We will start out today with a quote from author Shawn L. Anderson’s book “A Better Life.” He says that “Preparation is what allows the teacher to truly inspire. Preparation is knowing exactly how the lesson plan will flow. It’s in knowing what questions to ask and what answers to give.” The author is speaking about teachers, but this sentiment can easily apply to any profession, including home inspection.
Proper preparation is key in becoming good at your job. It’s often what separates the successful businesses from the failures. A lack of preparation is typically what causes a new business to go under. Unfortunately, figuring out how to prepare, and implementing that preparation is something that takes time.
As we go about our daily work routine, we are (hopefully) learning what works best and what doesn’t. We should be analyzing what to do and the proper moment to do it. We should remember the questions that come up and observe the different reactions that our actions and answers bring about.
We should be storing all this information away in our mental database, enabling us to be able to draw on our resources when needed. Everything we do should be preparing us to take the appropriate action the next time a similar situation occurs.
Especially for new inspectors, preparation is key: knowing in what order you are going to inspect the systems of a home. Knowing how your software functions and where each item and comment is located. Knowing what you’ll do if your phone dies, if the seller becomes problematic, if you forgot your ladder at the previous inspection or if your client brings along their uncle, the retired contractor that advised them not to hire a home inspector in the first place.
Spend your time planning for your job, for both the obvious hurdles and the ones that seem to appear out of thin air. And yes, sometimes life throws you a curve ball and a problem will materialize that no one could have predicted, like your client and the seller getting into a fistfight during the inspection. Just know that the confidence that comes from proper preparation can be enough to get you through the toughest of tests.
I will close with two more quotes. The first is from web-developer Kevin O. Omereshone: “In order to get the product you must spend ample time on the process.” The last one is from former college basketball head coach Bobby Knight, who said “The key is not the will to win. Everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.”
Invest in yourself and your career. Read when you could be napping. Practice when you could be watching Netflix. Put in the extra effort needed to learn when you could be just skating by. Work on the process and prepare to win. Eventually you will know the answers before the questions are asked.
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Thanks, Joe
