December is the month of appreciation and giving thanks, and a time to reflect on the previous year and make a plan for the future. As the president of Roofing & More, I am constantly assessing my own course of action and making changes, but the holiday season in particular is when I like to take a longer moment to consider all of the good that has happened this year and express what I am most thankful for.

Life has a way of throwing unexpected obstacles in my path, both in my personal life and professional endeavors. However, through my experiences leading a company, and leading a family in partnership with my wife, I have learned a few lessons. One of the most important of these is that you can’t train yourself to manage every situation but you can develop the skills to handle challenges with grace and move forward. Training is specific but personal development is life-changing.

Personal Growth & Development

For me, this lesson accompanied a shift in attitude which has allowed me to become a more positive person, even in difficult situations. Though of course I am very proud of my company for countless reasons, this personal growth and development is what I am most thankful for in 2022. It’s like the airplane when they tell you to put your oxygen mask on before you help the person next to you. I can’t help others grow until I grow myself.

My personal shift doesn’t just benefit me, either. It has helped me become a better leader to my employees and others in our industry. In order for Roofing & More to become the best it can be, I had to grow and change as well. When I grow, the people around me grow, and that has been evident by the increase in positive reviews from our customers during the latter half of the year. Together as a team, we made the goal of creating a better experience for our customers to generate reviews and I made my own personal goal of becoming a more impactful and positive team leader.