This is my journey to becoming an Expert Generalist!

A couple of months back when I decided to write some articles on this platform I sat down and created a list of topics. That list has grown (My ADHD kicked in). I wrote about collaboration a couple of weeks back. Next up was what I call "The need for a diverse set of knowledge in the work place".

I did a google search on the topic to see what the rest of the world had to say on the matter and this article came up: https://qz.com/968101/how-elon-musk-learns-faster-and-better-than-everyone-else/

Reading about Elon Musk's story has inspired me to share my own.

By any stretch of the imagination, I am not Elon Musk. And many of us may never realize his level of achievement. After reading the article noted above, I discovered that on some levels our paths were similar. He read an amazing number of books in his youth that launched him to success and the reason we need to strive to be an "Expert Generalist"!

My story to becoming an Expert Generalist has a unique path, thirty-five years in the making. Through the years I realized that the education I received from working with my father was quite unique.

My father launched Pendarvis Manufacturing in 1982 with my oldest brother, Douglas. Pops was a very successful and highly sought out welder/fabricator and my brother Doug was skilled aerospace machinist. Post-high school, my journey included a stint in the US Army and a great year working at Disneyland.

My education by immersion started with my Pops in 1985. I found myself learning the trade of a manual machinist by my brother and how to fabricate some amazing things by my father. This process was also slowly moving me into management end of the business. I learned how to draft quotes and proposals by a friend. I soon started our marketing journey. We needed the phone to ring! I put our first "2-color" brochure together in the early 90's. A couple years later we stepped it up to a 2 page, "11 x 17" brochure. Then business to business yellow page ads. Then an outbound plan to reach potential clients. We spent some time advertising with an industrial directory and in the early 2,000's I created our first company website. We just wanted the phone to ring.

All the while, I learned from my father, worked with customers to address their challenges, and developed my machinist and fabricator skills. Unwittingly, I was creating a network of like-minded people that could rely on each other from time to time to help solve unique problems. My heat-treat guy, Val at Valley metals, taught me about Rockwell hardness. I learned about shapes and sizes, availability of materials, and how to find them from a couple of "Old-school" guys at EMJ. My Rolodex was growing (Google it). Then add wet paint, anodizing, powder coating and zinc-plating. I soon realized I lacked some computer skills so I enrolled in a local business school and took six months of classes in Microsoft Office! Now back to the metals world... EDM, broaching, inspection. GDT, metal spraying, grinding (Surface, blanchard, OD and ID), machine repair, galvanizing, gear making, knowledge of gearboxes, enough electrical info to not get shocked, polishing, high-speed machining, balancing, straightening, CNC milling, CNC lathe, cutting threads on a manual lathe, structural steel fabrication, rolling metals, bending, laser cutting, MIG welding, TIG welding, robotic welding, welding with a positioner, waterjet, hi-def plasma, gun-drill, honing, packaging, trucking, design for manufacturability, LADBS certification. AWS certification, jigs and fixtures for machining, jigs and fixtures for welding, field installation, wastewater treatment, polymers for water treatment and machining plastics. AutoCAD design and ERP.

Next was setting up a network in the office, equipment leasing, obtaining a line of credit, capital equipment requirements, team building, the dynamics of working in a family business, hiring right and firing right, buying business insurance, workers comp insurance, HR! HR! HR! Casting a vision to a team, speaking to large groups (I joined Toastmasters for a while). P

roject planning and implementation. Search engine optimization and pay per click marketing, copywriting, creating a campaign and marketing to a target audience through social media, photography and video for work and sales training.

If you want to succeed: Take the next step. Dig in and learn every aspect of the business that you are in.

Along my journey a great family friend, Norm inspired me and introduced me to the world of "Self-Help" Books. My experience is one of empowerment and the possibilities that lay before all of us. What Norm actually introduced me to was a world out there that I didn't even know existed. I jumped right into books like; "The Choice" and other books by Og Mandino. "Success - The Glen Bland Method", "The Magic Of Believing" by Claude Bristol. Anything I could get my hands on by Norman Vincent Peale. For years I received the "Guideposts" publications and have shelves full of his works! guideposts.org/norman-vincent-peale. I realized that I needed to grow to compete in the marketplace so I soaked this stuff up.

This continual learning led to more business-type books and business magazines. Inc, Forbes, Wired, Success, Bloomberg- Businessweek just to name a few. I would cut out articles that I felt were pertinent to operating a small business and referred to them periodically for inspiration and further clarification when needed. These articles expanded my knowledge and pushed me to think critically about how to apply what I learned to my business. I subscribe my business to several manufacturing publications such as welding, fabrication, assembly, design, additive manufacturing and plastics and I share these with the team.

I have delved into books to help me grow as man, a father, a son, a brother, a friend and a leader. This has come from my large circle of friends I have through the church I am a part of. At Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, we believe that we have a responsibility to develop leaders in our community and then provide opportunities to serve. Two books were instrumental in this part of my journey: "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren and "Half Time" by Bob Buford. It was the Buford book where I found my biggest mental shift. Let me explain. I have been blessed with a unique education and now, what do I do with it now?

What do I do with it now?

The deal is this: We are all on a journey. We soak up what we know, share it when we can and if it all works out, we made a difference in someones life. Here I am, 35 years in my career. I have learned much along the way and maybe, just maybe someone can learn a little bit from me and also make a difference in this world.

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