Having one of those Days

            It appeared to be a normal day as I headed out the door, but that would soon change. Upon arriving at the project sight, I discovered that there were missing studs for the last half of the wall framing. I laid out my plates and counted the studs needed to finish that task and began to cut the headers needed for those walls, after sending someone for the studs. Once he returned with the studs, I laid him out on the way to frame those narrow doorways, because they needed to change the system a little to ensure the headers were nailed with five end nails. Then returned to the top plating.

I went to check the lumber left after being asked a question by the new helper. There were beams to cover the barring walls completely. These beams would span from end to end not just over the openings but there were no hangers or ceiling joist for a 16’9” by 28’6” portion of the project. This could cause a two-day shut down or I could go to the supplier and get this resolved and return with the need hardware to continue and lose half a day.

Upon entering the supplier my sales person greeted me nicely. I called her aside and quietly asked her some simple questions. After receiving her answers, I said let’s walk over to the hardware. I looked at the hardware while asking her some questions and she understood the hardware I needed and why it was selected. I grabbed the box and we went back to the pro counter. I asked her how many 2 x 8 x 16 were on the number list their estimator prepared for the project. She told me 0. I ordered the needed joisting and told her I’d pick them up the next morning.

The young lady who is my sales person in that supplier is the one person in there which I use. She is new and is learning her trade. When I first started the project, I waited to be helped a little longer than I felt was appropriate. They asked her if she could help me and she assumed the promotion to sale rep for professional contractors from cashier. I had looked at her name tag to remember her. When I went in the order the needed lumber and materials for the project the older more knowledgeable sales rep came to assist me. I asked for her by name. She was a little worried at first but I assured we’d get through it. During the projects there have been some mistakes made. I go a talk with her personally and take the time to explain the problem and the solution. Now the older reps ask her for what I’ve taught her. I ask her not to tell them, that she is my rep and their contractors may frame using style.

I could have gone in and yelled and cried about the money I lost due to their error. What would that have fixed. I went in and talked with her and had pleasant small talk. People do not need to earn my respect or have to prove something to me to be treated with dignity. They deserve to be treated with dignity because they are human. If I were to have gone in and spoke loudly about the wrong hangers it might have humiliated her and she’d be afraid to make a mistake on my next order. When you are afraid of making a mistake, you usually do.

Simply put it was one of those days where I wasn’t going to accomplish what I planned on when I headed out the door. I could yell at people, and shift the blame but the bottom line is a error had been made. These things happen to us all. Sometimes its best to count the day’s losses and do what you need to eliminate them from happening again. I use the same sales person at my suppliers because they receive a commission on their orders. I feel its wrong to use the new person on the little orders but a more experience person on the larger ones. I simply explain my way of building to the new person and soon I have a sales person who helps my team. We all have those days, but stay yourself in the mist of them the best you can. All people deserve to be treated with dignity. If you chose to correct someone in public, do so quietly as to not let other know, if not you lose your dignity and they gain the public’s sympathy.

Note: Images on this blog site are from a free source or taken by the author. No image or group of photos is intended to represent the people the author serves. The author does not care about Race (that is a politically correct term that he does not like because we are all of the same Race, the Human Race. He prefers the term ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender, marital status, disability, genetic information, national origin, source of income, Veteran or military status, ancestry, citizenship, primary language or immigration status.) He is a service provider for all people. We will all rise together when we band together and help one another. Joseph Erwin is a Real Estate Broker, DRE # O2131799, and a CA general contractor # B 696662. He’s a member of the CRMLS and The East Valley Association of Realtors located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California.