I have, very near my desk, a list of 10 Things That Good Bosses Do. I think of that list more often than I care to admit. On that list item #2 is "Take time to share your experiences and insights." While I spend a large percentage of my time away from the Men who physically perform the task of building in our company, I do get out and work with them periodically. They know that I can do most of the tasks they're involved in but I try to let them know why I like what I do (what they also do) too.
Just a couple days ago I had a chance to work along side one of our younger guys and I shared with him why I thought he was making a good decision going into the construction field as a young person. I have made this same recommendation before and will continue to because Construction, to me, is elemental in a human's personal value. Building stuff well provides an innate sense of accomplishment. I personally think that this is an immutable direction that humans naturally move towards. It is one of the states of mind that we strive for in overall mental well being. I believe that each of us naturally strives in several ways and only by an unintentional misdirection or distraction are we steered off the state of mental well being.
A sense of accomplishment is fundamental. It is the intrinsic reward for being satisfied with your performance. Everyone knows whether or not they have put forth a good effort. Each of us knows whether or not we have contributed to the success. Just being part of the team is not in itself rewarding. Contributing to a team can be rewarding but a sense of accomplishment is an individual thing. It is what you believe you accomplished or added to an overall group or team accomplishment. It adds value to your personal self worth and as such your human value. This is fundamental because all of life strives to improve the chance that they continue to exist, that legacy continues. I hope people can look at these words and understand how easily this can be achieved in the business of Construction (as well as many businesses that build).
Sometimes I downplay the difficulty of construction by saying something like, "oh.. it's just a puzzle and we just have to figure out where all the pieces go". But why is it that people want or like to do puzzles? The challenge, the sense of accomplishment. There are millions of puzzles of all kinds, next time you find yourself doing a Sudoku, crossword, or coding a robot to move a widget from A to B, remember it is the sense of value that you have for that task that provides satisfaction. Let me return to that young man that just a couple days ago I had a chance to work along side of. I could have said, the construction economy is going great, there are many jobs in the construction field, the future outlook shows a high demand for construction workers. Those would all currently be accurate statements., but sometimes you have to put it all in context. Everyone appreciates something done well.
If you learn to do this well, not only will your customer appreciate it, you will be emotionally satisfied by performing a skill that is valuable. Only you can increase or decrease its value by the knowledge and expertise you gain, practice and implement or be distracted by others opinion of its value. For me... I know it is valuable... I'm happy.. satisfied.. and at peace with my legacy. I hope you will happy too.
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