training – Page 6 – Pinnacle Development Group

[VIDEO] Questions to Separate Yourself from Competitors

Make sure you ask yourself the following questions before making a sales call!

Learn more in today’s 2 Minute Drill, “Questions to Separate Yourself From Competitors.”

https://vimeo.com/160419466

REMEMBER: You can watch all of our 2 Minute Drill series at videos.pinnacledg.com, and you can download the Pinnacle Development Group App to watch your training videos on any iOS, Android, or Windows device.

Brad HumphreyOctober 14, 2016Employee Development, Media2minutedrill, brad humphrey, coaching, Construction, pinnacle, training

Why Construction Might Be Your Calling

Don’t wait; try construction and start experiencing what millions of other workers have found…construction may just be the best industry for you to develop all that you can be!

[TRANSCRIPT]

Why Construction Might Be Your Calling©

Most people considering their “life’s calling” often do not find it till they are in their late 20’s, 30’s, and sometimes not until they are in their 40’s (That’s ancient man!) But so many of those who may have found their life’s calling later in life will often confess to having turned from something earlier in their life or had never even considered a career choice until later in life.

Finding construction as your life’s calling could be this type of experience. For many high school students and even college students, construction may not have even been considered. For many students, they were never encouraged to think about the construction field from a school or career counselor.

So, how should you go about trying to determine your life’s calling? Just consider a few important thoughts that may help you in this effort.

First, “chill out.” Most people struggle to know what they want to do for a job, much less feeling called to a profession. So, if you don’t personally have an incredible desire and appetite to be an accountant, a nurse, a teacher, a plumber, or a carpenter, don’t panic. Relax and just contemplate what you can see yourself doing some day.

Second, you are reading this article, aren’t you? Come on, just the fact that you found this web site and are reading this article says something to your seeking a potential life calling. Wise people make wise decisions when they entertain gaining more information and knowledge. Such an effort separates really good decisions from great decisions!

Third, contact some construction companies in your local area. Call and ask for their Human Resource Manager. This individual is often the first contact you will make who can give you a general knowledge about the company and then direct you to others who can provide more technical and detail information.

Fourth, a “life calling” isn’t about limiting your options and opportunities but rather about positioning yourself with career choices that you can really enjoy. Thousands of people before you have made unwise job choices and then spent years trying to find the career choice that allowed them to be all that they could be and more! It’s good to consider all of your options but be careful to look at what you really like to do.

Fifth, consider the many areas of construction that may be just what you need to do with your skills and potential for career growth. Are you creative? Do you like to see what is expected before working to get the desired result? Do you enjoy working with others who are as motivated about getting a great result as you? How about learning? Do you really enjoy learning something new every day? If you answered YES to these questions then construction may be just the right match for you.

Sixth, consider a life calling as something that always encourages your best effort while rewarding you for that best effort. Many industries will test you, that’s for sure! But not many industries will challenge you to be at your best, encourage you to grow and learn, and then reward you with that improvement. Construction will! You work to learn more and to develop your work skills and the opportunities to do what you like…and make money at it will be something that you experience over and over and over again.

OK, so why might construction be your life’s calling? Well, it’s an industry that is growing, creative, and enjoys having people who love to work toward seeing a result every day. If you enjoy getting results, every day, and learning, every day, and potentially raising your income…every day….then try construction!

One final thought to assist your determining a career. Construction is a tremendous industry for a wide diversity of people. For years, I’ve called it the best “2^nd chance” industry in the world. This simply means that construction owners and leaders regularly meet, hire, and train individuals who didn’t make construction their first choice.

In some cases, construction might not have even been a 2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th choice for a career. However, construction needs individuals from all walks of life, all areas of experience, and all viewpoints. Somehow, many contractors are genius at bringing all of these differences, including workers who may have even experienced personal set-backs, into a melting pot that creates and produces greater work, achievements, and profits.

So, seek your hearts desire, consider your skills and capabilities and if you think construction might provide an outlet for you…come join us! It’s a decision that many have found is one that, “I wished I had done this years ago.”

Don’t wait; try construction and start experiencing what millions of other workers have found…construction may just be the best industry for you to develop all that you can be!

Brad Humphrey

The Contractor’s Best Friend ™

Brad HumphreyOctober 3, 2016Recruitmentbrad humphrey, Careers, coaching, Construction, development, training

[AUDIO] Re-igniting A Tired Foreman

Re-igniting the fire under your field leaders isn’t easy nor is it a one-time activity. Consistency is important here as in anything of importance and this issue is very important. Should your crew foremen lose their enthusiasm and love for construction you might seriously think about selling your company and doing something different. That’s how insanely important those field leaders are for us to be successful as a company!

TRANSCRIPT:

Re-Igniting a Tired Foreman ©

Over the past several months I’ve visited with a number of contractors about some of their field leaders, specifically their Crew Foremen. While not every situation was exactly the same, a common theme involved the lack of motivation, focus, and consistency being exhibited by one or more of their crew foremen.

Based on a very informal and undocumented survey via my raising a few questions, here’s some of the causes that appeared to be present with several of these field leader’s lack of vitality to execute needed work.

“I’ve been doing the same ‘$#%@” for a long time, maybe I need a break.”
Several Foremen complained of new workers that fail to know the difference between a hammer and a Phillips Screwdriver.
“Most of these new workers don’t care what their work looks like at the end of the day.”
“I train these guys on something and then they don’t remember what I trained them to do.”
Another observation made by several foremen was that they felt as if the new worker just doesn’t care much about work in general. Sort of a “If I work, that’s OK; If I don’t work…that’s OK.”

Admittedly, my findings are not intended to be a scientific list of any major trends among our construction workers but there is a ring of truth for many contractors who have offered their opinions to me over the past few years. But, how do we assist those critically important field leaders to not get so frustrated that they simply burn out?

I think there are two issues at work here that we need to address. First, there is the very real issue that many leaders do face some level of “burn-out” in their career. I’ve seen this range from the leader thinking they would rather return to their previous (lower) level of responsibility to the field leader considering leaving their company, even the industry change.

The other issue at play here is the growing frustration many in our industry are having with what looks like to be fewer numbers of employees entering the industry with any level of construction knowledge or experience, some without even any elementary mechanical sense.

In addressing our first issue, consider a few efforts that can help your Crew Foremen regain a bit of their “mojo” for being the leader they need to be.

Discretely and confidentially visit with any foreman when they are displaying some unusual behavior for them. If you notice the foreman avoiding you, increasing calls for tools or information that they could have easily obtained IF they had prepared properly, etc., go to the foreman and simply ask how they are doing. Most of these leaders will often share with you some of their frustrations…just listen!
Consider giving all your foremen 1-2 days off periodically during heavy scheduled work. This can be almost impossible to do when you’re hot and heavy into a project but often just a quick breather can prevent that leader from going “over the bar” in mental frustration and exhaustion.
Visit your weary foreman personally on their job site, maybe even donning some work attire and work along with the crew for a few hours. This is actually a great positive reinforcement for your foreman to have you there in person.
Send your foreman a dinner voucher at some restaurant that the foreman, and his significant other, would not normally even think of visiting; something upscale from the normal pizza parlor or sports bar. Again, this is just a little token of your appreciation for his hard work in the trenches.
Engage your foreman earlier and during the organizational phase of his upcoming projects. One sure sign that a foreman is getting stressed is when he shortens his time preparing for projects or forgets the little things such as insuring his trucks and trailers have what they are supposed to have safely stored. Giving your foreman a little extra attention here reassures him that he’s not in the battle all alone.
Look at other opportunities for your tired foreman to consider. Maybe another area of your company might be a good change of pace. If that’s not possible, sit down with your foreman and brainstorm for ways to do what he is currently doing…different. Maybe he’s gotten into some routines that are enslaving him to believe that there is no other way to prepare, organize, execute, follow-up, etc.
Get the foreman to look at quality or safety improvements for his and other crews. Maybe this little twist of focus might offer a new perspective to what he is doing and help your company at the same time.
Start including more appreciation and recognition at your weekly meetings with your foremen. These field leaders are often the brunt of all the bad news and rarely receive a lot of the positives from customers. They are, admittedly, in a tough position being stuck between dealing with customers at the site, employees and all their issues, and of course, trying to satisfy their owner’s expectations for quality, safety, and productivity!

As tempting as it is for most contractors to want to kick a field leader in the pants to “pick it up,” it’s important that contractors discern whether a struggling foreman is just having a bad week or is there something a bit more invasive. Watching a foreman for a week or two will often tell you that something more than just having a bad day is at play.

The second issue is even more challenging as we’re really addressing an industry wide issue. Because I’ve written many articles over the years that addressed training and working with employees, let me summarize a few thoughts for construction leaders to recognize will be part of their future if they are to maintain a viable construction company that desires growth.

You must screen applicants even more closely to detect who really has the skills and learning potential and who does not. This isn’t easy but a contractor must cease any form of “warm body hiring” practices. You have to test, ask better questions, and spend more time interviewing potential workers. Many contractors really shoot their own foot by just skimming the bare minimum of questions and testing because they need workers.
You must “On-Board” new workers that fully baptize them into who you are as a contractor, what work processes exist, the values of the company, and the importance that the new employee will play in the company. Throw the new worker immediately on the crew without this and you simply give the worker no reason to stay with hopes of what they thought they were signing up to do. Win the hired workers over to you and your company’s potential.
Train…Train…Train! Come on, if you don’t train beginning even the first day of employment you increase the likelihood that the new worker will quit you in less than thirty days. Pick 1-2 trainers, even crewmembers, who are responsible for teaching the new worker what they need to know to be safe and productive. Do this early and consistent and you will find more motivated workers who will also re-invigorate your crew foremen.
Plan to check in with new workers at least weekly for the first 90 days. This is meant for the owner and senior leaders. By having some of the “top brass” follow-up with new workers, the crew foremen are actually motivated as they see their leaders being more engaged with who they hired to work under the foreman’s leadership. This activity also keeps the senior leaders more tuned-in to who they hired and monitoring the training efforts employed.