By Roger Sterry, President of Client Services 
After decades in this industry, I’ve found that there is still much to learn. It is ever-changing. One thing that has stayed consistent over the years and through all of the changes is my love of building relationships. I thrive on meeting new customers and visiting with old customers who have become lifelong friends. That is one of the things that makes me happiest and continues to make my work meaningful.
Over the years, I have learned more about my personal purpose, and it has changed over the years. My experiences have led me to what my “why” is now. As a young man, entering this industry, I didn’t think much about a why other than personal ambition and success. Relationships – a spouse and children – began to change that perspective. I have realized that just being successful isn’t really much of a purpose at all.
One of the things that brings meaning to me now, that I never considered as a young man, is the value of being a mentor and a coach both in my personal life and my professional life. As my children have entered into the professional world, I can give them advice and coaching on things that matter to their field, pulling from my experiences in the workforce. I also encourage them to use the things I have given them when they were children. The same applies for professional development at Firmatek. We have a new generation that hopefully will glean valuable lessons from the generation before them.
This idea of mentoring and coaching fits well within what I love to do most – build relationships. Building relationships motivates me in my day to day job in serving clients. It also motivates me to do more than just focus on my sales and customer efforts. It connects me to the Firmatek team, as I strive to pass on the wisdom that I have gained over the years to the next generation of leaders at Firmatek.
The part of Firmatek’s why that resonates with me the most is that we provide our clients with confidence. That means that we go beyond a physical service or data analysis. We help them through issues, aggravating experiences, being a consultant and even defending them when the need arises. It sets Firmatek apart. It is also what I have been doing my whole career, and ties back into what I love doing best – building relationships.
Knowing how our company “why” and my why align is extremely helpful and makes my job much easier. Sharing the common goal and spreading common good makes our purpose simple and more enjoyable.
Now that I have refined my why, it becomes second nature. Connecting it to Firmatek’s why was also very natural. It has connected me more strongly to the company and why we do what we do. Then, interacting with customers, clients, friends, and building long lasting relationships naturally falls into place for me.
I was with a client last week that we have worked with for 33 years —that’s because of the Firmatek “why.”
Check out the first two posts in our What’s Your Why Series from Firmatek’s President and Chief Drone Officer, Lauren Elmore and Andrew Maximow.
