Partners in Progress Vol 16 No 5

PartnersINProgress SMACNA & SMART—Building a Future Together

July / August 2022

Heavy Metal Summer is back and ready to rock the sheet metal industry

PartnersINProgress SMACNA & SMART—Building a Future Together

JOSEPH SELLERS, JR. AL LABELLA Co-Publishers KAARIN ENGELMANN editor@pinpmagazine.org Editor-in-Chief JESSICA KIRBY jkirby@pointonemedia.com Editor

CONTENTS

10

July / August 2022 - Volume 16, Number 5

3 INDUSTRY LEADERS TURN VISIONS INTO REALITY This issue highlights some of the innovative, forward-thinking leaders that

make the sheet metal industry shine.

4 HEAVY METAL SUMMER IS BACK SMACNA and SMART are working together to share Heavy Metal Summer

training and recruitment across the United States.

6 LEADERSHIP AND OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

KMS Metal Fabrication and Local 24 use leadership training to boost operational excellence.

8 MAKE YOUR MARK Expertise marketing materials are available to take SMACNA and SMART

members to the next level in their marketing.

POINT ONE MEDIA INC. artdept@pointonemedia.com Creative Services

Partners in Progress is a publication of the Sheet Metal Industry LaborManagement Cooperation Fund.

All contents ©2022 by the Sheet Metal Industry Labor-Management Cooperation Fund, P.O. Box 221211, Chantilly, VA 20153-1211.

Find Partners in Progress online at pinp.org or at issuu.com/ partnersinprogress. An archive of all issues is available. Issues may be downloaded and printed for no fee.

For comments or questions, email editor@pinpmagazine.org.

10 TAB FOR THE FUTURE A new TAB lab at Local 46 is a source of great pride thanks to a joint effort

between the union, SMACNA, NEMIC, and the ITI.

13 WHAT ARE YOUR LEADERSHIP DERAILERS? We all want to be great leaders, but we also have our faults. Identify yours

and get to work turning them around.

14 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “MASTER MY STORIES” Communicating well is all about telling the right and true story, even in the

most difficult conversations.

16 MY JOURNEY: JOE POTESTA Joe Potesta, welding specialist with the ITI, scores big time with his new

position.

2 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

S HE E T M E TA L | A I R | R A I L | T R A N S P O R TAT I O N

Sheet Metal Industry Leaders

Turn Visions into Reality

Warren G. Bennis, an American scholar widely regarded as a pioneer in the contemporary field of leadership studies, defined leadership as “the capacity to translate vision into reality”. We are fortunate to be a part of an industry that has more than its fair share of visionary leaders at the helm with SMACNA National, SMART International, the national trust funds—including ITI, NEMI, and SMOHIT—and in Locals, Contractor firms, Chapters, and local funds, including the JATCs. In our cover story on page 4, learn how a leader translated her vision for a Heavy Metal Summer Experience (HMSE) Camp into a successful local program and launched nation-wide efforts to introduce sheet metal industry career opportunities to underserved teens and their parents. As president of SMACNA when the program was being developed, Angie Simon took advantage of all of her industry meetings and connections to share her vision and inspire others. Not only did industry partners step up to volunteer their time, but also, generous vendors and manufacturers offered financial support, tool bags, work boots, and other PPE for the students. Real leaders want others to benefit from their successes—that is why Simon and her peers from SMACNA-Western Washington, who also launched a HMSE program in 2021, developed a step-by-step HMSE Playbook, which details every aspect of operations, including a break-down of costs and daily itineraries.

Who wants the formula for increasing productivity, team cohesiveness, communication, and morale, while decreasing waste? We think pretty much everyone. “Leadership and Operational Excellence” on page 6 demonstrates how leadership training for every one of KSM Metal Fabrication’s employees led to tremendous operational improvements and a better work atmosphere. KSM President and COO Kathy Kerber describes how empowering her team allows her more time to focus on company growth. No surprise that this forward-thinking owner is a valued member of the SMACNA-SMART Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force (BPMETF).

At the BPMETF’s inception, members went directly to the customers who hire contractors to find out what criterion was most important when awarding work. The resounding answer was “Expertise”. They wanted to hire the most proficient contractors with the most productive and highly skilled craftspersons. This research led to the development of the Expertise industry branding campaign. Turn to “Make Your Mark” on page 8 to view the logos available to contractors, Locals, and JATCs to promote their capabilities, create work opportunities, and distinguish themselves from the competition.

“If you build it, they will come” is a great line, and we do not have to limit its use to those times when a corn farmer in

Iowa is convinced it is a great idea to build a baseball diamond for ghosts (Field of Dreams, movie, 1989). The line suggests that if someone puts effort and belief into a project, it is more likely to succeed. The state-of-the-art TAB lab envisioned by SMACNA Rochester and Local 46 provides an example of that principle. Read “TAB for the Future” on page 10 to see how the contractor and union leaders envisioned a lab where contractors could send their employees to earn certifications.

The demand and need were there—all they had to do was build it, which became complicated when the pandemic forced shutdowns. Today, the lab is training and certifying employees for the upsurge in TAB work that has grown from increased concerns around proper ventilation.

We all strive to be better leaders. There is a lot written on what leaders should do and very often we focus on that while ignoring the things leaders should not do. Those things that leaders should avoid are called “leadership derailers”.

Learning from your mistakes or those of others can be just as valuable as learning what has worked effectively. Turn to page 13 for the top ten leadership derailers and identify those that may be impeding your success.

Few would be surprised to learn that the “stories” we tell ourselves sometimes do not promote or achieve our best interests. In “Crucial Conversations Skill Summary: Master My Stories”, on page 14, Jantzen Pahl explains that a “story” is our rationale for what is occurring and our own interpretation of the facts. When stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions are running strong, we may confuse our story with what the facts really are. Pahl identifies three common pitfalls but provides questions we can ask to make sure we have a clearer understanding of what the facts really are.

Finally, we examine Joe Potesta’s career in the sheet metal industry in “My Journey” on page 16. Potesta went from apprentice to a national position with the ITI. He explains his proudest accomplishments and why he attributes his success to the leaders who encouraged him throughout his journey.

The Partners in Progress team wishes everyone a happy summer and encourages readers to tell us about the innovative leaders in their local areas.▪ Partners in Progress » July / August 2022 » 3

Heavy Metal Summer is Back

The Heavy Metal Summer camp is a game-changer in raising youth awareness and changing lives By / Natalie Bruckner  Photos courtesy of Western Allied Mechanical

Heavy Metal Summer Experience successfully connects young people and their parents to opportunities in the sheet metal industry. Now, thanks to the HMSE Playbook, the program is available to every local area.

Heavy Metal Summer Experience (HMSE) is a six-week summer program aimed at building interest in the sheet metal industry among young people. Its goal is simply to introduce youth between the ages of 15 and 19, as well as their parents, to opportunities in the sheet metal industry. In 2021, the pilot program was such a success that it has grown from one program involving 28 young people held in two locations (California and Washington) to 11 camps with around 180 youth. Next summer, it is expected to be even bigger.

“I have to admit, we’re pretty overwhelmed by the response,” says Angie Simon, advisor to the board at Western Allied Mechanical in Menlo Park, California. Little did Simon know when she had that lightbulb moment in 2020 that lights would start coming on across the country.

“It all started when I was having a conversation with my business partner. He told me that his eldest son, who was 14 at the time, wasn’t very engaged in school. The summer prior, he had taken an arts class in Oakland where he learned to weld.

4 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

He loved it. He ended up taking welding lessons and was great at it.

“It got me thinking—there are so many kids out there who don’t consider college. We should show them what a great opportunity we can offer. So, we talked about how awesome a sheet metal camp would be,” Simon explains.

The wheels were set in motion. The partners at Western Allied approved Simon’s budget of $30,000 to run the camp.

But, as with any successful venture, it takes a village, and people were quick to come onboard.

After hearing about the idea during a SMACNA Annual Convention roundtable discussion on workforce development, Jana Burbank, from Hermanson Company, and Julie Muller, executive vice president of SMACNA Western-Washington, asked if they could get involved.

“We created a committee with Western Allied Mechanical, SMACNA-Western Washington, SMACNA National, and Construction for Change,” Burbank explains.”We met every other week on Zoom to flesh out the details.”

Local 66 JATC Executive Administrator Jeff Reinhardt was next onboard. “Jana wanted to get the training center involved and use the facility,” Reinhardt says. “This would allow young people to learn about apprenticeship as part of their experience.

We loved the idea.”

It was time to search for participants. Fortuitously, Simon mentioned the idea to one of her renters. “My tenant was explaining that her son wasn’t sure he wanted to go to college and asked if he could tour Western Allied. I said absolutely! I told her about my camp, and it turns out she works in East Palo Alto for Live In Peace, a charity that empowers young adults to reclaim the vision for their future. We teamed up with them.

They are amazing!” Simon says.

Additional funding for the camp was made available when a local developer came forward with a $16,000 donation that would be split between the youth as a stipend for going to camp.

Milwaukee Tool donated tool bags and PPE, and other local vendors around the area helped offset the cost of the boots.

Auburn School District provided transportation, resulting in limited liability to the program.

During the summer of 2021, 28 youth attended the six week camp every Tuesday and Thursday, for 2.5 hours. The camp consisted of an intro day, two tour days, eight working camps, and a graduation. The camp was such a success that Hermanson hired two of the students, and Western Allied hired one.

As with any pilot program, there were many lessons learned, and so the team created the Heavy Metal Summer Experience Playbook—a 125-page living document that details every aspect of the camp, even a break-down of costs and a daily itinerary. The team used this as a blueprint for subsequent camps, including three in San Francisco’s East Bay area and one in the North Bay, two in Seattle, two in Los Angeles, one in each of St Louis, Alabama, and Atlanta.

Keith Dias, business representative at District 1 Local 104, is involved in the camp in the North Bay area. “Les Peterson, president of Peterson Mechanical, called me at the beginning

of the year and told me about HMSE,” he says. “I’ve been involved in training since 2000, so outreach is important to me.

HMSE raises awareness among the underserved youth. Les is taking the reins on this one, and we are here to help in any way we can through tours and education.”

This year the camp will also incorporate welding. “We learned that the virtual welding machines at the JATC created quite the buzz, so we will break out two kids in each sheet metal class so they receive supervised one-on-one experience,” Simon says.

HMSE continues to gain traction, not just with countless volunteers offering assistance within SMACNA and SMART, but with manufacturers, too. Earlier this year, Simon received a call from DEWALT. The company is now helping out Milwaukee with donations. “We applied for a grant from DEWALT’s mother company, Stanley Black & Decker, which runs the Global Impact Challenge and Grant and puts aside $25 million to spend on workforce development. We received grant money to hire full-time person,” Simon explains.

“This year we are also working with the San Mateo Boys and Girls Club, as well as Live In Peace. I even got a call from the foster care system. We are now officially incorporated in the state of Washington, with me acting as president, Rick Hermanson as vice president, Jana as treasurer, and Julie as secretary,” Simon says.

The camp began June 14, and graduation wrapped up July 22.

The team is excited to see where the program takes graduates, but as Simon explains, the camps are about so much more than outreach. “We had a mother come up to us at the graduation last year to thank us. Her daughter had entered a very dark space, lost and unsure of her future. The mother said she has her daughter back again after completing the camp. If we can save one kid every year and get them into a career that gives them a new life, it’s worth it.” ▪ Natalie has more than 23 years experience as a journalist, editor, and brand builder, specializing in construction and transportation. When she’s not writing, you will likely find her snowboarding, mountain biking, or climbing mountains with her rescue dog.

Partners in Progress » July / August 2022 » 5

Leadership Training Can Lead to Operational Improvements

By / Sheralyn Belyeu • Photos courtesy of KSM Metal Fabrications

KSM Metal Fabrication of Troy, Ohio, has major customers in the aerospace industry, so pandemic travel restrictions hit them hard. “Our business dropped by over half in six months and stayed that way for a year,” says Kathy Kerber, KSM president and COO. “I had to lay off half of my workforce.”

The drop hurt operations. “Communication was lacking, morale was lacking, and we were in no way set up to be effective in a ramp-up when the time came. I needed my team back better than ever.”

Kerber engaged a consultant firm to help her rethink the business. The consultant gave everyone at KSM, from Kerber to the newest hire, leadership training based on Ray Attiyah’s book Run Improve Grow: Your Roadmap from Firefighting to Bold Business Growth. The consultant facilitated training inside the plant for 12 weeks, and team members are following up with off-site classes.

Leadership training gives employees the tools to run the company, allowing Kerber to focus on growth. “I learned that everyone in the company is very capable of being empowered 6 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

and embracing change,” she says. “They want to have a voice, they want to be a part of something big, and they want to feel valued and included.”

Training transformed the work atmosphere. “There’s laughter when you walk through the shop now,” says Matt Clark, laser operator and member of Local 24. “You see more smiles and more interaction between coworkers.”

KSM’s metrics improved along with the mood. “I see a cohesive team,” Kerber says. “Gossip has stopped, rumors have stopped. Productivity increased, direct hours are higher, indirect hours are lower, scrap has decreased significantly, and inventory turns are better.”

A brief daily shop meeting is key to the improvement. “In the morning huddle, we go over our numbers, look at the estimated hours and job costs,” says journeyperson Erin Hause. “We have real-time feedback on how the shop is doing.”

They analyze problems and discuss possible improvements together. The team is learning to think proactively, not like victims. “If you have a problem, you need to be ready to fix it.

“

The team is learning to think proactively, not like victims. “If you have a problem, you need to be ready to fix it. We also go over what went well, like if we got a new customer or completed a job under schedule. We have been getting more quotes in, and we’ve never missed a deadline. That’s good for repeat customers.”

—Erin Hause, Journeyperson

”

We also go over what went well, like if we got a new customer or completed a job under schedule. We have been getting more quotes in, and we’ve never missed a deadline. That’s good for repeat customers.”

Kerber uses her whole team’s creativity by involving the entire company, about 18 people, in brainstorming sessions.

“They are the experts in solving issues in the field and shop,” she says, and she takes their ideas seriously. A journeyperson suggested that KSM management work in the shop to learn more about production.

Kerber set up a schedule to rotate them through the plant.

“Now we have a better understanding of what our workers face as far as roadblocks in production. People feel heard and that what is important to them is not forgotten.”

The consultant provided an online Action Item Tracker tool with due dates to assign and manage goals. Small items can be completed in a day, while others are long term. Together, the KSM team set goals to increase productivity by 20%, reduce the scrap percentage, have inventory accuracy, and improve communication. “Our smaller behaviors contribute to the big goals,” Hause says. “We discuss what would make production easier, better or faster.”

To solve problems, Kerber’s team needs better information.

Under a traditional management system, they frequently did

not understand her decisions. “When we needed to purchase a big-ticket item, like a new scissor lift or forklift, we got no reason for a no,” Clark says. “Now there’s more explanation on why or why not, or if we just need to hold off for three months.”

Kerber finds that people want to be involved. “It used to be that you would never share information with them,” she says.

“Now I even share financials, so they understand that what they do impacts the bottom line.” Hause finds that Kerber’s explanations improve the lines of communication “because we’re not afraid to share ideas.” Kerber’s people trust her because they know she is willing to update their equipment and knowledge and give them training that allows them to excel.

Clark has completed the offsite classes. “I learned that I had more to offer on a personal level than what I was offering,” he says. “I realized there’s more to me than what I’d been doing.”

He took over leading the morning huddles and helps with operational decisions, working with the procurement manager to streamline how jobs are processed. He also improved his communication skills and practiced thinking through shop processes. “We used to go to one department for one material, then to another department to get a second material.” After training, Clark centralized supplies in the correct departments.

“Now we’re not traveling across the shop in two directions to get things for one job. This adds value because the job is going quicker.”

The experience has been really worthwhile, Kerber says.

“People emerged as leaders. I learned that they want to meet their goals, they want to increase their goals, and they want to be promoted.” ▪ A Colorado native, Sheralyn Belyeu lives and writes deep in the woods of Alabama. When she’s not writing, she grows organic blueberries and collects misspellings of her name.

Partners in Progress » July / August 2022 » 7

MAKING YOUR MARK S HE E T M E TA L | A I R | R A I L | T R A N S P O R TAT I O N

Expertise branding is the signatory sheet metal industry’s way of standing out against the competition We know why ranchers “brand” or burn a unique mark onto the skin of their cattle—to distinguish their animals from those of their neighbors or competitors. Similarly, companies and industries brand to set themselves apart from competition.

A strong brand creates a positive association between consumers and a business or industry’s products and services.

It helps consumers remember the business or industry and feel good about using those products and services, turning those consumers into loyal customers.

Branding has always been vital to the growth and long-term success of a business, and now, thanks to social media, it is more important than ever before. Constant online connection means consumers are exposed to new brands every day and can access those brands and their offerings with just a couple of clicks or taps. Today’s savvy consumer will do the research to find the one best suited to their needs, but the more impulsive buyers, in search of the next shiny object, will not. Both of these factors will make it harder than it ever has been for a business to distinguish itself.

Fortunately for those of us in the signatory sheet metal industry, branding does not require the use of a hot branding

8 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

iron. There is a much easier and painless way. SMACNA Contractors and Chapters and SMART Locals and JATCs can distinguish themselves from the competition—by taking advantage of the Expertise Branding Program.

Our industry branding program was developed after the Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force (BPMETF) hired a professional firm to find out what factors influenced consumers of sheet metal services—mainly construction owners and general contractors—when they were in selecting contractors. This independent research, which also included sponsored focus groups, took place in four geographical areas and aimed to name and explore specific factors that were most important when hiring sheet metal contractors.

While members of the task force sat behind mirrored windows, they heard frank and candid conversations among general contractors and owners about what was important.

Competitive prices, quality construction, and on-time performance were key take-aways, but more than any other factor, customers demanded EXPERTISE when hiring sheet metal contractors.

Another important finding from the focus groups was that many people do not know what type of work is encompassed by the general term “sheet metal.” People did, however, recognize the term HVAC. These focus group findings led to the development of the HVAC, Architectural, and Industrial Expertise branding efforts and websites, which identify

SMACNA contractors and SMART tradespersons as the ultimate source for expertise for HVAC, architectural metal, industrial, and green construction and energy solutions.

All industry partners are encouraged to take advantage of the branding opportunity to convey that the superior training and adherence to high safety and quality construction standards make it good business to hire a SMACNA contractor and their skilled craftspersons for any facet of sheet metal work.

Expertise logos are free to use and available to any SMACNA Chapter, Contractor, SMART Local, training center, or industry labor-management cooperation trust that completes the licensing application available at: Expertise-Logo-LicensingAgreement.pdf (pinp.org) Such organizations are encouraged to place this logo on their business cards, stationery, estimates, invoices, trucks, hats, shirts, advertisements, and any other place where it is useful to spread the word about the value of using signatory contractors and labor.

Anyone approved to use the logos can also take advantage of free Expertise resources on pinp.org, including professional advertisements. HVACExpertise.com, IndustrialExpertise. com, and ArchitecturalExpertise.com websites offer links to signatory contractors and resources that explain the value of using Expertise contractors. It is easy to link to the Expertise sites from your website.

Join more than 400 industry contractors, chapters, locals, JATCs, and LMCCs that promote the industry expertise brand today. ▪

Partners in Progress » July / August 2022 » 9

10 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

TAB

for the Future Local 46, jointly funded ITI and NEMIC, and SMACNA contractors make new TAB lab a reality By / Jessica Kirby • Photos courtesy of Local 46

A new testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) lab at Local 46 in Rochester, New York, started with an idea—develop a lab where contractors could send their employees to earn certifications. The demand was there. The need was there. All they had to do was build it.

“The demand for testing and balancing has always been high, as it involves the health and welfare of occupants, their comfort, and energy conservation,” says Ben Bailey, vice-president of Air Systems Balancing, one of the project’s contractor sponsors. “With an increased focus around ventilation due to COVID, Local 46’s focus is in the right place at the right time.

This is an asset that not only draws people for certification but can take their training program to the next level.”

Naturally, building the lab was easier said than done, especially in the midst of a global pandemic. But the demand was fierce, and even during COVID-19, something had to be done—especially since Local 46 members could no longer travel out of state for certification, says Allen Mort, Local 46 training director.

“It’s important for us to give our members the opportunity to get into all these specialties,” says Jonathan Perna, Local 46 marketing representative. “We’re always trying to tie everything together—with fire and life safety, indoor air quality training—and with this new lab, it helps us increase that market share and give our contractors the certified people they need.”

SMACNA Rochester contractors and Local 46 worked together through the JATC cooperation and established that the new lab could be integrated into existing training space.

“As a JATC trustee, Allan brought this to our attention and we wanted to move forward with the program, which was a no brainer,” says Troy Peterson, president of SMACNA Rochester.

“Training local people and providing another learning atmosphere for our current Local 46 team of craftspeople is a benefit for all.”

The new 10,000-square-foot TAB lab includes one pressureindependent air handler, nine VAV boxes (two of which are fan powered), three fan coil units (four pipe), two chilled beams, a 10-ton chiller and a stand-alone hydronic testing board.

“On top of this being a TAB certification lab, this is also a HVAC lab, and a Ventilation Verification training lab,” Mort said.

“Congratulations to Local 46 for being able to accomplish such a monumental feat,” Bailey says. “This lab is something that truly sets them apart.”

The bulk of the process came together over the last 18 months and was achieved by a direct, union approach—all hands on deck. Apprentices, instructors, and members donated time, labor, and talent. “It created a lot of hands-on projects for the students,” Perna said.

The project was truly a “many hands make light work” endeavor. Local 46 worked with the ITI to ensure the TAB lab meets the CB/TABB certification requirements and to identify all the potential testing components, test points, and testing equipment. The team also partnered to verify availability of the testing equipment and measure air and water flows of the equipment and components. NEMIC then reviewed the as-built condition of the lab and reported measurements of the equipment and components to design a practical exam that closely resembled all other tests. After these steps, NEMIC worked with the training center to coordinate dates and times for the exam and trained local experts to serve as judges and proctors.

Local 46’s lab is the 23rd certified lab in the United States.

It was paid for, in part, by a grant from the ITI in addition to local supporters and donors.

Once the lab began to take shape, leadership gave tours to local contractors and vendors who were eager to help make the lab dream a reality.

“Once you introduce them to what we’re doing, they’re stepping up to the plate, too,” Mort says. “There’s nothing like this. Even at the college level, they don’t have anything like this.”

Union management is hoping the lab will also act as a recruitment tool, attracting non-signatory contractors who are thinking of joining Local 46.

“You can show the opportunity that’s available to members and potential members,” Perna said. “With TAB, we can do Partners in Progress » July / August 2022 » 11

TAB fro the Future

“The future of our industry is trending toward frequently ensuring that the built environment has the proper amount of ventilation and filtration and is physically verified by skilled, trained and certified workers,” Zeedyk said. “Completing certification labs like the one at Local 46 will help better position SMART and SMACNA members to be on the leading edge of this movement.”

—Jeremy Zeedyk, NEMIC

the training here. They can certify here. It’s another specialty we can offer our members, and it’s a very, very big emerging market, especially with the indoor air quality. It all ties together.”

“A lot of Locals can’t afford this type of thing,” Mort added.

“Our Local couldn’t afford it without the grant.”

Jeremy Zeedyk, NEMIC’s representative for the Northeast region, says labs like this one allow training centers to get their students certified locally, with the least amount of disruption and lost time.

“It also allows other regional locals a closer option to send similarly trained individuals to take the practical examination at the Local 46 facility without having to expend resources to create their own testing lab. This reduces the burden on the technicians and contractors in the process,” he adds.

“I believe the best learning happens by experiencing,” Bailey adds. “This lab now allows individuals to learn hands on and experience the functionality of a full system. That can’t be accomplished without access to a lab like this.”

To date, the Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing Bureau (TABB)is the only testing, adjusting and balancing certification agency that requires technicians to complete a hands-on practical as well as written exam.

“The consistency in training and certification this lab can provide is something other agencies don’t possess,” Zeedyk says. “The future of our industry is trending toward frequently ensuring that the built environment has the proper amount of ventilation and filtration and is physically verified by skilled, trained and certified workers,” Zeedyk said. “Completing certification labs like the one at Local 46 will help better 12 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

position SMART and SMACNA members to be on the leading edge of this movement.”

Although new, the lab is already a point of extreme Local 46 pride. “The potential for growth in this market has no limit, especially post pandemic,” Perna said. “The members are very excited about this, and a lot of them are looking to get trained and certified.”

SMACNA members are eager to see the lab’s trainees prepared for a burgeoning market for trained TAB professionals. “The demand for TAB has always been needed on projects, and it has only increased with the changes in building requirements,” Peterson says. “The contractors all want educated people, and this lab space helps provide the contractors with the skills required.”

Mort and Perna offered up advice for any Local with the ambition to take on the creation of a new TAB lab—take it one step at a time.

“There’s a lot involved with a lab like this, from design and installation to controls and service start-up—all of those are potential entities involved with this,” Mort says. “It took some real orchestration to get to this point, to say the least, especially during a pandemic—hat was a tough lift. But everyone hunkered down and came together to get it done.” ▪ Jessica Kirby is editor-publisher for Point One Media, a small but sturdy family-owned trade magazine creator representing some of North America’s best construction associations. She can usually be found among piles of paper in her home office or exploring British Columbia’s incredible wilderness.

? s r e l i a r e D

What Are Your Leadership

By Gregg Vanourek Here’s the thing: we all want to be better leaders, but too often we focus on what to do as leaders while neglecting what not to do.

That’s where leadership derailers come in—the things that take us off track and inhibit our leadership effectiveness. If we want to be good leaders, we must be aware of our derailers and begin working on them.

“Most books about leadership tell us what a person ought to do to become effective and powerful,” says David Gergen, political commentator and senior advisor to four United States presidents, in his book, Eyewitness to Power. “Few tell us what to avoid. But the latter may be even more valuable because many people on the road to success are tripped up by their mistakes and weaknesses.”

10 Common Leadership Derailers

Here are ten common derailers, based on my research and work with leaders from many different industries, sectors, countries, and stages of career development: 1. Avoidance: avoiding difficult tasks, situations, or conflicts.

2. Burnout: becoming run-down and feeling exhausted, often due to lack of self-care.

3. Bottleneck: feeling you must make all decisions or taking on too much work yourself, causing delays.

4. Delegation: not entrusting tasks to others sufficiently, leading to reduced motivation.

5.

Feedback: not providing feedback well or often enough, or not soliciting it enough or receiving it well.

6. Insecurity: lacking confidence about leading or feeling unqualified to lead; being unassertive.

7. Perfectionism: setting unrealistic expectations for yourself or others; needing things to be flawless.

© Can Stock Photo / tintin75

8. Procrastination: putting things off until later or the last minute.

9.

Short Game: failing to invest in the future and deciding important things without considering the long term.

10. Workaholism: being addicted to work and struggling to switch it off or stop thinking about it.

While these are common derailers, there are many more. In fact, I’ve identified more than 60 derailers that inhibit leadership effectiveness.

What are your top leadership derailers? And what will you do about them? Head over to triplecrownleadership. com/leadership-derailers-assessment to access a Leadership Derailers Assessment tool that will help you indentify your derailers and get to work on improving your leadership.

Reflection Questions • • •

What do you struggle with as a leader?

What will you do about it, starting today?

Who will you ask for help?

This always works best when colleagues openly discuss it together. We all have derailers. We all have work to do. So get real. And get busy with the important work of intentional leadership development.

“Instead of learning from other people’s success, learn from their mistakes,” says Jack Ma, Chinese entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. “Most of the people who fail share common reasons, whereas success can be attributed to various different kinds of reasons.” ▪ Gregg Vanourek is a writer, teacher, facilitator, and speaker on life design and leadership. He’s worked at market-leading ventures across industries and sectors. Learn more at at greggvanourek.com.

Partners in Progress » July / August 2022 » 13

What Does It Mean to

“Master My Stories?”

By Jantzen Pahl A “story” is our rationale for what’s going on and our own interpretation of facts. To “Master My Stories” means to take control of our stories so they don’t take control of us. It is the key to preventing strong emotions from taking control of a Crucial Conversation, which is a discussion between two or more people when (1) stakes are high, (2) opinions vary, and (3) emotions run strong.

The Path to Action Model demonstrates the steps we take in telling ourselves these stories. For example, here’s what you see and hear. You’re working on a project and your supervisor checks up on you three times in one hour, offering suggestions.

What’s the story we tell ourselves? Perhaps it might be “My supervisor is questioning my capabilities.” Or maybe, “My manager doesn’t trust me to complete this task on my own.”

14 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

How would this make you feel? Naturally, this story might generate feelings of being hurt or defensive, which could then lead to frustration or anger.

So, how does this affect your actions? You might hold a grudge and disregard your supervisor’s suggestions.

However, when using your other Crucial Conversations skills, you find that your supervisor is checking in with you because they have a lot of experience building this type of project and just wanted to be helpful. No questioning of capabilities, no lack of trust, just one colleague helping another. In other words, the story you told yourself was completely false.

We all have the tendency to tell ourselves stories. We try to figure out a motive, we judge, and those judgments lead to feelings that drive our actions. We sometimes do all of this

so quickly that we don’t even realize it, and in doing so we become our own worst enemy.

Three Clever Stories We Tell Ourselves Have you ever told a story and left out key details to the listeners? We do this because clever stories may get us off the hook, or because we want to be seen as the hero or the victim.

Clever stories conveniently leave out pertinent information and make the story suit our needs.

We also tell clever stories to ourselves in our path to action.

There are three clever stories we tell ourselves to help us feel good about doing things that ruin our relationships and results.

The best way you can combat these stories is to tell the rest of the story.

1. Victim Stories: “It’s Not My Fault.”

We tell ourselves we are not contributing to the problem.

For example, you forget to complete an important task for the boss who just returned from a business trip, and you react by saying, “I didn’t have the help or time that I needed to complete the project on time.” You are telling yourself that you are being punished for the company’s lack of resources and talent.

Tell the Rest of the Story: Turn yourself from a victim into a contributor. Ask yourself: What am I pretending not to notice about my role in the problem?

2. Villain Stories: “It’s Your Fault.”

These stories overemphasize others’ nasty qualities or perceived incompetence and are often accompanied with labeling.

For example, we may find ourselves saying, “Of course I yelled at him. Didn’t you see what he did? He deserved it.”

When we turn human beings into villains, we feel justified in insulting or abusing them.

Tell the Rest of the Story: Turn others from villains into humans. Ask yourself: Why would a reasonable, rational, decent person do this?

3. Helpless Stories: “There’s Nothing I Can Do.” Here we convince ourselves that there are no healthy options for taking action and we can’t change our situation.

For example, you find yourself talking with a colleague about an idea for a new operations process but say, “If I presented this to the leaders they would probably just get defensive like they always do—I’m not going to say anything!” Or on the flip side, “If I didn’t yell, then the work wouldn’t get done. What choice do I have?”

Tell the Rest of the Story: Turn yourself from helpless to able. Ask yourself: “What should I do right now to move toward what I really want?”

Challenging our stories with questions allows us to uncover important information so that our stories better represent reality, and this helps us engage in better dialogue when we find ourselves in a Crucial Conversation.

Based on Decades of Research and The New York Times Bestseller.

We invite you to learn more about Master My Stories and other Crucial Conversations dialogue skills to help communicate better when it matters most. ▪ Visit cruciallearning.com to see how you can bring interactive training to your organization in-person, virtually, or on-demand.

Nine powerful skills for working through disagreement to achieve better results: 1. Get unstuck: Identify problems contributing to poor results and struggling relationships.

2. Master my Stories: Keep composure when feeling angry or defensive and identify what stories you may be telling yourself.

3. Start with heart: Be clear with yourself and others about what you really want.

4. State my path: Share strong opinions without shutting down others’ viewpoints.

5. Make it safe: Create safety so you can talk with almost anyone about almost anything.

6. Learn to look: Spot the warning signs that indicate safety and dialogue are at risk.

7. Seek mutual purpose: Find common ground even when it seems impossible.

8. Explore others’ paths: Listen and respond effectively to other people’s concerns and feedback.

9. Move to action: Turn each Crucial Conversation into a course of action that leads to better outcomes.

Partners in Progress » July / August 2022 » 15

MY JOURNEY: JOE POTESTA Welding Specialist, International Training Institute When I graduated high school, I did not have any thoughts about what I wanted to do with my life. Maybe I’d play sports and become a professional soccer player. I mean, keeping the goals realistic, and all. Instead, my father, who at the time was a business agent for Local 20 in Gary, Indiana, suggested I become an apprentice. I didn’t know what I was going to do otherwise, so I thought I might as well take Dad’s suggestion.

I still wanted to go to college and play soccer. In 1994, I was accepted into the apprenticeship and into the Chicago Art Institute—and I started playing for an inaugural soccer team.

I was very busy. Everything was so demanding, and I had no time to do much with friends and family, so I thought I would follow the path of the apprenticeship. I didn’t think I would like it, but around the time I was 19 years of age I thought, ‘You know, I kinda like this money!’

My father ended up moving to Indianapolis to become the business manager. I decided to stay in the Gary area and do things on my own while my family moved on. Every time I would go visit Mom and Dad, I would participate in family outings, and that is when I met my wife. I was a third-year apprentice and ready to settle down. I transferred Locals from Gary to Indianapolis, married my wife, and finished the apprenticeship in 1999. I felt like I was pretty good at what I was doing, but I wanted more. I wanted to make an impact.

Throughout my apprenticeship, I coached a lot of high school soccer. As a matter of fact, I was the head coach of the men’s

16 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

soccer team at one of the largest schools in Indiana. I loved teaching. I loved seeing men and women become successful.

I earned a sense of pride knowing that in some small way I impacted their lives. I thought, ʻHow can I do that for the sheet metal workers?’ An instructor position opened up at Local 20, and I applied. I didn’t get hired. In 2006, another appenticeship instructor position opened up, and this time I was successful.

I was very ambitious. I loved every minute of teaching.

Eventually, I becamse the Director of Training and was tasked with creating and implementing new curriculum for the apprenticeship program. What a rewarding experience. I believe teaching takes a special person, a compassionate person who wants to dedicate their all to helping others succeed. I wanted to go to another level and become a mentor for new instructors. At Local 20, we always had new instructors come in and I loved training them and seeing them become successful in their classroom environments. I wanted more.

A position opened up with the International Training Institute. I applied and humbly accepted the duties of heading up the new welding curriculum and being part of the welding team that allows me to be an assessor and an instructor.

I think the biggest challenge I have faced in the sheet metal industry is nepotism. My father was a leader in our industry for 40 years, and when that happens, you are constantly judged or compared. However, this always made me stronger. Having a mentor like that to look up to is not something everyone gets.

This industry was built on generations, and I was part of that movement. ▪

Industrial Athlete™

Help Spread Awareness About Careers in Sheet Metal

GET THE SMART-SMACNA BRAND AMBASSADOR PROGRAM STARTED IN YOUR AREA The SMART-SMACNA Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force has launched a recruitment initiative to help address the industry's labor shortage.

The Brand Ambassador program attracts new recruits to the sheet metal trade by leveraging the positive experiences of apprentices, journeypersons, and other members of the industry who love the trade.

Anyone interested in being a Brand Ambassador simply uses the hashtag of our recruiting campaign, #MJMG, on their social media accounts.

Exemplary Brand Ambassadors will receive $100 Amazon gift cards.

Brand Ambassadors spread the word about the advantages of SMACNA and SMART careers to their friends and family on social media.

For more details on other recruiting resources visit pinp-materials.org

@industrialathltofficial @industrialathleteofficial info@industrialathleteofficial.org