What “shoveling” taught me about life and business.

I’ve been “shoveling” since I can remember. First literally, now figuratively.

My first family home was a small two-bedroom bungalow on a hobby farm in Richmond in the late 1960s. Richmond was a “hamlet” at the time; very rural. I lived there with my mom, dad, and maternal grandmother. It was the first home my parents bought after arriving in Canada from Italy in the late 1950s. ?

I also lived there with a German Sheppard that literally saved my young life, plus about 100 chickens, 5 sheep, 20 or so rabbits, a couple goats and the odd cow…or should I say veal…we are Italian after all.

It was there that I learned how to “shovel.” I shoveled a lot. I shoveled everything.

My earliest memories of “the farm” were watching my grandmother work all day long taking care of the animals, tending the gardens, maintaining the household and making homemade bread and pasta while my parents were off working. She never sat down...always moving...always working. She would lovingly command me to do things all day long. I loved it. It was fun hanging out with Nonna. I felt super important and grown up and I learned a ton. She was one of the sharpest and probably the most fiercely independent women I’ve ever known. Soft heart but determined as hell. She was my hero. ?I listened when she talked!

Her husband died in his early 30s from tuberculosis leaving his young bride to take care of her two daughters (my mom who was five years old and my aunt who was only nine months old at the time) by herself in the early/mid 1940s during and after WWII. The Abruzzo region of central Italy, experienced significant hardship during World War II due to its location near the Gustav Line, a major German defensive position. The village that my family is from and its surroundings were deeply affected by the war. German troops requisitioned supplies, commandeered buildings, and forced locals into labor to support their war efforts. Let’s just say, times were very hard for Nonna and her young family.

When mom and dad got home after a long day’s work, we ate dinner, and then the second round of chores would begin. I would follow my dad around the farm and help him muck out the stables, chicken coop and rabbit cages. Then we’d move onto other things depending on the season and the weather. We’d do everything ourselves in those days. I learned to mill grain into flour, make wine, paint the house, cut the lawn, drive a small tractor, slaughter and butcher animals, turn the soil for the garden in the spring, plant and harvest vegetables, shear sheep and spin the wool into yarn, sew clothes, etc. etc. etc. We even made our own cheeses. And this was all before I turned six years old. I’m not kidding. You’ve gotta remember, my parents were from a small village in the center of Abruzzo, Italy. ?Independence, hard work, creativity and resiliency were must haves just to survive. There was no “self-actualization” going on in those days.

Just before I started elementary school we moved. Still in Richmond, but to a new home in a new, fancy “subadavisiona.” My dad bought the biggest corner lot he could buy. He told me, “Sala (that’s what he used to call me. Still does at his tender age of 89! It means “Salty”) always own land. You can grow food on it. It will help you survive if things get hard.” My dad was, still is, my hero. I listened.

It was in this new home that I would reside until I got married and moved out in my late 20s. Sounds old fashioned right? We’ll life’s about choices. Yes, my friends had a blast living on their own in a rental apartment. But I was the only one that could afford a house when I got married because I saved every penny I earned beforehand for the down payment. That was my priority.

When we moved, we landed in a massive new subdivision, in a sea of other massive new subdivisions. Richmond was growing fast at the time. I lived in a construction zone for 12 years. I’d spend countless hours walking in and around the construction sites. I was fascinated by everything I saw. I learned how roads were built, the type of machinery being used, the materials and methods of home building and the trades critical to the process. The personalities of the people were fantastic. Here I was, this little kid of 6 years old or so, sitting on the ground for hours just watching how things were done. Once and a while one of the tradesmen would let me help him. It was awesome! It was during this time that I fell in love with home building.

My uncle and aunt bought the house next door shortly after we moved in. Matter of fact: my dad’s brother, married by mom’s sister. Yup! So now, the family was together. My grandmother had her two daughters, their husbands and their kids all in one place. This situation laid the foundation for the next stage of the family's success. Everyone pitched in. My jobs? You guessed it…more shoveling. Manure (30 yards!) every spring into the gardens. Chop wood (30 yards!) every fall to get ready for winter. Wash the cars, cut the grass etc. etc. etc. Lots of “shoveling.”

Having my uncle next door was fantastic. He was a masterful technician. He could fix anything. And that was his job. If the stove, dryer, furnace or toaster went on the frits he’d get the call…and I’d tag along. He taught me everything he knew. Another one of my heroes!

Little did I know then that I was being trained to succeed; that my family was building the mindset in me that was needed to prosper. They were preparing me for “hard times” and for “better times.” ?

Sidebar: Everything started to come together for me when I started my first home building and renovation company at the age of 25 in Richmond. My partner Joe F. (another good Italian boy) and I could do everything, and we did. We had a blast!

It wasn’t until later in life, much later, that I learned about “The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)” by Soviet psychologist and social constructivist Lev Vygotsky (1896 – 1934). It’s a psychological theory about how people learn and therefore can be trained. In a nutshell the ZPD (aka Zone) is the difference between what the learner can do without help and what they can do with help, instruction, encouragement, and coaching. It’s the area where the most detailed and sensitive instruction should be given in order for a person to learn mastery of a craft. (see below).

Vygotsky introduced the concept in response to his negative view of psychometric testing. He argued that such testing only measured current abilities, not human potential. His position was that testing should examine and reveal emerging skills. He also stated that a person’s willingness to learn is the key driver in bridging the gap between one’s current abilities and their potential. Seems obvious right? We’ll not so much.

Sidebar: In grade 11 I did one of those tests in school. The result? My counsellor told me to be a lathe operator. Enough said! No offence to lathe operators. Just not my thing.

In my experience most people don’t get this fundamental fact of life. Hunger, desire to succeed is the most important precursor to success. You’ve gotta wanna learn!

Another Sidebar: My dad has a bunch of great sayings. One is “you harvest what you plant.” Another is “there are only two ways up the mountain; one is with your brain, the other is with your feet and both ways hurt.”

OK, now let’s get back to the point.

Everyone has a “Zone” they need to bridge if they want to achieve their dreams. And everyone needs help, to some degree, along the way. But, the type of help, and who provides it, can be a make it or break it moment in someone’s journey.

I read an interesting book recently. It’s titled The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. I found it to be very interesting. Their premise is that society’s good intentions are leading to bad ideas and poor outcomes in youth. He argues that “helicopter parents” are preventing children from experiencing the stressors of life and therefore leaving them unprepared for the future. Things are too easy. He also argues that other social trends and technologies are leading us to a world where narcissism reigns and where democracy and its institutions are at risk. Some other consequences include political polarization and dysfunction and high rates of anxiety in youth. I think it’s a worthwhile read for everyone, especially if you’re a leader or a parent.

I think, that unless you have been oblivious to what's going on in the world, you can see and experience some of these trends and consequences in everyday life even here in Canada.

I experience this “coddled” mindset every day. I see it everywhere. It’s obvious. But you know what else is obvious? There are a bunch of young people that want to break free from this mindset and get on with things. They want to unleash their potential and they want to achieve “the good life.” They just don’t know how to do it. Why? They weren’t taught to “shovel.” So then, to me, the answer is as plain as the nose on your face. We need to teach the youth how to “shovel.”

If you follow me on LinkedIn, you’ll know that I do some mentoring of young people, on the side, on my own, for free! What do we do? We get into the big life questions:

·??????? What do you want?

·??????? How bad do you want it?

·??????? What do you have to do to get it?

·??????? Will you pay the price? Commit?

Then we put the plan in place to get people to where they want to go. Once that’s done, it’s up to the individual to do the work to get themselves there. This is where the “shoveling” mindset comes in. This is where resilience, problem-solving, confidence, adaptability, patience, discipline, perspective and self-discovery come in.

This is also where the “Zone” ( ZPD) comes in. If you want to be successful, you need to surround yourself with people that will help train you, help to keep you grounded and accountable. Everyone needs heroes along the way to their destination.

At Conwest, we believe in these concepts deeply. Tony and John Marinelli, the founding partners of Conwest, my partners, share my view. Like me, they are sons of Italian immigrants. We are of similar age; similar backgrounds and we have similar stories. They have their own “heroes,” and they are “heroes” to many in our community. This shared world view is why we support UBC, SFU, BCIT, CREW, NAIOP Developing Leaders, ICSF, Michael Cuccione Foundation, Ronald McDonald House and food banks in the region.

Our staff shares a similar mindset and direction in life. They’re hungry and focused and wired to serve others. This stuff is deeply embedded in our DNA so much so that we’ve created our own program designed to unleash the potential of our staff for their own benefit and for that of others. Everyone goes through the program. A must do! And yes, it’s hard. But then so is everything else that’s worthwhile doing…

So, here’s the question, “what are you going to do to help us achieve our goal of achieving shared prosperity in this Country?”

Will you show up, stand up and do something? Will you do the “shoveling?”

Get up that mountain folks…and…bring others along the way with you!

ben

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