This Women's History Month, I am committed to sharing stories of women leaders who don't “fit the mold” in their industries, but because they were willing to break a barrier, they're leaving a lasting legacy. Missed the first post? Read it here: 10 Questions to Build Your Leadership Legacy.
Diane Hendricks doesn't fit the mold. She grew up on a dairy farm as 1 of 9 girls! In her family, her dad didn't believe that farm work was for girls. She learned how to work inside the home, but was never encouraged to get into business. Her first curveball came when she got pregnant at 17 and was told to get married. This marriage lasted 3 years and after the divorce, Diane finally had the ability to consider what she wanted in her life.
So she got her realtor's license and met her husband, Ken, who was a roofer. In their line of business, they realized there was a problem. If you needed materials, you had to purchase directly from the manufacturer. Like many of us, they wanted a store where you could buy a variety of brands in one place.
Then, they mortgaged everything they owned to buy two struggling building products stores. They converted them into their new kind of building supply store model which ultimately changed the industry by increasing convenience and removing friction – you can now buy various roofing, siding and window products in a single location instead of buying direct from the manufacturer.
Then, Diane's second curveball struck – her husband tragically died in an accident in 2007 and the recession hit in 2008. Diane had a huge decision point in this time on whether to sell what they had built or stay in business. She decided to stay in business – making decisions that aligned to her values of respect, hard work, family, giving back and American pride.
In Diane's commitment to “never sell the company” she has grown it 700% since 2007. They have nearly 800 branch locations and over $15B in revenues.
Forbes has named her America's most successful female entrepreneur and America's richest self-made woman. Her net worth is over $22B. She reinvests her fortune into community education academies and renovating blighted areas in her Wisconsin hometown.
It wasn't Diane's skillset as a roofer that made her successful, it was her ability to bring simpler solutions to every day problems that made her successful.
(Keep reading for lessons Diane can teach us about creating big impact by solving simple problems through subtraction, not addition.)
PUT THIS IDEA INTO ACTION
Have you ever wondered what you can start doing or add in at work to bring value, solve a problem and make a lasting impact? Diane reminds us that it wasn't her expertise in roofing that made her successful. In fact, all the “experts” were busy working with more manufacturers. But Diane saw a way to make impact through simplification.
She made a builder's life easier by subtracting the trips they had to make to purchase products into one convenient location. She removed the friction.
Neuroscientists say that our brains are wired for the addition of new alternatives and not for finding solutions by subtracting what isn't working. I know how hard it is to stop trying to add “just one more idea” to make a message or project better.
As a leader, consider this: What if you don't need to add anything to get the impact and results you want? Could you start with removing everything preventing them? Ask yourself:
1. What is the ultimate goal of this project / message / campaign?
What's the ONE THING, if done well, will create the biggest transformation? (How are you channeling resources into this?)
What activities are creating friction, not value, thus making an impact or results harder to achieve?
What feels of dread? What drains my/my team's energy?
2. Based on the above, what do I need to subtract from this project / message / campaign?
Try This Next: Start today by working to remove friction from a project or process.
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