Hardwood Floors April/May 2026

Special Content (Continued)

First, being able to create a vision for where the business will go and what it will mean to the customers it serves. Not everyone knows that Walt Disney did not live long enough to see the opening of Disney World. And yet, after creating Disneyland, iconic characters, and animated feature films, he created enough of a vision that his team was able to create Disney World even though he did not live to see it. Have you created a vision for your company? Next, a great leader finds talent. He or she attracts the best of the best. They want to be part of the organization because of the narrative the owner has created. This is what we want for your organization. Your commitment to the high standards of the NWFA, the high quality products that you use, and the installation techniques you develop all suggest that you are creating the type of organization people want to join. They know they will learn from you, take pride in their work, and do their very best work. What an opportunity. Commitment to training is another hallmark of a great organization. Those who are willing to invest in their team and foster an environment of innovation and creativity will not only do great work, but also will become the place where great people want to work. NWFA offers so many options to learn the “right” way and the best techniques. Every business owner who invests in quality has the potential to get amazing returns. Efficiency and LEAN operations are also the hallmark of great leaders. By looking at all of the operations of the business, breaking them down into finite processes and mapping them to find the “waste” in every system, an opportunity is created to do things easier, better, and faster. We can eliminate the frustration of the employee and the customer while improving the profit margin for the business owner; truly a win-win-win.

Another critical area is having the business knowledge to make this work in a profitable, repeatable way. This

requires a business owner to truly grasp their numbers and create a value proposition that

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NWFA

drives prospects to become clients. Many business owners love what they do, but they are not as enamored with “the

numbers” and the administrative side of running a business. NWFA can help bridge the gap by creating best practices, tools, and resources aimed at turning great wood flooring professionals into good business owners. Only when we create a profitable, sustainable operation can we continue to create the great designs and amazing floors that are the foundation and inspiration of our industry. What about the future? By following the guidelines for what becomes a more valuable and more sellable business, owners can ensure that their work

continues. They can develop a market presence and a set of processes that will live beyond their tenure. They can develop skills in

others that will allow them to continue the important work, and they can build

“8 LEADERSHIP SKILLS FOR WOOD FLOORING SUCCESS: BEING THE LEADER YOUR MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW TO JOIN US AT EXPO

a financial base that will allow their company to continue into the future. This

ensures that future generations of wood flooring professionals will continue to serve their craft, their customers, and this industry at a very high level. Step one to all of this is attending the Expo in Orlando and connecting with the vendors, other contractors, and instructors

COMPANY DESERVES” WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 9:15-10:15 A.M.

Presenter: Doug Howard

IGNITE YOUR PASSION

who contribute to this one-of-a-kind industry event. Will you be there? We hope so. And if you are, we hope you make the best of it. You should commit yourself to becoming the outstanding leader that your company deserves. Doug Howard is the president of Growth Team Strategies, based in Sykesville, Maryland. He specializes in helping wood flooring contractors develop strategic plans, streamline processes, improve profitability, and navigate growth. For more information, email him at doug.howard@growthteams.com or visit growthteams.com.

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