LEADERS FOCUS ON THE FUTURE

LEADERS

Focus on the Future

Successful leadership requires a laser sharp focus on the future. A prevailing theme in this month’s Partners in Progress is leadership, and that had me thinking about a quote I saw recently advising to look and move forward “because looking backwards is for time travelers.” I Googled the source and discovered that I was seeking inspiration from the inside of Dove chocolate candy wrappers. Cynics among us might muse that the candy manufacturer places those messages in the wrapper to distract consumers from the amount of sugar and calories in a single chocolate treat. Conversely, chocoholic optimists recognize good advice when they see it.

Successful leaders want their organizations to prosper well beyond their personal tenure and know the importance of succession planning to advance an organization or an industry well into the future. “Successful Succession” on page 4 provides examples of how to successfully prepare to transfer leadership of contracting firms, Locals, and labor-management partnership initiatives.

SMART and SMACNA leaders recognize their collective future depends on recruiting and retaining the best workers into the industry. Turn to page 8, “Small but Mighty”, to learn how Local 435 and Jacksonville Florida SMACNA contractors have collaborated to triple the number of applicants seeking great career opportunities in the sheet metal industry in the past year.

The most effective leaders study industry trends to predict and respond to future market opportunities. “Market Ready”on page 10 details the collaborative efforts of Local 10 and SMARCA leaders in developing a state-of-the-art commercial service and architectural lab that will allow the parties to provide training to excel in a constantly evolving market.

Focusing on the future does not mean that the past is irrelevant. In “A Project to Remember” on page 12, leaders from Local 83 and Capital District SMACNA explain why it was important to partner on a community project to honor veterans who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Efforts like those on the Memorial Park demonstrate that building trades unions and union contractors are good neighbors who invest in the communities where they work and live.

Focusing on the future does not mean successful approaches need to be cast aside entirely because they are a creation of the past. A prime example of this is the advice contained in the 85-year-old iconic book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. While times and methods for communicating have changed dramatically since Dale Carnegie authored the book, the article on page 14 explains why leadership principles, such as seeing things from others’ perspectives, using diplomacy, and picking battles wisely may be more relevant in a time when it’s critical to attract and retain good team members.

This month’s “My Journey” on page 16 features a new journeyperson who displays plenty of industry leader potential. Teairra Marshall was the first female in Local 435 to earn the Outstanding Apprentice Award. She credits her experience in the sheet metal industry as making her a stronger individual physically and mentally. She shares her journey and recommends careers in the industry to students at the trade school she attended prior to entering the apprenticeship program.

The key premise of Partners in Progress is that a successful future requires labor and management in our industry to work together on common goals. To do that requires strong leaders who can build strong partnership coalitions to project and plan for the needs of the sheet metal industry in years to come.

When we look back, there is a danger of getting mired in regrets and disappointments. Unless gifted with a time traveling DeLorean like Marty McFly’s in Back to the Future, we cannot go back and change the past.

The best leaders do not spend too much time looking back. Their goals are not headed in that direction. Great leaders learn from the past and focus their attention and efforts on the future. ▪ Building the Future Together

A successful future requires labor and management to work together toward common goals. To do that, we need strong leaders who can build coalitions; have the knowledge and skills to understand the needs and opportunities of where the construction industry is headed in the next 5, 10 and 20 years; and are willing to capitalize on the best practices of the industry. Above all, the future requires recruiting and retaining the best, most skilled workers into the industry. Partners in Progress 2022 is designed around the skills and knowledge necessary to meet these needs. We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas March 1 & 2, 2022!