“You can’t be good at any job if you’re only doing it for a paycheck.”
That’s the mantra that has served Joe Lozowski throughout his career, and what ultimately inspired him to leave a lucrative career and start all over in the furniture business.
In part one of his Awesome Office interview, we learned why the CEO and President of Tangram Interiors feels it’s so important for young people to bet on themselves, and why he views his company as a “platform for success.” In part two, Joe dives deeper, and shares why, in this world of longer hours, work life integration, and increased expectations on all sides, you have to love what you do in order to be successful.
Joe also shares the secrets that have helped him rise to the top of his game and lead Tangram into $100 million+ in sales, including his daily routine (which begins at 4 am).
And perhaps most surprising of all… Joe explains why Ohio State hiring coach Urban Meyer is actually a good thing for Michigan football.
Key Takeaways
- Joe describes the biggest mistakes he’s made as a leader, and what he's learned.
- Joe explains why it’s so important to love what you do.
- Joe walks us through his morning and tells us why he wakes at 4 a.m. each day.
- Joe explains the connection between mental and physical fitness, and why it’s so important for leaders to set good examples for their employees in this regard.
- Joe explains what he means when insists that it’s “all about the people,” and why he meets with or entertains clients 2-3 times a week.
- Joe talks about the importance of personal relationships and trust, and tells us that it’s no accident that the senior leaders at his company have all been there at least 12 years.
- Joe also explains why friendships at work are a part of the culture at Tangram, and why he thinks its a big part of their success.
- Joe talks about why sometimes you have to let failures happen, even when you see them coming.
- Joe shares the one thing that actually makes him angry as a leader.
- Joe tells us why Urban Meyer is actually a good thing for Michigan football… and how that’s a metaphor for success in business and in life.
- Finally, Joe shares the lessons he’s learned over the course of his career that he wished he’d known twenty years ago.
Links
Recommended Reading
- Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success, by Phil Jackson
- The Dynamic Path by James M. Citrin
- Decision Points by George W. Bush
Like this episode? Then let us know! Subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes. This show grows by word of mouth, and the more we grow, the more Awesome we can all create together.
We like to say that one necessary part of an Awesome Office is a “space that wows,” and there are few people more qualified to speak to this than Joe Lozowski.
That's because Joe is the majority owner, President and CEO of Tangram Interiors, the largest contract furniture distributor in the Western United States. With offices and showrooms in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, the San Fernando Valley and the Inland Empire, Tangram has emerged as a model dealership in North America, employing 275 people.
With all this success, you might be surprised to learn that Joe's foray into the furniture industry involved leaving a lucrative career in a different industry - and taking a 100% pay cut in the process.
That's all part of what Joe calls "betting on yourself," and it’s not only a key to his own success, but something he tries to instill in Tangram employees.
That’s why he thinks of Tangram less as a company, and more as a “platform for success.”
Joe tells us what it takes to bet on yourself and win - and much more - in this two part Awesome Office interview.
Key Takeaways
Joe explains what he means by betting on yourself, and why he decided to take a 100% pay cut to join Steelcase early in his career.
Joe describes why he thinks of Tangram as a platform for success.
Joe tells us what it takes to create a “space that wows.”
Joe explains why he hasn’t had an office in 13 years, and why
Finally Joe tells us the most important question he asks clients while working on their interiors.
Links
Joe on LinkedIn
Tangram Interiors
@joelozowski
University of Michigan Football
Recommended Reading
Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success, by Phil Jackson
Like this episode? Then let us know! Subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes. This show grows by word of mouth, and the more we grow, the more Awesome we can all create together.
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