Masonry Magazine July 2007 Page. 59
There is so much technology out there that we can tap into and use to upgrade our skills.
How you can go up against world-class competition and fight your own good fight, leaving with the respect of your "championship" clients?
So I want to suggest you spend more time in the "gym." Become a student of your profession: Be education and action-oriented. The best thing is that the gym membership is free. As "Full Contact Project Management" begins its third year as a column in Masonry, we want to up the ante a little bit by offering even more helps on the website (ie., our gym). Actually, we're beginning a new one, www.fullcontactBlog.com, which will be more interactive, featuring regular training updates, including some in audio and video. It also will provide an easier way for you to get your questions answered.
There is so much technology out there that we can tap into and use to upgrade our skills. Many people have portable mp3 players and the smart PM will be able to download free audio courses and take them with him or her. Or, for those who still prefer reading the written word, we've got that too.
I'm hoping that this next year together will result in growth for you both personally and for your businesses and continued growth and excellence for Masonry magazine, the MCAA and the industry. With all of us "working out" together, visiting this new gym every week or two and interacting with our peers, it will be a great year for all of us.
Are you leaving it all in the ring? Maybe you just begin by leaving more of it in the gym.
Gary Micheloni is a working project manager, consultant, speaker and author of the new book, "Get Paid for a Change!" For further information and insight on the Full Contact Project Management approach, simply send an e-mail to: coachgary@fullcontactPM.com.
Copyright © 2007, Gary Micheloni and Full Contact Project Management
COACH GARY'S CORNER:
Need to get better at this PM stuff? Go to the new website at www.fullcontactBlog.com and participate there with Coach. Subscribe and get free audio updates that will help your projects. And you can still go to www.fullcontactpm.com, click on to the archives, and use the helps available to you there. Finally. you can get Coach Gary's book "Get Paid for a Change!" at either site.
Honesty is the Greatest Leadership Quality
# MASONRY NEWS CONTRACTOR TIP
When I was growing up, one of the statements my father emphasized time and time again was actually one that Grandpa always told him. He'd say, "As you go through life, maintain the qualities of honesty, good judgment and action." After being in business for more than 22 years, I understand this now more than ever, and I believe the most important quality a leader can have is honesty.
Ask yourself these questions: Will your people follow you down any path you decide to take? If so, how do you know they will stay on the path behind you without you having to keep looking back? It doesn't matter whether you are taking them in the right direction as long as they believe that your intentions are good. In fact, you won't always be going in the right direction, but if your employees trust you, they will follow you anyway. That's why honesty is so important.
When I was a child, I often would get into trouble with my parents and try to explain my way out of it. In doing so, I would tell Dad what I was going to do to change. Knowing I may not be telling the complete truth, he would always say, "Don't tell me, show me." Man, is that powerfull What Dad was saying is that he'd better see it in my actions: he typically wasn't convinced by what I said for the sake of forgiveness. The only way he would accept the change in behavior was if I displayed it in my everyday actions.
Today, my employees look at me much the same way as Dad did - I have to walk the walk." My employees and yours are constantly observing the actions of their leader to see if we are being totally honest. When is a lie small enough that it doesn't make a difference? Never! Here is an example of how quickly mistrust can slip into your company and eat away at its core. You are sitting in the office and your assistant tells you that someone you don't want to talk to is on the phone. You say, "Just tell him I am not here." What kind of a message does this send to your assistant? If we look at this from his point of view, we are telling him It's OK to lie. Isn't this giving him permission to show up late the next moming and record the time as though he was there? If you believe there is a difference between these two examples, think a little harder. I bet your employees are aware of it and it lessens the respect they have for you as a leader. Why couldn't you just tell your assistant that you are busy and can't talk right now? Show them the proper behavior by being honest. Eventually, a leader will have to pay for mistakes like teaching his people that it is acceptable to be less than totally honest. Don't tell them to be honest and then forget to look in the mirror.
As you build the culture of your business, I suggest you build it upon trust. There is only one place this can start, and that's with honesty right from the beginning. The respect your employees have for you will be directly related to how well they trust you. So, don't tell them things that aren't true, even if they are about minor details. And better yet, show them in your actions every day that you can be trusted as they follow you down any path you take.
Damian Lang is a mason contractor in Southeast Ohio who has four companies that do combined sales of $18 million. He is also the author of the book "Rewarding and Challenging Employees for Profits in Masonry." To order a copy of his book or to attend one of his seminars held specifically for mason contractors, call Kem Huck of Lang Masonry at (800) 417-9272
Provided by Damian Lang, President of Lang Masonry Contractors, Inc., and EZ Grout Corp.
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