Picture this:
It’s July, and you’re at the beach with your family in downtown Chicago. Your son is enjoying a popsicle. Your spouse is keeping a watchful eye over him, and you’re just taking it all in, trying to relax a bit.
You feel the sand under your feet. You feel the sun hitting your skin. Everything is perfect. Too perfect.
Then suddenly, your phone rings.
That little device in your pocket that keeps you connected to the outside world (to the working world) goes off, and you have no choice but to answer it.
You know it’s not good. A call on a Sunday afternoon is never good. You answer it.
“Hello, is everything ok?” you say, still silently hoping that it was a butt-dial
One of your trucks has crashed into a ditch off I-80 near Kearney, Nebraska. The driver is okay, no one is hurt, and the accident wasn’t even his fault, but his shipment? Let’s just say it’s not in great shape.
His truck? Not in great shape, either.
Your weekend? Over.
Your peace? Gone.
Welcome to a day in the life of Isaac Issa – CEO of Legacy Express Trucking.
This industry can be a wild ride.
Everything listed in the opening section is based on a true story – a true experience in a day in the life of our CEO, Isaac.
Because of that Isaac, has had to learn to deal with many of the pitfalls and challenges that come from running an emerging, successful trucking company.
Isaac also is a family man, and spending time with his wife and young son is very important to him.
We sat down with Isaac last week to discuss his approach to work life, family life, and the balance of it all.
Here are some of his key takeaways.
Work doesn’t stop at 5 pm, but that’s okay.
For Isaac, work-life balance doesn’t look how it does in the postcards.
Most nights are late. Most days are long. Many times, he has to bring his work home with him.
So what’s the solution to avoiding burnout and frustration?
Well, one of the first things that Isaac did was that he removed emails off his phone. It’s a small trick, but as someone who’s constantly in motion and could literally work every second of the day, this is an important switch.
Self-discipline is the key to balance.
You have to have the discipline to work hard when it’s time to work hard, but you also have to have the discipline to stop working when it’s time to stop working.
”In my world, you don’t leave the office when work is done, work is never done. You must find the discipline,” says Isaac.
You have to know how to grind, but you also have to know how to take a deep breath. To succeed, you have to know when you need to do both.
For Isaac, this means taking time to make a deliberate effort to NOT think about work.
If you know what it’s like to run a business, I’m sure you understand this feeling. Sometimes, not working is harder than work itself.
Another key aspect is self-awareness.
Today, Isaac spends his days leading Legacy through expansion.
It’s funny because Isaac is used to having a completely different realm of tasks on his plate.
This is because when you start a trucking company, you end up dealing with all aspects of the business. You’re a driver. You’re a dispatcher. You’re accounting. You’re the janitor. You’re everything.
Your brain has to be firing on all cylinders.
Now, Isaac has a much more concentrated (yet equally demanding) work schedule, and very different goals than those that he had when Legacy was founded.
This is a harsh reality of the trucking industry. There is a lot to be done, and most people can’t handle all the work that is necessary.
That’s why you have to learn to be mindful of each day.
Celebrate the wins as much as you freak out about the losses.
When your truck spins off the road, you lose a client, or severe weather delays your shipment by days instead of hours……you will worry.
You will be anxious.
That’s okay. It’s normal to feel anxiety. I mean, you are running a logistics company.
Learning how to deal with that is part of the job.
However, when you win – when you land a big client, expand to a new location, or hire a new team member. You have to remember to stop and smell the roses.
When you win, the feeling is…..electrifying.
Learn to celebrate the wins just as much as you freak out about when things go wrong.
This will help your mindset and your longevity in the industry.
Closing Thoughts
Trucking is a tough business. There’s a reason that most trucking companies have such a high turnover rate.
Legacy is on a mission to change that. We’re not looking for drivers who want to work for a few months or even a few years. We are building careers here, we are changing lives here, and that’s why we’ve been able to stay in business for 10 years, win awards for our services, and grow dramatically in a brutally challenging industry.
Our Legacy is togetherness.
We’re in this for the long haul.
Thanks for reading the latest edition of the Legacy Express Trucking company blog!
To get in touch with and learn more about our CEO, Isaac, check out his LinkedIn profile.
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