 (29:28):
Yeah, I know it comes up all the time.
Yeah, so you came up throughthe trades.
I didn't know that.

Speaker 2 (29:33):
Oh yeah, four years of apprenticeship got my
journeyman license, med gascertification, master license.
But again, where I'm at todayis only evidence of the amazing
leaders that I came across alongthe way.
Right To to have advanced, tohave started off as an
apprentice, to be doing thethings I'm doing and having

(29:55):
sitting at the tables that I sitat that's not normal and it was
because I had a lot of amazingpeople.
I say a lot more than most.
I had a lot of amazing people.
I say a lot more than most.
I've had a bunch of folks thatreally poured into me and I'm
psychotic and obsessive.
So I'm like hell, let me do agood job here.
And they said hey man, here'sthis thing.

(30:17):
I think you'll be good for this.

Speaker 1 (30:21):
Yeah, I've had that same thing.
I think you'd be great at this.
Have you ever thought about it?
Let's talk about it.
Yeah, when I went to the GCside, I ended up going with a
lot of friends DPR was a clientof mine, right, so I had a bunch
of friends that work there butI had that same concern of, well
, I'm mechanical, what aboutelectrical and AV and fire alarm

(30:46):
and all these things that Ididn't know, even though I was
very well established and theywanted me to come there and I
knew it was a great move.
It was that psychological pieceof well, I'm not good enough for
this and that's not the case,and I loved working there.
It was such a great part of myexperience and it gave me such a

(31:06):
wider view of, but those peoplethat were pouring into me.
I had to call them and say Idon't know about this, because I
don't think I'm capable, andthey're like, yes, you are.
So then I'm like well, I can'tlet them down, so I need to
figure this out.

Speaker 2 (31:22):
And so what did that look like for you?
That and when I say what did itlook like?
Like it's backstory I had thesame, similar transition.
I left TD and so I had workedin San Antonio my whole life and
so all the responsibility,network, et cetera was San
Antonio's business unit based.

(31:43):
The job I got was with Turner,general contractor, and all of a
sudden I had regionalresponsibility, so like I didn't
even know how to.
I've been on a plane maybe threetimes before that.
Now that's part of my job.
I don't know if I could do this.
So anyways, there was a lotgoing through my head and there
was a lot of things that I didwhen I got there to deal with it

(32:06):
.
So my question to you is whenyou made that transition?
Because going from a trade,like if you've been in the trade
exclusively for most of yourcareer, there's a certain
perspective, maybe even opinion,you have about GCs, and it's
just different.
It's not the same you haveabout GCs, and it's just
different.
It's not the same.
And so my question is this whatdid you anticipate that

(32:39):
transition to be like?

Speaker 1 (32:39):
And then, what did you do to close the gap quickly?
I anticipated it to beoverwhelming because the
spectrum is so much wider versusmechanical.
Right, I'm paying attention tomy things, making sure my stuff
is accurate, and then you gointo everything all the kids in
the pool so I felt like, oh,this is going to be overwhelming

(33:01):
and it was, but not in a badway.
So to close the gap, Iliterally just put my head down
and dug in and was like I needto learn how to read a single
line drawing.
I need to anticipate what theSparkies are going to tell me
and be able to call BS, becauseI have to make sure that my team

(33:22):
that I'm supporting hits theschedule, because I have to make
sure that my team that I'msupporting hits the schedule and
then I need to be able torecognize, like, from a cost
perspective, where do they live?
What's the framework?
I literally just I guess.
To sum it up, I wanted to beable to call BS and make sure I
was the SME for every singletrade I was responsible for, as
quickly as possible.

Speaker 2 (33:44):
Yeah, and so that took what three or four days.

Speaker 1 (33:47):
It was a lot.
It was a lot, a lot of latenights and just phoning a friend
.
I use my network too.
Legit, I had so many friends inthe industry.
I had built a respect andreputation.
I just phoned a friend all thetime and I said this is what I'm
seeing.
Can you confirm that I'm on theright track?
And I leveraged that a lot forthe first probably six months.

Speaker 2 (34:10):
Oh, nice, okay.
So just in case for the L&Mfamily member out there that
didn't catch it big leaps arepossible and you don't have to.
I highly recommend and I knowPansy just said it you best be
ready to put your head down andlearn your butt off Like it's

(34:32):
going to.
It's not.
If you want to be mediocre,like, just go and do your nine
to five, but if you want toexcel, you got to put in time
and you got to be resourceful,right.
So when you say I reached outto my network, I see that as
resourcefulness.
You have a network.
That is a resource that youdidn't have.

(34:54):
Like, you didn't let pride orshame get in the way of you
getting what you needed so thatyou can be successful and excel
in this whole new environment.
Because in scale, it's adramatically different scale of
whatever right now.
How about the like, therelationship part?

(35:16):
I think it might be obviousbecause you're so people focused
, but in terms of buildingcredibility with your new
tenured colleagues, what didthat look like?

Speaker 1 (35:28):
I feel like I had a little bit of an advantage
because in the business unitthat I was in I already had long
term relationships.
So I already had a certainestablished relationship and
respect level both ways me tothem and them to me.
But they're I mean there'sthey're national right, so there

(35:48):
are, they're international, sothere's all a bunch of people I
met in different business units.
I think that was more just.
I tried to connect with themone-on-one and just share with
them kind of the foundation thatI had and make sure they knew
that I was listening and that Iunderstood what.
My sure they knew that I waslistening and that I understood
what my responsibilities wereand how I was going to help them

(36:09):
.
Really, I guess I wanted tojust make sure they knew that I
was solid and that I could be atrusted advisor for the things
that they needed from me.

Speaker 2 (36:19):
Yeah, oh, and that takes contact time, not
bobbleheading, like actuallydelivering value and contact
time.
Oh my goodness.
All right, now I know thatyou've got a path right.
You had you sent an intention along time ago.
You were on the swing in thirdgrade and said it's what I'm
going to do.
I'm going to be BPA at Intec in2025.

Speaker 1 (36:42):
After I put someone in the face.

Speaker 2 (36:44):
Yes, After you put somebody in the face and popped
a lock with the screwdriver.
Like I remember the MonteCarlos that didn't have the
window frames and the Camaros,so going to DPR in my head, I'm

(37:08):
guessing that there was anintention, there was something
you wanted to learn and develop,Otherwise you wouldn't have
made the move.
So what was that?
Like you weren't doing it toget a job and work for a GC?
I don't think.
No, I wasn't Okay.

Speaker 1 (37:24):
And I had no reason to leave At the time.
I had no reason to leave intech.
It was the culture that I liked.
I respected the leaders here.
But the piece of that settingthe intention for me was how do
I be the best?
I want to be the best If I showup at a project, if I'm on a

(37:46):
pursuit team, I want to be awareof everything else and have the
right care and custody of how Ineed to be a collaborative team
partner, and this opportunityopened that up for me.
I didn't know that I would comeback to the trade side.
I really didn't think I would.
I thought I was going to staythere because I loved it.

(38:10):
It gave me a much wider range.
I just enjoyed it a lot and Ihad a lot of really good people
that I worked with and I got tobe involved in a lot of
different things.
But it was really just thatopportunity.
When it opened up, it was like,man, I think I have so much
more to add to our industry.
I could do it here with peoplethat I really love, with a

(38:33):
culture that I really like.
It kind of checked all theboxes for me and so much more.
Legit was one of the bestexperiences that I think I will
I got to have.

Speaker 2 (38:46):
Yeah, yeah, amazing.
So were there any superpowersor skills that grew
exponentially while you were inthat environment that maybe you
weren't totally aware of untilyou got there?
Oh, I got this thing.
Where did that come from?

Speaker 1 (39:05):
I think picking up electrical was a shocker to me.

Speaker 2 (39:10):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (39:11):
It took a minute, yeah, understanding like the
basics of electrical and I justdidn't think I would catch it as
quickly.
But I really like it.
Actually it's one of the thingsI miss about coming back on the
mechanical side is thatelectrical piece.
I really enjoyed it, maybe justkind of the background that I
had and being able to transitioninto so much more than just M&P

(39:33):
and being valuable and addingvalue to the teams was a little
bit of a shocker for me.
I just wasn't sure how that wasgoing to go down and I picked
up quite a bit of things that Ididn't know before really
quickly and just ran with them.

Speaker 2 (39:51):
Oh, I love it.
Yeah, so I like to pull out andjessify it for the L&M family
member out there.
That's as slow as I am, and so,summary of there are some
opportunities that are so bigthey're a little scary.
Going from a trade to a GC isone of those Unless you're just

(40:13):
super, super, ultra confidentand a little delusional.
But it's what my experience andI think what I heard you say is
like going into that space it'sa bigger pool that facilitates
and wait, let me say this firstNot every GC, because there's a
lot of dirtbag GCs out there.
I said it straight up, I'velived it.

(40:36):
There's some great ones outthere with great people, and so
going into a bigger organization, a bigger opportunity, helps
you expand your own awarenessabout what it is you can
contribute and it creates kindof new like oh, wait, a minute,
if I had that much more, whatelse is there?

(40:57):
What more do I have?
Did you have the same kind ofexperience?
Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (41:02):
It forces you to look inside again and say well, I
need to stretch myself even more.
And then you just go.

Speaker 2 (41:16):
Go, oh damn.
I did that I could do that Shoot.
What else can I do?
Yep, exactly Same happened forme, okay.
So then you went.
Now we're getting closer to thepresent.
You went back to in-tech.
Now, when I hear you speak,it's obvious that you care about
people and you're real.
I also hear some like seriousbusiness acumen, and I know a

(41:43):
lot of people in the industrythat they're great at managing a
project.
You probably know this.
You were able to see it.
Managing a project is likerunning a business, depending on
what level of experience youhave in the organization.
But something tells me youcould see that, and so what was
it about running a business?

(42:04):
How early did you see?
That's what I want to do.
That's what I want to learn howto do.
That's what I want to do.
Was that again?
Was that like an earlyawareness, or did that kind of
develop along the way?

Speaker 1 (42:20):
It was early awareness.

Speaker 2 (42:22):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (42:23):
What was happening when I first started was I was
in a support role no surpriseand I was watching these no
disrespect, but all these menjust run circles around me,
career wise, even though I hadequally good skill set.
So the first intention was justthat, well, I could manage

(42:43):
these projects, not supportbehind the scenes.
I can manage that project.
So that was my first step of Ineed to get there.
And then, as I started doingthat and engaging with more
people, then it was like I'mwatching the leaders at that
point now and I'm like pickingup things that I think are good
and valuable and seeing thingsthat I'm not a fan of.

(43:05):
And then I thought, well,number one, I enjoy all aspects
of business.
I love people.
I'm good in terms of managingprojects.
If I take that to the nextlevel, what kind of impact could
I make on people?
Because the financial part ofit is important but it's not

(43:27):
straight up just being real.
Anybody who knows me will tellyou this.
That is not my main goal.
I could pay my bills anywhereand really my whole thing was
running a business gives me anopportunity to create an
environment for people that theyneed.
I didn't have or I want to seebetter.

Speaker 2 (43:49):
Amazing, and the cost was learning how to run a
business.
But for a greater purpose thanmaking whatever, it is your 10%,
14% growth margin.
It's funny when I talk to GCsand they talk about their
margins, they're like we gotlike 3%, Well, you don't work.
Why is trade's growth margin sohigh?
Because we work.

(44:09):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (44:11):
Yeah, but our risk is a lot higher At the end of the
day we don't control all thevariables.
And so yeah, I meanlegitimately too.
Man, if that's your main focusin construction, especially as a
trade partner, you are out tolunch because the risk reward
can be a wild ride.

Speaker 2 (44:32):
Oh my, you know.
So I get to hang out with abunch of different construction
companies.
They bring me in to I don'tknow, be the class clown and
entertain them, but I like toask, always with the leaders
it's like why are you inconstruction, and especially at
the executive level?
What I hear is to make money.
We're here to make money.

(44:52):
I'm here to make money and I'mlike, really, if you wanted to
make money, why the hell wouldyou pick construction, like it
has the most risk, supervolatile, pain in the butt,
difficult because of all thestakeholders.
It is so damn hard to make themoney and it takes so damn long

(45:13):
to get the money.
If you really wanted to makemoney, you could sell pictures
of your feet on the internet.
If that's what you're about,come on, let's be for real.
I'm being goofy, but it's true.
I say it all the time and mypoint is this it sounds good and
it feels good make money.
But when I hit them with that,a lot of them are like I never

(45:38):
thought of it.
Like exactly, and that's thepoint.
You have to love somethingmeaningful, otherwise it's no
fun and clearly you're using itas it's a conduit.
You see how you like how Ithrew the electrical thing in
there.
It's a conduit for you to servepeople and create an

(45:58):
environment for people to thrive, and all of that is tolerable
because it affords or it createsa space for you to do amazing
things for amazing people.

Speaker 1 (46:16):
Am I getting that right?
It allows me to be a servantleader in a way that's
meaningful to me and, of course,others.
But, yeah, 100%.
Again, everybody has to makemoney and that's why we do
business, but never is it thenumber one thing.
That's on my mind and to yourpoint.
It is hard to make it andcollect it and it's a lot of

(46:40):
brain damage.
So I bet you, if you askedeverybody and made them think of
it differently, they would saythe same that no, maybe they
love it because people, becauseno day is the same, because it's
a challenge, because all thosedifferent things.

Speaker 2 (46:56):
Yes, oh yeah.
We just need to think about itand examine yourselves.
And that's my point how can Ihelp somebody examine their
thinking so that they canimprove or enhance their quality
of life?
Now, just in case, because Iknow some people are saying like
man, where's Intech?
I need to go fill out anapplication.
Should I tell everybody, likeno, you have all the workforce

(47:18):
you need, y'all are full up, youdon't need anybody you never
turn down a conversation, right,I mean, we have a fantastic
team and we're so grateful thatwe do.

Speaker 1 (47:31):
We're intentional about it.
But yeah, I mean anybody who'sgot character wants to be a part
of a good culture, loves to bea high performer and work hard
and loves people.
Yeah, send them our way people.

Speaker 2 (47:53):
yeah, send them our way.
10, 4 good.
And I also want to say this formy, like my trades people out
there, because we've all workedwith miserable organizations,
with miserable people.
That's life, right like I, Iexperienced it when I was
working fast food.
I experienced it, and you ain'tgoing to love every boss you
ever have, but that doesn't meanthat they all suck.
And what I'm especially excitedabout is I've been able to

(48:17):
capture evidence, your evidence,that there are amazing leaders
out there running tradesubcontractor organizations that
create a culture where peoplecan thrive.
There's not enough of us,there's not enough of you, right
?
But you are living proof thatit exists, and so I applaud you.

(48:40):
I'm grateful to you for that,because I'm sure you've heard
the stories.
You experienced it yourself.
There are some organizationsthat again, hell, if I knew I
could like back in the 90s, if Icould sell pictures of my feet,
I would have, but that wasn't athing back then.
Now it is, and now I got abetter gig, so it doesn't make
sense.

Speaker 1 (49:01):
Yeah, it really does matter, Because when this
opportunity came up, if thefoundation of the company was
not built on the core values andthe culture that we have, I
wouldn't even have consideredtaking this leap, and all this
risk and becoming an owner andall those things would not even
across my mind.
Because what's the point?

(49:22):
And being an owner like you areinvested like money, like
serious lack of sleep, like likeall the things, but it's good.
Yeah, challenge anybody outthere to think about your people
, think about the type ofenvironment that you create, and

(49:43):
how would you want your kids oryour siblings or someone else
to show up every day and dealwith?
That's where we spend the mostof our time.

Speaker 2 (49:54):
Yep, amazing, amazing .
Okay, I got the closingquestion coming up and, given
how intentional and I just thebest I could say is like, real
right, like you remind me of, Igot a group of friends that I
went to middle school with herein San Antonio, tafoya, since
sixth grade and we're stillfriends and the vibe with them

(50:15):
is you're that, you're my kindof people, right, like
experience, maybe a little.

Speaker 1 (50:22):
Oh, we, yeah, we got some similarities and definitely
some same life experience samefriends style yeah yeah.

Speaker 2 (50:31):
And so, because of all of that, I'm like, oh man,
this answer is gonna be juicy.
So you ready for the question?
Oh, what is the promise you areintended to be?

Speaker 1 (50:44):
yes, I'm intended to be.
Oh no, that's a tough one.
I think, maybe a light topeople that need it.
Dang, you're going to make meemotional Gangsters.
Don't cry, no, I know what's upwith that.
Why are you going to make meget out of my box?

(51:05):
I mean, I think it's that, Ithink it's, I think it's what I
said.

Speaker 2 (51:12):
Based on, on everything that you've shared so
far and the way I see you showup, of course, on the internet.
So this is super special.
It's the second time we got totalk.
I know I'm glad, me too butit's like you're already
actively being a light to othersby purposefully getting into a
mentoring, we'll say,relationship.
That's not imposed upon you.

(51:34):
You chose to do that byintentionally picking the
organization that you work withbecause of the culture that's
there, by living to what's trueto you.
You're already a light sister,and so just keep getting
brighter and let me know how Ican contribute to that.
I won't go any further becauseI don't want the mascara to run

(51:55):
and prep to protect.
Did you have fun?

Speaker 1 (52:02):
I did.
Thank you so much.
This is a good conversation andyou just helped me water my why
again.
Yeah, I love it.
I have jerk moments too.
Don't get me wrong, I'm notperfect.

Speaker 2 (52:17):
But I got it Okay, so you started.
I mean again, like I said, Iwas stalking on LinkedIn and
from my just the quick glance Imade at your entry into the
workforce after university,you've progressed relatively
quickly to VP roles and it kindof like, wherever you go, you

(52:39):
shoot to, you shoot up theladder, yeah.

Speaker 1 (52:42):
I've been very fortunate that my style of how I
show up has helped me in mycareer and also people opening
doors recognizing that there'stalent there.
But I didn't graduate.
I dropped out of college,listed on.
There is no degree.
So, but ultimately just kind ofthe culturally, the way I was

(53:06):
raised, how I show up as aperson, that matters because
people sometimes will payattention and see that you have
potential and ethic and give youopportunities that you might
not get otherwise.
So I had a mix right.
I had to work really hard backwhen I first started in
construction because it was agood old boys game.

(53:29):
Many women and the women thatwere there were office staff,
you know, at a very low level,and so I just I set an ambition
way back when and I just keptworking to it and connecting
with people and I networked alot and I listened to people.
That's what I tried to do for areally long time is what are

(53:52):
they saying, why are they sayingit and how does it impact my
day to day?
How can I leverage what they'redoing?
If there was, if there wasbenefit there of like, they're
good leaders, they speak well,they say the right things, they
don't just talk for no reason.
Those are the kind of thingsright that I tried to pay

(54:13):
attention to, because there arepeople that just talk for no
reason.

Speaker 2 (54:20):
Yes, the people that I got two favorites.
And I'm going to talk smack,maybe I'll get canceled, I don't
care.
And I'm going to talk smack,maybe I'll get canceled, I don't
care.
There's two folks that theydrive me up the damn wall and
it's part of the reason why Idon't have a real job, because
they would drive me crazy.
One is the topper right, likeno matter what you do, what
vacation you've taken, what dietyou're trying, they're doing it

(54:45):
and they've done it and they'redoing a better one.
You know you come across peoplelike that and then so those are.
You know, I see those out inthe wild, not just in the
workplace, right, but the otherones are the bobbleheads, like,
and these they, they lurk inmeetings, especially when

(55:09):
there's people with a lot ofinfluence and authority.
And when I say bobbleheads,what I mean is when the person
with the most authority in theroom says something, they go out
of their way to repeat it usingdifferent words and say I agree
, I agree, and oh, that's such agreat point, and they're just
bobbing their head yeah, yeah,yeah.
It's like, bro, like all yougot to do is nod, your head Shut

(55:31):
up, like we're here to makeprogress on a thing not hear how
much you agree with the mostpopular person in the room.
Do they have those inCalifornia too?

Speaker 1 (55:44):
Yes, yeah, I mean, I think it's.
It's everywhere right Insociety.
Everybody's always trying toget to that next level and we
don't all know healthy ways todo it.
In my opinion, I agree,advancement is to be a

(56:06):
bobblehead and and that's notreally valuable.
You can advance.
I've seen it.
There are plenty of people passme by over the years because
they were that and it wasfrustrating.
Right when you're coming up youknow you're putting in the
effort, but at the end of theday it's like set all that aside

(56:27):
.
Why do you want to elevate andhow are you going to elevate in
your own way, being yourauthentic self?

Speaker 2 (56:36):
So two things like what you just said why and how
are you going to do it?
Staying true to you right,playing your game, running your
plays, super, super powerful.
You also said earlier that youset an intention for yourself
way back when Playing your game,running your plays, super,
super powerful.
You also said earlier that youset an intention for yourself

(56:58):
way back when.
So for, like the younglingthat's listening right now, what
does that look like?
What is the, let's say, theingredients to setting an
intention for whatever futurethey want to build for
themselves?

Speaker 1 (57:16):
I think it comes down to like what are you passionate
about?
Understanding that you don'thave all the gifts and skills
that you're going to need?
When you set that intention andthere's going to be a long it's
?
You're running a marathon, andso those checkpoints are going
to change over time.
They're going to be difficult.
You're going to need stamina.

(57:37):
You're going to need someone inyour corner, whether that's
your, you know, sister, brother,best friend, spouse, whoever or
a mentor, because you needsomeone to keep you going.
You're going to get in the quitzone more times than you can
count.

(57:57):
You know, and also it's not astraight line, right?
We were just talking to theseyoung ladies last night at this
mentoring forum and it's likeyour career will never go on a
straight line and sometimes it'snot it's or all the time.
Maybe it's not meant to.
All of those different pointsin time that feel like failures
or obstacles or frustrating theyall feed into the journey and

(58:20):
you just have to roll with themand then make good decisions.
You see, there's a roadblockthat clearly is not meant for
you.
The doors closed on purpose.
Then you really have to sitback and go.
Okay, my intention isn'tchanging.
Maybe the place that I'm atneeds to change, or maybe my
attitude needs to change.

Speaker 2 (58:42):
Okay, I want to dig into the.
The doors closed on purpose.
What does that mean?

Speaker 1 (58:59):
So I was at another mechanical years ago and we were
going down the path of umsuccession planning, and I was
one of the people that was inthe succession plan, um, and
ultimately that didn't work outand and today I know that that
was because the door was closedon purpose, not by me.

Speaker 2 (59:18):
Got it.

Speaker 1 (59:20):
It was closed on purpose because I had a
different purpose to fulfill andit wasn't there, even though it
seemed like it was and I hadput in all the work and I was
vice president and I was runningmajor parts of the organization
.
It was just not meant for melong term.

Speaker 2 (59:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (59:40):
And you don't know that at the time, right?
You don't know that until youget down the path and your
journey goes in zigs and zags.
And then you look back andyou're like, well, clearly,
that's why things happen, yeah.

Speaker 2 (59:52):
Yeah, oh, yeah, yes.
So I mean here's how I'm tryingto make sense of it, because
you know I'm slow.
I think it happened Like in myhead I'm seeing two versions of
the door closing on purpose.
There's a metaphorical kind ofperspective there, and then
there's like for real, thatpeople just decide you're not
going to have this, it doesn'tmatter what you do or how

(01:00:15):
qualified you are, you are notgoing to have this.
And that happens so like it's areality.
And so what I think I heard yousay is, like you, you're
helping people understand, likebe prepared for that.
And and if it closes at one firm, that doesn't mean it's closed

(01:00:40):
at every firm in the country inthe country, find another one, a
better place for you, thatnurtures your gifts and talents
and can help, or who whoappreciate talent like that was
always my problem, pansy, likewhy can't they all just see my
talent?
They just couldn't.
They couldn't see it.
Um, it's now metaphorically, Ithink, when I hear the, the door

(01:01:04):
closes on purpose is maybe it'snot the, it's not the biggest
thing that's available for you.
You need to get off the highwayfor a little bit because
there's something bigger.

Speaker 1 (01:01:18):
I, I a hundred percent agree.
That's a great way to state it,cause it, because that ties
back to even just how your jobopportunities, I think, pop up.
Sometimes you could be all theway right, you could be all the
way at the top of anorganization, let's say, and

(01:01:38):
another opportunity comes up,and maybe it's a step back in
title, you know, maybe evenfinancially, but this
opportunity that came to you iswithin a bigger organization and
maybe there's more impact andthe the going off the highway,
like you said, is only for ashort period of time, because
there's something bigger.

Speaker 2 (01:02:00):
Oh, and so you've experienced that Like I saw you
like oh yeah, that's it.

Speaker 1 (01:02:04):
I did.
Yeah, I took a step back a timebefore, two times actually and
I'm glad because looking backthose points in my journey
helped me get to where I amtoday and they were so valuable
because it allowed me to stepoutside of what I already had
thought my intention was.

(01:02:25):
I didn't derail what myultimate goal was, but it helped
me see it from a differentperspective and and I and I feel
like today that's one of thebiggest gifts is I let my
humility come to the surface fora bigger purpose, because to me
, like titles are needed for forbusiness, you know titles and

(01:02:47):
authority are needed forbusiness, but that is not the
way that I show up every day.
You know I don't show up tryingto have this big title and
authority.
It's like no, we are all tryingto advance the ball in the same
way.

Speaker 2 (01:03:02):
We just have different responsibilities yes,
yes, yes, yes, and some, likesome of them, keep you up way
late.
Whether you're right, I knowit's.

Speaker 1 (01:03:14):
I'm simplifying it a little bit for you know for what
, what I have on my plate, butat the end of the day, from a
back to people, we're all peopleand everybody matters and
everybody's valuable, and we allhave our different roles to
play, our different plays tomake.
But if you just keep that frameof reference, for me personally
I think that's that's where Ilove to live oh, my goodness,

(01:03:38):
okay.

Speaker 2 (01:03:38):
So you speak so clearly about these things and
with like straight up confidence.
Did you like?
Did you have have a secretcheat sheet when you were at the
middle school dances and saidthis is what I'm going to do.
I've got this.
I'm going to do this.

Speaker 1 (01:03:57):
Filling cars in middle school, I was not
thinking about people.
Yeah, Okay, We'll go into allof that, but no, it's just uh.
I mean I have had some reallygood people in my life that have

(01:04:18):
helped me kind of cultivate whoI wanted to be.
You know, you know my characteris what it is right, that's a
God given thing, I think.
And cultivating that and beingtrue to yourself and really like
putting yourself to the sidenot fake humility, but really
putting yourself to the side, Ithink takes other people to show

(01:04:40):
you how to do that from theirdifferent perspectives, and I've
been pretty fortunate I've hadsome really good people mentor
me and coach me and help medevelop over the years.
Yeah, Okay.

Speaker 2 (01:04:54):
So mentors come up multiple times.
You are actively in a committedto a mentoring group at
situation.
I'll just say it, I've workedwith amazing companies.
So, similarly, I got lucky andthat I worked with some really
outstanding companies.
But we all know it don't matterhow outstanding the company is,

(01:05:16):
if your boss is a jerk, you'rescrewed.
I got lucky with someoutstanding bosses while I was
working for those outstandingcompanies.
Now, within those outstandingcompanies, they both had
mentorship programs.
It was formal and he wasassigned.
I'm going to mentor somebodyand somebody is going to mentor

(01:05:38):
me.
And I'll just say straight up,like it was the.
It was a miserable experiencebecause we had a meeting and
they said, okay, tell me whatyou need mentoring.
I'm like, uh, like.
And they said OK, tell me whatyou need mentoring.
I'm like, like, I don't know.
I don't even know you, bro.
Like, can we talk a little bit?
My point in that is you say youknow that you understand,

(01:05:58):
you've experienced the value ofhaving a mentor.
You've committed, on top of allyour responsibilities and
everything you have going on, tomentor others.
So the question is this how doyou build the mentoring skill?

Speaker 1 (01:06:20):
And what are you looking to contribute as a
mentor?
I think the first order ofbusiness is getting an
understanding of who they areand where they want to go.
And it doesn't have to be justbusiness.
It could be in life, rightCause I didn't have a mentor in
life and I wish I would have,because I wouldn't have made so
many crazy silly decisions, youknow, I wouldn't have been

(01:06:43):
running the streets as much.
But I think it's justunderstanding who they are and
where they want to go.
You know like, because askingthose inquisitive questions
first and foremost, rather thanjust dumping what you think is
wisdom on some somebody or yourlife lived experience, is
probably the best way to go.

(01:07:08):
So get to know them Sorry, yeah,a lot of words maybe get to
know them and really get tounderstand, like, what drives
them.

Speaker 2 (01:07:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:07:16):
And then frame your mentoring engagement that way.

Speaker 2 (01:07:21):
Oh, I love it.
You know, I think I've saidthis to a bunch of people and
everybody rolls their eyes at mebecause I'm wacko.
Right, but I've said thismultiple times especially in the
conditions that our industry isin right now, everybody is
offering competitive pay andbenefits.

(01:07:41):
So if that's your sell, whocares?
Because everybody is offeringthe same thing.
I think, rather, what I'mseeing.
There's not a bunch of them,something tells me you're one of
them the decision makers inorganizations that figure out

(01:08:02):
how to show appreciation in thewhole human being, not just how
they contribute to thedashboards and the KPIs, but
like what their interests are asan individual, as a human being
.
I think those people I see themwinning the talent game.
They're winning the attractionand retention game and they're

(01:08:23):
not spending money, they're justdemonstrating interest and
appreciation in the entire humanbeing.
And so when I hear you talkingabout mentoring, that's what I
hear you doing.
Like it's not this programmatic, uh agendized approach to
having one-on-one conversation.
It's like let me get to knowyou, what's your feel, what's

(01:08:45):
your flavor, what's yourinterest, what are the gaps you
have, so that I can adjust andserve you appropriately.
Did I, am I smelling whatyou're cooking?

Speaker 1 (01:08:54):
Yeah, you're, you're picking up what I'm laying down,
cause that's exactly it Legit,it can't be contrived.
That's what I was saying, likein the beginning.
Right Is, if you put peoplefirst with the right intentions,
then the byproduct of a goodbusiness decision just naturally
happens.
You're not forcing it, it's notcontrived, you're not trying to

(01:09:18):
get a return, you just will.
And on top of that you havefulfilled, passionate high
performers that have anenvironment that is it leaps and
bounds over any, just any oldpaycheck, you know.
And then you carry that on intotheir family because if they
come to a bad environment everyday, they're going to take that

(01:09:40):
home.
And then it's a cycle thatnever stops and we all know what
that looks like.
And that is.
I don't like it ever.

Speaker 2 (01:09:51):
Yeah.
So let's think of, let's like,take the human part out of it.
That's expensive.
If you're running a business,it's extremely expensive because
if, let me say it this way,when I was that miserable
apprentice or journeyman andpissed off and I'd like, I want,
why did I go to work?
To get the hell away from thehouse.

(01:10:11):
Cause it sucked being at thehouse.
Ask, well, depends on which Xyou ask, but anyways, you ask,
but anyways.
So to come to work and then alsobe treated like a disposable,
consumable thing, my performance, like you weren't going to get
any of my discretionary effort.

(01:10:33):
I was going to do preciselywhat you wanted, precisely the
way you said you wanted it andthat's it.
But again, I had some amazingbosses along the way that I'm
like man I'm going to.
You gave me so much.
By just demonstrating interestin me, you get everything.

(01:10:53):
Like I'm going to contribute asmuch as I possibly can and take
on more responsibility outsideof my job description so that I
can grow.
But also because, man you'regiving, you're pouring into me,
so like I got to pay it back andI think that's one I applaud
you for, like you're alreadythere.

(01:11:15):
But that's what we need peopleto get, or maybe we don't.
That way they're great.
People can go to the leadersthat already know how to do that
.
What do you think?

Speaker 1 (01:11:23):
Yeah, I mean, yeah, I don't know, that's a tough.
That's a tough one because Ithink it's a choice.
I really believe that it's achoice.
When you're in a leadershipposition, you're either making a
choice to do one thing or theother.

Speaker 2 (01:11:37):
Agreed.

Speaker 1 (01:11:42):
You know, and again, if it's contrived, people will
know.
But on the flip side of that,it's like people also have a
good opportunity, like me.
And you said it's.
You know, you work hard enough,you put the effort in the right
people will get attracted toyou and then they will open up
opportunities for you becausethey have that leadership
quality of hey, I want to seethis person elevate.
Because they have thatleadership quality of hey, I

(01:12:04):
want to see this person elevate.
And if we could all do that,it's like that whole.
What's that analogy of the pond, the rock in the pond and the
ripples?
It sounds corny but it's not.

Speaker 2 (01:12:14):
No, it's true, it's 100% true.
And it just comes back in wavesAgain.
It took me a while to learn it,but I got it and I'm not
stopping.
Okay, so you started yourworking career with a mechanical
contractor.
Then you went to the dark sidewith the GC, which I've done

(01:12:38):
also and then you came back hometo the mechanical contractor.
So for the folks out there thatdon't know, let's start with
what is a mechanical contractor.

Speaker 1 (01:12:49):
So in a building we do commercial HVAC, plumbing and
piping.
So we are the ones responsiblefor ventilation, indoor air
quality, making sure you'recomfortable, process piping,
specialty gases, all of thosefun things that live in every
building.

Speaker 2 (01:13:09):
Oh, I love it.
I love it.
Did you know that?
That's my background also?
I did not.
So I'm a plumber.
Oh you are.
Oh, yeah, yeah, I know it'shard to tell because I'm so
handsome, but yes, I'm a plumber.
Well, I shouldn't say I am,because if you look at my hands,
I'm not a plumber anymore.
But I came up with TDIndustries mechanical contractor

(01:13:33):
here in Texas.
I was with them for 17 yearsand I was on that side of the
business for about 20 years andevery time I say mechanical
contractor, people are like youwork on cars.
I'm like, no, let me tell youwhat it is.

Speaker 1 (01:13:46):
Yeah, I know it comes up all the time, so you came up
through the trades.
I didn't know that.

Speaker 2 (01:13:51):
Oh, yeah, yeah, Four years of apprenticeship got my
journeyman license, medgascertification, master license
and la la, la and la la la.
But again, where I'm at todayis only evidence of the amazing
leaders that I came across alongthe way.
Right To have advanced, to havestarted off as an apprentice

(01:14:14):
and to be doing the things I'mdoing and having sitting at the
tables that I sit at, that's notnormal and it was because I had
a lot of amazing people.
I say a lot more than most.
I've had a bunch of folks thatreally poured into me and and
I'm psychotic and obsessive, soI'm like hell, like let me do a

(01:14:34):
good job here.
And they said hey, man, here'sthis thing.
I think you'll be good for this.

Speaker 1 (01:14:43):
Yeah, I've had that same thing.
I think you'd be great at this.
Have you ever thought about it?
No, but let's talk about it.
Yeah, when I went to the GCside, I ended up going with a
lot of friends DPR was a clientof mine, right, so I had a bunch
of friends that work there butI had that same concern of like,

(01:15:04):
well, I'm mechanical, whatabout electrical and AV and fire
alarm and all these things,right, that I didn't know, even
though I was very wellestablished and they wanted me
to come there and I knew it wasa great move.
It was that psychological pieceof, well, I'm not good enough

(01:15:25):
for this and that's not the case, right, and I loved working
there.
It was such a great part of myexperience and it gave me such a
wider view of construction.
But those people that werepouring into me I had to call
them and say I don't know aboutthis, because I don't think I'm

(01:15:46):
capable, and they're like, yes,you are.
So then I'm like, well, I can'tlet them down, so I need to
figure this out.

Speaker 2 (01:15:55):
And so what did that look like for you?
That and when I say what did itlook like, like it's
backstories I had the same,similar transition.
I left td and so I had workedin san antonio my whole life, um
, and so all the responsibility,network etc.
Was san antonio's business unitbased.

(01:16:17):
Okay, the job I got was withturner, general contractor, and
all of a sudden I had regionalresponsibility.
So, like I didn't even know howto like.
I've been on a plane maybethree times before that.
Now that's part of my job.
Like, oh, I don't know if Icould do this.
So, anyways, there was a lotgoing through my head and there

(01:16:37):
was some certain.
There was a lot of things thatI did when I got there to like
deal with it.
So my question to you is whenyou made that transition?
Because going from a trade,like if you've been in the trade
exclusively for most of yourcareer, there's a certain
perspective, maybe even opinion,you have about GCs and it's

(01:17:00):
just different, it's not thesame, and so it's a pretty big
shift.
And so my question is this whatwas, what did you anticipate
that transition to be like?
And then what did you do toclose the gap quickly?

Speaker 1 (01:17:25):
I anticipated it to be overwhelming and it was to
some degree.
I mean, both of us hadconstruction experience.
You know we knew building ingeneral.
I knew a lot of on the designside.
You know there's differentelements that I was confident in

(01:17:48):
no big deal, but I anticipatedit was going to be overwhelming
because the spectrum is so muchwider.
Versus mechanical Right, I'mpaying attention to my things,
making sure my stuff is accurate, and then you go into
everything all the kids in thepool.
So I felt like, oh, this isgoing to be overwhelming and it

(01:18:10):
was, but not in a bad way.
So to close the gap, Iliterally just put my head down
and dug in and was like I needto learn how to read a single
line drawing.
I need to anticipate what theSparkies are going to tell me
and be able to call BS, becauseI have to make sure that my team

(01:18:31):
that I'm supporting hits theschedule.
And then I need to be able torecognize, like, from a cost
perspective, where do they live?
What's the framework?
Framework, I literally just Iguess.
To sum it up, I wanted to beable to call bs and make sure I
was the sme for every singletrade I was responsible for, as
quickly as possible yeah, and sothat took what three or four

(01:18:55):
days yeah right, I had a lot.
It was a long, a lot of latenights and just you know,
phoning a friend, I use mynetwork too Legit.
I had, you know, so many friendsin the industry.
I had built a respect andreputation.
I just phoned a friend all thetime and I said this is what I'm
seeing.
Can you confirm that I'm on theright track?

(01:19:16):
And I leveraged that a lot forthe first probably six months.

Speaker 2 (01:19:22):
Oh, nice, nice, Okay.
So just in case for the L&Mfamily member out there that
didn't catch it big leaps arepossible.
Yes, and you don't have to.
I highly recommend and I knowPansy just said it you best be
ready to put your head down andlearn your butt off Like it's

(01:19:45):
going to.
It's not.
If you know, if you want to bemediocre, like, just go and do
your nine to five.
But if you want to excel, yougot to put in time and you got
to be resourceful right.
So when you say I reached outto my network, I see that as
resourcefulness.
You have a network.
That is a resource that youdidn't have.

(01:20:07):
Like, you didn't let pride orshame get in the way of you
getting what you needed so thatyou can be successful and excel
in this whole new environment.
Because in scale, it's adramatically different scale of
whatever Right Now.
How about the like, therelationship part?

(01:20:29):
I think it might be obviousbecause, because you're so
people focused, but in terms oflike, building credibility with
the, the tenured credibilitywith the, the tenured, your new
tenured colleagues.

Speaker 1 (01:20:47):
What did that look like?
I mean, I feel like I had alittle bit of an advantage
because in the business unitthat I was in I already had
long-term relationships.
So you know, I already had acertain established relationship
and respect level both ways meto them and them to me.
But they're I mean there's.
They're national right, sothere are, they're international

(01:21:09):
, so there's.
There's all bunch of people Imet in different business units.
I think that was more just.
I tried to connect with themone-on-one and just share with
them kind of the foundation thatI had and make sure they knew
that I was listening and that Iunderstood what my
responsibilities were and how Iwas going to help them.

(01:21:30):
Really, I guess I wanted tojust make sure they knew that I
was solid and that I could be atrusted advisor for the things
that they needed from me.

Speaker 2 (01:21:40):
And that takes contact time right and not
bobbleheading like actuallydelivering value and contact
time.
Oh my goodness.
All right, now I know thatyou've got a path right.
You had you sent an intention along time ago.
You were on the swing in thirdgrade and said this is what I'm
going to do.
I'm going to be BPA at Intec in2025.

Speaker 1 (01:22:03):
After I put someone in the face.

Speaker 2 (01:22:04):
Yes, After you punched somebody in the face and
popped a lock with thescrewdriver.
Like I remember the MonteCarlos that didn't have the
window frames and the CamarosWatch out To get me started, If
you know you know out there.
No, you know out there.

Speaker 1 (01:22:22):
No, you know.

Speaker 2 (01:22:27):
So going to DPR and like clear I mean my head I'm
guessing that there was anintention, there was something
you wanted to learn and develop,otherwise you wouldn't have
made the move.
So what was that?
Like you weren't doing it toget a job and work for a GC?

(01:22:48):
I don't think.
No, I wasn't Okay.

Speaker 1 (01:22:52):
And I had no reason to leave.
You know, at the time I had noreason to leave.
In tech, it was the culturethat I liked, I, the leaders
here, and but the the piece ofthat setting the intention for
me was how do I be the best?
I want to be the best.

(01:23:13):
If I show up at a project, ifI'm on a pursuit team, I want to
be aware of everything else andhave the right care and custody
of how I need to be acollaborative trip team partner,
and this opportunity openedthat up for me.
No, I didn't know that I wouldcome back, you know, to the

(01:23:35):
trade side.
I really didn't think I would.
I thought I was going to staythere because I loved it.
It gave me a much wider range.
It I was going to stay therebecause I loved it.
It gave me a much wider range.
I just enjoyed it a lot and Ihad a lot of really good people
that I worked with and I got tobe involved in a lot of
different things.
But it was really just that,that opportunity.

(01:23:56):
When it opened up, it was likeman, I think.
I think I have so much more toadd to our industry.
I could do it here with peoplethat I really love, with a
culture that I really like.
You know, I kind of checked allthe boxes for me, um, and so
much more legit, like it was oneof the best experiences that I

(01:24:20):
think I got to have.

Speaker 2 (01:24:23):
Amazing.
So were there any superpowersor skills that grew
exponentially while you were inthat environment that maybe you
weren't totally aware of untilyou got there Like, oh, I got

(01:24:43):
this, this thing where?

Speaker 1 (01:24:45):
did that come from?
I think picking up electricalwas was a shocker to me.
Okay, it took a minute, yeah,understanding like the basics of
electrical and I just didn'tthink I would catch it as
quickly, but I really like.
Actually, it's one of thethings I miss about coming back
on the mechanical side.

(01:25:05):
Is that electrical piece Ireally enjoyed it?
No, I think I mean maybe justkind of the background that I
had and being able to transitioninto so much more than just M&P
and, you know, being valuableand adding value to the teams

(01:25:25):
was a little bit of a shockerfor me.
I just wasn't sure how that wasgoing to go down and I picked
up quite a bit of things that Ididn't know before really
quickly and like just ran withthem and I like to pull out and
justify it for the L&M familymember out there.

Speaker 2 (01:25:45):
That's as slow as I am Right.
And so, summary, there are someopportunities that are so big
they're a little scary.
Going from a trade to a GC isone of those, like you know,
unless you're just super, super,ultra confident and a little
delusional.
But it's what my experience andI think what I heard you say is

(01:26:10):
like.
Going into that space it's abigger pool that facilitates and
wait, let me say this first,not every GC, because there's a
lot of dirtbag GCs out there.
I said it straight up, I'velived it.
There's some great ones outthere with great people, and so

(01:26:31):
going into a big we'll just sayit this way going into a bigger
organization, a biggeropportunity, helps you expand
your own awareness about what itis you can contribute and it
creates kind of new like oh,wait, a minute, if I had that
much more, what else is there?
What more do I have?
Did you have the same kind ofexperience?

Speaker 1 (01:26:54):
Absolutely.
It forces you to look insideagain and say well, I could, I
need to stretch myself even more.
And then you just, you know, go.

Speaker 2 (01:27:08):
Go.
It's like, oh damn, I did that,I could do that.
Like, shoot I gotta, what elsecan I do?
Yup, exactly Same.
Same happened for me, okay.
So then you went.
Same same happened for me, um,okay.
So then you went.
Now we're like we're gettingcloser to the present.
You went back to in tech.
Now, when I hear you speak,it's obvious that you care about

(01:27:31):
people and and you're real um,I also hear some like serious
business acumen and I know a lotof people in the industry that
they're great at managing aproject, and you probably know
this.
You were able to see it.

(01:27:51):
Managing a project is running.
It's like running a business,depending on what level of
experience you have in theorganization.
But something tells me youcould see that.
And so what was it aboutrunning a business?
How early did you see, likethat's what I want to do, that's

(01:28:17):
what I want to learn how to do,that's what I want to do.
Was that again, was that likean early awareness, or did that
kind of develop along the way?

Speaker 1 (01:28:22):
It was early awareness.
Okay, yeah, I mean it was kindof in my mind.
What was happening when I firststarted was I was in a support
role, no surprise, and I waswatching you know these no
disrespect but all these men,you know, just just run circles

(01:28:44):
around me career-wise, eventhough I had an equally good
skill set.
Yep.
So the first intention was justthat, like well, I could manage
these projects, not supportbehind the scenes, I could
manage that project.
So that was my first step oflike I need to get there.
And then, as I started doingthat and engaging with more
people, then it was like I'mwatching the leaders at that

(01:29:08):
point now and I'm like pickingup things that I think are good
and valuable and seeing one, Ienjoy all aspects of business.
I love people, I'm good in termsof, like, managing projects.

(01:29:29):
If I take that to the nextlevel, what kind of impact could
I make on people?
Because the financial part ofit is important but it's not
straight up just being real.
Anybody who knows me will tellyou this.
That is not my main goal.
I could pay my bills anywhere.

(01:29:50):
I really my whole thing wasrunning a business gives me an
opportunity to create anenvironment for people that they
need for people that they need.

Speaker 2 (01:30:06):
I didn't have or I want to see better period
Amazing.
And the cost was learning howto run a business, but for a
greater purpose than makingwhatever.
It is your 10%, 14% growthmargin.
It's funny when I talk to GCsand they talk about their
margins, they're like we gotlike 3%.

Speaker 1 (01:30:23):
Well, you are out to lunch, because the risk reward

(01:30:50):
can be a wild ride.

Speaker 2 (01:30:53):
Oh my, you know, I, I , so I get to to to hang out
with a bunch of differentconstruction companies.
They bring me into like to hangout with a bunch of different
construction companies.
They bring me into, like Idon't know, be the class clown
and entertain them.
But I like to ask, always withthe leaders it's like, why are
you in construction, andespecially at the executive

(01:31:14):
level?
What I hear is to make money.
We're here to make money.
I'm here to make money, money,money.
And I'm like, really, it's likeif you wanted to make money, why
the hell would you pickconstruction?
Like it has the most risk,super volatile, pain in the butt
, difficult because of all thestakeholders.
Like there's just it is so damnhard to make the money and it

(01:31:38):
takes so damn long to get themoney.
Like if you really wanted tomake money, you could sell
pictures of your feet on themoney and it takes so damn long
to get the money.
Like if you really wanted tomake money, you could sell
pictures of your feet on theinternet.
Like if that's what you'reabout, like come on.
Like let's be for real.
And I'm kind of I'm being goofy,but it's true, I say it all the
time.

(01:31:58):
And my point is this like itsounds good and it feels good
money but when I hit them withthat, a lot of them are like I
never thought of it.
Like exactly, and that's thepoint right.
Like you have to love somethingmeaningful, otherwise it's no
fun and clearly you're using itas it's a.

(01:32:20):
It's a conduit, you see how youlike, how I threw the
electrical thing in.
It's a conduit for you to servepeople and create an
environment for people to thrive, and so all that other stuff,
like you said, the up and down,earnings and collections, and
all of that Is tolerable becauseit affords or it creates a

(01:32:42):
space for you to do amazingthings for amazing people.
Am I getting that right?

Speaker 1 (01:32:47):
It allows me to be a servant leader in a way that's
meaningful to me and, of course,others.
But like, yeah, 100% Again.
Everybody has to make money andthat's why we do business, but
never is it the number one thing.
That's on my mind and to yourpoint.

(01:33:10):
it is hard to make it andcollect it and it's a lot of
brain damage, so I bet you ifyou asked everybody and made
them think of it differently,they would say the same that no,
maybe they love it becausepeople, because no day is the
same, because it's a challenge,because all those different
things.

Speaker 2 (01:33:30):
Yes, oh yeah.
We just need to think about itand examine yourselves.
And that's my point how can Ihelp somebody examine their
thinking so that they canimprove or enhance their quality
of life?
So that they can improve orenhance their quality of life.
Now, just in case, because Iknow some people are saying,
like man, where's Intech?
I need to go fill out anapplication.

(01:33:51):
Should I tell everybody like no, you have all the workforce you
need.
Y'all are full up.

Speaker 1 (01:33:59):
You don't need anybody.
Well, you never turn down aconversation, right?
I mean, we have a, we have afantastic team and we're I'm so
grateful that we do, we'reintentional about it.
But yeah, I mean anybody who's,you know, got character, you
know, wants to be a part of agood culture, loves to be a high

(01:34:20):
performer and work hard andloves people, um yeah, send them
our way 10, 4 good.

Speaker 2 (01:34:27):
And I also want to say this for my, like my trades
people out there, because we'veall worked with miserable
organizations, with miserablepeople.
That's life, right, like I, Iexperienced it when I was
working fast food.
I experienced it and, like you,ain't going to love every boss

(01:34:48):
you ever have, but that doesn'tmean that they all suck.
And what I'm especially excitedabout is I've been able to
capture evidence, your evidence,that there are amazing leaders
out there running tradesubcontractor organizations that

(01:35:10):
create a culture where peoplecan thrive.
There's not enough of us,there's not enough of you, right
, but you are living proof thatit exists and so I applaud you.
I'm grateful to you for that,because you know I'm sure you've

(01:35:32):
heard the stories, youexperienced it yourself there
are some organizations that likeagain, hell, if I knew I could
like back in the 90s, if I couldsell pictures of my feet, I
would have.
But that wasn't a thing backthen.
Now it is, and now I got abetter gig, so it doesn't make
sense.

Speaker 1 (01:35:46):
Yeah, it really does matter, Because when this
opportunity came up, you know,if the foundation of the company
was not built on the corevalues and the culture that we
have, I wouldn't even haveconsidered taking this leap
right, and all this risk andbecoming an owner and all those

(01:36:07):
things would not even across mymind.

Speaker 2 (01:36:08):
Because what's the point?

Speaker 1 (01:36:09):
And being an owner like you are invested like money
, like serious lack of sleep,like all the things, but it's
it's, it's good yeah.
And I would challenge anybodyout there to like think about
your people.
Think about the type ofenvironment that you create, and

(01:36:33):
how would you want your kids oryour siblings or someone else
to show up every day and dealwith?
That's where we spend the mostof our time.

Speaker 2 (01:36:44):
Yeah, yep, amazing, amazing.
Okay, I got the closingquestion coming up and, given
how intentional and I just thebest I could say is like, real
right, like you remind me of, Igot a group of friends that I
went to middle school with herein San Antonio, tafoya, since

(01:37:05):
sixth grade, and we're stillfriends and the vibe with them
is like you're that, you're mykind of people, like experience,
maybe a little.

Speaker 1 (01:37:18):
Yeah, we, we got some , we got some similarities and
definitely some same lifeexperience same friends style
yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:37:26):
Yeah.
And so, because of all of that,I'm like, oh man, this answer
is going to be juicy.
So you're ready for thequestion?
Oh, what is the promise you areintended to be?

Speaker 1 (01:37:43):
I'm intended to be.
I don't know, that's a toughone, I think, maybe a light to
people that need it.
Dang, you're going to make meemotional Gangsters.

(01:38:04):
Don't cry, no, come on, chaiGirl.
I know, what's up with that?
Why are you going to make meget out of my box?
I mean, I think it's that.
I think it's what I said.

Speaker 2 (01:38:18):
Yeah, be a light.
I think you already are Like,based on everything that you've
shared so far and the way I seeyou show up, of course, on the
internet.
So this is super special.
It's the second time we got totalk.
I know I'm glad, Me too, butit's like you're already

(01:38:39):
actively being a light to othersby purposefully getting into a
mentoring, we'll sayrelationship.
It's not imposed upon you, youchose to do that by
intentionally picking theorganization that you work with
because of the culture that'sthere, by living to what's true

(01:38:59):
to you.
You're already a light sister,and so just keep getting
brighter and let me know how Ican contribute to that.
I won't go any further becauseI don't want the mascara to run.
You've got a rep to protect.
I've got a rep to protect.

Speaker 1 (01:39:17):
Yes, did you have fun I did.
Thank you so much.
This was a good conversationand it you just helped me water
my why again thank you forsticking it out all the way to
the end.

Speaker 2 (01:39:30):
I know you got a whole lot of stuff going on and,
in appreciation for the gift oftime that you have given this
episode, I want to offer you afree p of my book Becoming the
Promise You're Intended to Be.
The link for that bad boy isdown in the show notes.
Hit it.
You don't even have to give meyour email address.
There's a link in there.
You just click that and you candownload the PDF.

(01:39:51):
And if you share it withsomebody that you know who might
feel stuck or be caught up inself-destructive behaviors, that
would be the ultimate yousharing.
That increases the likelihoodthat it's going to help one more
person.
And if it does help one moreperson, then you're contributing

(01:40:13):
to me becoming the promise I amintended to be Be kind to
yourself, be cool, and we'lltalk at you next time.