12.1.17
I must be doing something right, when you have Foremen communicating from various areas. Today, I had two different Fitter Foreman give me adequate heads up on welds needing PWHT. Apparently, I have presented myself in a manner that is open and available for communication. In all the shit getting thrown at me, the little things that click in the field bring a smile to my face. I have established a level of trust and respect from my crews and other craft. For them to feel comfortable coming to me and say hey this happening, knowing I will help us and them be successful, brings joy to my day.
This was written two years ago. Even now having worked on the West coast and back in the Midwest, I still have the same rapport with my crews. It’s odd, I seem to have better relationships with the trade-partners then my direct managerial team. Not sure, but I think it has to do with my start on the blue collar side, then transitioning to white collar. The welding gave me a perspective, a mutual understanding of the trades. I have seen it played over and over again when PEs and PMs go straight from college to their management roles. They develop this snobbery “know it all” attitude. This has become a re-occurrence creating a strife and resentment between trades and GC. These points lead to ineffective communication and a barrier between successful, high quality working relationships.
I listen to what is said, evaluate both sides of the point. Weigh in what I think is fair. A prime example of this happened recently between our wall hangers and Site Supt. Wall hangers requested the side panels for the toilet partitions be removed in the bathrooms. An option discussed early on once the team found out the wall covering (long lead item) was going to be changed due to the Designer. Everyone agreed, yes let’s install the toilet partitions (must be in to get substantial completion) then we will temporarily remove hardware when needed. Site Supt decided, when the new alternative wall covering arrived on site, “fuck them” “not going to happen” “their being lazy” “figure it out”were his instrumental impacts on a high functioning, quality job. **Insert sarcastic tone**
I pushed back on the Site Supt explaining to him it wasn't the trade-partners fault. Design team selected a product with a long lead time. He wouldn’t budge. Later the wall hanger crew found me walking site. Both fellas communicated they would be contacting their office. It is unacceptable for them to have to do such shoddy work because the Site Supt is being ignorant. I listened to what they had to say and agreed reaching out to their PM would be best. After catching the Foreman up with the specifics, he called the Site Supt. right there on the spot. After a brief reminder of the highlighted points, the Site Supt agreed to fulfill his side of the "bargain". It was a relief the Foreman was able to work it out with the Supt., but there's also the implication because the push-back came from another man instead of a woman, that's what made the difference. A frustrating point but not surprising.
Relaying back to my original point, communication is important for a myriad of reasons. Just to list a few; increased productivity between all team members, mitigation of injury, higher quality of work, and less frustration which leads to positive work environment. Implementing these takes considerable amount of effort, but the rewards are sweet. Efficient Business wrote a blog recently highlighting these same aspects in the post Effective Communication = Better Construction Management. A few takeaways included being an active listener and mindful of your non verbal cues. Take a look below to dig a little deeper on why it' important to establish a solid foundation for communication.
Efficient Business (2020, February 10). Effective Communication=Better Construction Managment. https://www.isqft.com/start/blog-effective-communication-better-construction-management/
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