Chairman’s Message: When Things Don’t Go as Planned

Words: Kent Huntley

Not every day in this business goes the way we planned.

Some days, everything lines up. The crew is moving well. Materials are on time. The job is flowing the way you hoped it would.

And then there are the other days.

The ones where something breaks. The schedule slips. The unexpected shows up and forces you to adjust.

We’ve all had those days.

I’ve learned over time that those moments are what really test you, not when things are going right, but when they’re not.

One of the clearest examples of that for me didn’t happen on a job site. It happened in the air.

Years ago, I took off early one morning expecting a routine flight. I had done my checks. Everything looked good. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Shortly after takeoff, I lost an engine.

When something like that happens, your first instinct is to react, to do what feels right in the moment. But what feels right isn’t always what’s right.

In aviation, that’s where people get into trouble.

You can’t rely on instinct. You have to rely on training. You go to the checklist. You follow the process. You trust what you’ve learned, even when your mind is telling you to do something else.

There’s no rushing it. No guessing. Just steady, disciplined steps.

The older I get, the more I realize how much of that training started long before I ever stepped into an airplane.

My dad passed away this past April, and I’ve found myself thinking a lot about the things he taught me over the years. He was a mason too, and like a lot of men from that generation, he didn’t spend much time talking about leadership. He taught by example.

Show up early. Stay steady. Do the work the right way even when nobody’s watching.

He took a lot of pride in the trade, and even now I still catch myself measuring decisions against the example he set.

Looking back now, those lessons were preparing me for a lot more than masonry.

That experience stuck with me, because it applies so closely to what we deal with every day in this industry.

When things don’t go as planned on a job, the temptation is the same. Speed it up. Skip a step. Make a quick decision just to get through it.

But more often than not, that’s what creates bigger problems.

The answer usually isn’t to do more. It’s to go back to what you know works.

Fundamentals.

Good communication.

Clear direction.

Safe practices.

Quality workmanship.

The same things we talk about every day, those are the things that matter most when things aren’t going right.

I’ve seen it in our own business. There are jobs that go exactly how you draw them up, and there are jobs that challenge you at every turn.

When those challenges hit, the difference isn’t talent. It’s how steady you stay.

Do you stick to your process?

Do you support your people?

Do you make decisions with a clear head instead of reacting?

When you’ve got crews depending on you, and families behind those crews, you don’t get the luxury of panic. You have to stay grounded.

That’s where leadership shows up.

Not in the easy moments, but in the ones where things are uncertain.

The same applies to our industry as a whole. We’re constantly dealing with change, labor shortages, tighter margins, shifting schedules, and new expectations. It would be easy to chase quick fixes or shortcuts.

But the companies that last, the ones that build something meaningful over time, are the ones that stay rooted in the basics.

They train their people.

They communicate clearly.

They take pride in the work.

They do things the right way, even when it’s harder.

Those aren’t complicated ideas. But they require discipline.

Just like in that airplane, when things get uncertain, you don’t need a new system. You need to trust the one that works.

Over time, I’ve come to appreciate that staying steady is a skill. It’s something you learn. Something you practice. And something you pass on to the people around you.

One of the best examples of that is the SkillsUSA masonry competition held each year in Atlanta. The MCAA has a strong presence there, and it’s always impressive to see how many members from across the country come together to support it.

Contractors, suppliers, educators, and industry leaders volunteer their time as judges, tenders, scorekeepers, cleanup crews, and mentors. A tremendous amount of work goes into making those competitions successful, and most of it happens quietly behind the scenes.

But when you stand there and watch those students compete, you realize it’s about more than a contest. It’s about investing in the future of the trade. It’s about teaching fundamentals, building confidence, and helping the next generation understand what pride in workmanship looks like.

You can see the focus in those students. You can see the pressure they feel trying to perform at a high level. And you can also see what happens when preparation and training begin to take over.

That kind of investment matters. Because one day, many of those students will be the people leading jobs, running companies, mentoring younger workers, and helping move this industry forward.

Because at some point, they’ll be the ones in that moment.

And they’ll either rely on what they’ve been taught, or they won’t.

When things don’t go as planned, and they won’t, you fall back on your training, your people, and your fundamentals.

That’s what keeps you moving forward. That’s what keeps you on course.

There’s a quote from Robert Ingersoll that fits this perfectly:

“We rise by lifting others.”

In many ways, that’s exactly what this trade, and this association, has always been about.

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