“These ‘kids’ don’t know how to work.”
I have heard this time and again.
The shaking of heads, collectively across our great country, of disapproval, disappointment, and frustration at the unmet potential of youth. Usually those responses are accompanied with a statement of “get a job!”, or “do your job!” I do believe there is so much of this that is true. I too shake my head at times, asking myself… “really?” I hire predominantly young people; I battle it on a daily basis.
What I have found over the last 6 years of business is a phenomenal group of young people that have come through our ranks. In today’s world, people come and go. Some stay longer, some return after pursuing other endeavors. But one thing all of these men have in common—oh yeah, that’s right! MEN!—is unlimited potential.
I once had a conversation with one of my employee’s mother, who is a real estate agent and was inquiring about our services. I told her during that conversation that her son was a great man. She politely stopped the conversation and said that it was hard to say that he was a man, not a “kid” anymore. It was such an impactful thing for me to hear that from a parent’s perspective.
Perhaps that is the biggest key to why Chumley Construction has been successful while hiring youth: I call these kids… men. These guys who can’t seem to tie their shoes straight some days, or show up with enthusiasm, or get the materials right without micromanagement…are men. And by calling them men, there is a sense of responsibility and expectation that comes with that. And trust me, I’m well aware that there are many grown men in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond that have never taken responsibility seriously. I know that the title of “men” doesn’t automatically cure all the issues. But I am confident that it’s the right step in the right direction.
Don’t get me wrong, we do have seasoned veteran construction team members. Numerous years of construction experience and knowledge. But, the majority of our workforce is 21 years or younger. And I do that by choice. I accept the challenges. I acknowledge the occasional hiccup here and there. The minutia of some details with managing these team members would be an exhaustive list to say the least. I would say, however, that it is also very very rewarding.
Let me share some of these with you…
I had a great worker, Duncan, come through the company in the early going. Such a treat to work with as a smart, motivated, self starter kind of man. Back then it was pretty much just me and him, working and talking about life and business. I remember I made him pack all the material for a large deck on Lake Tapps down a steep walkway all the way down to be staged ready for the build. I “killed him” that day he still tells me. 🙂 We encountered a challenging task: installing joists to cantilever from inside out of the existing house’s floor joist cavities. Some conduit, duct tape, a zip tie, and palm nailer did the trick that day! What appeared to be a completely inaccessible area became possible with this MacGyver-type invention I came up with on the spot. “Hey, you just have to figure out a way to get the job done,” I told him. Day after day, task after task was an opportunity to mentor him and encourage him. Duncan went on to school to become a structural engineer at Letourneux University. He married his high school sweetheart the last summer he worked with us. At his wedding, his dad came up to me and introduced himself. He quickly began to cry as he told me how impactful my talks had been with his son. Wow! Then his pastor came up and asked, “Are you Joe Chumley?” I responded, “Yes, I am the Chumley!” He too went on about how Duncan’s confidence grew noticeably as he learned new skills and lessons at work. What a treat, I’d say!
I’ve had the opportunity to take a couple of employees down to Mexico on service trips, providing the opportunity for them to see a different world and serving those less fortunate. One morning, one of my guys said how bad the food was and then quickly realized how bad that sounded. I reminded him that gratitude comes from the heart condition inside of man. I also told him that we were actually eating very good and that the locals eat much less and much worse. You could tell that it was a good learning experience and an important lesson.
I have a neighbor’s son whom I’ve employed over the past year and a half. He had to write a thank you “essay” to the person of his choosing for a course he was taking. An envelope shows up on my doorstep. Some of the most kind words came out of that letter. Encouraging, leadership, “holding me to higher expectations”, type of stuff. I have that letter in a drawer in my office.
Don’t get me wrong:
pay, benefits, and perks of a job are very very important details. But it is how a person is treated and feels at work that creates the environment for growth, both individually and company-wide.
I still miss the mark (probably daily) with my encouragement and motivation of my young crews. I express frustrations, disappointments, and even, at times, anger towards the occasional underwhelming performance. But I am also the first to offer encouragement, reinstatements, compliments, “good job,” “I appreciate your hard work,” “wow, you did an awesome job, guys!”. It’s a part of hiring young, developing skills and responsibility, and then running after goals with fire in the belly.
Talking with a former owner of a huge construction firm here locally, he made the comment, “I just couldn’t deal with these kids nowadays.” As much as I respect and admire this man I abruptly interjected and told him that is was MY responsibility to do this. It is MY responsibility to provide opportunity to young people. This is to allow them to grow, take on challenges, raise their expectations, learn how to work even when they don’t “feel” like it. To allow the enthusiasm to flow out of them to help them accomplish their goals and dreams.
They may be just kids to the world, but they’re men to me. They will continue to serve a large need in my company! If they can fight and die for our country at 18…then they sure as well can swing a hammer and push a broom.
en·thu·si·asm
[inˈTH(y)o͞ozēˌazəm]
Noun. strong excitement of feeling
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did his work with energy and enthusiasm
