By Shannon Nordstrom
My first “official” President’s letter in Automotive Recycling magazine! I have read these letters for years and always appreciated the words and thoughts of my predecessors. My plan is to keep up the tradition of offering encouragement, challenges, updates, and maybe even a “Dad Joke” or two along the journey. What is life if we can’t have some fun along with the hard work?
By the time you read this story, we should be on the tail end of winter. The late February winter weather was pretty intense for some of our members, especially those in the Northeast. When they start measuring the snow by the foot, it is quite problematic and weighs heavily on many of our friends in the industry. Others like us in South Dakota had early snow and strong cold, but very little since then. Sadly, I have only been able to put 60 miles on my stress-relieving trail sled locally, which likes to go fast, like me. My Son Riley and I, along with some friends from our area, traveled in early February to Hayward, Wisconsin, and found plenty of snow, great trails, and pubs, and put 400 miles on the sleds for a super fun few days. It was great.
It is important to make time, if possible, to find your thing and clear your head every once in a while. We work hard in this business, and the stress is real. It is important for me to be grounded in my faith to deal with the ups and downs, to stay in good humor to help take things in stride as best as possible, and to find my escape when I get a chance. Life is a challenge, and keeping yourself in good mental and physical health is so important as you take it all on. I also try to get in early-morning exercise at least 4 days a week, more if possible. If you lead your organization, you have a lot of people depending on you to set a good standard, and I find it works best when I am at my best, and they can count on a steady leader who is consistent in my actions and approach.
We have had a monthly meeting on the first Tuesday of the month for 45 minutes. For our company, this is an important time to stay in contact with staff directly to encourage them, lay out the agenda of the important things to focus on, highlight great achievements, anniversaries, and goals that have been set for the team, and celebrate the achievements. I sandwich in a few CANI (Constant and Never-Ending Improvement) items where we may have missed the mark and use them as learning opportunities.
I try hard not to call anyone out or embarrass them in front of the group with an example unless I have warned them ahead of time that they may get used as an example. The consistent approach to paid meetings of all staff has proven effective for our company. I would hate to think what it would be like if they were not hearing things directly from leadership, and the “word on the street” was the gospel. Consider setting a time for your entire team to gather on a consistent basis. It is a lot of discipline to keep it going, but I think you will appreciate the results.
I am proud to serve as your ARA president and will do my best to represent the industry well. I am one of you. The ARA members and mentors that I have met, along with the Certification program guidelines, have provided our company the roadmap and opportunities for our growth, and now it is my time to give back to others, as others helped me when I went to my first ARA National Convention in Denver with my wife Tamie in 1996.
As I have meetings and travel to represent ARA, I am often called to educate and tell stories of our journey. The reality is that most of the time, I capture more in the experience than what I was asked to teach. We are professionals with a lot to offer to help people save money, protect the environment, and keep them moving in life. I love the solutions our industry offers. We are an important and necessary part of the vehicle ecosystem. I encourage you to get involved locally, regionally, or nationally!
See you at Hill Days in May, hopefully!
It is a great experience.
Make it a great day and remember PTLA!
