David Lettermen had his Top 10 lists back in the day, mostly making jokes and having a few laughs with it. I wanted to come up with a top 10 list of my own; not for a few laughs, but to better improve myself and others.
Not that long ago I was asked to talk about my concerns for the trade and how it was affecting the trade. Well, my concern at that time was lack of reverence. My comments were harsh, but unfortunately I felt I had to talk about today’s harsh, mean and often hurtful culture.
As a way to start a new step forward and maybe build a better bridge—one that leads to improvement for our trade not break it down—I’m sharing my “Thinking Out Loud” top 10 ways to be more detailed on the job site.
- Don’t rush. Slow down and take the extra look.
- Job-site deadlines need real expectations, not wishful thinking.
- Control the job site. Remove distractions and hurdles.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions before and during the work.
- Document everything with photos, text, email and voice messages.
- Inspect what you expect.
- Put yourself in that person’s position and find ways to help, not hurt.
- Think about aesthetics even before the first line is snapped.
- Never think you cannot learn, improve or teach others.
- Personal health matters: physical, mental and spiritual.
There’s no rim shot after the top 10, just hopes we all can commit to improving our trade and others around us. Take the time to reach out and help. Be prepared to let others see who you are, not what you do.
RELATED: Reverence: Do We Still Have It In Our Industry?
