You might be sick of who you are working for or live with a victim mindset of “when I am in charge, things will be different.” But since we are great tradespeople, we don’t buy that lie. We don’t need all the answers to start influencing what is right in front of us. We are all in charge of something even if it’s just ourselves.
In the words of Clay Scroggins:
“No man or woman is ever fully acquitted of all responsibility. Just as there are inalienable rights, there is such a thing as inalienable responsibility. What this means is that everyone leads something. Everyone is in charge of something—even if it’s just you. Each one of us is responsible for the choices and decisions we make. We must all learn to rightly influence ourselves."
Scroggins is tackling the leadership conversation head-on- you don’t need authority to start being in charge. You don’t need a title to influence change where you are at. You can make huge waves where you are right now.
He goes on to challenge people’s excuses for inaction.
Leaders who wrap themselves in the security blanket of “If I were in charge” or “When I’m in charge” as an excuse for poor performance and lack of initiative will most likely never be in charge. On the other hand, the real leaders in an organization will find a way to lead the charge until they are in charge.
This all being said, we are going to start tackling self-leadership. This is so important to move ahead in our industry, to get ahead, and to shape the next generation of construction leaders.
But why should we put in extra effort when we know we will never be in charge, or why should we try to lead ourselves well even if we don’t want to be the boss?
A couple of great reasons is to make yourself more desirable. When you lead yourself well, it makes you more employable, more valuable and more profitable. If you are working for a contractor, being the best version of yourself guarantees steady employment no matter what company you work for. If you are working for yourself you already know the value of being your best self because it’s all on you whether your company succeeds or dies.
Let’s look at a few ways we can start leading ourselves better on the job site:
Show up on time and ready to work: this means being at work for a few minutes (minimum) with your boots tied, tools in order and ready to start the day
Show initiative: initiative is extremely powerful. Take care of the things others neglect, take care of things others don’t deem important but are necessary for the job to run smoothly
Be honest: being honest about failures and wins is integral for leading yourself well. A small lie here or there, a little fudging of the numbers here and there can have a massive impact on your reputation and your employment. Trust is the currency of the future, so why not foster it right now?
Establish a strong identity: if you don’t know who you are or why you do things it's easy to get tossed around by people and companies. The way you see yourself determines the amount of “success” you might have in your life.
We have a responsibility to ourselves and our family to lead ourselves well. The way we carry ourselves can have a generational impact not only on your kids, but other people's kids and your grandchildren. Just think about your relationship with your parents or grandparents. This will help us to see the world differently.
Stop making excuses for your lack of performance on the job because you think you could do it better, or my employer just doesn’t understand. Start today, fostering influence and change in the environment you are in right now. You’re there for a reason, now let’s get it!
Comments