Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/620628
January 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 74 final word | by Tom Jackson E ver heard of the 101st Airborne Divi- sion? Iwo Jima? Bunker Hill, Gettys- burg, Black Hawk Down? And who could forget Bill Murray in the classic movie Stripes? People know these stories because the military makes it a point to tell them. The military does it well. The construction industry hardly at all. The Pentagon has a substantial budget to sup- port movies that tell its story – and yes, even Stripes got to use Fort Knox for filming. Every major military installation has a public affairs office that tells its story internally through a post or base newspaper and externally by developing relation- ships with journalists and community leaders. When you stand in formation with an Army com- pany, your unit's flag will carry the battle stream- ers of every major engagement in which it fought. Those flags and streamers tell a story. Heaven help the soldier who goes before a promotion board and doesn't know what those represent. Now, you may think that no construction com- pany has a story that's as dramatic as the Battle of the Bulge. However, that doesn't mean you don't have a story, or that your story is insignificant. Does the guy who started your company, your dad or your granddad, have construction in his blood? Did he help build the Hoover Dam or an important local project? Is his portrait on the walls of your office or reception area with a de- scription of his accomplishments? That's a story you need to tell. Has your company built or helped build some- thing significant? The local high school, a hospi- tal, a football stadium or the levees that protect a major city? Get a photo of those projects, blow them up to mural size and display them along with the names of everybody who worked on the project. Have you been featured in a newspa- per or magazine article? Has your company won awards? Those should be displayed prominently, and not just on the walls, but on your company website. Does your company stationary list the awards you've achieved? Does your company logo-wear tell that story? The construction industry is every bit as im- portant to this country as the military. In many respects, the work is just as hard and just as dangerous. Yet, too many company owners have this aw-shucks-too-humble-to-go-braggin' atti- tude, and that means their story never gets told. The reason a leader tells his organization's story is because it gives everybody in that organization a better sense of purpose; of being part of some- thing larger. If all you have to offer is a paycheck, then employees are going to walk every time somebody offers them $1 an hour more. Nobody joins the Navy SEALs or the Army Rangers for the money. Military pay grades are fixed regardless of the job. SEALS get paid the same as a supply clerk of equal rank. They do it because they've heard the story and they want to measure themselves against the story. They want to be a part of a team that is considered the best. The elite. The few, the proud. Most young people want this, but modern society offers few opportu- nities. The military offers that opportunity and so does construction. If you want motivated employees, if you want them striving to be their best, tell them your sto- ry. Give them a reason that's bigger than money. Don't hide your light under a bushel. Tell your story TJackson@randallreilly.com How the military does leadership, Part 1 (first in a series)