World Fence News

62 • JULY 2018 • WORLD FENCE NEWS Is your business or association positioned for the changing economy? Do you have the strategy in place to put you and your staff/members in the best position to succeed? If the answer to the above questions is anything other than a solid YES, then contact us to discuss possible ways we can help you to improve your overall operations and to help put you and your business or association in a better position to succeed. MANAGEMENT MOTIVATIONAL ASSOCIATES, INC. When you need an experienced executive level management consultant like Jim Lucci to review overall business strategy and procedures or business specifics such as sales training, staff motivation, time management, inventory control, scheduling, yard/warehouse layout, etc., call Jim Lucci at 516-379-0903 or fill out and return the coupon below by mail or fax to 516-379-2404 or contact us by e-mail at MMAJandJ@aol.com (please identify subject as consulting). We will contact you promptly to discuss your needs and schedule business, seminar, meeting or convention appointments and rates. Appointments may be made for personal appearances or telephone consultations. Fill out (please print) and return to: James V. (Jim) Lucci Management Motivational Associates, Inc. 18 Hansome Place • Freeport, NY 11520 • MMAJandJ@aol.com Please call me. I'm interested in ______________________________________________________ Telephone _______________________________ Convenient time ___________________________ Fax Number ____________________________ E-mail: ___________________________________ Name ______________________________________________________________________________ Name of Business/Organization _______________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________________________________ City ____________________________________ State ______ Zip ___________________________ World Fence News contributing editor Read Jim Lucci's monthly column: The Human Link • Jim's Byline: PROFIT IS NOT A DIRTY WORD!™ Past IFIA Convention speaker and presenter of Eastern International Convention keynote addresses Jim Lucci COUPON Steve Saucerman's quintessential corporate office staffing matrix continued from page 58 because sales are indeed the lifeblood of successful operations. Therefore, it wasn't long before I was devoting huge chunks of my day to sales duties alone. But (and here's the funny part) it turns out that a sane and rational sales- person can spend only so long in a room with faulty a i r- cond it ion i ng, poor ventilation and two trust- f u n d - b e s t o w e d , h o p e l e s s l y- e n t i - tled, 20-something newlyweds pettily arguing over (what appears to be) 15 different versions of the same beige Formica ® color chip before this same sane and ratio- nal salesperson begins to fantasize about forcing said sample chips down the entitled windpipes of the darling young couple! Ah … sorry … I'm good now, re- ally … ok, let's continue … Suffice it to say, I grew disillu- sioned and even a little depressed. But everyone knows the only difference between depression and full-blown mental illness is in the level of com- mitment, so there was only one direc- tion my life could take: commercial construction contracting; and it was here I would stay for the next quarter century. Fun with extrapolation Over the course of my commercial construction tenure, I worked with no less than five different Midwest, mid- size commercial general contractors – primarily in the role of cost estimator and project manager. The work was fulfilling (either that or I'd just stopped caring) but it wasn't long before I came to realize remarkable consistencies from com- pany to company that were – well – "enlightening." Perhaps the most intriguing of these observations had to do with the home office itself. It was the same no matter where I went. It turned out that those occupying positions of authority were alarmingly similar – and not in a good way. So, based on my expansive expe- rience, I'd like to introduce you to: Steve Saucerman's quintessential corporate office staffing matrix for every mid-size, Midwest contractor office … ever. The founder • This guy is a bonified, char- ter-member, nails-for-breakfast-eating stud. He built the business from the ground up using his bare hands and the pickup truck he saved up for as a teenager. He achieved success through hard work, long days and a fierce dedi- cation to his clients, employees and trade. He charged honest fees, paid his bills on time and put his house up for mortgage to cover payroll during lean times. He retired eight years ago after passing the business onto his son and people still reminisce about his unmatched character, unpar- alleled work ethic, and a level of drive and determination simply not found in today's workers. The founder's first son • Cries at stop signs. • Claps when pancakes arrive at Dennys ® . • Cares way too much about which generation IPhone ® he owns. • Has state-college business de- gree (fully funded by parents) hang- ing prominently in his office next to the portrait of him shaking hands with the governor. Despite this, he still managed to come away from the college with a 2.6 grade-point, no appreciable skills or business acumen, and a sense of personal entitlement that would make Paris Hilton say, "Oh, that's just wrong." • Typical work week includes sending calls to voicemail, glomming and intercepting sporting and event tickets from vendors/clients for the upcoming weekend (none are passed onto co-workers) and exchanging subcontracts and purchase orders for work on his personal residence. • He is genuinely bewildered at staff meetings when he asks why the company isn't doing better? The founder's first daughter* *Based on the bewildering yet ap- parently universally accepted doctrine that prohibits women in construction from: 1) Holding any position other than receptionist, secretary or bookkeeper. 2) Being extended a living wage corresponding to their actual value to the company. 3) Being acknowledged as the heart and soul of the operation and World Fence News – Our focus is on the people, products and projects in the fence industry! ...it turns out that a sane and rational salesperson can spend only so long in a room with faulty air-conditioning, poor ventilation and two trust-fund-bestowed, hopelessly-entitled, 20-something newlyweds pettily arguing over (what appears to be) 15 different versions of the same beige Formica ® color chip before this same sane and rational sales- person begins to fantasize about forcing said sample chips down the entitled windpipes of the darling young couple ! 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