The Team Attracts the Team Members

by Paul Deffenbaugh | 1 June 2019 12:00 am

The runners began early Friday morning and finished late Saturday afternoon, so every runner ran at least one leg in the middle of the night. Our role was simply to provide a launch pad on Thursday night and a landing pad on Saturday night. Beds, food and encouragement.

Here’s what I learned from watching this event at a slight distance. In the space of a very short time, 12 people who for the most part didn’t know each other, formed themselves into a team and bonded in a way that few of us get to experience. When the group returned to us Saturday, they were very different from the group that left us Friday. Every member had a different relationship with each other, but the overall experience was that every team member had developed a relationship with all the team members, the team itself. They rooted for each other, they expressed pride in the accomplishments of other team members, and they celebrated the victory of the entire team, recognizing the contribution of every member.

They rooted for each other, they expressed pride in the accomplishments of other team members, and they celebrated the victory of the entire team, recognizing the contribution of every member.

Does that sound like the experience of a construction crew?

One of the things I miss most about moving from working on the job site to taking a position in an office as a writer is the loss of the social environment. On the job site, we talked to each other and—even though it sounds trite—bonded. It was easier for us to become a team because our common purpose was more straightforward and our understanding of the contribution of other members was more equal. Everyone, no matter his or her role, delivered an equal contribution to the end product.

When I think about the younger generation and I hear the older generation dismiss their interest in the construction industry, I think of how this new generation loves to be part of a team and achieve things as a group, the same way that Ragnar group did. Then I think that is there a better opportunity to be part of a team than a construction crew?

And that makes me think that we should be more successful recruiting the younger generation to the trades because the truth is the trades are a natural fit for so many of them. All we need is the right key to unlock their interest. And that key is teamwork.

Building a team is the way to attract team members. As a business owner who runs construction crews, anything you can do to create a team environment will help you attract quality workers. So that’s the linchpin. Build a team environment. Take advantage of the existing nature of construction. Bring young people who want to be part of something bigger into that successful environment, and you stand a better chance of competing against your peers to get the right people on your job sites.

Source URL: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/articles/the-team-attracts-the-team-members/

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