PartnersINProgress SMACNA & SMART—Building a Future Together
SMACNA and SMART join forces in the face of disaster
April 2019
PartnersINProgress SMACNA & SMART—Building a Future Together
JOSEPH SELLERS, JR. NATHAN DILLS Co-Publishers KAARIN ENGELMANN editor@pinpmagazine.org Editor-in-Chief
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Photo credits: Left: Keith Dias, Local 104. Right: MacDonald Miller.
CONTENTS
April 2019 - Volume 13, Number 4
3 OPENING UP TO WORK TOGETHER Only when we admit wrongs, answer tough questions, and accept differences can we begin to foster solid relationships.
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DISASTER RECOVERY SMACNA and SMART partner in disaster recovery and loss prevention strategies that ease the burdens of natural disasters.
6 EVERYONE WINS: HELMETS TO HARDHATS CONNECTS VETERANS TO OPPORTUNITIES IN THE TRADES
Veterans find a second chance at a rewarding career thanks to Helmets to Hardhats and opportunities in the sheet metal trade.
8 HISTORICAL RENOVATION: TOWN HALL SEATTLE SMACNA and SMART take on the impressive and complex
JESSICA KIRBY jkirby@pointonemedia.com Editor POINT ONE MEDIA INC. artdept@pointonemedia.com Creative Services ERIC WESTBROOK Cover Illustrator
Partners in Progress is a publication of the Sheet Metal Industry LaborManagement Cooperation Fund. All contents ©2019 by the Sheet Metal Industry Labor-Management Cooperation Fund, P.O. Box 221211, Chantilly, VA 20153-1211. Find Partners in Progress online at pinp.org or at issuu.com/ partnersinprogress. An archive of all issues is available and printed copies may be ordered for a minimal fee. For comments or questions, email editor@pinpmagazine.org.
renovation of Town Hall Seattle.
S HE E T M E TA L | A I R | R A I L | T R A N S P O R TAT I O N
10 HVAC AND SECURITY
Contractors and tradespersons with the right know-how can help protect building owners from HVAC security risks.
12 REVEALING FAILURES
Relationships can be built on failures, too, if they are handled correctly.
Opening Up to Work
Together
Author and speaker Brené Brown has motivated thousands of individuals, companies, and workforces with her teachings on vulnerability. In our culture, she says, we associate vulnerability with emotions we want to avoid, such as fear, shame, and uncertainty. Yet, we too often lose sight of the fact that vulnerability is also the birthplace of joy, belonging, creativity, and authenticity. Her thesis is that to be vulnerable is not to fall in weakness, but rather to admit our wrongs, answer the tough questions, and be open to accepting others' ideas and opinions for their intrinsic value, even if we don't agree. Only when we do that can we build solid relationships. In this issue of Partners in Progress, this is a thread among our stories. Our cover story highlights the ways SMACNA contractors and SMART representatives came together to help those affected by wildfire in California. There is something about connecting in times of tragedy that brings us back to our basic selves as human beings who need a hand to carry on. In those moments of complete vulnerability where we need authentic help, there is opportunity for enduring growth and connection. The same principle applies when individuals are going through a major life change, relocating, or changing careers. The world can seem chaotic when we leave the familiar behind and venture forward into new greatness, and having someone on the other side of that adventure to welcome us can make or break the experience. This is what some veterans discovered when they came to Helmets to Hardhats. They were looking for a solid and rewarding career that made good use of their team-oriented, action-focused skills learned in the military, and they found that career in sheet metal. Learn more about their experiences on page 6. Seattle is a young city by construction standards and still building out, which means anyone working on historical renovations in this area must have strong essential skills to ensure the project’s success and be absolutely willing to work together to work out the details. The highly-trained workforce at Local 66 Western Washington and SMACNA contractor MacDonald-Miller joined forces on one of the city’s rare but technical historical renovations. In projects like these with many moving parts and as many unknowns, there is no better team than a SMACNA-SMART partnership to get the job done. Read more on page 8.
It is a rare subject and one we seldom consider, but HVAC security—literal, physical vulnerability—is an important field regulatory bodies and the engineering community are collectively exploring and addressing. ASHRAE’s newest handbook will be released in June containing revisions to chapters 41 and 61 regarding HVAC security. Because contractors and their workforces have the most invested in these projects, it is more important than ever that they work together and help one another address issues before they arise. Read the article on page 10 for more. And finally, there is seldom a place more vulnerable than admitting one’s failures or short-comings. In our society, which champions success and achievement, it can be hard to know what to do with the knowledge that we have failed or that things didn't turn out as we had hoped. According the Harvard School of Business, our failures are an opportunity to thrive, to inspire others, and to give a little bit of ourselves to building a stronger collective future. Check out the story on page 12 for some insightful ways to leverage our failures towards open, connected relationships. Be sure to follow Partners in Progress magazine for more about emerging markets, market recovery opportunities, projects fueled by partnership, and opportunities to keep the workforce strong. The 2020 Partners in Progress Conference will also showcase these ideas under the theme All In. Visit pinp.org to keep up to date and find useful resources available to SMART Locals, SMACNA contractors and chapters, labor management cooperation trusts and committees, training centers, and individual members of SMACNA and SMART. Registration is required for full access. It is free but limited to members. You can also find us on Facebook as “sheetmetalpartners”, on Twitter as “smpartners”, and on Instagram as “smpartners”. ■
2019 State of SMART-SMACNA LaborManagement Cooperation Survey SMACNA and SMART’s Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force helps identify, promote, communicate, and support industry best practices. In order to assess the perceived value of labormanagement cooperation, find success stories, and ensure that the 2020 Partners in Progress Conference provides value to all attendees, the task force is conducting the 2019 State of SMARTSMACNA Labor-Management Cooperation Survey. It is available at surveymonkey.com/r/DMTVK6R and via Partners in Progress at pinp.org. All SMACNA chapters and contractors, SMART Locals, business managers and agents, JATC coordinators, apprentices, foremen, supervisors, and labor-management committee or trust members are requested to participate by Aug. 15, 2019. Results will be shared only in aggregate in SMACNA, SMART, and Partners in Progress publications. Direct questions to Kaarin Engelmann at editor@pinpmagazine.org. Partners in Progress » April 2019 » 3
By /Sheralyn Belyeu photos courtesy of Keith Dias, Local 104
DISASTER RECOVERY Keith Dias, business representative for Local 104 in San Ramon, California, drove through the state’s Napa and Sonoma Counties after wildfires ravaged the area in 2017. “Whole neighborhoods were obliterated, with only chimneys and fireplaces left standing,” Dias recalls. “I saw an aluminum boat that melted in the owner’s driveway and cars half-melted on the street. One Local 104 member lost his home and a new $50,000 Simpson Sheet Metal (SSM) truck with all his tools. SMACNA replaced his tools, the Teamsters provided boots, and the North Bay Labor Council donated gift certificates to cover other items.” “We dropped everything to help the employee who had lost his home,” says Barbie Simpson, owner and president of Simpson Sheet Metal in Santa Rosa, California. “To restore some normalcy to his life, I replaced his truck within two days. SSM also bought furniture, kitchenware, and other belongings to replace what he had in his home.”
Planning Ahead
As Local 104 and SSM responded to urgent needs in the community, Simpson reevaluated her own preparations. “First and foremost, now we have a disaster plan in place,” she explains. “Until the fires hit, it had never crossed my mind. I have 50 trucks, and I didn’t know where they were.” 4 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
SSM implemented a method for employees to check in after an emergency. They also back up computers hourly in-house and to the cloud every night. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends that all businesses follow Simpson’s example and develop an individualized disaster plan. SMACNA helps members get started with Emergency Preparedness & Business Continuity, a 37-page workbook, available online, that members can adapt to fit their own needs.
Insurance
Choosing appropriate insurance is the first way to prepare for the unexpected. Randy Novak, president of Novak Heating and Air Conditioning in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and former president of SMACNA National, encourages everyone to carry insurance. “We didn’t have flood insurance on our facility,” he says. “The family had been in business for 70 years, and we didn’t think we needed it.” Then a flood almost wiped out the company in 2008. “Now we are fully insured. It’s better to be over-prepared than to risk losing everything in a disaster.” Home prices in Sonoma County nearly doubled as wildfire survivors competed for the remaining housing and materials, forcing many residents out of the market. “People were underinsured, especially if they had remodeled,” Simpson explains. Dias urges everyone to review their insurance. “Be sure your
policy is up-to-date,” he emphasized. “There should also be a clause that your insurance will rebuild to current codes.” After a 2015 fire burned down the JATC in Troy, Michigan, Kevin Stanbury of Local 292 took over as general contractor for the rebuilding project. Right after the fire, Stanbury learned that he was responsible for securing the facility until insurance adjusters could inspect it. He googled the nearest restoration company and arranged to have the building boarded up and guarded. That was just the beginning. “It was a $1.4 million learning experience,” he said. “I could write a book about insurance. No one teaches you how to deal with this. I was on it all the time, working on it at home, making phone calls. It was crazy,” Stanbury says. He provided the insurance company with an itemized list of everything inside the building, along with current replacement prices. “After the fire, I took thousands of photos to help me remember what we had,” he says. “And I should have taken more photos of personal items.” Stanbury’s hard work paid off. “Everything was covered,” he says. “We turned the school into a beautiful thing. It’s a nice place to work in, a place to be proud of.”
Securing Business
Obtaining building permits in Sonoma and Napa Counties can be time-consuming, but governments expedited the process in the wake of the wildfires. Dias attends all city council meetings to monitor the process for Local 104. “Once cities were issuing permits, builders started coming out of the woodwork,” Simpson says. “We saw some price gouging in the HVAC industry.” Simpson and her team decided they would not change their markup or profit margin. “That’s not how we do business, which is part of why we are in high demand,” she says. “We bid about
$2 million into residential every month. It’s all we can do to keep up.”
Wildfire Survival
Many SMART retirees were living in Paradise, California, when the 2018 Camp Fire killed at least 86 people in their community. All SMART retirees evacuated successfully, but Randy Young, Local 104 business representative in Sacramento, California, was shocked to find that one passed away days after he escaped. “The stress was incredible,” Young says. “Our people drove out of the fire on back roads, guiding neighbors to safety. They went through hell.” Young was proud to give SMART members generous checks from the Hardship Fund, but pointed out that funds are only available after a disaster. By then, it may be too late. He urges people to take precautions before an emergency arises. California state law requires property owners to maintain 100 feet of “defensible space” around structures. By removing flammable materials from this zone, owners protect their property and give firefighters room to work. After the Camp Fire, Young advised people to double their defensible spaces. “Homeowners should look at natural weed and brush containment, such as goats, to maintain defensible space,” he says. Young recommends that owners add metal roofing and fire sprinklers to homes. Cinder block and bricks are more fireresistant than other building materials. No laws require Fire Life Safety standards in private residences, but Young suggests home owners upgrade their HVAC systems for proper smoke evacuation. All of these modifications can potentially save lives by allowing individuals to shelter in place. ■ Sheralyn Belyeu lives in Alabama. In 2018, she helped clean up after Hurricane Michael in Marianna, Florida. On March 3, 2019, her niece and nephew sheltered in place about two miles from the Beauregard, Alabama tornado, which killed 23 people.
“We dropped everything to help the employee who had lost his home,” says Barbie Simpson, owner and president of Simpson Sheet Metal in Santa Rosa, California.
Partners in Progress » April 2019 » 5
EVERYONE WINS:
Helmets to Hardhats Connects Veterans to Opportunities in the Trades By / Deb Draper
Eric Leigland, fifth-year apprentice at Local 10 Minnesota - S. Dakota - N. Dakota. Photo courtesy of Eric Leigland.
For the past 15 years, the non-profit Helmets to Hardhats organization has helped over 27,000 military veterans successfully manage what is often a very difficult transition into civilian life by connecting them to quality careers in the skilled trades. Through the Helmets to Hardhats website, National Guard, Reserve, retired, and transitioning active-duty military members create a profile to gain access to career and training opportunities posted by signatory contractors and the trades. Many of those trades are specifically looking for veterans to go into their apprenticeship programs, offering incentives and the support needed to succeed, recognizing the valuable skills that military training brings. “In the military you’re taught to work well with others, to pay attention to details, and develop a good work ethic,” says Eric Leigland about his 26-year career in the military, including six years of active duty as a Marine. “You show up ahead of time, ready to get the job done, and you know how to work well with 6 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
others, sometimes in tight quarters, yet remaining tactful and able to explain situations.” Leigland was in his late 40s when he first contacted Helmets to Hardhats in Minnesota. “What I wanted to do for a second career was learn a skill and also have a pension at the end, and so I decided on the trades,” Leigland says. “With the help of Helmets to Hardhats, I did more research, connected with others in the trades, and eventually talked to some people at SMART Local 10 (Minnesota – South Dakota – North Dakota).” Today, Leigland is in the last year of his five-year apprenticeship before becoming a journeyman sheet metal worker. “Helmets to Hardhats is really getting out there to the veterans, and veterans are figuring out that sheet metal is a good career,” says Matt Fairbanks, Local 10 business manager. “We go to all the hiring fairs and wherever else we can connect. Veterans get a direct entry into our apprenticeship program, skipping the preapprenticeship requirement, which otherwise can mean up to 3,000 hours at a lower rate of pay.”
“Right now we’re averaging anywhere from six to 12 veterans per class. After the vets have completed the program, we invite our contractors in to ‘meet and greet,’ hire, and put them to work right away." —Steve Hinson Business Representative, Local 105
Sheet metal apprentices start out at 52 percent of a journeyman’s wages with pay increases every 1,000 hours worked, which averages out to about every six months. However, Leigland notes that veterans who have not used all their GI Bill (College Fund) qualify to use this money as a monthly stipend to supplement their apprentice pay. In addition, a monthly housing allowance through the Post-9/11 GI Bill is also available while training in the approved apprenticeship program. “When looking into the trades and starting at a lower pay scale, it makes the financial decision much easier knowing that you’re receiving these benefits,” Leigland says. “As well, in the union, all benefits and potentially a retirement package are paid for by the employer—that’s a huge benefit in itself.” And for those coming from a military background, the security and sense of community that a union provides can make the difficult transition into civilian life that much easier. “I had been out of the military for almost five years,” recalls Edward Saldivar, a first-year apprentice at SMART Local 105 in Southern California. “School wasn’t for me, so I tried different non-union work in construction, broke my leg, got laid off, and finally I contacted Helmets to Hardhats for help. They put me in touch with Local 105’s Business Representative Steve Hinson to discuss maybe going into the sheet metal trade.” In partnership with the Southern California Sheet Metal JATC, Local 105 offers a pre-apprenticeship program designed specifically for veterans. Developed by the International Training Institute (ITI), jointly sponsored by SMART and SMACNA, this “boot camp” includes OSHA 10 training while touching on different aspects of the sheet metal trade such as pattern development, welding, and architectural sheet metal. “We currently have two five-week boot camps every year to prepare veterans for the apprenticeship entrance exam,” Hinson explains. “Right now we’re averaging anywhere from six to 12 veterans per class. After the vets have completed the program, we invite our contractors in to ‘meet and greet,’ hire, and put them to work right away. Once they’re hired, they get a voucher for boots and the tool kit they need; we also pay their initiation fee and two months of union dues while they’re getting started.” Hinson notes that they are able to fund this program through the local labor management cooperation rrust (LMCT). It recognizes the value veterans bring to the sheet metal industry and as a way to give back to those who have served their country in the armed forces.
Edward Saldivar, first-year apprentice at Local 105, Southern California. Photo courtesy of Edward Saldivar.
Saldivar graduated from the program, got picked up for work immediately, and hasn’t looked back. “I really like the sheet metal trade,” he says. “Every day, the job varies—there’s so much you can do with metal, like welding and soldering. It’s very challenging and creative.” And the structure of the work is a lot like being in the military, making it so much easier for veterans to settle into a career in the trades. “As an apprentice, I know where my place is,” Saldivar says. “I know who to go to for help; I look up to the journeyman who teaches me and gives me what I need to do my job.” Hinson was also a military veteran, joining the Marine Corps, in the reserve program while attending college, and finally leaving to join the sheet metal trade. “That was 24 years ago, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made,” Hinson says. “It’s allowed me to provide a good life for my family.” Local 105 has set the standard that at least 25 percent of all new apprentices must be veterans and working for a signatory contractor. As in Minnesota at Local 10, this is being achieved through partnering with Helmets to Hardhats, going to job fairs for veterans and local military bases, and getting local contractors involved to hire veterans and make it all work. All across the country, the sheet metal industry is recognizing the valuable skills veterans bring to the trade and, through Helmets to Hardhats, is looking to connect with these heroes and offer the opportunity to achieve a stable and satisfying career outside the military ■
From her desk in Calgary AB, Deb Smith writes for trade and business publications across North America, specializing in profiles and stories within the hospitality, food service, mining, recreation, and construction industries.
Partners in Progress » April 2019 » 7
SMACNA and SMART take on the impressive and complex renovation of Town Hall Seattle
By Natalie Bruckner • Photos courtesy of MacDonald Miller The modernization of the Town Hall in Seattle, Washington, will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most complex and impressive historic renovations the area has ever seen. “The Western Washington area has been going through a big facelift and new construction boom for a while now,” says Local 66 Western Washington Business Agent Bryan Johnson. “Several projects have had the challenge of maintaining portions of the buildings in an attempt to protect the history of our communities.” Bringing the 1916 Classical Revival style building into the 21st century, while retaining and preserving its unique character was one such project, and it required a highly skilled team experienced in historically sensitive renovation. It made sense then that general contractor, Rafn Company, reached out to SMACNA-Western Washington contractor MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions (MMFS) and tradespersons from Local 66 to complete HVAC, piping, plumbing, and controls scope of work. “Rafn specializes in historic renovations and knew we had the capability to execute this complex project,” explains Zach Simard, project manager at MMFS. The historic landmark was originally built as a Christian Science church but designed in such a way to resemble a public building. Over the years its usage changed, and Town Hall Seattle ended up maturing into a non-profit performance theatre. Despite having been well maintained, the building was long overdue for seismic reinforcement, and so, with the help of a fundraising campaign, $25 million was raised for the seismic stabilization of the building that includes the large dome above the 900-seat Great Hall, a host of accessibility improvements, and the replacement of all existing building systems. 8 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
“Some of the difficulty in historic projects is the time it takes to verify existing condition to determine what can stay and what would go in these upgrades,” Johnson says. The mechanical and plumbing systems for this century-old building were in desperate need of replacement. After careful consideration, the team decided to use 3D duct modeling and panoramic renderings to visualize and estimate this project.
In fact, it was the first direct estimating to detailing model the team at MMFS has used on this scale, and it proved to be hugely effective for the field and the owner, saving approximately 120 hours. “This entailed a combined effort from the estimating, sheet metal, and detailing craftspersons who worked together to gain insight into the project, reviewed the drawings, and helped identify how to tackle such a unique project,” explains Nicole Martin, marketing manager at MMFS. Using Trimble mapping, the team was able to gain an accurate description of the attic, where the majority of the complex sheet metal scope of work was located. “We were able to completely experience the space and see how our systems would fit in this complex attic,” Simard says. “From day one, we were able to work with estimating department’s design line model to start incorporating portions of that design to catapult the time it took to detail the project,” Siamrd says. “We were able to sit down with the field foreman and make certain safe assumptions and code-based decisions on what would be smart to detail at low/medium risk to avoid any waste and what would be best for the field to verify and order themselves. At the same time we ensured the field had a clear path to get the ductwork through the attic, around all existing and anticipated steel.” Panorama renderings via Navisworks that utilized QR codes meant the team could see on their iPhones not only where the systems and ducts were, but the changing elevations and routing. The new oversized mechanical systems in the building feature an enlarged lined duct that helps reduce air velocity, vibration, and noise. “Also, to reduce mechanical system noise from interfering with performances in the building, the Great Hall has a separate system, so it’s acoustically isolated from lower floors that have their own system,” says Simard. The HVAC systems include a combination of hot water heat at the perimeter that uses Enwave Seattle (formerly Seattle Steam) as the heat source. This is connected to a new steam-to-water heat exchanger and distributed to the space with wall radiators as well as via the basement air handling unit and two rooftop units. Chris Rahm, pipe fitting foreman, had to load and coordinate the installation of piping for the new high-pressure (142 PSI) steam-to-water heat exchanger, into a basement with no loadin access. This was no easy task. “This is a custom steam heat exchanger skid in a unique application,” he says. He also coordinated piping for exposed hydronic radiators and resolved many conflicts with seismic and structural upgrades and existing finishes. The interior spaces are conditioned by a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system and ventilation is provided by air handling systems in the basement and on the roof. Phil Roach, refrigeration foreman, had an immensely challenging scope of work and was critical to the success of the project. “For four floors of the existing structure he had to route
refrigeration lines for the VRF, which included a new rooftop mechanical well for four outdoor units, 45 indoor units, and one LEV tie-in to a third-party basement air handler,” says Simard. As is the case with many renovations of this scope, coordinating and resolving the installation and logistical challenges of a totally new mechanical and plumbing system that has no overhead loading access required careful execution and as such, all new steel and seismic upgrades were done simultaneously. Custom grilles were required as well as reusing the existing grilles to meet the historic society requirements and the architectural vision. “This project has provided me an impossible-to-manufacture experience on navigating complex and new systems, schedule impacts, and financial pressures,” says Simard. With completion scheduled for summer 2019, it’s fair to say this project, which will continue to be a vital cultural institution in downtown Seattle for many years to come, couldn’t have been completed without the combined team effort of highly skilled trades and craftspeople. “Having our Local 66 members involved early on in the process is a major benefit for the project,” Johnson says. “They understand the constructability of the mechanical system as the design is being integrated into the 3D modeling.” Simard says there were some key individuals who brought the project together and whose efforts were truly remarkable. “I will never work on a project like this again,” says Simard. “I will remember the people and the finished building fondly.” ▪ Natalie is an award-winning writer who has worked in the UK, Germany, Spain, the U.S. and Canada. She has more than 23 years experience as a journalist, editor and brand builder, specializing in construction and transportation.
Partners in Progress » April 2019 » 9
Partners In Progress:
HVAC and Security By / Jordan Whitehouse This June, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) will release the latest version of its handbook, and two of the more significant revisions are to chapters 41 and 61. Both deal with security — namely, cyber threats and contaminated air being introduced through HVAC and other building automation systems. Howard McKew, who reviewed chapter 61, says it’ll be worthwhile for anyone involved with these systems to review the new information. “Not a daily newscast ends without at least one story about a tragedy inside a building, adjacent to a building, or the potential threat made toward a building or its occupants,” he wrote in a recent Engineered Systems article. “Like it or not, this is the environment the world is in, and so the building industry needs to wake up and recognize security must be an integral part of any building program.” These types of security threats are nothing new, of course, but they aren’t going away, and some data suggests they could be on the rise. In 2016, Enterprise Strategy Group conducted a study that reported 54 percent of organizations surveyed had experienced at least one type of cybersecurity incident. No doubt some of those responsible got into the building’s network via the HVAC system. Likewise, natural events, such as toxic fume accidents adjacent to buildings, happen annually, as do purposeful acts of chemical terrorism. 10 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
Cybersecurity According to those who’ve seen it, chapter 41 of the upcoming ASHRAE handbook will contain a section on cybersecurity for building automation systems. It’ll have a short introduction to cybersecurity, as well as tips on basic cybersecurity best practices and relevant guides and standards for more advanced users. One person who has seen it is Michael Galler, a mechanical engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He says that because building automation systems commonly use the same IT networks that are used for business purposes, operator workstations or remote connections into the building automation system can be a place to initiate an attack on anything connected to the network. “It is less common that the building automation system itself is the focus of the attack, but that can happen,” he says. “The concerns in this case would depend on the type of facility involved. A factory, a warehouse, a data center, and an office building would potentially all have different levels of concern and different types of vulnerabilities.” Johnson Controls Senior Product Manager Carol Lomonaco echoes this, and says that her biggest concern is that people don’t take the security vulnerabilities at the server level serious enough.
“Some operators—and I’m not saying all—are sitting on the server that’s really supposed to be the building operations server or the centre where you can see and troubleshoot everything, and they’re out there shopping or getting their personal email and clicking on things they shouldn’t be. That can be a big security risk, and it comes back to a lack of respect for that server.” The impact of not taking cybersecurity seriously can be huge, though it does depend on the type of facility and the type of threat. “Malware might have negligible impact on the HVAC system but a disastrous impact on the company,” says Galler. “A malicious attacker who modifies a temperature setpoint could have a relatively minor impact on an office but a disastrous impact on a temperature-controlled storage facility. While the actual impact may vary greatly, there is always the potential for significant harm.”
it, you may overlook something that is unique to your particular job that is not in the sequence.”
What’s to be done?
These new revised chapters to the ASHRAE handbook aren’t intended to be comprehensive security guides but are instead meant to raise readers’ awareness. “And besides,” McKew says, “the HVAC design engineer doesn’t have all of the solutions to these security issues. Which is why the chapter also recommends hiring on a security consultant to deal with some or all of these threats.” Carol Lomonaco agrees that security consultants can be a big help. She adds that for cyber threats in particular, it’s crucial to keep systems updated. “You have to keep that building automation server up to date, and we just don’t see everybody jumping to do that. Maybe it’s for good reason—they don’t have the budget—but some just have Air contamination “Design engineers an old way of thinking, that ‘Oh, these As for chapter 61 of the upcoming systems can last 20 years.’ Well, that’s ASHRAE handbook, Howard McKew aren’t going to take your old system. Now you have a new says it’s all about the harmful air system and you have to think about it that could be introduced through the lead on HVAC and differently.” HVAC systems and what security and cybersecurity, but Lomonaco’s colleague Jason can be done to stop it. The Christman would also add chapter starts, he says, with contractors and the craftsmen who security monitoring to the list of understanding what HVAC install these systems will,” preventative measures. He’s the chief security requirements might be product security officer for global needed, followed by a discussion of says ASHRAE's Howard products at Johnson Controls. risk evaluation, an overview of HVAC “Most of these control system systems that can secure environmental McKew environments don’t have a continuous health and safety, the modes of operation, security monitoring infrastructure in place to commissioning, recommissioning, and look for threats. You want to go in hardening maintenance management. these systems when you first install them, keeping “Smoke is the obvious big potential air contaminant, and HVAC engineers are very familiar with how them updated and patched over time, but also you want to be to deal with it,” McKew says, “but there are lots of other risks able to detect threats as they’re happening so that you can stop that many people likely need more information about. Toxic them. And that’s a big challenge across the industry.” Given all of these security challenges, a big question is how the fume incidents happening near buildings, such as railroad car accidents, is one, as are acts of terrorism wherein airborne industry is going to change to properly address them. Awareness chemicals are introduced at outdoor air intakes serving the is huge, McKew says, but there’s actually big potential at the contractor level. HVAC systems.” “Design engineers aren’t going to take the lead on HVAC and And then there are the risks of harmful incidents happening within a building, such as the delivery of packages into security and cybersecurity, but contractors and the craftsmen mailrooms containing ricin and anthrax, or the accidental who install these systems will,” McKew says. “It could be the dissemination of harmful chemicals through a building after, for difference between them getting the job and not getting the job. And they have more to gain from that because the design example, an explosion in a laboratory. “The average HVAC person really doesn’t get into all this. part of a job is probably 10 percent of the whole project cost, It’s still a reactive responsibility to address the security issues,” and the contractor holds 90 percent of the project cost and the McKew says. “Most design engineers don’t write their own workforce is responsible for a quality job. I think that’s why the automatic control sequence of operation. They’ll have engineers good contractors and craftspersons are very proactive in raising provide them with a library of control diagrams and sequences questions, in positioning themselves to be the leaders in this.” ▪ of operation, and it makes it easy for them to just pull out the Jordan Whitehouse is a freelance business journalist from Vancouver, diagram and plop it on the drawing. But if you haven’t written British Columbia.
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Partners in Progress » April 2019 » 11
Revealing Failures: Relationships are built on failures, too, if they are handled correctly
Reprinted with permission from Harvard Business School Working Knowledge If you’re a business leader who oozes achievement, sprints up the corporate ladder, and earns big bucks, your co-workers probably resent you to some extent. New research says highachievers can win over their colleagues with a simple approach: by sharing the failures they encountered on the path to success. “If you’re highly successful, your achievements are obvious. It’s more novel and inspiring for others to learn about your mistakes,” says Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Alison Wood Brooks. “What’s exciting about this research is that we’re trying to chip away at the resentment that comes with envy and move people toward admiration instead,” she says. “One way to do that is to acknowledge your struggles or shortcomings.” Brooks co-wrote the February 2018 working paper, Mitigating Malicious Envy: Why Successful People Should Reveal Their Failures, with HBS doctoral students Karen Huang and Nicole Abi-Esber and professors Ryan W. Buell, Brian Hall, and Laura Huang. Confessing our setbacks is counterintuitive; we tend to talk up achievements and hide failures. But successful leaders who only crow about achievements can come across as egotistical showoffs, stirring up “malicious envy” in their peers. Malicious envy is a destructive emotion that makes people feel inferior by comparison, even to the point of wishing they could tear down the successful person. As prior research has shown, this type of envy can be toxic in the workplace, stifling worker productivity, leading employees to behave less cooperatively, interfering with group cohesion, and making people feel more justified in behaving unethically. 12 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
“When people feel malicious envy, they engage in counterproductive work to harm other people,” Brooks says. “They tend to undermine others and try to slow them down.”
Revealing failures won’t tarnish your image
The HBS team set out to test for levels of malicious envy in different settings and to figure out strategies for tamping it down. In one online study, participants were asked to read a biography by a fictitious peer who had achieved professional success, for example by landing a prestigious, lucrative job. People who read only about the person’s achievements felt significantly more malicious envy than others who read a few extra lines describing the person’s professional failures. The results of two similar online studies also yielded an important insight for successful people who share their failures: Colleagues have no less admiration for a leader’s accomplishments if they know about these failures, nor does it affect their perception of the person’s status. “Even after revealing their struggles or failures, high achievers still look good,” Brooks says. She cautioned that this effect works only for people who have reached at least moderate success. “If you’re a low-status intern, for example, you don’t need to talk as freely about your failures—not because it’s harmful, but because people don’t tend to feel envious of you in the first place.” In another experiment, the researchers studied a different environment: a competition in which entrepreneurs vying for startup funding pitch their projects to potential investors. (The idea was to determine the effects of envy in a field setting, not
whether those feelings affected the chances of winning funding.) Some entrepreneurs listened to what they thought was an audio recording of a fellow competitor’s pitch where the person gushed only about her successes: “I have already landed some huge clients—companies like Google and GE. I’ve had amazing success, and in the past year I have single-handedly increased our market share by 200 percent,” the competitor said. Meanwhile, others listened to a pitch where the entrepreneur also fessed up to facing roadblocks by adding, “I wasn’t always so successful. I had a lot of trouble getting to where I am now. When I started my company, I also failed to demonstrate why potential clients should believe in me and our mission. Many potential clients turned me down.” The study results suggest that listeners jump to different conclusions about a leader depending on whether the person shares slip-ups or not. Listeners who heard the entrepreneur talk only about her achievements automatically attributed the person’s success to talent alone, and that seemed to make them feel badly about themselves by comparison. They also saw this speaker as arrogant, filled with “hubristic pride,” which turned them off. On the other hand, participants who heard the entrepreneur disclose previous failures believed the person had more “authentic pride” and came across as confident rather than arrogant. They also got the impression that this entrepreneur put a lot of effort into overcoming obstacles, and that made them feel less malicious envy and more “benign envy.” Benign envy brought out warmer, fuzzier feelings, with listeners not only believing the entrepreneur was deserving of success, but also feeling motivated to improve their own performance. The research puts more credence behind interpersonal emotion regulation—when one person deliberately shapes another person’s emotional reactions during a social interaction. We can have a lot of control over how other people feel and react to us, Brooks says. “Some people might be uncomfortable about exerting that control strategically because it might seem manipulative. But the counterargument to that is that we do it all the time.” For example, when we choose to be polite or rude, or to give someone else compliments or not, it’s all interpersonal regulation. “If we’re doing these things anyway, why not do it in ways that are wise, productive, and kind?” Managers can be particularly easy targets of envy, especially when they move quickly through fast-track promotion programs and their colleagues don’t. So, in discussing a promotion or a work-related reward, a manager might consider tossing in a setback encountered earlier in the person’s career to appear more confident and credible, rather than self-centered. Other workers can relate to facing obstacles, so hearing about the successful manager’s missteps can not only decrease internal competition among colleagues, but motivate other employees to strive for success themselves. Also, in group meetings, managers could consider “humanizing” members of the team by
FAILURE IS NOT THE OPPOSITE OF
SUCCESS IT'S PART OF SUCCESS encouraging people to share their mistakes as a team-building exercise to improve communication and collaboration. “You can motivate your team to work harder by doing this,” Brooks says. “I know I have felt that way seeing other women who have succeeded. I want to know their tricks, how they navigated the minefields, and what mistakes they made along the way—that will help me avoid those same mistakes.”
The humble job applicant
This strategy works for job-seekers, too. If you’re asked to describe your greatest weakness in an interview, don’t use the obvious “I work too hard” response. Instead, sincerely relate a mess up and what you learned. “It’s a great opportunity to show your honesty and vulnerability,” Brooks says. The master of the public failure strategy might be Princeton University psychology professor Johannes Haushofer, who posted a “CV of failures” on his professional website in 2016. His laundry list of defeats included degree programs he didn’t get into, research funding he didn’t earn, and papers that were rejected by academic journals. “Most of what I try fails, but these failures are often invisible, while the successes are visible,” Haushofer wrote on his CV. “I have noticed that this sometimes gives others the impression that most things work out for me. As a result, they are more likely to attribute their own failures to themselves, rather than the fact that the world is stochastic, applications are crapshoots, and selection committees and referees have bad days.” The CV earned plenty of press attention and applause from fellow professionals, which doesn’t surprise Brooks. “People find you more humble and likable when you not only reveal your successes and accomplishments, but your struggles and shortcomings, too,” she says. “If we want to see positive workplace outcomes, we shouldn’t underestimate how important it is to be seen as humble, grounded, and well-liked.” ▪ Partners in Progress » April 2019 » 13
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