I used to play competitive baseball growing up which has made it my favorite sport. Baseball is very much a team sport. There are always 9 players from your team on the field, and very often there are even more members of the team in the dugout. In order to win the game you are going to need every player contributing, not just those on the field. The same goes for any team sport. In basketball, it isn’t just the 5 players on the court, but the others that are seated on the bench as well.

When you are on a team, whether it is a sports team or a team within your business, everyone has a part to play. It isn’t until everyone realizes their role and becomes active in their role, that the team can actually be victorious. It isn’t all about one person on the team.

But working on team can be difficult at times. There are all these different personalities interacting with each other and everyone works together differently. So how do we work effectively and efficiently on team. Well I am glad you asked!!

1.  Know the vision

Teams are vision driven; when there is not a clearly defined vision or direction, your team will perish. Now, while the vision is generally cast by leadership, as a member of team, you must make the vision your own. Simon Sinek talks about vision as being the “why” behind what you do. He says “people don’t buy ‘what’ you do, they buy ‘WHY’ you do it.” Your team won’t be successful if you merely create a wonderful product. You team will be successful if you are able to effectively communicate your leaders’ vision through your wonderful product. 

2.  Respect others team members

When it comes to team, you won’t always like the other people on the team, but you better respect them. I think of the feud between Kobe Bryant andShaquille O’Neal. These two couldn’t stand each other off the court and had many differences in opinions and play styles. But that didn’t stop the two from leading the LA Lakers to 3 consecutive NBA Titles (2000, 2001, 2002). On team, you can’t allow your differences to affect your performance. We are humans and will not like every other human, but when you are on team with someone, you better set your differences aside and do what is best for the team!

3.  Don’t agree, if you don’t agree

The absolute worst thing for a team is when there isn’t a healthy sense of disagreement. The only way to really vet out an idea is to hear from those who don’t agree that the idea is a good one. A little bit of conflict is healthy. It helps to keep everyone involved on the team and to ensure that the best product is put forth.

 4.  Realize that your ideas are not always the best

This one is hard for a lot of people when working on teams. If you were raised in a home where your mother and father always encouraged you, and made you feel as though you were the smartest kid there was, this will be especially difficult for you. I was raised in a home like that and to this day still struggle with the idea that other people can come up with better solutions than I can. But we can’t be married to our own ideas and solutions. It takes a team to win the game, not just the point guard. It is up to the point guard to get the ball into the most capable hands in the moment that matters the most.

 5. Healthy Accountability

When the team divides tasks, accountability is the only thing that will make sure tasks get completed on time. If there is accountability, people will be more apt to getting their work done in a timely manner. Knowing that your team will be checking up on you is a great motivator to get your work done. Also, if you are holding someone else accountable to their work, you had better get YOUR work done before you go question what they have been doing!

When it comes to being on a team, it takes all sorts of different people and personalities. The key is making each member of the team come together as one awesome group that can accomplish anything they set out to do. There will be conflict along the way, but that is good. There will be plenty of arguments and fights, but as long as the team can focus, set differences aside, and keep the vision in front of them, there is nothing your team can’t do!

- Rory Byrd

Transitional design allows for a mixture of those styles, using comfortable furnishings along with simple features.  I like the way a custom home designer by the name of Marshall Wallman describes it, “In transitional design, you take the stuffiness out of traditional style and the coldness out of contemporary style and mix them together.”

My preference is for the clean lines and simple styling typically found in Transitional Design.  It is a welcome change from the heavy and cluttered look of some traditional styles, while not embracing the extremes of the stark and sterile look of some contemporary styles.   It is timeless; the lines are clean and fit into any home.

- Deb Carson

The first thing we must understand about follow through is that it is the easiest part of the wind up to forget about or to become lazy with. You can’t afford to think that just because you have released the ball and made the pitch that your work is done. The follow through is just as important as the timing of releasing the ball. Just because  you made the sale, doesn’t mean your job is done or the work is over. On the contrary, the work is only just beginning when you make the sale.

The follow through in the wind up is what helps you get that final bit of accuracy on the pitch. Without sound follow through, your pitch could end up in the perfect place for the batter to hit a home run and cost your team a run. Follow through verifies the details. When it comes to our follow through in business, it is very similar. The follow through helps to clarify certain aspects of the sale and verify exactly what the customers needs are. If you have to order something in addition to what the customer received at the point of sale, follow through can make sure you get the proper size or color. Follow through makes sure your customer is happy even after they have left you or your store.

When I played baseball, one of my biggest strengths as a pitcher was my ability to field the balls that were hit right back at me. This ability is greatly attributed to a good follow through. Follow through gets you ready for the unexpected comebacks. When a customer gets home and has a chance to think more about what they have just purchased or the contract they have just signed, they will inevitably have questions. Follow through takes those questions and turns them into answers before the question even gets asked. A simple phone call to follow up with a meeting will set an uneasy customer at ease and prevent “buyers remorse.” The ability to field a comeback before the comeback has a chance to get to you will help prevent uncomfortable situations with customers.

- Rory

Construction is an ugly mess most of the time and the process of building anything takes time and energy. Often times construction sites have stinky old tools laying around that could be dangerous if you aren’t paying attention. You know, the process of building something, especially a home, is rarely a fun experience. It is often painfully long and arduous. But the end result is always worth the pain.

At Hudson’s Luxury we pride ourselves on customer service and trying to take the pain out of building. Unfortunately, all construction is messy. And while we can provide the best level of service along with the best products and the best builders and installation crews, construction still stinks!! It never goes as quickly as you think its going to go and it is never as neat and tidy. No matter how much planning you do, nothing can prepare you for the building process. You will never know until you experience it for yourself.

As crazy as the process is and as nightmarish as you feel it is, the end result is typically the same. You have a product or a house that you are crazy about. All of your neighbors are jealous and you have just become the talk of the neighborhood! So don’t stress too much when your world seems to have flipped upside down. Just know that at the end of the day you will be happy that you undertook this project and now have the home you have always dreamed of!

- Rory

It’s often been said that you should “do what you love”.  People spend a lifetime trying to find the job that they are happy doing everyday. In most cases it leads to frustration and the exact opposite of what they’re seeking…unhappiness.  After all work is work.  It’s often about meeting deadlines, performance, and results.  With all of that comes pressure and stress.  If pressure and stress make you happy then you are one of the few people that will find happiness almost effortlessly in the workplace.  But if you are like most people, pressure and stress are going to lead to unhappiness.

Instead of spending a lifetime trying to figure out how to do what you love, why not decide to “love what you do”.  Love is a choice.  You are the one that chooses who you will love in life and the thing that you love doing.  Circumstances can certainly affect your feelings and attitude but in the end you are the only one that decides how you will respond to the circumstances and what your attitude will be.  Once you choose to “love what you do” you will quickly see the effect it has on the people in your life.  Employers and coworkers will better respond to you thereby creating a healthier culture in the workplace.  Clients will notice and enjoy doing business with you.  Even your family and personal life will benefit from your choice to “love what you do.”

In the end the choice is yours, you can either have a dysfunctional relationship with your job, or have a healthy, thriving romance in the workplace.

Jonathan

Here is a look at the before:

This bookshelf was the first thing to go once we decided to paint. Deb, one of our designers, pointed out that this bookshelf was

bad fung shui. She explained that something that is placed overhead could subconsciously weigh on you, giving you a feeling of pressure. Jonathan had definitely felt this pressure after nailing his head on it one day.

One of the main things we decided to do was give the office a face-lift. This came in the form of a fresh paint job. The walls were used and abused and it was evident.

We wanted to also give the office a little bit of our own flare. We pride ourselves on being informed on the newest trends and being on the edge so to keep with that we decided to have an accent wall that was a reflection of that. This years new color palette Tangerine Tango inspired our accent wall! Not only was it our inspiration, but after some research into fung shui I found that orange has a lot of yang energy.  Yang energy helps to strengthen concentration. It also helps to encourage creativity. And lastly it is the color of organization. Which is what we first started out pursuing when we started cleaning house.

Just like we have a new look for 2012 you can create a new look whether it be in your office or home. You can start out by giving your space a fresh coat of paint. This is a simple and cheaper way to freshen it up. If you feel like doing a more consult your local library or the Internet for some information on Fung Shui. Use this to help you rearrange your furniture.

- Brittany

Bentwood is excited to offer you a beautiful new finishing technique- Strata!  This finish technique is a great addition to our already diverse palette of finish effects and styles.  Whether the finish is a stain or a paint, Strata’s linear waves can provide a beautiful natural element to a structured contemporary décor.

Different woods will have their own unique appearance.  Currently, the Strata technique is available on Rift Cut White Oak, as well as a new wood selection, European Conifer.  The Strata effect enhances the grain of these two woods in dramatically different ways.

The Strata technique underneath a painted finish is especially striking.  Lighter colors are accentuated by shadows, and darker colors are accentuated by the gloss of the finish.

As we introduce Strata, we are only offering the technique on select doors with select finishes.  If you have questions about Strata or any other woods or finishes, please call Our Office at (757) 453-6644.

  ]]> http://www.hudsonsluxury.com/blog/editorials/bentwood-luxury-kitchens-introduces-strata/feed/ 0 http://www.hudsonsluxury.com/blog/editorials/style-and-quality-or-convenience-can-i-get-it-all/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=style-and-quality-or-convenience-can-i-get-it-all http://www.hudsonsluxury.com/blog/editorials/style-and-quality-or-convenience-can-i-get-it-all/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:46:19 +0000 rory http://www.hudsonsluxury.com/blog/?p=586 As a new edition to the team I have been thrown into the blogging mix.

So for being the newbie to this industry I have been slowly learning the trade. It is evident if you have just walked into our show room that we are not just selling a product but we are selling quality and style. If you have not been to our show room yet, you need to!

I recently got inspired for this post when I was doing some laundry. For me when I go shopping for additions to my wardrobe the main two things that I look for are style and quality.

Conversely, the last thing I ever shop for is convenience. By this I mean the care of the product. There is always that feeling of relief, when I need something cleaned and I see it is machine washable. The convenience of how to care for the product is equally important, but generally is the element that is overlooked. We are making it a priority to not leave this element out at Hudson’s Luxury Building Boutique. This has even lead to a project that I myself have taken on. I have been compiling a database of recommend care instructions from our various vendors. The finished project will be a Care Manual that we can reference and use as a tool to assist our customers well after they have purchased their new items.

So like the task of compiling care instructions I am sure you or maybe someone you know maybe facing the task of prepping their house for the Holidays. It is the season for family and friends to come together. One place that receives the most action is the kitchen.

So how do you clean and take care of your cabinets? We consulted Woodharbor. They are one our vendors who provide cabinets and doors. So if you have Woodharbor cabinets or are considering them in the future I suggest taking note.

You can start this task the old fashion way with some soap and water.

-       Use a soft cloth and a solution of water and mild dish soap.

-       Follow this with drying with a soft, lint-free cloth.

Here are some important tips to keep in mind:

-       Always wipe with the direction of the grain.

-       Clean any spills as soon as possible – blot rather than wipe.

-       Do not use your dishcloth to clean your cabinetry or doors.

-       Do not use harsh cleansers, detergents, commercial cleaners or abrasives.

-       Do not use wax or silicone-based polishes.

Now you are ready to take on that task of prepping your kitchen and you can confidently tackle cleaning your cabinets and have them looking pristine for your holiday guests.

Our amazing cabinet ad ran this past spring.

Here is the window ad that ran over the summer.