Collecting Hats

Words: Dick Dentinger

Several years ago, I saw a half-time show at a basketball game where an entertainer rode a unicycle at midcourt. She then proceeded to carefully pedal in place and in circles as she put a plate on her head and then another and on and on until she had an unthinkably tall stack of plates on her head. All along, she used her outstretched arms to keep her balance as she unicycled left and right and back and forth without dropping even one plate from her head. She looked like a manager of a contracting business. We contractors perform a balancing act throughout our careers. We don’t balance plates on our head while keeping our small businesses steady, but we absolutely wear many different hats as we navigate our way through each day.

The analogy makes sense. We wear a lot of different hats. That’s because we carry responsibilities in all aspects of the arena within the business of mason contracting. We are part-time accountants, part-time project managers, part-time bankers and part-time chemists. We are part-time architects and safety experts. We dabble in human resources, while being facilitators, negotiators, and even part-time attorneys.

On any given day we may find ourselves on a jobsite in the morning wearing several of those hats in addition to our hard hat. We may work to resolve a discrepancy on site versus what we bid off plans on bid day. We could then head into a job trailer to make our case to the general contractor as we work to iron out multiple open issues before they impact our performance and success. In addition, we often find our need to dilute misunderstandings or hard feelings from a key employee that’s been ruminating for too long in the field or at the office.

Often, we are tasked with contacting a supplier regarding specifications or a testing result, or an unexpected delay in the projected delivery date of materials on a project where liquidated damages are nearing the horizon. We can find ourselves in the office churning away on regular reporting that is due to our bank and bonding partners. Next, a project manager brings a contract to our desk for signature. The contract is full of boiler plate language, one-sided legal phrasing, and murder clauses. As you decipher the fine print you recall how you were the low bidder from a list of six others on bid day.

The many hats of the day can weigh heavy on your head as you arrive home hoping your cellphone will refrain from chirping more fires to put out until the morning. You also hope you can sleep through the evening rather than wake up late in the night hoping your brain won’t start calculating payrolls and projecting revenue while you try to fall back asleep. So, it appears it takes a unique set of skills to be part of the leadership team of a business within our industry. Not everyone is prepared to sacrifice all that is required to carry the weight on their shoulders that a manager, leader, or owner of a business accepts in their role.

Yeah, that’s all true. But, come on. Anyone who takes their job seriously could say the same about how tough their job is. Plus, surely each of us wouldn’t do what we do for a living if we didn’t enjoy the challenge and the potential benefits we earn for our families. If we succeed.

Which is why we surround ourselves with people who specialize in each of the areas represented by the hats we constantly swap on our heads. We hire safety consultants. We lean on attorneys, our insurance broker or insurance agency to provide input on potential liability and risk with questionable agreements. We invest in modern software and equipment to ensure we are being more productive.

As important to surrounding ourselves with outside experts, and valuable key team members within our businesses, is the decision to be active in whatever local and national mason contractor’s association within our grasp. Being involved in your local group makes certain you are tied to the local market and have a hand in steering it. Similarly, it is for this reason we choose to be a part of MCAA. MCAA is the go-to voice of our masonry industry at a national level and is recognized by other construction associations as a strong leader in the construction industry as a whole. Being active in MCAA and playing a role in its efforts not just by simply paying annual dues, but by attending the mid-year convention and the annual convention to voice your input to our collective efforts is critical to ensuring your business and business strategies are maximized.

As an active member of my local association in Minnesota, and our national MCAA group for my entire career, I always confidently recommend other contractors, including my local competitors, come join our efforts if they have yet to do so. If you have never participated in a MCAA mid-year meeting, do so this year. Join us as the MCAA celebrates our 75th Anniversary. Look for notices for the midyear which will be held in beautiful Mackinac Island, Michigan this September. It’s a perfect opportunity to see the resources being worked on your behalf in our industry, and to participate with others who, just like you, also wear many hats.

Collecting Hats

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