This year you may need to put a renewed focus on one of the most important ingredients in your roofing business: the cash you need to operate. Roofing contractors seeking to provide their clientele with excellent products and services while maintaining growth and profitability may find themselves lacking in this precious commodity.
Use that headline in your employment ad the next time you need to hire someone! It certainly is more descriptive of the type of person you should want to work with. Workforce camaraderie - how important is it? By my estimation, it's priceless. The solidarity of your staff plays a major role in your company's productivity, profitability and personnel retention rates.
All of the hurricane activity this year has left a long trail of devastation that will take years to completely repair. The work by contractors and FEMA has only begun to pick up the pieces of homes and lives that were left in shambles by the roughest hurricane season on record.
To a large extent, successful roof applications are completed by skilled mechanics that conduct systematic tasks in a repetitive manner. Repetition increases the skill level, which in turn increases productivity. This is a constant in an industry that (largely) derives profit from production. Most companies train their mechanics to be productive workers. There is one sector of the industry that requires a different mindset: the repair sector. Skills required here include patience, persistence and analytical thought.
Throughout the year, contractors call and want to talk to me about joining our PROSULT™ networking groups or call to obtain consulting information. I try to take a few minutes and offer some free consulting over the phone. Starting with a simple statement such as "Tell me a little bit about your business" can generate some interesting conversations. I would like to share some of these conversations in the hopes that I can help you think through some of your business issues.
I instruct construction workers in the various OSHA and MSHA standards and how to practically apply them to their professions. That is the simple part of my job. I also train workers to be aware of their own intuition, how it applies to their workday, and what to make of the messages they receive. That's the complicated part.
A seminar on construction law doesn't make for the most enjoyable afternoon, but I attended one several years ago by Chicago construction attorney Stanley Sklar that was good enough to keep my eyelids pried open for four hours. Sklar is a straight shooter. "If you are looking for a fair subcontract, it does not exist," he told the audience.
There are seven days on the annual calendar that you can truly leverage to make a strong cultural impact on your people. Believe me, they will be very, very grateful if you take this to heart.
The dawning of a new year marks a time to evaluate last year's successes and challenges while looking ahead to new possibilities. This year is very special to those of us who bring you Roofing Contractor, as we celebrate our 25th year in 2006.
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