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Jan Chappell has built her career on resilience and tenacity and by having and giving others a voice.
LEADERSHIP in Many Forms
One of the highlights of the Partners in Progress Conference is the Leadership Forum, a fireside chat-style panel discussion among leadership from SMACNA National and SMART International focused on answering questions about partnership and the industry.
This year, Carol Duncan, SMACNA president; Aaron Hilger, SMACNA CEO; Mike Coleman, SMART general president; and Joseph Powell, SMART general secretary treasurer, participated in the forum, addressing questions about key conference takeaways, building the workforce, leadership priorities, connecting the Local and national levels of both organizations, and expanding market share. The overarching message was that anything one organization faces is going to be easier to tackle in partnership.
Duncan and Coleman agreed that labor-management partnerships that are getting it right invest in one another. Duncan noted that labor is a journey, and contractors must be willing to invest in labor and stay the course to cooperation.
She reflected on one of her key takeaways from the conference. “We never stop learning, and each of us has something to pass on,” Duncan said. “Posing something as ‘just an idea’ could be a helpful tool for starting difficult conversations.”
A basic tenet to building relationships is finding common ground, and there are several opportunities for chapters and Locals to do that within their respective organizations. Coleman said that whether its charity work, legislative work, engaging politicians, or attending ball games, members and contractors can get to know each other and their families. Each member of the sheet metal industry should take the steps and have the will to put themselves on the other side, because doing so will help clarify that more is possible together than alone. “If you’re under stress, you can reasonably assume your counterpart is, too,” he said.
Hilger noted that although change can be difficult, it begins with challenging oneself to identify and avoid unhealthy patterns. This can be simultaneously easy and difficult, he said, suggesting that labor ad management aclimatize to partnering by spending time together on boards, as volunteers, and on committees to learn to solve problems together.
“We could spend time on the 10% of problems we will never solve, but instead we need to focus on what we can change,” he said. “If you are a chapter manager or a business manager, the jobs are very similar. If you look, there is probably a person on the other side who will understand you.”
Powell agreed, noting the importance of good communication and building trust, especially outside of work and away from the pressures of leadership and operations.
Duncan noted the importance of making locals and chapters aware of Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force resources, such as recruitment tools and the Rapid Response Protocol when aiming to reshape the industry for the better. “If we want
to attract new employees, we have to use all available means,” she said. “That also means building strategic alliances between contractors and labor.”
Moving forward, the onus is on reaching the next generation with the correct messaging and an inclusive organizational culture. Powell said it is important to explain to young people coming in what a career in sheet metal means. “This has been our lives for many years,” he said. “We can encourage them to get involved and stay involved.”
This issue of Partners in Progress contains some great examples of leadership in various forms. For the Local 46 JATC in Rochester, leadership meant changing the recruitment process and implementing simple but effective techology solutions to better pre-qualify applicants. The result? Upwards of 250 applications per year since implementig the new system—a generous improvement over the 40 applications they were receiving previously.
Articicial Intelligence (AI) is on everyone’s mind these days, and some chapters and Locals are investigating its uses with varying degrees of success. Discover some different experiences with the techology as leaders in both labor and management chart a new way forward with AI.
The SMART and SMACNA BE4ALL Committees are rolling out Bias and Belonging training to leaders across the industry, both as stand alone training and as Train the Trainer sessions they can take back to their organizations. And last but very, very far from least, Jan Chappell, president ato Local 85, shares her journey from apprentice to president and why having a voice and also knowing your place matters.
Throughout this issue (an in every day life) we are constantly reminded that leadership takes different forms, some we have never realized existed. Moving forward as an industry will require an open mind and willingness to see and appreciate all of them. Are you ready? ▪
New Application Process Turbo-Charges Recruitment in Rochester
By / Sheralyn Belyeu
The Local 46 JATC in Rochester, New York, receives more than six times as many applications per year as before the pandemic. “Right now, I have 84 applicants in the system,” says JATC Training Director Allen J. Mort. A few are queued up for interviews, and 34 of them are prepared to be dispatched as soon as contractors need labor. “We’re waiting for the spring season and the summer work to kick in, and people are ready to get going.”
Local 46 used to receive about 40 applications a year, which Mort accepted in person at the JATC once a month. Potential apprentices often took other opportunities between application days. Of the applicants who came in, most were more interested in fulfilling outside requirements than they were in finding work. The Local interviewed many people who never returned to submit their educational and identification credentials.
COVID gave Mort the opportunity to experiment with an online process. Local 46’s new system captures potential apprentices as soon as they express an interest, so the JATC receives almost 250 applications a year. The online process explains the documentation requirements upfront and filters out the uninterested, allowing Mort to focus on the most serious applicants. He only schedules in-person meetings with candidates who have already demonstrated their commitment by fulfilling the Department of Labor minimum requirements.
The key to the new process is a QR code that links to recruiting information online. Local 46 had the QR code printed on business cards they can distribute through the community, and Mort also loves to share the code on stickers developed by Local 46 Marketing Rep Jon Perna. The Local can spread the word by leaving a sticker or two behind where non-union workers find and scan them. “We don’t want people to litter job sites, but we might put the code in a couple of key spots where everybody goes, like the break area or the gang box,” Mort says. Recruiting offices in schools and vocational training institutes are also good locations for cards and stickers.
The code leads applicants straight to a PDF document with all the information they need. “There’s no login,” Mort says. “It’s got to be quick and seamless.” The first thing potential apprentices see is the heading: “Sheet Metal Workers & HVAC/R Techs Union.” The word “HVAC/R” in the title is crucial to Local 46’s success.
“We have a little bit of a branding problem,” Mort says. Most people have a good idea of what an electrician does, and they can guess that carpenters are involved with wood framing. But the average person on the street doesn’t understand what sheet metal work entails.
“You’d be surprised by the people that don’t know,” he says. “HVAC is a more familiar term. Most people we’re introducing ourselves to have had technicians in their house working on their boilers. At Local 46, we’ve changed all our information to say sheet metal worker and HVAC/R technicians because the younger people and the people looking for jobs say ‘HVAC.’”
Information about pay and benefits comes next. “Local 46 just finished up a contract negotiation, and our wages changed,” Mort says. “We want to make sure we get the wage information out as soon as possible, so people see the most modern number.”
With paper applications, the wage change would have meant reprinting reams of paper, and most of that paper would have ended up on the floor of someone’s car. With the online process, the Local could reach all potential apprentices by revising just one source, the PDF.
“The information in the background can be updated on the website,” Mort says. “My coworker changed the rates at the end of last week, so it’s fresh information in the system.” The stickers and cards still work, so there’s no need to replace materials that are already in the community, and the QR code never expires.
The PDF includes links to International Training Institute (ITI) videos explaining career paths in sheet metal. “The videos are only a few minutes long, so they’re not overwhelming,” Mort says. The ITI videos help potential apprentices see the range of the sheet metal trade.
“Because of the information in the PDF, by the time people come in for the interview and get out there for the job, they’ve already had some education regarding the tasks involved,” Mort says. “I always tell them, we are giving you all the glitz and glamour of the trades, but at the end of the day, you have to show up every day and put out a decent amount of effort. You may be working on the heating and ventilation system, so the air in the space is probably not going to be tempered to your liking. If you’re installing the roof, you might get rained on a little bit.”
The actual applications take potential apprentices directly to the iTi’s TotalTrack system. “This is the main database for all our apprentices internationally,” Mort says. “When applicants enter information, they’re going into the same database that they’re going to use all the way through their career.”
Best of all, they enter the information themselves. “If I give you my email address and it’s too wordy, or there’s a pronunciation issue, or it gets entered in incorrectly, that’s the potential loss of an applicant,” Mort says. The online application eliminates data entry and error of entry, preventing unnecessary loses.
Mort chose a paid QR code service that allows him to track the code’s use. “Since April of 2022, this QR code has had almost 2,200 hits,” he says. Ninety percent of the scans are from mobile devices. Mort even knows how many of those devices were Android or Apple.
With a tight labor market, Mort encourages all JATCs to reconsider their application processes to see if they can improve their efficiency. Local 46’s results suggest that modernizing the process can be life changing. “This new system is lightyears ahead of what we were doing before,” he says. ▪
A Colorado native, Sheralyn Belyeu lives and writes deep in the woods of Alabama. When she’s not writing, she grows organic blueberries and collects misspellings of her name.
The AI Paradox
Debunking the hype of Chatbots role in today’s communications and marketing
By / Natalie Bruckner
There’s been a lot of talk about the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to revolutionize communications and marketing within the sheet metal industry. Tools like ChatGPT, Canva, and Google Gemini are increasingly touted as invaluable aids for tasks ranging from crafting social media messages to refining proposals and aligning brand messaging. However, despite a growing enthusiasm for AI’s capabilities, there remains a notable reluctance among many industry professionals to fully embrace it, and—it seems—with valid reasons.
“AI is undoubtedly a valuable tool for the industry,” explained Lauren Wattie, senior vice president at Vault Communications, at the 2024 Partners in Progress Conference in Orlando. “Take ChatGPT and Gemini, for example. These chatbots are incredibly user-friendly and freely accessible, making them
tremendous assets for alleviating stress and managing social media tasks. They can get you 80% of the way there, which is certainly better than nothing. However, despite their usefulness, they are not without their flaws and lack the human touch.”
Contrary to media portrayals, hesitancy toward AI is prevalent not only among seasoned professionals but also among the younger demographic—the very audience the sheet metal industry seeks to engage. Research indicates that approximately one in three Gen Z individuals and Millennials harbor skepticism towards AI, showing a preference for human touch over automated solutions. This raises a crucial question: Should you be using AI?
Wattie believes so. “AI will be useful for management and labor working together, giving them one voice, one tone,” she says. “Additionally, AI streamlines email communication, benefiting those with limited writing skills or tight marketing budgets. You can copy and paste your content into ChatGPT to enhance it, fix grammatical errors, and make it sound more friendly or serious. Essentially, AI is a time-saver, but not the end-all be-all for communications.”
Matt Sanchez from marketing agency Nehlsen Creative believes issues arise from a fundamental lack of understanding of AI’s functionalities. “I think the bigger problem is people don’t know how to use it,” says Sanchez. “We’ve had smaller chapters come to ask advice about AI because they can’t afford our service, and they successfully use apps like Canva. But even if you are a smaller chapter, you still need to know how AI and communications work when it comes to informing advertising campaigns, metrics, and successes.”
Sanchez highlights a common pitfall: the assumption that AI is a magic bullet. He recounts a cautionary tale: “We had a client one time create an AI-generated image for some banners; we looked at it and the lady in the image had three legs. Is AI perfect? No. It’s never going to be perfect.” To add to this complexity, he adds that “the sheet metal industry is so specific that AI doesn’t have the capacity to understand it.”
Furthermore, ethical considerations loom large. Sanchez says AI borrows from other sources and tends to amalgamate information and in the process ends up making mistakes, putting users at risk of plagiarism. “While it’s a great tool for admin tasks, you can’t rely on it. You still need someone in the office to oversee the nuances.”
Wattie agrees, saying the number of flaws and lack of human touch means AI will never replace a good marketing team, but it is a time-saver. “It’s another tool to help enhance what we do; not the end-all be-all.”
Wattie and Sanchez both agree, however, that AI can play a pivotal role when it comes to the matter of recruitment, particularly in swiftly identifying the desired audience. Sanchez elaborates, “From the labor perspective, AI is useful in crafting compelling recruitment campaigns tailored to specific jurisdictions. Moreover, it ignites creativity; we’ve
experimented with AI-generated graphics, inspiring innovative approaches. It can be a springboard for creativity.”
By harnessing AI recruitment tools, organizations can streamline hiring processes while enhancing candidate experiences. The true magic of AI unfolds in its ability to accelerate initial screenings, swiftly analyzing resumes and applications against job criteria with precision beyond traditional keyword searches.
While it doesn’t seem AI will be taking on the marketing or communications of the industry just yet, it does have its place. “AI in communications is such an interesting topic. I know that many folks are starting to use AI for their writing of things such as proposals, case studies and job descriptions. However, we leave it to the professionals at Nehlsen Creative who did my website and all of Heavy Metal Summer Experience’s marketing and social media,” says Angie Simon, co-founder/ executive director of HMSE.
Ultimately, Sanchez reminds us that AI is “a supplemental tool.” And when asked how it can contribute to SMART and SMACNA’s communications and marketing goals, ChatGPT responded: “While I can assist in drafting and refining communications, making the process faster and more efficient, it’s essential to note that I do not replace the human touch, empathy, or the nuanced understanding that individuals within the union and management may have about their specific context. Effective communication often requires a balance between automation and human involvement to address the unique challenges and dynamics within an industry.” ▪
Natalie is an award-winning writer who has worked in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, the United States, and Canada. She has more than 23 years experience as a journalist, editor, and brand builder, specializing in construction and transportation. When she’s not writing, you will likely find her snowboarding, mountain biking, or climbing mountains with her rescue dog.
Should you be afraid of AI? These sheet metal workers say, “No, but tread lightly.”
While some may be apprehensive about using AI tools in construction, others say technologies like ChatGPT could help everyone work smarter. Here’s how some in sheet metal are using artificial intelligence today.
By Michael McConnell
Chris Hronek, Local 18 journeyperson and technology manager at Tweet/Garot Mechanical, apologized for not getting back to Partners in Progress’s request for an interview in a timely manner. “I can be hard to get a hold of,” he says. “Maybe I should be using AI to help with my schedule.”
Hronek may get his wish. Since ChatGPT was released in November 2022, it appears to have found its way into nearly every industry—including construction. For anyone not familiar with ChatGPT, it is an AI-powered chatbot and virtual assistant developed by OpenAI that “learns” from human conversation and enables users to refine and steer a conversation towards a desired length, format, and style. It’s an example of what’s called “large language model” AI, since it was programmed with trillions of data points. That means it can answer questions on almost any subject and assist users with tasks such as drafting emails, programming software, and yes, making personal schedules.
For the construction industry, AI could be transformative, experts say. With the right data, it could one day help spot cost
overruns before they happen or make workers more efficient by improving project planning and safety. According to a 2023 study by Adroit Market Research, it’s already having an impact. In 2022, the use of artificial intelligence in construction was worth $1.3 billion. By 2030, its impact is expected to reach $13.5 billion, the study says.
Hronek can see why. He’s been experimenting with ChatGPT since it was released almost two years ago. At Tweet/Garot, he leads a team whose mission is to discover technology that will help the mechanical contractor work more efficiently.
“We dabble in AI programs and figure out how to automate different processes,” he says. For example, Hronek’s team uses AI to automate responses to fabrication requests that are sent to the shop. “Now the field knows when a request is received without the shop responding,” he says, adding that it saves time.
The Wisconsin-based mechanical contractor has embraced AI, or at least its potential. Tweet/Garot has hosted several lunch meetings to introduce employees to the technology.
“We just want to explain what’s available and what you can
There are always people who are going to be on the fence. But this isn’t something to be scared of. I’m definitely optimistic.
—Chris
Hronek, Local 18 journeyperson and technology manager at Tweet/Garot Mechanical
do with it,” Hronek says. “There are always people who are going to be on the fence. But this isn’t something to be scared of. I’m definitely optimistic.”
Travis Voss shares that optimism—with some reservations. Voss is SMACNA’s director of innovative technology and fabrication. He sees developments like AI having a lot of potential in the sheet metal industry—if the reality eventually matches the current hype. One thing he’s not predicting is AI taking the jobs of union sheet metal workers. Voss points out that construction software makers such as Autodesk, Trimble, and Procore Technologies have long incorporated AI into their products.
“I don’t have the whole ‘It’s going to take my job’ worry,” he says. “There’s going to be aspects of it in almost any major software platform inside of construction now.” Voss recently conducted a contractor roundtable on artificial intelligence. Many compare AI chatbots like ChatGPT to an eager intern who still needs supervision and to be told what to do. “You can use it to bounce your own ideas off of, but you still have to factcheck it,” Voss says.
He points out that AI has the potential to free up workers from routine project tasks like creating status reports. What currently can take hours could be done in minutes—although the work still has to be checked by humans. “You give it a set of project data and train it on what to look for, and you can start to get some pretty cool charts and graphs out of that,” Voss says. “Beyond that, there are some software platforms out there that are doing a pretty good job of analyzing specs and contracts and calling out language or different information that contractors need to pay attention to or at least be aware of.”
In the future, Voss says he could see AI programs providing more efficiency to routine tasks like estimation. “I think from an estimating standpoint, I would assume in the next couple years it would provide more value in doing simple things like takeoffs,” he says. “You’re still going to need that estimating knowledge. There’s a lot more that estimators do than go out and count hangers and pounds of duct.”
However, it may take a while before most contractors get comfortable with using these tools. “That makes sense because contracting is one of the riskiest businesses out there, and contractors are also very risk averse,” Voss adds. “Taking part in a project is already risky business. It makes sense that they are not going take a lot of swings on big changes because they don’t have the margins and they are trying to mitigate risk.”
”Darren Young is the construction technology director at UMC Inc., a 100-year-old mechanical contractor near Seattle also experimenting with AI. Young says UMC is being deliberate about adding artificial intelligence to its operations. It doesn’t want to buy into the hype. “We’re trying to take a little bit more of a disciplined approach to it, which is probably not common in the industry,” he says. “We don’t want to pick solutions looking for problems. We want to identify things that we’re doing where we can improve the quality of data and where we can improve our efficiency.”
Young says he’s spent the most time testing ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, which uses technology from OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. “I probably use it almost on a daily basis,” he says, adding it saves him time. “Copilot is good for creating summaries of video meetings on Microsoft Teams and pulling out action items. You don’t necessarily have to take notes anymore. And if you missed the meeting or missed part of the meeting, you can go in and ask Microsoft Copilot. It’s probably more accurate than your average notetaker.”
Like Voss, Young said AI chatbots remind him of an intern. “Some are better than others, and you’ve got to verify the work because they don’t have all the experience,” he says. “But a lot of what they produce is good information.”
He’s used AI to help draft annual employee performance reviews. “I type what I want to say and have it rewritten into something a little bit more professional,” he says. “And then I might prompt it to tweak a particular bullet point, or I might even just tweak some of the phrasing myself because it doesn’t sound like me.”
The most bullish industry observers say artificial intelligence is about to revolutionize HVAC construction. Others, like Young and Hronek, aren’t ready to go that far, but they’re excited about what the technology could mean for the future.
“At the end of the day,” Hronek says, “we want value.▪
Michael McConnell’s experience encompasses B2B and B2C copywriting, online journalism, and newspaper reporting. He’s always interested in finding out the stories behind interesting people and projects. Contact him at mrmcconnell36@gmail.com.
Bias and Belonging Training is an Investment in the Future
SMART, SMACNA, and the ITI say training on inclusion and diversity has
been well received
By / Jessica Kirby
SMART, SMACNA, and the ITI have begun rolling out training that will help create a more welcoming sheet metal industry for everyone. Bias and Belonging is a three-hour training that introduces participants to the science of implicit bias using real-world scenarios. It also explores the ways that bias can get in the way of being effective workers, positive leaders, and good human beings, treating one another the way we want to be treated.
“We talk about how an apprentice may show up late to a class, for example,” says course facilitator Dushaw Hockett, founder and executive director of SPACES — Safe Places for the Advancement of Community and Equity. “A coordinator may perceive that the person is not committed to work. But there are other scenarios that could be true. There may be something happening in their life that has nothing to do with their commitment. We cannot rush to judgment. Maybe if we knew what other things were going on, we could offer some support or interventions that could help the person be a high performer.”
The course is part of the jointly funded BE4ALL program, and the program’s most recent initiative.
At SMART, the education department has integrated threehour Bias and Belonging training into its 12-15 annual week-long leadership courses, such as Effective Communication, First Time Organizing, or Representative training.
“We are delivering the training to elected and appointed union officials from the United States and Canada,” says Sam White, director of education for SMART International. “We change the learning activities within that training to reflect the learner’s job so that the training becomes part of their job training and not something separate.”
SMART alternates between Bias and Belonging and Implicit Bias training, and both are delivered to reflect real-world situations.
“If we are training new organizers, for example, we will do an assessment to see how their biases and stereotypes might affect how they approach non-union workers or how new representatives or managers might apply biases to their duty of fair representation,” White says. “Then the training becomes something that is going to help you do your job better and not an add-on we are making you do.”
As of June, the International had provided Bias and Belonging training to 623 Local leaders. It was also in the process of piloting four three-hour programs focused on how to attract journeypersons to the training.
SMART’s Education Department works alongside the ITI, which is delivering the training in two ways to JATC coordinators and instructors. One method is through Train the Trainer classes, which are three-day, in-person programs. Leaders are required to deliver the training at least once within 60 days of completing the sessions.
“So far, we have had 110 complete the Train the Trainer program, and they have all or will be soon delivering it within their Locals to apprentices, journeypersons, and JATC contractors,” says Mike Harris, ITI administrator.
The other training is the three-hour online Bias and Belonging training, which was delivered to 207 JATC coordinators and instructors as of June.
“From a training perspective, delivering the material in these formats is the best way to scale it,” Harris says.
SMACNA’s path is slightly different. Jen Squirewell, director, chapter management, and Joye Blanscett, executive
director of operations, are conducting training for chapters and contractors called “Respectful Workplace Training”. It includes implicit bias training, as well as an anti-discrimination and antiharassment component.
To date, they have conducted one training, and there were 17 people in attendance. Three more sessions are planned for August.
“In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, the ability to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace is no longer just a moral imperative—it’s also a strategic advantage,” Squirewell says.
Respectful Workplace Training is a three-hour interactive session designed to provide attendees with a deeper understanding of the science of implicit bias, as well as an overview of the strategies and interventions for reducing and interrupting it.
State and federal laws require or strongly encourage all employers to engage in discrimination and harassment training. SMACNA has responded by incorporated antidiscrimination and anti-harassment training into its Respectful Workplace Training. That portion includes risk awareness to focus on liability and organizational risk posed by workplace harassment, leadership insights to deepen awareness of how harassment can occur in today’s workplace, setting the right tone of civility, compliance and zero tolerance from the top down, and addressing potential misconduct effectively.
“The goal of this program is to help contractors understand the importance of addressing implicit bias, recognize its impact on their organization, and harness the benefits of an inclusive environment, which will ultimately drive success and profitability in an increasingly competitive marketplace,” Squirewell says. “Our hope is that contractors will leave the training inspired and eager to make bias reduction a part of their daily practice—both personally and professionally.”
Overall, the training has been well-received. “Once we get past the hurdle of explaining that no one is being called out and that the training is about how to move forward and be more accepting of everyone, it has been very well received,” White says. “We still have a long way to go. Once it becomes part of
all apprentices’ training and given that we are doing it in every leadership class, this will get a lot better over time.”
Harris says it is rewarding to watch learners come to the training with a preconceived idea of what it is and leave with a new perspective.
“Some come in and approach it as something they were required to do, but after they go through it, it makes them think about things a little bit differently,” Harris says. “It doesn’t necessarily change a person, but it is eye-opening. We have seen people, especially on the Train the Trainer side, come in as though they are just going through motions and leave with a completely different perspective.”
“Contractor members appreciated that the training presents them with real-world issues for their business and employees and guidance for how to think from others’ perspectives,” Squirewell says.
From the time the BE4ALL committee was formed, the onus has been on changing the industry to become more welcoming for all. Harris acknowledges this will be a huge undertaking, but he can see how the results will unfold down the road.
“I often tell the classes that I may not see the effects of this teaching now, but my hope is that years from now, the industry will be a much different place because of steps we are taking now,” he says. “It was always the intention to get the training to all people in the industry, including leaders, instructors, rank and file members, union reps, and contractors. It’s the only way to truly make a difference.”
The ITI doesn’t have its own BE4ALL Committee, but it takes direction from the SMART BE4ALL Committee on delivering industry-wide initiatives. “The reality is, we have 60,000 to 80,000 sheet metal members, and so we have to stay the course together.
“You can’t plant seeds in the morning and expect to eat tonight,” Harris adds. “The training is really planting the seeds and hopefully there will be a harvest down the road. We are starting to see things take hold already, in certain locations.” ▪
Jessica Kirby is editor-publisher for Point One Media, a small but sturdy family-owned trade magazine creator representing some of North America’s most successful construction associations.
So, What is Leadership?
By John Millen
If you Google “What is leadership?” as I did just now, you’ll find 2.3 billion results.
I didn’t have time to read them all, but what comes through is a multitude of meanings, such as “the action of leading a group of people or an organization” or “the state or position of being a leader.”
You’ll also find articles about “10 ways to define leadership” and “100 answers to the question, what is leadership?”
This contributes to the feeling of a lot of people that leadership is the sole responsibility of the top dogs. It’s something ill-defined that other people do.
My definition is different, and I think more practical. I say that leadership is “influencing peoples’ thinking, actions, and behavior.”
A CEO client of mine defines it in a similar way, telling his leaders that “Leadership is getting people to do something they wouldn’t do if you weren’t there.”
This is true in business and in life. People who lead are those who influence others.
Are you a leader?
Speaking on “Storytelling for Leaders” at a business lunch event, I started with a reasonable question, “By a show of hands, how many leaders do we have here today?”
Now, I asked this question knowing that the majority of the 300 people in the audience, which happened to about 80% women, were trade association executives or salespeople who had some significant role in their organizations.
I was surprised when only a handful of people raised their hands to identify themselves as leaders. Another 30 or 40 people were tentatively raising their hands to table level as they looked around the room seemingly to determine if they were “leaders.”
So, I said, “Let me reword the question. How many of you have to influence people to make things happen in your workplace?” From the stage, it looked like all the hands went up.
Then I asked, “How many of you have to influence people in the rest of your life—at home or in the community?” Again, the hands went up.
This points to the problem with how most of us view “leadership” in business and other organizations. We tend to think of leadership as being something conducted by the 5% at the top of our organizations—you know, the CEO and the executive leadership team.
But the truth is we are all
The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.
– Ronald Reagan
professional and personal lives. The sooner you recognize this, the sooner you may confidently assert your leadership when it is most needed.
We are all leaders
This means that we are all leaders or should be. You don’t need a title or position to lead. You just need to recognize your opportunities to lead others.
Even leaders with titles and responsibility for people often have a hazy view of what it means to exert their leadership. With this in mind, here are five tips for exercising your personal leadership:
1. Adopt the mindset
Confidence as a leader starts with your mindset. Change your awareness and focus on having an impact in your organization and your life.
2. Lead without the title
You don’t need a position or a title to be a leader. You have a sphere of influence, which is that circle of people around you in your personal and business lives. Identify those times when you have a clear idea of where things should go but you normally sit back. Instead, speak up, take action, or give direction.
3. Ask for action
Influence should have results—a call to action. What do you want them to do? Too many times meetings become pointless sessions with information and opinions but no clear next steps or action.
4. Lead by example
It’s important to realize that people are watching your behavior more intensely than listening to your words. You can inspire people as a role model.
5. Learn the rules of influence
The best leaders I work with are also students of influence. They continuously improve their leadership and communication skills to stay at the top of their game.
Many people get frustrated by situations they see and in which they feel powerless to do anything. You have more control than you might realize. The choice is up to you. I hope you choose to recognize yourself as a leader and as take action to change your world. ▪
John Millen, storytelling and communication coach, conference speaker, and course creator. Learn more at johnmillen.com
Toolbox Talk
Supporting Mental Health
Belonging and Excellence for All (BE4ALL) is a joint effort by SMART, SMACNA, and the ITI to create an industry-wide culture where everyone is welcome and belongs, including those from historically underrepresented groups. Further, one where we all strive for the highest standards of performance and professionalism. The desired result is a thriving unionized sheet metal industry that affirms the dignity and worth of us all. Toolbox Talks are in support of this mission.
BE4ALL Toolbox Talk
Supporting Mental Health in the Workplace
There has been a reported rise in the number of individuals experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders in the United States. It is becoming increasingly important to help support mental health and alleviate stressors for workers. Here are some ways to be a compassionate leader and establish a supportive tone:
• Raise awareness about job-specific stressors and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health conditions and substance use by facilitating conversations about mental health. Make it known that it is natural to feel stressed at times and offer assurance that people can come to you if they need to talk.
• Check in with others periodically to ask them how they are doing and whether there is anything that you can do to support them. Hold group meetings to promote connectedness and provide a forum for workers to voice concerns, ask questions, and receive information about ways to cope with stress, build resiliency, and seek outside support if necessary.
• Build connections and encourage people to be supportive of one another by checking in on each other, and/or create a “buddy system”. Helping others benefits both parties, because helping can improve an individual’s sense of control, belonging, and self-esteem.
• Be a good role model by showing a more personal side and acknowledging that you also feel the stress. As well as being more open, it’s important to take care of your own mental health by practicing self-care (e.g., getting enough sleep, exercising, taking breaks) and establishing worklife boundaries.
• Look for opportunities to alleviate stress by sharing the workload when possible and allowing for more time to complete tasks. Be realistic and fair about expectations. Allow people more flexibility in choosing their work hours
and encourage them to set a time by which they will be offline for the day.
How to Spot the Signs and Symptoms of Distress
Stress can look different in different people. Here are some examples:
1. Expressing irritation, anger, or denial
2. Feeling nervous or anxious
3. Lacking motivation
4. Feeling tired, overwhelmed, or burned out
5. Feeling sad or depressed
6. Having trouble sleeping or focusing
7. Getting into conflicts at work
8. Having trouble completing tasks or meeting deadlines
9. Submitting poor-quality work
Reducing workplace stress benefits everyone. What can you do to help?
Staff Conversation & Notes:
What could you do to support a coworker going through a difficult time?
The most important thing is to show compassion and offer additional support to workers who appear to be struggling. If you or someone you know needs to speak with someone, we encourage you to use the SMOHIT Helpline, which is available 24/7 to SMART members and their families, at 877-884-6227. It is free, confidential, and voluntary.
*The information in this Toolbox Talk was sourced from OSHA’s “Safe Workplace, Good Headspace” checklist for supporting mental health in the workplace. Access it at osha.gov/sites/default/files/ Checklist-Supervisor_508.pdf
My Journey: Jan Chappell
President, Local 85 in Atlanta, Georgia
By Jessica Kirby
Jan Chappell took the sheet metal cluster at the vocational school associated with her high school and knew right away she was on to something. “That was my first exposure to sheet metal and welding,” she says. “I ended up getting my air traffic controller training and left that to go work in a shipyard in California where I found work in the sheet metal shop. I really enjoyed it.”
She eventually moved back to Atlanta, and once home, she needed work, so she cracked open the phone book. “I looked up ‘sheet metal’ and found the JATC,” she says. “I didn’t know what that was, but I needed a job, so I called them up.”
Once she answered their questions, she produced all her accreditations—a reference letter from the shipyard and a certificate of appreciation from her vocational school. “I ended up hired on and went on to complete my apprenticeship, win a contest, place in the following year’s contest, and turn out as a journeyperson four years later.”
Today, she is president of Local 85, a position she has held for about 18 months. But getting there wasn’t easy. She ran for the conductor, the board, and as a trustee, putting herself out there in four separate electons but with no success. On her fifth time around, she tied with her opponent and conceded rather than cost the union the fees associated with sorting it out.
“After that, I was appointed onto executive board and from there to vice president and eventually to president,” she says. “The moral of the story is, so many run for leadership positions and don’t get them, and then you don’t see that person again, but that isn’t me. I kept trying.”
She was diligent because she wanted to have a voice that perhaps rang louder than as a general member. Her message? Women can do the work, and everybody is a team member.
“No matter what, we need to bring everyone into the locals so we can grab market share,” she says. “I want people so know we can look beyond traditional demographics to find people who can do the job. And the idea is that new people we bring in supplement the current workforce, not replace it. No one needs to be scared because the people joining don’t look or sound like you. We are here to supplement the Local and grow together as a team.”
For 30 years, she has worked on the tools, developing an affinity for fabricating things from raw materials. “It opens up my creative side that I don’t feel I can show anywhere else,” she says. “I also love the benefits and the ability to support my family and have a nice home, a pension, 2.2 dogs, and a foster cat. It’s nice to have all of that without worries about money, especially as I transition toward retirement.”
Like with anything, there were challenges—mainly, resistance to new demographics of people in the industry—but Chappell conquered this with humor and common sense. “I used humour to off-set the disgruntledness of those who didn’t think I belonged, and I also knew my place,” she says. “That earned me some respect.”
When she was laid off during the 2008 recession, she made ends meet for two years, but also kept paying her union dues. “I didn’t let bitterness get the best of me,” she says. “It was challenging coming back, but I made it.”
In 2023, she joined—or rather, was chosen to join—the SMART BE4ALL Committee. “I didn’t know what it was at first, but being on the inside of something helps you understand it better than looking in from the outside,” she says.
She enjoys brainstorming ways to make the sheet metal industry diverse and equitable so that it’s clear that every person in a Local matters. “There is some bias, at times, toward people coming in from the non-union side or toward people who are trained outside your local area,” she says. “That is just an old school way of thinking.
“The moral of the story is, so many run for leadership positions and don’t get them, and then you don’t see that person again, but that isn’t me. I kept trying.”
“You can grow old in two ways: by becoming an old person who never travels past a 2.5-mile radius and clings to stagnant, dated ideas, or you can become a senior citizen and embrace change, go with the flow, and learn to use a cellphone. Stagnant water attracts leeches, and I am not about that.”
For young people considering a career in sheet metal, she has this advice: “Ask more questions than you think you need to,” she says. “Do your research and make sure you know what to ask. The people that bring you into the union speak to 1,000 candidates a year, but you only talk to them once. Be confident, ask a million questions, don’t back down, but also know your place.”
“I love telling young people about a career in sheet metal because even though you get tired and you hurt a little bit after doing it a long time, it really is a great opportunity. I barely eked out of high school, and it gave me a great start. It gave me the chance to go to a great job, work with different people, and really build my confidence.”
Whether talking about BE4ALL, recruitment, or the industry in general, Chappell can’t stress enough that labor and management need one another to create a better future for everyone.
“None of us can grow alone,” she says. “We are 50/50 partners. I would like to thank the contractors for their continued support for SMART through scholarships and their on-going partnership. We are not two separate entities—we are a viable team, and I appreciate that.” ▪
Jessica Kirby is editor-publisher for Point One Media, a small but sturdy family-owned trade magazine creator in British Columbia, Canada.
