Masonry Magazine February 2014 Page. 30
FULL CONTACT PROJECT MANAGEMENT
By " Coach" Gary Micheloni
Star Leadership:
A Model for Contractors
You can tell something about the greatness of a person by studying his life: Did he walk the walk, or was he just a "talker?" Leaders aren't born; they are made. vVhen made correctly, it's obvious to all. Gerald Francis Coleman, "Jerry'' to millions of baseball and sports fans around the country, was not just appre�ciated. He was in the category ofbeloved. Revered. Iconic.
But a leader? How did that happen? How was he made into a leader, and why does it matter to us today? Jerry was more than just the announcer ofthe San Diego Padres. Prior, he had been a player with the New York Yankees for nine seasons, the MVP of the 1950 World Series, and won six World Series as a member of one of the strongest temns ever in MLB history.
All that aside, he did not think twice about cutting his career short when called to re-join the US Marine Corps as an avi�ator in Korea. He flew a total of 120 com�bat missions, split evenly behveen World War II and Korea. He retired as a Lt. Colonel, and as the only Major League player to have actively served in both of those wars. Jerry walked the walk.
Along the way, smviving those combat missions, he once flew through exploding wreckage directly in front ofhim -previ�ously the plane of his best friend. One time, he aborted a takeoff, choosing to land his fully loaded airplane, instead of first jettisoning his bombs, due to concern for those on the ground. Upon crashing, he was nearly killed, and was revived by a Navy Corpsman.
RY COLEMAN SAYS:
I
h ... Doctor! You can hang a star I [ that baby!"
Oh, yes. Jerry was very much the leader. Combat tested in war, and tested by public opinion over the decades spent as a player and broadcaster.
Interestingly, Jerry passed away the same day that one ofmy mentors, "Coach" Kenneth, rerninded a group ofus aOOut the lessons of leadership that come by faith. Coach Kenneth cautioned us to know the difference between faith and foolishness, and to walk by faith. That is, to not only see the obvious between here and the comer, for instance, but to have a good idea of what's around the corner, and move toward it aggressively. Never foolishly!
As Jerry U)leman saw his friend's plane explode in front ofhim,histrainingkicked in. He knew exactly what to do, evaluated the possibilities, flC\v through it, and com�pleted his mission. Same with how he handled the aborted takeoff. In a split sec�ond, he ran the scenarios through his mind, made a decision, and then executed it. In both cases, he smv not only the obsta�cle, but also what was around the corner from the obstacle.
As Coach Kenneth would say, "Faith does not cancelout foolishness:'Your faith requires you to do a matching action: See the choices, make a decision, and d1en take passionate and aggressive action.
What can we take from these lessons of heroic actions by great leaders, and apply to our own busin~? We can begin with good training and the fu.ith that can come from it. You show this every day you send out your cre\vs to work on a project. You know how they were trained. You have faith that they will "accomplish the mis�sion;' even if something unexpected comes up or goes wrong on the jobsite.
As I write this, the "enemy'' is still out there: the same dreadful economy that has been sabotaging prosperity in our industry
RRY COLEMAN SAYS:
I
There are only two important hings in life: the people who you ve and who love you, and your
[
country."
for several years now. The MCAA is kind oflike our industry's air traffic controller. Ir's surveying the entire cow1try, and seeing what is coming over the horizon at us from around the comer, if you will.
This year, let's be especially mindful of leaders important to our own lives, realizing that they have been placed there for a rea�son. Likev,.rise, the mantle of leadership is upon you as you captain your own fleet. I don't know everything, but I do know this: Trust your training, keep the faith, and love your family and )'Our COWltry. Love the fact that you are still free enough to own and run your business. And may this be the year that your business gets to hang its own "star" on a little more success. lMAS
Gary Mlchelonl is a construction company marketer. working project manager, speaker, author, consultant and coach. -
COpyright 2014 Gary Micheloni
What's your plan to move forward in 2014? Are you marketing your company and driving business to it, or are you just hoping that you�11 run into some? Need to learn more about lead generation to bring you more business? Easy! Just write Coach Gary at FullContactTeam@gmail.com and type Lead Gen into the subject line. We'll get that info right out to you.
Business development & marketing coaching will help you become more successful, in less time, and with more success. Ask Coach Gary to speak for your group, association or convention, or even to coach your company. Coach Gary's first book, ~Get Paid for a Change! " is available at Amazon .com. Pick it up there; change your business.
28 MASONRY � February 2014 � www.masoncontractors.org The Voice of the Masonry Industry