What Our Children Need

We are seeing many Father's Day messages and Father's Day is indeed a day to celebrate.  Fatherhood is among the most rewarding experiences in our lives but at times can be trying.  Today's culture of alternate types of families can make navigating child rearing a challenge.  Here are some of my thoughts on what we should never forget as fathers.

Always love your child's mother.  This will teach your son's to treat women with respect.  For your daughters it will teach them that they deserve respect.  Even if you are divorced, treat your child's mom with respect.  

Your children need to see you lead.  You set the examples.  Leading doesn't mean being the boss.  Leading means keeping a good attitude in the face of adversity, telling the truth, accepting difficult situations while not losing your temper and working hard.  

You need to be present.  You must be involved in their school work, in their social life and in all areas of their life.  Again, if you are divorced, you must overcome your sense of discomfort and remain a constant presence in the life of your children.  

You need to affirm them.  They need to know that you love them, that you are proud of them and they need your words of encouragement.  My daughter is now 30 and comments regularly about the support that she received from her mother and I by instilling in her that she can accomplish anything

Celebrate your day with your children and regularly assess their needs and how you can support them!  Happy Father's Day.  

My Garage, the "End" of the Pandemic and Newly Found Productivity!

Sunday was something of a milestone for me but I'd like to talk about getting there first.  Our lives changed drastically since 3/2020.  Many lives were lost, work for many shifted to working from home, exercise also became a home based activity, we couldn't attend Church, go out to eat & more.  Even as restrictions eased the habits created became difficult to break.

I was fortunate to work in a small office so we continued to work & have the advantage of social interaction & its' positive impact on productivity but other areas of my life suffered.  I gained weight.  I purchased exercise equipment and watched Church on TV.  The exercise equipment was great, until summer and 100 degree temps hit or winter and mornings in the 20s.  My weight bench quickly became a great place to stack empty Amazon boxes and my weights were strewn about.  A week or 2 back I got rid of the boxes and neatly put away the weights.  This was my first official act of the "End" of the Pandemic.  

Sunday I returned to the gym & it was good to see others similarly focused on their health.  There is something to be said for esprit de corps in reestablishing routines.  We also returned to Chruch and were greeted by friends making the experience more significant than viewing on TV.  

Now is the time to leverage the benefits of social interaction, return to work vs working at home, gain the productivity & thrive.  

I hope that you have a great week! 

Celebrate Today!

Every June millions of our children graduate High School.  It is a time for celebration and high hopes.  What should we be teaching our children as they enter adulthood?

First, their educational journey is not over.  Many will advise them to follow those passions but, I don't.  Passions change.  They need to be prepared with a solid set of skills that will serve them for life.  How did they do in STEM classes?  Did they take them?  What about English?  How are their writing skills?  Do they have a sufficient vocabulary?  It seems to me that our secondary education system fails them in these areas by encouraging less important curriculum.  Proficiency in these areas will insure their success regardless of their passion.   If they obtained less than B grades in these classes they should start in a Junior College to master those skills.  These will serve them well in any profession, even skilled labor positions.  

Yes, June is a time to celebrate their accomplishment of graduation but after the celebration is over, we as parents owe it to them to provide the guidance needed to serve them well over a lifetime.  Congratulations for parenting your child well and helping them to get to this point.  Celebrate today, prepare for tomorrow! 

Training Your Team to Sell

I frequently am asked to recruit engineers that have skills to sell business on behalf of the company, are well regarded by clients and have clients that will transition projects to their new companies, even if they are well underway.  I have tried this periodically over the year with mixed success which leads me to a number of questions.  

The desired candidates are usually long term employees with their companies and well taken care of.  I understand that there are exceptions and some of these professionals may be willing to change but more often it is people that may not have the desired sales skills.  Have you considered a true value proposition that may attract these folks?  It probably is not the same that you have been discussing but should be a unique and compelling story.

The real question is, why can't consulting civil engineering and environmental consulting firms invest in training their staff to sell?  Professional training and development in sales for your teams and sales management training for your managers is a must for long term and consistent growth.  Additionally, an investment in a CRM is essential.  

Maybe it is time to reinvent the wheel rather than doing the same things repetitively.

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Graduation Day

While many have children graduating high school & college this time of year I have a different type of graduation.  Today I finished 8 wks. of radiation for Prostate Cancer.  With faith I continue with Chemotherapy for at least 90 days.  

This journey started with diagnosis in March, 2020 & has been a long road including little pain or discomfort but plenty of worry as well as fatigue from the treatments.  I think of myself as a God Loving Christian but have learned through this experience that I always can pray more & used my daily drive to the Oncologist office & on the treatment table to do just that.  At first I was angry & wanted to know, "Why?" I then began to pray for healing, for wisdom for the medical staff and to be able to watch our daughter have a child and be able to spoil him/her.  Those that know me best know that I have always been a "fixer" with little that I can't control.  God has taught me otherwise with this experience & that is probably the answer to my "Why?"  

1 Peter 5:6  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.  

Setting People Up for Success

Earlier in my career I had a branch manager in my group that was a top performer.  He had good control of his branch, trained his team well & was respected by his staff, his customers & his peers.  Eventually I had a position open that would be a promotion to Regional Manager & Joe was my first choice.  He accepted when I offered him the position.  

Joe struggled right out of the gates but I was not alarmed as that sometimes happens when someone assumes new responsibilities.  It became evident that it was more than adjusting though.  I worked with him regularly but the results didn't improve.  One day I was listening to talk radio & the discussion focused on Dyslexia.  I saw many of the behaviors in Joe that they pointed out & turned around & went directly to his office to gently discussed the issue.  Joe was relieved that I figured it out.  He felt stressed & overwhelmed.  Over the years he mastered his prior role & with hard work and perseverance became a success but, this was too much.   I asked him why he hadn't discussed his frustrations with me & he indicated that he didn't want to let me down.  When asked what he would like to do he volunteered to go back to his prior position and remained there, happy and successful for years.

The lesson learned is to pay attention to people and openly communicate in order to best serve them.  

Why Kick Someone When They Are Down?

Yesterday while viewing "highlights" of the Pittsburgh Pirates game vs the Cubs I witnessed one of the all time flubs in professional sports.  I am sure you have seen the replay that I am referring to.  At first I was furious with the player for the mental lapse.  Typical fan reaction, right?  After the game, Bucs' Manager Derek Shelton tried to take the blame in his post game interview.  Again, I was upset.  Why not hold the player accountable?

Several hours later I was still pondering the fiasco.  (I should probably disclose that I am a life long and obsessed Pirates fan.)  It finally came to me that the easiest thing that Shelton could have done was to be critical or not to be supportive.  His defense will insure that Craig will do everything in his power to justify that support.  The rest of the team will witness that & remember that instance of grace & also commit to not letting Shelton down.  

Yes, I know they are professional & should give their best efforts at all times.  I also know that they are people & what is capable when they feel supported.  

Thanks for the lesson Sheltie!