MINDSET
AVOIDING MISHAPS
DTA: Don’t Trust
n 1989, the movie “Lock Up” starring Sylvester Stallone hit the screen. I know this only because I had to look up where I first heard “DTA.” Don’t. Trust. Anyone. I have no idea what this movie is about or when I saw it, but ever since I did, I have remembered those three letters that Sly spoke so clearly in that film: DTA. I have a friend who is a Think Real- ty member and a growing real estate investor. He marvels at the mistakes I deal with on an ongoing basis. Somebody dropped a bolt down the intake manifold of one of my engines. This cost $30,000 to repair (some- how, miraculously, it cycled its way through the engine ruining every part along the way resulting in a near-to- tal loss) and an additional $50,000 to buy a new engine at the last minute so we could make the next race. Now, don’t you feel better about your team’s last mistake? My real estate friend told me someone Anyone … Not Even Yourself HOW THESE THREE LITTLE LETTERS CAN HELP AVOID MAJOR MISTAKES. by Jennifer Jo Cobb I
installed the wrong tile in a rehab he was working on and it was going to cost him $3,000 to correct the mis- take. Just as he was about to freak out, I looked at him with a grin. He promptly kept his mouth shut. These mistakes are going to happen. Most likely they are not going to be your fault, but the fault of somebody you trusted. Somebody you left in charge. Somebody who told you, “Don’t worry, I got this.” One of our most challenging issues is trusting in people. I preach DTA - Don’t Trust Anyone. This doesn’t
mean don’t be nice to anyone, or don’t give people a chance, or don’t forgive when mistakes happen. It just means assume that people are somehow go- ing to mess you up. Some will do it on purpose. Some will do it on accident. Some will unknowingly do it. Some will do it out of sheer bad luck. But it’s going to happen so when it does, how are you going to handle it? I hired a new hauler driver. On his first trip he returned with a race truck (one of my favorites) not secured in the hauler. The ruined parts totaled at least $500. The same trip, he and
100 | think realty magazine :: may / june 2019
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