Contractor Tip of the Month: Making Yourself Available for What Matters Most

Words: Damian Lang, Damian Lang

Your responsiveness is a key factor in achieving success in your career. Opportunities don’t wait, and neither do customers, employees, or critical decisions. Prioritizing accessibility, especially during pivotal moments, can be the difference between securing a major deal and watching it slip away. The most effective leaders and top performers aren’t just busy, they are available, ensuring that momentum doesn’t stall, and progress is never delayed.

In our fast-moving world, being unreachable can have a devastating impact on a company. A missed call can waste time, delay important decisions, and impact profits.

As a business owner with several hundred employees and thousands of customers, I make myself available 16 hours a day, seven days a week, only silencing my ringer from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. My accessibility, both to employees and customers, has been crucial in building an empire.

One morning, before I even got dressed, I secured nearly $100,000 in orders by answering two calls. If one provider is unavailable, customers move on to the next. Often, picking up the phone wins the business, and that morning, my voice sealed the deal.

I have observed that the most productive employees at our companies are those who are consistently accessible. Therefore, my theory has always been: If I can't reach you, I don't need you. It is that simple.

When contacted, our top producers respond promptly and positively, making themselves available almost without fail. Individuals who are both extremely busy and always accessible for phone calls exhibit several key characteristics:

Strong Prioritization & Time Management
- They identify tasks that require their attention versus those they can delegate.
- They use phone calls to quickly resolve issues rather than letting problems accumulate.
Decisiveness
- They make quick, confident decisions without unnecessary delays.
High Situational Awareness
- They maintain awareness of various aspects of their business without becoming overwhelmed.
- Their ability to rapidly switch contexts helps them manage multiple priorities effectively.
- They know when to be brief and when it’s appropriate to work on a customer relationship.
Leverage of Communication for Efficiency
- Being accessible helps them to remove bottlenecks and maintain continuity of workflow.
- They address key questions immediately, reducing the need for additional meetings.
Confidence & Control
- They do not fear interruptions because they manage their workload effectively.
- Their roles often require instant accessibility to ensure organizational momentum.
Building a Culture of Responsiveness
- By being accessible, they enable their teams to solve problems in real-time.
- Their availability builds trust among team members when critical decisions are needed.
Experience & Mastery of Their Work
- Their deep expertise allows them to respond without extensive research.
- They rely on instinct and past knowledge for efficient decision-making.

Perception vs. Reality
Being busy does not equate to productivity. True productivity requires focused work, delegation, and strategic thinking. Effective leaders balance accessibility with these elements. The call left unanswered implies that you consider your time more important than the caller’s, which is problematic, especially if it is your boss calling.

While seemingly harmless, missing a call most notably hinders information exchange. This can have a significant impact on productivity, both with direct time lost and its ripple effect. As you’ll see below, you can anticipate a minimum of 15 minutes lost, but in a worst-case scenario, you’re looking at a delay of a full day or more.

Direct Time Lost

Waiting for a response: Depending on the urgency of the task and response time, an employee who is stuck and unable to proceed without direction might waste anywhere from five minutes to several hours.
Task switching: If they move on to another task while waiting, they incur context-switching costs, which research suggests can take up to 30 minutes to regain full focus when they return to the original task.
Follow-ups: If the situation requires multiple emails, texts, or additional calls, you’re looking at possibly another 10-30 minutes lost.

Ripple Effects

Delays in team productivity: If more than one team member is waiting, the delay multiplies.
Project completion setbacks: If the decision is critical, the entire project could be delayed for hours or even days.
Frustration and disengagement: Employees who frequently face roadblocks due to lack of response may become disengaged, reducing their overall productivity over time.

The Leadership Factor
The stakes are even higher when it’s the boss whose frequent unavailability slows down operations. This decreases productivity and increases frustration and decision-making bottlenecks. To prevent these setbacks, leaders should establish clear delegation of authority, define escalation protocols, conduct regular check-ins, and implement decision-making frameworks that empower employees. By taking these steps, businesses can maintain efficiency and ensure smoother operations even in a leader’s absence.

Caution
Make sure you are not the reason for unanswered calls due to rambling. It is important to stay focused during phone calls. If conversations are lengthy, disorganized, or one-sided, some individuals may be hesitant to answer. Such calls can seem more demanding than necessary, leading friends, family, or colleagues to opt for voicemail—not due to dislike, but because they might lack the time or energy for a prolonged, unstructured conversation. Additionally, there are occasions when individuals are in important meetings and cannot take calls. Prompt responses should be acknowledged with understanding of these circumstances.

What Is Your Inaccessibility Costing You?
Your daily business practices are shaped by the law of cause and effect. Reflect on your typical day and ask yourself: Are you causing unnecessary delays by not taking calls? If so, how much time is being wasted by both you and those waiting for your response? Our rewards are determined by the extent to which we serve others. We can only serve them effectively when we make ourselves accessible.

Success is not just about working hard; it’s about being available when it truly matters. The leaders and professionals who stand out are the ones who remove roadblocks, foster collaboration, and create momentum through their responsiveness. By making yourself accessible, you don’t just serve others; you position yourself as the person who gets things done, builds trust, and drives results. In a world where speed and efficiency are crucial, the ability to be present and responsive is what separates the good from the great. So, if your phone rings, pick it up, stay focused, and brief. This will prosper your career beyond your wildest dreams.

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About the Author
Damian Lang is CEO at Lang Masonry Contractors, JVS Masonry, Wolf Creek Construction, Buckeye Construction and Restoration, 3 Promise Labor Services, FlexCrew, Malta Dynamics Fall Protection and Safety Company, and EZG Manufacturing. To view the products and equipment his companies created to make job sites safer and more efficient, visit his websites at ezgmfg.com or maltadynamics.com. To receive his free e-newsletters or to speak with Damian about his management systems or products, email dlang@watertownenterprises.com, or call 740-749-3512.

Contractor Tip of the Month: Making Yourself Available for What Matters Most

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