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Get stuff done

I was in my local grocery store and saw something I had not seen in over a year, four cartons of disinfectant wipes in one spot! These were not the name brand. I went over to check it out. I assumed they were probably made in China. I assumed wrong. They were made in the U.S. and were cheaper than the name brand. It was an easy decision to buy a couple.

In my local drug store recently, I was picking up some over the counter medications when I spied the generic section. The generics were a lot cheaper. I assumed they were probably made in China and the quality couldn’t be trusted. I was wrong again! The generic drugs were made in the U.S. under the Food and Drug Administration. I looked at the name brands. They were ALL made overseas. I was shocked. I put the name brands back and bought the U.S. made generics. My purchase supported a company making a critical product here. It helped to create U.S. jobs for people who pay U.S. taxes. It helped the planet because the U.S. product has a lower carbon footprint because it isn’t being shipped to us from halfway around the world. I also saved a lot of money! My wife and I tried these generics and they work as well as the name brands for us.

This week I met with a company who will be making surgical gloves in the Shale Crescent USA and selling them in the Shale Crescent USA. We learned during the pandemic that almost all of our surgical gloves were made overseas. Surgical gloves are an essential piece of PPE for healthcare workers like doctors, nurses and first responders. This company will be hiring local workers and buy U.S. made equipment. They hired a local engineering firm who pays Federal, State and local taxes. They will be delivering a quality and essential piece of PPE to our healthcare heroes and will be a dependable local supplier.

I tell you these three stories to let you know the world is changing. Manufacturing is slowly coming back to the U.S. for critical products. These are just three of the stories I can share. This did not happen by accident. The leaders of the companies making these products had to see the opportunity and most important decide to act. They did more than talk. They invested money, built a manufacturing process and hired workers. They decided to get stuff done (GSD).

There is a time to talk. A time to study and a time to act. I worked for a company that was slow and methodical in its decision making on expansion. They studied and restudied most decisions. This was okay until a competitor chose to move into the area. By the time my company decided to expand it was too late. The competitor took most of their market. I went to work for the competitor. The CEO of the competitor had a GSD attitude. His team got critical information and studied the situation. The CEO reviewed it and made the decision to go. They moved quickly to become operational.

People with a GSD attitude aren’t just in business. They are in our churches and non-profits. They are coaches. They are our friends and neighbors. They are in our families. They don’t just talk about losing weight, running a half- marathon, going on a trip, expanding services or adding an addition to their house or church. They know what they want and they get it done. I have worked with a lot of GSD attitude people. Here are some things I see they all have in common;

* GSD people have a clear vision. They know what they want. They can see themselves accomplishing their dream.

* They are passionate about achieving their goal or vision. This passion inspires others.

* They know they can’t accomplish it alone. They are good at building effective teams and working with others. They communicate effectively. My daughter and I are a running team. She helps me set up my training and we are accountability partners.

* GSD people don’t quit easily. They know when to quit, cut losses and move on.

* GSD people gather information. They make decisions and then act quickly.

* They have courage. They are willing to try new things and even fail. They learn from failures.

* They take responsibility for failure and they share the credit for success.

* They focus on what is important and minimize distractions.

* GSD people know everyone has the same amount of time, 24 hours in a day. They don’t waste time. They use their valuable time on priorities.

In college my undergraduate degree was in Agricultural Engineering. My Senior project was to capture the methane in chicken manure keeping it out of the atmosphere and providing a valuable energy source. We built a working pilot project. The paper won an award and was presented at the American Society of Agricultural Engineers annual meeting. It never went any further. At that point in my life I had no idea how to get the project to industry for implementation. It was a good idea that went nowhere.

Twenty-five years later after working with a lot of GSD people my Master’s Thesis in Environmental Engineering was on the reduction and reuse of fluid wastes in industrial operations. The paper was presented at a Regional Conference. The process was implemented at several companies. It worked and is still in use today. It became more than an idea because of the Team we created and the GSD principals above.

Being a GSD person is a choice we can all make. Organizations and individuals always have problems to deal with. Our society needs to create jobs, feed billions of people and solve environmental problems. All things are possible if we believe and act to Get Stuff Done (GSD). A thought to ponder. Happy Easter.

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Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com is the Director of Marketing and Sales for Shale Crescent USA. www.shalecrescentusa.com He is a professional engineer with a Masters in Environmental Engineering who has over 40 years’ experience in the energy industry. Greg is a leadership expert, soccer coach, professional speaker, author of four books and numerous published articles.

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