Masonry Magazine August 2008 Page. 49
The Best Contractors Manage
Systems, not People
MASONRY NEWS CONTRACTOR TIP
There is an old adage, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." We can either show people how to do what we want each time before they do it, or set up systems that continuously check to insure we get the same results time and again. If we put systems in place as we go, we will be able to grow without the chaos of managing every little task. This will help us focus on the things that matter most. Basically, the system manages the task for years to come, instead of you having to go over the procedure time and again.
A couple of summers ago, my family vacationed in Virginia Beach, visiting with our friends, Bob and Toni Hedrick at Sprinkle Masonry. Once we got settled, I promised my three daughters that I would take them to the trading post, where they could each pick out a toy. Of course, they bugged me every day until I got the chance to get our 4-year-old, Rachel, and 5-year-old, Amy, what they wanted. Our oldest daughter, Kaylee, wasn't with us at the time, so when we got back, she asked about her toy.
Being short on time, I decided to give her a little test (at 7 years old). I gave her a $100 bill and told her to take it to the trading post and pick out any toy she wanted up to $5. When Kaylee came back, she said proudly, "Daddy, I got something for you," and handed me two Virginia Beach signature golf balls. I noticed that they were $2.79 each, and figured that she must not have gotten anything for herself since she had a $5 limit. Then she hands me $70 change and says, "Dad, that's all they would give back to me." Being a little disturbed, while at the same time trying to keep from bursting out laughing, I asked, "Kaylee, what did you buy that cost so much?"
It turned out that on the way to the trading post, she picked up her friends and told them she had money and to come along and pick out what they wanted up to $5. I let her know how I felt about her taking advantage when I trusted her with $100. Knowing I was upset and without telling me, she got the toys from her friends and took their toys as well as her own back to the store and brought my money back. I wondered how hard it must have been for her to take the toys back from her friends. I felt even worse than before she did it.
However, I knew I couldn't buy them all something, or she would not have learned the lesson. Later, I did get something special for Kaylee for being so compassionate not only for giving the money back, but for thinking of the rest of the kids. It turned out that I was the one who learned the best lesson.
I found out what happened only because Kaylee had no other choice but to give my change back. But what if we ran our companies with no systems to insure we had enough money left after expenses? Our people should have a system that rewards them for doing what's right: keeping sales up and expenses down. If we show them where our dollars are going and how their pay will be reflected based on monthly profit and loss, they will care about our company's success.
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 Linda Hart at Lang Masonry 800-417-9272.
Provided by Damian Lang, President of Lang Masonry Contractors, Inc., and EZ Great Corp.
MASONRY
# The Voice of the Masonry Industry
Masonry is the only magazine exclusively devoted to masonry in construction. Masonry Magazine provides the information you need to work more efficiently, safely and profitably.
Sign up today for your own subscription: www.masonrymagazine.com
Contact Maria Bennett for money saving company group subscriptions. bennett@lionhrtpub.com 883 303 5639 ext. 219