All of us get just one exciting life to live here on this earth. How are we going to use it? This was our speaker, Adria Libolt’s, opening remark at my daughter’s graduation from high school last night.  Though making a difference as a teacher, Adria felt called to another vocation as a Deputy Warden in the Michigan Department of Corrections where she spent over 20 years in prisons.  Certainly an important question for a high school senior to consider as they are making plans for their futures, but what about the rest of us?

I believe that we are here on earth for a purpose. Each of us has different gifts and talents and when used to our greatest potential will provide excitement and joy to our lives and to others around us.  Many are in jobs that they dread to go to each day.  A recent statistic in Forbes Magazine stated that 74% of employees are dissatisfied in their work.  If we are unhappy with where we currently stand in life, at work or at home, isn’t it only us who can make the choice to change it? As we hire employees to join our team at Management Services Northwest, we seek those with the skills to do the work, but even more so, we seek the passion around the work. When we find the individual that loves what they do and is also very good at it, we are confident we have made a successful match. 

My management team and I were challenged recently to pick one area of our work or home life that was holding us back, and to create an actionable way over the next 90 days to change it. We then wrote it down and shared with each other so we could be held accountable for improvement.  We have improvement statements including:

•   I commit to not complain at home for the next 90 days.
•   I commit to set time to manage my emails every day.
•   I commit to bringing a positive attitude to every discussion.

Whatever stage we are at in life – a recent graduate, a busy Mom managing a household, in the height of a career, or enjoying retirement, we have an opportunity to provide great influence.  This influence can be negative, or positive and life building.  Are we making choices to live our lives where we can have the most positive impact on our families and friends, our work, and our communities?  Let’s make the most out of our one exciting life.

“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”  Frederick Buechner

Department of Labor & Industries (L&I).

The City of Anacortes, Management Services Northwest and St. Francis of Bellingham will be recognized for earning state and national safety awards while participating in L&I’s “Blueprint for Safety” Program.

The Blueprint for Safety Program is for employers who are committed to continuous improvement and excellence in the fields of accident prevention, returning injured employees to work and human resources.

Participants in the program agree to:

• Attend an initial meeting between L&I and the CEO to agree upon Blueprint principles.
• Develop yearly written safety goals.
• Attend supervisory training modules.
• Attend quarterly meetings.

A total of 13 Whatcom and Skagit County employers are participating in the Blueprint Program. They represent construction, manufacturing, agriculture, mass transit, food manufacturing and cold storage industries.

The awards will be presented at a special CEO luncheon on Wednesday at the Bellingham Golf & Country Club.

For more information on the Blueprint for Safety Program, please contact Kelly Monahan, Consultation Manager, at 425-290-1431 or email to Kelly.Monahan@Lni.wa.gov.

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For media information: Elaine Fischer, L&I Public Affairs, 360-902-5413 or Elaine.Fischer@Lni.wa.gov.

I was talking to a colleague this week about the challenges we had both faced
in life.  His was sharing the challenging circumstances and painful
memories of  his childhood which many can relate to.  What was
interesting was that he and his siblings had all lived in the same household
and faced a similar childhood experience, yet only he made the choice to allow
the pain to not be wasted; to commit to life changing decisions to propel
him to a new life and to break the cycle of dysfunction that is so commonly
passed from generation to generation.

Our earlier influences can leave behind deep marks – both good and bad, that we
tend to carry around for the rest of our lives.  Times of hardship and trouble
can make us “bitter or better”.   We can allow
circumstances to make us frustrated and bitter, or we can make the choice to
use what we have learned to develop our character to have a better, brighter
future.

Can tough times build character? It is up to you.

“Spending today complaining about yesterday won’t make tomorrow any
better.”

“It is not where you come from, or not even where you are; it is where you
are going that matters most. ”   Bo Bennett

Janelle Bruland

http://issuu.com/lyndentribune/docs/progressedition2013/21?zoomed=&zoomPercent=&zoomX=&zoomY=&noteText=&noteX=&noteY=&viewMode=magazine

Our words are powerful and can leave a lasting impact. We can use our words to build others up or tear them down. Take the time to look back over your interactions with others over the last week.   Have your conversations been positive with your family, friends, and coworkers?

Even when it is our job to correct a behavior, I think we all would agree that affirmation beats condemnation in motivating transformation.  Any time we can catch someone doing something right and affirm a behavior, it creates the motivation in that individual to do it again.  Adversely, a person who continues to be criticized may eventually give up.

I remind my children that we can’t control what others say nor do, we can only control our own response to it.  We are responsible for our own behavior and our words and they can have a positive or negative impact on those around us.

Your words have power. Choose them wisely.

Both Galloway and Weg have been with the company for more than five years.  Collectively, they have more than 30 years’ experience in the customer service industry.

Management Services Northwest was founded in 1995 by Janelle Bruland.  The company offers facilities management, janitorial, landscaping, maintenance and specialty services to clients in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.  It is online at www.msnw.org.

What about you? Are you one of those who eagerly makes their New Year’s resolutions each year, do you avoid goal setting whenever possible, or somewhere in between? Wherever you fall on this spectrum I would encourage you to ponder the following question:

What would it take to make 2013 the best year of your life?

I believe the reason that many New Year’s resolutions or goals fail is that we set the bar too high with an unrealistic number of goals we wish to accomplish.  A thought I posed to my team was to imagine themselves standing at December 31, 2013 and what would they want to look different. Then I asked them to declare the one thing they wanted to focus on to get there. Of course when you do this, it is usually easy to come up with a daunting list-one manager had a page of goals. It is fine to start there, but I encourage you to prioritize that list so you have your top goal clearly defined. If you find this difficult ask yourself, “If I could only accomplish one thing this year, what would it be?”

As with any goal setting, make it a “SMART” goal – Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time bound. I like to add another S to the end of “SMART” – Shared. When we tell someone the one thing we would like to change it creates accountability. I have found having an accountability partner is one of the best ways to help me keep on track. Request this person check in with you regularly to ask how you are doing.

Our life is a gift and our time here is precious. Begin this New Year with identifying one specific thing you are going to do to make 2013 your best year!

“Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”   – Carl Bard

“And now we welcome the New Year, full of things that have never been.”  – Rainier Maria Rilke

The crisp wintery weather is outside, and many of us around MSNW who love the snow and the extra work that it brings are faithfully doing our snow dance!

At this time of year we often reflect on our many blessings, and it is a tradition for my family to go around the table and each say what we are thankful for.  I am thankful for the provision we have enjoyed as a company this year, and that we are finally seeing signs of recovery in our client’s businesses through the addition of new products, services, and facilities which in turn creates stability and growth for MSNW.  Our corporate theme for 2012 has been Positive, Passionate, Proactive, and I have been inspired by the renewed spirit of optimism and passion by our teams, and the diligent efforts to be proactive in taking care of our clients. My heart is full with thanksgiving for the committed team I have the privilege of working with each and every day.

Sometimes when we get caught up in the difficulties of life, we forget the good things that are right in front of us.  As a child, if my Mother would catch me complaining, she would remind me to “count my blessings” by jotting down a list of what I had to be thankful for.  It was a good practice then, and as an adult there are still times when I need to remind myself of the many rich gifts in my life.

What are you thankful for this Holiday Season?  If you find yourself discouraged today, take a few minutes to make a list of your blessings.  It has a great way of changing your perspective.

Wishing you all a safe and joyous Christmas season.

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Count on God instead of yourself.
Author Unknown

I had the privilege of attending the World Federation Congress of Building Service Contractors (WFBSC) in Curitiba, Brazil earlier this month.

Sitting among a thousand attendees from around the world, I have to admit I felt a bit insignificant as an American- a true minority at this conference.  As most of the speaking was in Portuguese, we wore headphones in order to translate the presentations into our own language.

Because a significant portion of our company is dedicated to our janitorial service line, it was exciting to hear about the continued growth and development of the Cleaning for Health Program created by the WFBSC.  Andrew Large, President of this world organization, shared the importance of the cleaning industry in the domain of public health.  This program is increasing awareness of how cleaning and safety go together, and the importance of the cleaning industry to offer clean and safe environments for people to live in.  With dangerous infections such as MRSA on the rise, it is imperative that we continue to improve our systems and processes on a global scale to reduce infections and therefore improve health.

How different were some of the conversations from the business conferences in the United States.  Where a typical presentation in the US has a focus on growing your business, increasing quality and efficiency, I recall sitting in a key note presentation one morning entitled Decente Job, (interpreted Decent Work), which focuses on the world problem of social inequality and the need for continuing to work on taking people from forced labor and child labor situations to jobs where people are treated fairly and equitably.   Although we certainly have our own share of labor challenges here in the US, this conference reminded me how blessed we are to live and work in the freedom in which we enjoy.

What is the same? The focus on the importance of the workforce and our responsibility as business owners to care for our employees.  It was encouraging hearing the conversations across the globe about the importance of sustainability, and promoting a safe and healthy environment in which to live.

Stan Doobin, President of Harvard Maintenance, hosted a fun filled USA night at the WFBSC closing event and dinner in Brazil.  It was a tremendous warm up for the April 6 – 10, 2014 WFBSC Congress he is hosting in New York City.  We will look forward to the next event and welcoming our BSC friends from around the world.

A Bellingham wealth management company and a Ferndale building management firm are on a list of the 100 fastest-growing businesses in Washington state.

Saturna Capital Corp. ranked 47th while Management Services Northwest Inc. was 76th on the latest list of fastest-growing private companies. The list is put together annually by the Puget Sound Business Journal.

According to the list, Saturna Capital experienced 117 percent revenue growth from 2009 through 2011. During that time the company increased its revenues from $17.6 million to $38.3 million and added eight employees.