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It is possible, as an entrepreneur, a business owner, a manager, or an aspiring professional to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Your intentions do not nullify the potential consequences of your decisions. Therefore, as a means of helping you shorten your DANG learning curve, we have solicited the aid of our good friend Ed Cross, The Restoration Lawyer, to clarify the role of industry standards in your service contracts. Imagine I am a well-intentioned water damage restoration contractor. I think it would be a good idea to cite the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration in my proposals and contracts. With his many years of litigation experience, how would Uncle Ed advise me to navigate this concept? Restoration Contractor (RC): Hey Ed, I just want people to know that I'm serious about what I do. So I've been talking to them a lot about how we train and follow the IICRC standards. Ed Cross (Uncle Ed): Comply with the standard of care. RC: That's why I thought thanks for confirming that. I'm thinking about putting it in our proposals and in our contracts. Uncle Ed: Don't put that in your contract! RC: But I want people to know that we're serious and that we do it right. Uncle Ed: Comply with the standard of care, but do not write into your contract, that you're going to perform the work according to IICRC standards. RC: Are you sure? Uncle Ed: it's not going to help you sell any jobs. It's going to marry you to these thick documents that are hundreds of pages long. All the plaintiff's attorney has to do is point to one sentence in there that you didn't strictly comply with and they’ll be able to shout about a breach of contract. RC: That doesn't sound good. Uncle Ed: You don't need that kind of headache. If you want to know more about The Restoration Lawyer and his involvement in the industry, watch our prior interview with Ed Cross or read the article in Restoration and Remediation (R&R) Magazine titled A History of Collaboration; A Future of Advocacy. If this information has been helpful, please subscribe to The DYOJO Podcast and consider purchasing one of the books from our Be Intentional series. edit. 
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Business owners want to reach their goals. Management staff understands the need to achieve certain metrics of performance. Yet, there is often a dissonance within the organization between their clearly stated goals and their consistently achieved outcomes. Accountability for outcomes can only be established when the process is clear and the follow-through is consistent. Being intentional with developing and improving your estimating process requires a few simple steps. Lack of clarity = Lack of Accountability As a person in a position of leadership, you can help your organization grow by being honest about whether your system is dumb by design (revealing intentionality) or whether negative outcomes are the by-product of dumb design. If the project outcomes are inconsistent, a great place to start is to ask whether you have been clear and consistent as a leadership team. Increased Clarity = Increased Consistency Team members cannot consistently perform if they don’t understand what they are supposed to be doing. Communication needs to be clear to those who are receiving the information. Developing your team's leadership skills includes helping members of management to learn to understand how their team learns as well as how to best communicate with them to relay information. Clarity + Consistency = Accountability As Anthony Nelson, President of Premier Restoration, learned, “Quite often our younger Millennial and Gen Z technicians will refuse to tackle a given task until they understand the ‘why.’” It follows that skills like empathy and communication are at a premium for aspiring managers and business owners. Those who can learn to help their team members understand what needs to be done as well as why it is important will reap the greatest (and most consistent) reward. Dumb By Design Owners, managers, supervisors, and anyone in a leadership role will see elevated results when they dumb their processes down so that someone who has no industry experience can understand what they need to do and why it is important to the team. Your communication is affected by the company you keep. While it is important for you to challenge yourself by being around other leaders, it is also important for you to connect and communicate with those at the entry level of your organization. Build clarity and consistency from the bottom-up, so that you can practice accountability from the top-down. If you would like to learn more about this concept, read Module One of Jon Isaacson’s NEW book, How To Not Suck At Estimating: Habits For Better Project Outcomes. This book will also be a training course offered through Restoration Technical Institute. The book should be available by August of 2022. In the meantime you can subscribe to The DYOJO Podcast for more content that will help you shorten your DANG learning curve.  Jon Isaacson, The Intentional Restorer, is preparing to release his fourth book. This title, How Not To Suck At Estimating: Habits For Better Project Outcomes will also be a course that the author will distribute through the Restoration Technical Institute. Elements of the books have been peer reviewed by various property restoration contractors and insurance claims professionals. Rob MacPherson, Manager of National Estimating Services at DKI Canada says the following, Jon hits the nail on the head again. His insight into the industry can help all restorers easily understand the process and procedures to help them succeed. I can’t wait for book #5. - Rob MacPherson, Manager of National Estimating Services at DKI Canada  The target audience for this construction estimating book and training course is fourfold:
What comes to mind when you hear “bad faith” being used in a sentence with “insurance claims processing”?
According to the International Risk Management Institute, Inc. (IRMI), bad faith is, A term describing blatantly unfair conduct that exceeds mere negligence by an insurance company. For example, a bad faith claim may arise if an auto liability insurer arbitrarily refuses to settle a claim within policy limits, where an insured's liability is incontrovertible. How Does Bad Faith Affect Contractors?Our local networking group for restoration contractors and claims professionals will be discussing “bad faith” with licensed public adjuster and respected claims umpire, Roger Howson. If you are in Washington State, or the PNW, reach out to The DYOJO regarding the Fellowship of Construction Knowledge and Entrepreneurial Development (FoCKED).
In preparation for our conversation, we discovered this helpful from the Law Offices of Edward Cross. Brian K. Theis outlines three factors involved in determining whether there have been violations of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing for insurance claims. How Does Bath Faith Affect Homeowners?Insurance policyholders, which includes all homeowners, want to have the confidence that their policy will make them whole in the event of a water for fire damage to their greatest asset; their homes. Use this information to educate yourself and bolster your ability to advocate for what is right during the claims negotiation process. If you want to prevent unfair conduct during an insurance claim:
What is the right price for a home improvement or remodeling project, or for anything? The right price is what a willing buyer will pay a willing seller for their goods and services. It may be helpful to know what your competitors are charging, but the reality is that many contractors DO NOT know how to price things right. Often contractors miss scope elements, undervalue their labor, and don't understand overhead costs or profit goals.  How Much Should Remodeling Cost?In the world of insurance claim repairs, a common estimating tool called Xactimate provides standardized pricing based on feedback from various sources. Unit pricing, rate and materials comparisons, national averages and other factors can help a contractor to confirm their pricing strategies. Market "norms" and software programs can be useful benchmarks but they do not account for all of the elements that go into drafting the right price for your services as a contractor. If you are a contractor and you want to sharpen your skills for estimating, check out Jon Isaacson's fourth book and estimating course - How Not To Suck At Estimating: Habits for Better Project Outcomes (Coming Soon). How Much Do Insurance Repairs Cost?Focus on the scope of work, the vision of the customer, and your unique approach to the project. Contractors and consumers should focus on the value exchange between the two parties. To that end, Steven Patrick, of Level the Playing Field, joined us for The DYOJO Podcast Episode 82. He shared an informative story about a plumber that was providing great value to their customers but once their boss told them they were, "Charging more than anyone," their mindset shifted from value to cost and their habits changed. Why Are Contractors So Expensive?Please don't misconstrue the words of this author to encourage anyone to "price-gouge" rather, most contractors should be charging more for their services, especially when they provide the service and quality to match. Most contractors are hesitant to raise their prices or charge what they should be charging to build their businesses (i.e. hire more people, pay their skilled labor more, invest in retirement, provide benefits, etc).
Thursdays are for The DYOJO Podcast - INFOtainment to help you shorten your DANG learning curve.  Are you aware of the rules and regulations for testing materials such as wallboard, texture, and floor coverings prior to performing any demolition work? On the latest episode of The DYOJO Podcast (#83) we discuss the importance of identifying and mitigating hazards during water and fire damage restoration projects. There are broad rules such as those in the OSHA General Duty Clause, "The General Duty Clause from the OSHA Act of 1970 requires that, in addition to compliance with hazard-specific standards, all employers provide a work environment "free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm." There are also many specific rules regarding lead and asbestos sampling which are regulated by various entities such as Labor and Industries (LNI) in Washington State. We discuss some of these elements further in a recent article from The DYOJO Blog - thedyojo.com/blog/asbestos-testing-requirements-for-water-damage Many of the safety practices that contractors follow for mold remediation originate with asbestos abatement protocols. We discuss some of the resources for these topics including:
Project your team members, your customers, and your organization by educating yourself and your clients on the best practices and regulatory compliance associated with property restoration. THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Restoration Industry Association (RIA) Restoration Technical Institute (RTI) Office Services by Brandi Institute of Inspection Cleaning Restoration Certification (IICRC) THURSDAYS ARE FOR The DYOJO Podcast - INFOtainment to help you shorten your DANG learning curve. New episodes of The DYOJO Podcast are released on Thursdays via video through YouTube and/or audio is distributed through platforms such as Apple, Spotify, Google, etc. READ MORE in The DYOJO Blog Additional Resources from The DYOJO:
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AuthorJon Isaacson, The Intentional Restorer, is a 19 year veteran of the property restoration industry and a business coach through his organization The DYOJO. Archives
September 2022
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