Stability in a Sea of Change
This issue marks Grading & Excavation Contractor’s 11th anniversary, and, as has been my habit, I take a moment to reflect on what has changed over the years and what remains the same.
In terms of the machinery and the impacts of technology, the changes have been nothing short of revolutionary, a condition brought home to me in my recent adventures at ICUEE in Louisville, KY. Just one example of the tremendous changes that have occurred since the beginning of the millennium can be found in the venerable skid-steer loader, a machine that for much of its first 50 years had undergone continuous but relatively minor improvements. Imagine what it would be like to step out of one of the Melroe brothers’ 1958 turkey-droppings scooper into one of today’s versatile workhorses. Ditto a 20th century dozer, excavator, or grader…double ditto the machine- and job-site-control systems that continue to drive productivity to new heights. Yet beneath these wonderful advances lie leadership and entrepreneurial skills and practices that endure and continue to separate the leaders from the also-rans.
My first Editor’s Comments reflected on my experience in the military and debate between “loose ship” and “tight ship” advocates, recalling that while as a neophyte I favored the “loose” variety, experience taught that “tight” wins hands down—whether we’re talking ships, squadrons, or business. I then directed my remarks to what Grading & Excavation Contractor had to offer…
Grading & Excavation Contractor is not about dirt, how to dig it, or what kind of iron you should have to do it with, I said in conclusion. You know that stuff already (even if you don’t, a magazine isn't going to help much). The fare we bring to the table has to do with productivity, good decisions, staying out of the clutches of the regulators, and building more soundness into your business with every yard of dirt you touch.
The keys as we saw them then were rooted in a company’s culture:
Human resource management—It begins with how you feel and express your expectations for performance and safety...not only in what you say, but how you act. It’s hard not to look at both in terms of spreadsheet data, but these give an imperfect—sometimes misleading—picture of the qualities they’re supposed to represent. We rate safety in terms of accidents because they can be measured. Yet while it is true that you can’t make a direct count of things that don’t happen, the absence of accidents is what your safety program is all about. The same holds true with performance achievements. More important than the quantifiable aspects are the intangible results your efforts have on the relationship between you and your workers. It’s not just the training you provide or the rules you lay down, but their impact on the underlying culture of your organization that is the most important bottom line.
Regulations—As with safety, it is hard to judge your performance in regulatory matters without reference to violations and their cost in terms of fines and make-goods. Yet here, as in safety or performance, the real measure lies in doing things the right way rather than just meeting the prescribed requirements. While it may be tempting to say to yourself that where monetary Brownie Points aren’t at stake, “good enough” should be sufficient, you know that anything short of excellence—even in areas peripheral to the job at hand—will come home to roost somewhere down the line.
Advertisement
Technology—For years, construction, particularly in the dirt-moving arena, was resistant to technology…but no more. The field has seen more change in the past decade than in all the years following World War II, a fact that is most apparent in the equipment that is being delivered today. But stunning as these changes have been, the real advances have come in (and as a result of) computerization. Think back to when you bit the bullet and took your first tentative steps into the computer age…and compare that vision to where you are today. You may not like all the changes that have occurred as a result of that decision, but your knowledge of and control over the factors that affect your business are light-years removed from what they used to be.
Vision—Your ability to access, digest, and apply pertinent information is the remainder of the equation to which that voice in the beginning referred. It is what military people call intelligence, and it is built on your energy and dedication in exposing yourself to the knowledge and vision of others, beginning with the experience of your professional advisors, peers, and the people whose livelihood are in your hands. I’d like you to consider Grading & Excavation Contractor as a conduit to all those categories, but the final analysis, it is your desire to succeed that gets you the winning ticket.
Author's Bio: John Trotti is the Editor of Grading & Excavation Contractor magazine.
October 2009
Stability in a Sea of Change
This issue marks Grading & Excavation Contractor’s 11th anniversary, and, as has been my habit, I take a moment to reflect on what has changed over the years and what remains the same.
In terms of the machinery and the impacts of technology, the changes have been nothing short of revolutionary, a condition brought home to me in my recent adventures at ICUEE in Louisville, KY. Just one example of the tremendous changes that have occurred since the beginning of the millennium can be found in the venerable skid-steer loader, a machine that for much of its first 50 years had undergone continuous but relatively minor improvements. Imagine what it would be like to step out of one of the Melroe brothers’ 1958 turkey-droppings scooper into one of today’s versatile workhorses. Ditto a 20th century dozer, excavator, or grader…double ditto the machine- and job-site-control systems that continue to drive productivity to new heights. Yet beneath these wonderful advances lie leadership and entrepreneurial skills and practices that endure and continue to separate the leaders from the also-rans.
My first Editor’s Comments reflected on my experience in the military and debate between “loose ship” and “tight ship” advocates, recalling that while as a neophyte I favored the “loose” variety, experience taught that “tight” wins hands down—whether we’re talking ships, squadrons, or business. I then directed my remarks to what Grading & Excavation Contractor had to offer…
Grading & Excavation Contractor is not about dirt, how to dig it, or what kind of iron you should have to do it with, I said in conclusion. You know that stuff already (even if you don’t, a magazine isn't going to help much). The fare we bring to the table has to do with productivity, good decisions, staying out of the clutches of the regulators, and building more soundness into your business with every yard of dirt you touch.
The keys as we saw them then were rooted in a company’s culture:
Human resource management—It begins with how you feel and express your expectations for performance and safety...not only in what you say, but how you act. It’s hard not to look at both in terms of spreadsheet data, but these give an imperfect—sometimes misleading—picture of the qualities they’re supposed to represent. We rate safety in terms of accidents because they can be measured. Yet while it is true that you can’t make a direct count of things that don’t happen, the absence of accidents is what your safety program is all about. The same holds true with performance achievements. More important than the quantifiable aspects are the intangible results your efforts have on the relationship between you and your workers. It’s not just the training you provide or the rules you lay down, but their impact on the underlying culture of your organization that is the most important bottom line.
Regulations—As with safety, it is hard to judge your performance in regulatory matters without reference to violations and their cost in terms of fines and make-goods. Yet here, as in safety or performance, the real measure lies in doing things the right way rather than just meeting the prescribed requirements. While it may be tempting to say to yourself that where monetary Brownie Points aren’t at stake, “good enough” should be sufficient, you know that anything short of excellence—even in areas peripheral to the job at hand—will come home to roost somewhere down the line.
Technology—For years, construction, particularly in the dirt-moving arena, was resistant to technology…but no more. The field has seen more change in the past decade than in all the years following World War II, a fact that is most apparent in the equipment that is being delivered today. But stunning as these changes have been, the real advances have come in (and as a result of) computerization. Think back to when you bit the bullet and took your first tentative steps into the computer age…and compare that vision to where you are today. You may not like all the changes that have occurred as a result of that decision, but your knowledge of and control over the factors that affect your business are light-years removed from what they used to be.
Vision—Your ability to access, digest, and apply pertinent information is the remainder of the equation to which that voice in the beginning referred. It is what military people call intelligence, and it is built on your energy and dedication in exposing yourself to the knowledge and vision of others, beginning with the experience of your professional advisors, peers, and the people whose livelihood are in your hands. I’d like you to consider Grading & Excavation Contractor as a conduit to all those categories, but the final analysis, it is your desire to succeed that gets you the winning ticket.