2022 PARTNERS IN PROGRESS CONFERENCE

Captain Mike Abershoff, Jim Abbott, general sessions, and networking opportunities were among the top highlights from this year’s Partners in Make the commitment to team Progress Conference in Las Vegas.

“We can’t order excellence by sitting in the captain’s chair all day,” said Captain D. Michael Abershoff, former commander of the USS Benfold in a keynote talk at the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference. “You need to find out what people are passionate about and connect and engage with them around that.”

When he took over the USS Benfold, it was the worse performing ship in the US Navy. It had an 8% retention rate, and when the former captain left his post, the crew clapped and cheered. From his very first day, Captain Abershoff knew he had his work cut out for him. How did he turn the ship and crew around to be an award-winning, best-in-class operation? By rethinking leadership. Captain Abershoff met with every crew member individually to find out what inspired them. He made himself available for communication, and he took on the hard jobs, just like everyone else. The moral of the story? To succeed, we have to do the right thing, instead of what we have always done.

Another keynote address, Jim Abbott, former pitcher for the New York Yankees, discussed a number of setbacks he experienced in his life, the most poignant of which was being born without his right hand. His is a story of resilience and adaptation, but not in the way you might think. Rather than speak on all the ways he overcame his disability, he addressed instead the resourcefulness and generosity of his community in Flint, Michigan, who made sure he had opportunities to play sports. He shared his feelings around being called to meet children with disabilities time and again, and although he was pleased to do so, he was starkly reminded that it was always about what he didn’t have.

Looking back at his career, his biggest wish was to be treated normally and for his accomplishments rather than his shortcomings. He said the most impactful people in his life were those who were willing to shift their thinking to make him feel at home in his career and life. “If you can find a new and different way to do things, and you believe in what you can do, nothing can stop you,” he told the audience.

Later in the general session, Angie Simon, immediate past president of SMACNA, and Mike Coleman, assistant to the SMART general president, spoke on behalf of SMACNA President Al LaBella and SMART General President Joe Sellers about the importance of labor-management partnerships. They encouraged attendees to have the courage to move forward in new ways.

“Don’t leave this conference and get comfortable again,” said Simon. “Don’t keep saying, ʻthis is the way we’ve always done it.’ Strike that phrase out of your vocabulary, and focus on the growth and the opportunities that arise when you strive for 1% daily improvement.”

Coleman agreed, encouraging participants to view change in small increments and to acknowledge small but daily achievements. “If we all focus on steady increases, there is no limit to what we can do and build together,” he said.

In fact, all of the general sessions focused on the need to shift our thinking. With firm roots in the efforts and accomplishments of those who have gone before, a bright way forward means turning the page on strategies, habits, and tactics that no longer serve the industry.

When Local 66 journeyperson Vanessa Carman first approached Local 66 Business Manager Tim Carter about starting a women’s group, Carter didn’t really see why it was needed. Then he heard Vanessa’s story. “I asked Vanessa to reach out for other people’s stories, and when she did, they started coming in,” he said. “I saw that there really was an important need for this kind of support for tradeswomen.”

In a presentation on Purposeful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I), Carter, SMACNA-Western Washington Executive Vice President Julie Muller, and DE&I facilitator Dushaw Hockett told the story of how Western Washington’s women’s committee—which has since become a model for women’s groups across the country—was formed and how it has served women and the industry in various ways, from increasing recruitment and retention to making sure every job site is safe and inclusive.

The most important takeaway was that including DE&I in every workplace requires a change in thinking and a reevaluation of what a shift in workplace culture really looks like. “It means we have to do hard things, even if those things are different from what we have always done,” Muller said.

Another important general session was presented by Dr. Jean Twenge, psychologist and expert on the Next Generation Workforce. Dr. Twenge presented eye-opening research about how iGen—or Generation Z—is less rebellious, hyper-connected, afraid of feedback, and generally unprepared for adulthood—at least in the ways other generations expect.

“New generations are growing up more slowly, which is great from a safety and risk-taking perspective, but it also means they are independent, they have a difficult time making decisions, they find it tough adjusting to work and the responsibility, and they need more structure and clear direction,” said Twenge. “They have less experience with social interaction, which means a deficit in social skills and, in some cases, anxiety about interacting with others.”

These characteristics require a change in training delivery methods. Millennials and iGen will require specific things in their training, including frequent feedback, reassurances, and smaller promotions delivered more frequently. “It might be different from what we are used to, but it will pay off in the long run,” Twenge said.

Lisa Bordeaux, consultant to the Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force, talked about modelling change, particularly in how workplaces can retain workforce and achieve business success. One area of focus was mentorship and how that looks different today than it has in the past. While it has often been viewed as a top-down flow of information, the mentoring process can be adjusted to offer reciprocal benefits, with both mentor and mentee coming away with valuable skills. For example, a mentor may coach leadership skills, even as an apprentice imparts knowledge about technology and different types of communication. “Ideally, mentorship should flow both ways,” Bordeaux said.

Mentorship that leads to retention requires vulnerability, which might be different from what we have always done. Is it what we are used to? Not at all. Will change feel uncomfortable? Perhaps. Will the change bring value to the industry? Beyond measure. ▪

Learn more about the presenters at the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference, and view some of their presentations at pinp.org/conferences/2022pinp.

AROUND THE CONFERENCE

The 2022 Partners in Progress Conference brought more than 600 attendees together to network, learn, and pick up expert tips on leadership and partnership building. While attending sessions and interviewing participants, Partners in Progress staff heard some great quotes for success in business and in life. Here are our favorites.

"Our foundation is built on communication. It helps build relationships and strengthens trust."

— Angie Simon, immediate past-president, SMACNA National “If we all focus on steady increases, there is no limit to what we can do and build together.”

— Mike Coleman, assistant to SMART general president

Partners in Progress is a great opportunity to network, meet other Locals, and find out common interests. Business owners and Locals are able to talk and network and work on relationships by learning each other’s perspectives.”

—Corey Payne, DKM Heating

“You and I get to control our attitude and effort every single day. Don’t give your mindset away.” —Leadership coach DJ Allen

“It is vital to improve our communication skills in our capacity as leaders and teammates.” —James Dillard, business manager Local 26, agreed.

“SMACNA, SMART, and the iTi are writing a new future for the sheet metal industry.”

— Dushaw Hockett, founder and executive director of SPACES

“Labor and management cooperation is key. We have to make it work. We want to push the industry forward and find innovative ways to recruit and retain people.”

Many of the guest speakers at the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference have authored publications in their areas of specialty. Several made book recommendations during their presentations or referenced texts that had an important impact on their lives and perspectives. We also heard from attendees about books of note that they found useful in business and in life. Check out the following list for recommendations, and consider emailing us with your favorites for a second list in a future issue. Happy reading

Recommended by speakers:

• It's Your Ship: Achieving Breakthrough Performance by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff

• iGen: Why Today’s Super-connected Kids are Growing up Less Rebelious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood by Dr. Jean Twenge

• The Xs and Os of Success: A Playbook for Leaders in Business and Life by DJ Allen and Lon Kruger

• Imperfect: An Improbable Life by Jim Abbott

• 22 Talk Shifts - Tools to Transform Leadership in Business, in Partnership, and in Life by Krister Ungerboc

• Overwhelmed: Work, Love and Play When No One Has Time

• Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-class Performers by Tim Ferriss

• Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury

• Getting Past No: Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to Cooperation by William Ury

• Difficult Conversations – How to Discuss What Matters Most by Stone, Patton, and Heen

Recommended by attendees:

• How to Make Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

• Good to Great by Jim Collins

• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.

• Leading Change by John Kotter

• The Vanishing Neighbor by Marc J. Dunkelman

• Change to Strange: Create a Great Organization by Building a Strange Workforce by Daniel M. Cable

• Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by Gen. Stanley McChrystal

“We have never lowered the bar to have diversity, equity, and inclusion in our programs.”

—Tim Cartner, business manager, Local 66

“We’re all just sheet metal workers, right? In the end, we’re all just workers, but we’re sheet metal workers striving to be something more, something better.”

—Jens Schurig, organizer, Local 23 “You’ve got to communicate effectively and clearly through difficult situations. I want to make myself a more effective communicator, being mindful of how what I say is interpreted, because when you’re communicating, it can be lost in translation.”

— Xander Christoff, Emerging Leader, PLS Mechanical in Colorado Springs

“Diversity is an iceberg, and we are just chipping away at it. I encourage you to go to your Locals and see what you can do to work with them on DE&I. It has made a huge difference in our area.”

— Julie Muller, executive vice president, SMACNA-Western Washington

“Find out what people are most proud of and use that to connect and engage with them. If they feel like you care, they will follow you into battle.”

— Mike Abrashoff, former US Navy Captain

“If you find a new and different way and believe in what you can do, nothing can stop you.”

—Jim Abbott, former professional baseball player

“Service to the community builds bonds and boosts morale for all. We encourage all of you to find a charitable organization or service project in your community that labor and management can support.”

— Mike Coleman, assistant to SMART general president

“Bias and Belonging was a very eyeopening presentation that encouraged me to rethink our decision-making processes and consider how we can improve.”

~ Rick Perdue, business representative, Local 24 “Leaders during disruptive times need to know their competitive advantage, hustle, stay focused, be careful about what they avoid, be precise, act as good role models, and build cultures of trust.”

~ Ron Bailey @necanet Industry Development

"Hope is not a strategic plan. You need to build relationships."

— Matt Terek, McKenney's Inc.