Case Studies

Apr 28 2009 11:17AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (1) |
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By Bruce Case

The best project managers are like black holes. They gobble up everything in their path and handle it. Broken pipe on the job – no stress; no worries – just handle it. Lead carpenter sick the day the beam is going in – no stress; no worries just handle it. Client calls disturbed about the drywall dust on her art collection – no stress; no worries just handle it. 

And along the way they manage to thoroughly think through a project before it is put together, they keep up with paperwork and tracking systems and they ensure the stuff is there on time and on budget. They hire, recruit, train and motivate a top flight team of carpenters, helpers, subcontractors and suppliers.    They make money on the project.

Last week we had to let a project manager go. He had been with us for 20 years – 17 of those years as a project manager - and he was tops all along the way. He was that black hole that is like gold to all of us trying to build a business in this crazy world of remodeling. Nice, clean cut, filled out every form to a “t,” held clients hands, held his teams hands and loyal to a fault.

Problem is that we just didn’t have enough work to keep all  of our project managers. Some say keep everyone and give each of them less work. I say it’s better to make the tough move and cut back so that you can properly feed and compensate the team you keep. 

After we told him, he once again showed his professionalism. As he fought back the tears, he explained that this would give him more time to enjoy his personal pursuits and to enjoy the summer. He continued to flash his charismatic smile and to help us work through open items on his jobs. Other team members were understandably concerned and confused.

A number of us are still recovering from this “punch to the stomach.” Guy did nothing wrong, did all we asked of him for 20 years and now he is no longer on our team. I am sad for him, for us and for our remaining team members. But I’m also mad – at no one in particular – but mad that life can be this tough.

So today I ate lunch with my six year old daughter in the cafeteria of her school. I needed to breathe fresh air into my lungs and into my heart. In the right frame of mind I find the current business climate challenging. In the wrong frame of mind I find it suffocating. 

We sat side-by-side amongst the 100 noisiest chitter chatterers you can imagine. I had a ham and salami sandwich, peach yogurt, an apple and some pretzels. She had some steak (ate it with her fingers), an orange and a chocolate chip granola bar. I was treated like the mascot at a football game – kind of interesting, strange and different yet a fun distraction from their normal parentless lunch gatherings. The boys around us kept asking me if I ate this or that (it wasn’t a list of food items; it was mainly a list of bodily functions which I will not repeat here and objects like shoes, etc.). The girls around us – including my daughter – were busy planning recess which immediately follows lunch. They planned to be a team of royal animals and were nice enough to decide for the boys what species they would be (no comment from me on this genetic predisposition towards planning….). 

Today my daughter and her friends helped remind me what is important. Talking over e-mail. Laughter over anger. Understanding that we are all different and working with it. The stronger our foundation, the better chance we will get through the challenges life throws at us – and maybe even avoid some of them in the first place.

And if you need a top shelf project manager call me.