Paying Attention Along the Way

I have spent the last 14 years of my career in construction management, focusing on blue collar HR and construction safety.  I call it blue collar HR because the people I have the privilege of supporting on a daily basis are craftsmen who work with their hands while designing and building the infrastructure of this country.  They are, without a doubt, my people, even if I haven't always fit in.  They accepted me when I was green, defended me when necessary, and helped educate me in the construction realm.  These folks will always have my utmost respect.

On Monday, I begin a new challenge, however, focusing solely on environmental health and safety. While I am transitioning out of human resources, I take with me numerous lessons learned .  Here are just a few:

You can come to the correct conclusion.  You can implement it incorrectly.

When you have the opportunity, craft the narrative, otherwise it will be crafted for you.

When you have the chance to lead consider the type of leader you want to be; one who leads or one who tells others what to do.

If you've never gotten the opportunity to lead, ask yourself why not.  Leaders are needed in every vocation.  

Absent direction, hard work is chaos, accomplishing nothing.  In light of direction, hard work is focused, accomplishing anything.

Give others the credit.  Take none for yourself.

Work for employers who value people above any profit, success, or selfish motivation. Success is inevitable when you prioritize people.

Create relationships with people not businesses.  Have two contacts for every one aspect of work.  Resist the urge to develop a third. 

There are doers and there are conceivers.  There are doers who conceive and conceivers who do.  There seems to be a disproportionate number of conceivers who don't do however.  When in doubt, be a doer.

Set your sights on helping people.  You will create relationships that will survive the toughest times.

Respect is earned.  Job titles don't merit respect.  Job titles absent respect work in reverse.

You cannot move backwards in career or relationships.  Remember this.

Always point out the elephant in the room.  Failure to point out the elephant in the room creates a blue whale, not a hamster.  

Be the one to give the bad news.  It's best coming from someone who cares than someone who doesn't.  

I have more but I've learned the longer the prose, the less it is read.  Another philosophy I suppose.  Feel free to share some of yours.