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“Okay, and who’ll do the takeoff?”
“I guess I will,” Slick responded.
“Great. And will you coordinate with the telephone and power companies for the pre-construction meeting; and order the sand bedding too?”
“Yes, I may as well do that, too.”
“Fine. Let me know when the meeting is.”
“Okay.”
At the pre-con, Joe noticed the plans were unclear and contained several conflicts, but the utility reps were in too big a hurry to explain things well. So Joe just nodded and didn’t say much.
Several days later, Joe was in the trench with a laborer, laying out conduit. He immediately discovered there wasn’t enough four-inch pipe, nor were the elbows the right kind. He called Slick.
“Darn,” Slick said. “Let me see if I can get you more. I don’t know how long it will take, though.”
“What should I do in the meantime?”
Slick was obviously in a rush and said, “Just keep yourself busy. You know what to do.”
“What about my laborer?”
“Keep him busy, too.”
About that time, the natural gas rep came by the job site and noticed the trench was greater than 48 inches deep. “We can’t go into that trench,” he said. “Too deep. You’re going to have to fill it back up some.”
Joe looked at his dwindling pile of sand bedding. He would now need many more truckloads.
Joe cursed, rolled up the plans, got in his truck and drove back to the office. He walked up to Slick’s desk, tossed the plans down and spoke harshly, “Slick, you can have your plans and your foreman job back. I ain’t doin’ it. I ’m not getting paid to think. I drive a backhoe — that’s what I do. Now, if you want me to work for this company, find me something to dig. If not, fine. I’ll go somewhere else.”
Slick’s jaw hit the table — shell-shocked. Wasn’t it every tradesman’s goal to work his way up to a management position — just like he had done himself?
“Um, okay Joe,” Slick finally managed. “We need a hoe operator up on the Razor Ridge job. You can head there.”
Joe nodded and walked away.
The next week Slick arranged one-on-one informal meetings with all his employees. If he had so grossly misread Joe, who else was he in the dark about? He was astounded by what he learned:
- Employees, even old-timers, don’t share what’s really on their mind unless they’re asked, or forced into a situation.
- Some employees had high aspirations, others had none.
- Employees gave excellent suggestions relative to company-wide efficiency and profitability.
- Every employee greatly appreciated the chance to talk turkey with the boss.
Though Joe Drut wouldn’t have guessed it, his meltdown was, in the end, a good thing. Rusty old lines of communication were opened. Morale soared. Methods of operation were improved.
How open are your lines?
Tim K. Garrison, P.E., M.S.C.E., of ConstructionCalc.com has authored a book and several short courses, and lectures on topics relevant to builders. Reach Tim at timg@constructioncalc.com.
The views expressed in this article represent the personal views, statements and opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views, statements, opinions or policies of the National Association of Home Builders. NAHB does not necessarily endorse any of the views expressed by the author and NAHB is not responsible for any direct or indirect consequences arising out of the views expressed in this article.
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Joe Drut" operates a backhoe. Been doing it for 20 years.
