Sharpening the Axe

At BZI, we are fortunate to work with some of the world’s largest retailers in building their warehouses. But as many have experienced, supply chain issues and demand uncertainties from the pandemic have lasted much longer than expected and negatively impacted business.

Unfortunately, some retailers that we work with were subject to unexpected changes in construction plans over the last year, and that led to issues that impacted our project pipeline. As a result, my team and I needed to pivot –  and fast.

While the need for change in a moment like this is clear, the uncertainty of change is always uncomfortable. Then I was reminded of a story called, “Sharpening the Axe.” The story goes like this:

A strong woodsman set out to his new job with great excitement. His career allowed him to be paid handsomely for each tree he fell. But the workload was so significant that there was tremendous pressure to bring in as much wood as possible.

On the first day, the woodsman efficiently worked and fell 20 trees. ​By the end of the second day, he brought in only 18 trees – which puzzled him since he had worked harder than the day before. The woodsman set out on the third day, determined to work even harder, but only fell 15 trees. He sat in disappointment, thinking of his declining results.

After a moment, the foreman approached to see how he might help his struggling teammate. ​

After hearing the woes of the previous day’s challenges, the foreman asked the woodsman: “Have you sharpened your axe?” In dismay, the woodsman looked at the foreman and responded: “Sharpen my axe? I haven’t had time!”

We held our annual year-end event in December where I reviewed the challenges and ultimately the successes that we – as a team – were able to accomplish despite uncertainty and change last year.

Watch the video to learn more about how we were able to have our most incredible year to date in 2022 and what the future holds for BZI.