For most construction companies, it is not too difficult to find people with bodies who are able to nail shingles. The difficulty is finding the right people - people who are as committed to excellence as you are.
Until recently, my salespeople and I haven't been wired for success. Sure, my team has always been successful at communicating the benefits of a new roof to our consumers and getting them involved with our company, but we weren't operating at top speed. We weren't connected.
Great leaders understand that significant change takes the energy and talent of other people. Tell stories that illustrate how your listener fits into the picture.
A typical problem with the majority of construction jobsites is a lack of qualified persons (QP) to determine if any point of anchorage is capable of resisting the kinetic terminal impact force (TIF) of all of the potential anchorage points. By "capable," I mean the ability to resist TIFs without failure. The term "failure" in the OSHA standard is defined as "load refusal, breakage, or separation of component parts."
Rarely do you find anyone in the construction business who hasn't been victimized by "shrinkage" of tools, equipment and inventory. Most estimates peg construction theft to be a $1 billion industry. Pilferage is estimated to add a percentage point or two to the cost of new homes and small commercial buildings.
There are numerous issues affecting our industry and our world, and it is often difficult to choose which one to target in this column. This month I could boil it down to no less than two. So, in the spirit of springtime and the return of baseball, here is a double-header for you.
Over the course of the year, your company probably spends a significant amount of time and resources in providing training in such areas as computer operations, equipment operation and organizational procedures. These are all important elements of a successful company. However, they are all ancillary items, which can increase efficiency but do not add to the bottom line. In most cases, the type of formal training that will benefit your company the most is never provided: training for the applicators.
I know people get tired of hearing me preach about the importance of knowing your numbers. I laugh when people mistakenly think I am an accounting or financial nerd. I actually am not a detailed accounting type, and that is one of the reasons I left my first job as a cost accountant. I did not want to spend the rest of my life beating on a calculator all day. I do, however, know the financial answers I need, even if I do not compile the information myself. I use this information to make strategic decisions and run my business. Running a business without the numbers is like groping around in a dark room trying to find a black cat.
Roofing can be a tough business. If it rains too much, you can't work. If it doesn't rain at all, there is no need for your services. You can be doomed if it rains but doomed if it doesn't. To make matters worse, all the storms and crazy weather patterns seem to have caused particular havoc in people's work schedules.
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