Leaders are made… Not born

Vince Lombardi, one of the most successful NFL coaches in history, said, “Leaders are made; they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” Lombardi’s astute observation applies to leadership in all walks of life, including the sheet metal and HVAC industry.

SMART and SMACNA have an army of talented leaders at the national, local, and company levels. This edition of Partners in Progress highlights a good representation of those leaders and provides solid advice from training experts.

While some view the development of forepersons and other supervisors as a contractor responsibility, that is a narrow view. In “Learning Together” on page 4, Florida SMACNA and Local 32 explain how leadership training helps leaders motivate and communicate with their teams in a market with tough non-union competition.

RTW is one abbreviation for “Right-to-Work” laws— present in more than 50% of states—that prevent unions and employers from entering into agreements that require the payment of union dues as a condition of employment. These laws financially impact unions and make it difficult for union contractors to compete with substandard wages and unsafe working conditions.

SMACNA and SMART partners have a long history of respecting that dues deductions support local unions and industry promotion fund contributions support SMACNA chapters and contractors. The effective use of dues and industry funds provide industry stability and support expansion of work and market opportunities.

“Partners in Safety” on page 6 describes how SMACNA Detroit and Local 80 leaders established that in their jurisdiction RTW does not mean Right-to-Work. It means Ready to Work, a comprehensive sheet metal safety program that keeps workers safe and allows contractors to capture jobs that meet owner requirements and safety standards. Most recently, Ready to Work included a BE4ALL survey that helps educate the workforce on SMACNA-SMART’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiative.

We are also pleased to congratulate SMACNA Detroit and Local 80 as Michigan becomes the first state in over half a century to repeal its Right-to Work Law, an event that occurred as were finalizing this edition.

In “Training & Developing a Happy Workforce” on page 9, executive coach Joel Garfinkle provide seven great tips for helping the workforce be its best, starting with getting to know what motivates each person and offering training through mentorship.

Everybody makes mistakes. Many of us struggle over a lovehate relationship with apologies. We appreciate it when others apologize to us, but we are challenged when it is our turn to apologize for falling short. SMART and SMACNA leaders from British Columbia, Western Pennsylvania, and Indiana share their experiences owning and fixing their mistakes and making “Effective Apologies” on page 10.

Industry leadership training expert Stephane McShane of Maxim Consulting shares the personality traits and skills that the most effective leaders in our industry possess. “Learn to Lead” on page 12 describes ways to foster leadership, even when it doesn’t come naturally.

The most technically skilled sheet metal worker is not automatically the best industry leader, asserts training coach and motivational speaker, Kevin Dougherty in “Training Supervisors, Investing in Professionals” on page 14. Find out why industry supervisors have the most impact on the bottom line and why developing these leaders is imperative to a contractor’s ability to compete.

We all know that learning new things requires checking your ego at the door. John Millen, communications expert, describes five ways to tackle new learning opportunities without hindrance from your ego. See “Check your Ego” on page 17 for a calmer way forward.

Michael Harris describes his career journey, which led him from working summers in a sheet metal shop during high school to leading the sheet metal industry’s national training initiatives as administrator of the International Training Institute, in “My Journey” on page 19. Kudos to the Local 20 and the Indiana SMACNA contractors who recognized Mike’s potential early on and assigned him to teach at the JATC while he was still a fourth-year apprentice!

We are confident that those who want to enhance their leadership potential will find insight from the leaders featured in Partners in Progress. We encourage SMACNA and SMART partners to take advantage of the leadership training opportunities available in our industry, and we invite them to share their efforts with jessica.kirby@pointonemedia.com so those stories can appear in these pages and inspire others. ▪