Ten things to think about

This will be my last column for JOINERS Magazine as president of Master Joiners. Thank you Bob for allowing more space for my ramblings. I would like to offer up a few parting thoughts, my Top Ten …

Coming in at number TEN is Succession planning . This is important in life, community, and business and I’ve always thought it a good idea when you first find yourself in a role to consider who will follow after. Planning for succession allows continuation of the good work you have done. Also, we have an ageing workforce and the baby boomer generation are eyeing up retirement and looking to exit our industry and their business’s. Who will take over those organisations? For those of us with baby boomers within our team we need to think about how critical roles will be filled as our experienced people hang up their tools. Even for business owners who still have a distance to run, it is important to think about how someone else might take over one day. Are there systems in place that will make that easy? Joinery firms have invested in a lot of expensive technology and that makes them worth more than ever before, think about how a new owner can be financed in?

NINE Ethics and standards. This is at the heart of what sets a Master Joiner apart from the competition. Ethics and Standards establish and uphold our reputation. The wearing of or displaying of the Master Joiners brand infers that your credibility is endorsed by membership of a respected industry group. The Master Joiners Code of Ethics and Standards is available to download in the members section of our website. It is important that you are familiar with what is required of being a member. Martin Luther King said “The time is always right to do the right thing”.

Customers have high expectations of us and the products we produce. Better quality, more functions, new technology, cheaper and faster. Sometimes we come unstuck, especially when communication around expectations isn’t clear. So, at number EIGHT is Disputes One of the speakers at conference was Trevor form the Disputes Resolution Institute and he had some useful strategies for dealing with complaints. Master Joiners have engaged Trevor to help develop a process that is available to members and consumers. Most of us will find ourselves with an issue to resolve at some stage. For me, its important to protect my brand and reputation. Think about the long run, perhaps losing a battle so you can win the war. Often a complaint presents an opportunity to do a great job of putting something right with the result being a satisfied customer and potentially even an advocate. So, my parting thought on this one – look for a quick resolution and get on with the next job.

SEVEN Get involved ... Is your email inbox over flowing? Do you divert Master Joiners stuff directly to a folder with good intention at looking at it when you get a chance? Do you have time to attend events? If you’re not getting involved, if you’re not “putting in” then you’re likely not getting much out. There has been a lot on offer recently, certainly post 2020 lockdown and overall. I have been disappointed with the level of engagement from members. I too find that it is difficult to make time but once I am there or “zoomed in” it’s worthwhile and I always come away with something that’s going to help tomorrow. Please support what is offered and if we have the content wrong or you feel like you’re being told how to suck eggs, then let us know. Your regional president is a great person to have that conversation with. Even better have a crack on your regional or national executive – you will broaden your perspective and be a part of progressing our industry. There is much to be gained by time invested with Master Joiners.

SIX Risk and Resilience. The Staples Rodway Baker Tilley presentation at conference gave some insight into risks that exist with small business. Practical advice was given on checks and balances, distributed authorities and duties. This area is one that is likely in the too hard basket for many of us. It is an area that would be well worth investing some time and a bit of money into getting systems in place that will protect everyone in your organisation. Trust is not a control. We have all been exposed to risk recently in the form of a worldwide pandemic. One of the risks has been financial viability and liquidity. We are all busy now and with that profitable – this is a time to build resilience with some reserves and to reflect on the strategies that were required to keep people employed and business afloat during and following lockdown. There are operational risks too related to work we produce and there are many regulations to have awareness of and comply with. Gas regulations, appliance ventilation requirements, weather tightness, and building code compliance. So, my parting thought on this is one is making sure you avoid the risk of supplying noncompliant joinery. We have a fully tested suite with JMF and all that is required is to build as per the manual and apply the tags. A no brainer really – why wouldn’t you?

Accepting that there will always need to be change. FIVE Progression. The status quo is comfortable and there are times when consolidation and “if it isn’t broke, don’t try and fix it” apply. But the last video rental store has just closed and I’m probably one of the few that still have a cassette tape collection. The challenge when a new idea comes along is to not begin by thinking of all the reasons to not do that thing. Even when the ship has been righted, if it stays at anchor you won’t get very far. There is a world of opportunity out there and it’s often the early adopters that prosper the most. What happens if the competition progresses and we don’t?

FOUR Train for the reality of now and for the future. How many geometric stairs do you build? How many people in your organisation work on the factory floor compared to those at a computer in an office? Which group are we training and recognising as qualified professionals? Do you still have a spindle moulder? What should new recruits for your team look like, your next apprentice? Does the makeup of your team reflect the population? Diversity of gender, thought, backgrounds, ethnicity should be something our industry is paying urgent attention to. Has technology changed the way you do things? Where in your organisation are the skills shifting to? The government is changing the way vocational education is governed, managed, and delivered. This is the time to push and have a voice for what the reality of skills required in our industry is and adapt training and apprenticeships to reflect that and what we expect the future will hold.

THREE Engage with talented and knowledgeable people. Bring them in and use their expert skills to help you. Raise the bar in your organisation with advisors, consultants, and coaches. Business plans, sales coaching, Lean continuous improvement, strength-based coaching as well as legal and financial advice can all be readily accessed and often there is funding available. It may not be about growth, it could be increasing resilience, minimising risk, identifying easy to track production indicators, or building a business that is easer to transition

(continued over page) out of one day. Often experts present at regional Master Joiner events. The Master Joiner online Webinar series and Professional Development programme have covered off many of these topics as a taster of what can be gained and there is more to come soon. You can’t expect to be an expert in everything. Be great at what you do and use talent from others to help you achieve.

TWO Look after your people

Engage with them, ask them if they are happy in their work, are they worried about anything? are they interested in any other roles within your company? Listen. Keep them in the loop, tell them where the business is going. Feed the culture and make it a positive one. I have been dealt some tough lessons recently and have needed to take a good look at what sort of a leader I’ve been. Covid and lockdowns have increased stress levels and we are time pressured. Beware, looking after your people is not something to leave on auto-pilot, make sure they feel special and appreciated, be life friendly.

NUMBER ONE. The greatest strength that we have as a membership organisation is our members. So, at the top of my top ten is Don’t go it alone. I am a Liverpool FC fan. The club’s fans adopted “You’ll never walk alone” by Gerry and the Pacemakers as their anthem. I have visited Anfield Stadium and it is a special place. I wasn’t there on a game day unfortunately, but I imagine that to hear “the Kop” singing that anthem to their players must be an almost spiritual experience. I’ve visited many of the Master Joiner regions to attended events and checked in at factories. What I hear in all the regions is reference to the Master Joiners network. Things like finding a piece of board, sharing work when there is insufficient capacity, or someone is a bit light on work, or when there has been a machine breakdown. Often, it is the chance to catch up over a beer and talk about issues with Worksafe, HR, product, subcontractor, or supplier challenges. The saying goes “a problem shared is a problem solved”. We might not have an anthem, but I have found the “human” side of members helping each other and putting aside being competitors inspiring. This peer support and review is what helps lift the standards of our industry by setting Master Joiners members apart from those that are not. Living our Ethics and Standards and conducting business in a way that is for the good of the game. There is a network up and down the country that is only a forum question, an email, or a phone call away from helping solve a problem or offer support.

This has been one of my favourite life chapters. I am going to miss being president of Master Joiners and I look forward to supporting the next president. I would like to acknowledge and thank our National Associate members for supporting our industry, our allied membership organisations for working with us and strengthening our voice, the regional presidents and secretaries for glueing everything together, the rest of the executive, advisory, and Ian Lothian for being on the bus and governing our progress. Our strategy leads Myles, Nathan, and Rueben have their respective elements by the scruff of the neck and I look forward to the objectives they will lead and achieve. A special nod in the direction of Anthony Neustroski who championed much of the progressive thinking we have adopted. I am proud to have carried on where you left off Anthony. Last but by no means least, thank you Allison Delaney our Operations Manager whom we presented the brief to help guide our organisation in thinking more strategically and you have delivered. Allison has achieved a tremendous amount and empowered those around her to achieve as well.

So that’s it. My hope is that my columns have been received in the way I intended, that they have promoted thought, enlightened, prompted questions, acknowledged the good work, and possibly mildly entertained. If I’ve touched a nerve or sparked a conversation and you’d like to talk more, I’ll be stoked if you drop me a line. paul@leebrothers. co.nz. Thanks for reading.

Go well magazine

The magazine for the joinery, cabinetmaking & kitchen manufacturing industries

Official Publication of the New Zealand Joinery Manufacturers Federation

Editor Michael Goddard michael@joiners.net.nz

Publisher Bob Nordgren bob@joiners.net.nz

Paul Ingram National President

Registered Master Joiners

42 Aldersgate Rd, PO Box 27 - 513, Mt. Roskill, Auckland, 1440, New Zealand.

Ph: 64-9-624 4680

ISSN 1173-6836

JOINERS Magazine is the official publication of the New Zealand Joinery Manufacturers Federation. It is distributed to members of the joinery, cabinetmaking and kitchen manufacturing industries and is published quarterly in March, June, September and December. Advertising statements or editorial opinion are not necessarily those of the publisher, its staff, the