When the sun is shining, there is not a prettier place on the planet, but when it's raining on a late Sunday afternoon, Seattle can be the darkest, loneliest place on earth.  I know, I used to live there for a time while my husband was working on his Master's degree.  This particular Sunday, I was in the Seattle area promoting Phil Eastman's book, The Character of Leadership: An Ancient Model for a Quantum Age, and needed to take a break from my hotel room.  I decided to get a cup of coffee then drive through my old neighborhood to see how the new owners were caring for our cute little house.  (In Seattle, you haven't had enough coffee until you can thread a sewing machine while it's running . . . but I digress . . . again.) 

This precious neighborhood is unique in that there are no fences between the houses and many of them are backed up against North Creek, a protected wetland, that is inhabited with all forms of Pacific Northwest wildlife. The lack of fences meant we shared kids, dogs, cats, and stories.  We got to know our neighbors fairly well as we watched life happen in the streets and backyards.  My favorite neighbor was a kind gentleman who shared a side yard with us and had common interests in philosophy and home improvement projects. As a concrete mason by trade, he knew how to work hard and steadily, until his projects were completed.

While making my way through the old neighborhood, I decided to knock on my former neighbor's door.  To my surprise, Rob answered and with a quick re-introduction (after all it had been five years) we were back on track, catching up on community gossip, home improvement projects, and the reason why I was in back in town. As I accepted a dinner invitation for the next evening and said my good-byes, I left behind Eastman's book for his reading pleasure.

Monday was a full, wet, yet exciting day as I met with potential clients. I had returned just in time to change and meet Rob in the hotel restaurant.  (He is never late for anything.) Rob had already read through Phil's book and was busting with thoughts and questions about the character model.  After our initial greeting, I still remember his opening statement, "I liked Phil's book! I know it works for the "suits" downtown, but how does it apply to me when I'm barking orders, moving fast, and yelling loud?"  Three hours later, we had dissected each of the seven elements, sharing anecdotes, spinning yarns, and laughing at each other's stories. Bottom-line: Yes, indeed the character model applies whether you are pushing paper downtown or pouring concrete in the new Amazon.com building in the next city over.

To date, no one has argued with Eastman over his supposition, "the challenges we face today are not economic, environmental, social, or legal; they are challenges of character and leadership."  However, my lengthy discussion with Rob got us thinking that there might be a disconnect between how the trades may view the character model and how it is played out in the boardroom.  As I was conveying this disconnect to my oldest son, Sean, a building systems commissioning engineer, he helped inform me on how "the guys in the suits" successfully communicate the company's vision to "the guys in the jeans." Interestingly enough, both of these men work for exceptional companies with the corporate headquarters in Seattle, Washington, even though Sean lives in Boise, Idaho.

There's a permanency in what Rob and Sean do every day.  Over their tenure, these two men can drive through their communities and say, "I have worked on that commercial building, that university, that military base, or that state capitol."  In the case of Sean, he once waded through acres of expired jujubes and popcorn kernels in an under-floor return plenum, as he helped restore the Egyptian Theatre in downtown Boise. As for Rob, he has finished many floors in renowned millionaires' mansions in the Seattle area, some with whom I would love to have coffee someday. Just like these permanent structures the men have helped build, character at work in the trades also has a permanency. 

The construction industry is fraught with issues built-in for failure: everything from economic recessions to Mother Nature not cooperating, to the lack of skilled workers, to the price of labor and materials; construction companies come and go as quickly as seasons change.  For a construction company to be around for 50 to125 years (like in the case of Sean and Rob's companies), there must be something else keeping them in business.  I personally believe that "something" is the character model at work within the leadership and the people they hire.  So how do construction companies exhibit the specific character elements when they are "barking orders, moving fast, and yelling loud?"

Let's face it, of all the industries out there, construction isn't really known for being a touchy-feely business, therefore, Love may be the element where one might question how it is exhibited.  Whether it's showing appreciation for a job well done through catered dinners on the worksite, to making sure they have up-to-date equipment to do their best job possible, both Sean and Rob easily articulated how they felt cared for by their supervisors and overall leadership.  Rob shared a story about his superintendent calling one day last spring during an extended period of down-time, just to check in to see how things were going for him and if he needed anything.  Even though he didn't have any specific needs, that act spoke volumes to Rob.

Hope may have been the easiest for both of the men to see demonstrated in their companies.  When Sean interviewed for his position, he had a poignant question for the leadership, "How do you continue to grow in this crazy economy?"  The manager's response shared the vision of the company, had a healthy balance of risk and rewards, conveyed a bright future even though the immediate recession is somewhat bleak, and was convincing enough for Sean to leave his favorite employer of 11 years to join forces with McKinstry.  On the other hand, Rob shares Hope with his men at the end of each day when they finish a concrete pour. He walks them through what was done right, what they can do better tomorrow, and lessons learned. At this point in Rob's career, he acts more like a head coach who also gets to play the game.

What is a ¼ of an inch between friends, I mean really?  For Rob and Sean, that ¼ of an inch can be the difference of a project coming in on time and on budget, or completely messing up the next step of the construction project.  Engaging Justice is the character model's quality assurance promise.  Besides doing Justice for the workers and their right to be treated humanely, being mindful of their quality of work on a daily basis is a form of Justice; otherwise, their actions cause a huge ripple effect for the rest of the project.  Doing what is right, even when it is difficult and costly is the hallmark for both McKinstry and Lease-Crutcher-Lewis.

"All buildings are machines," Sean said as we began our lunch conversation.  "And all buildings need to be built on firm foundations," I thought as I listened to Sean deconstruct the different ways the character elements play out at McKinstry. The character model is an important part of a company's cornerstone thus determining the direction of the entire organization.  The two elements that I believe will keep the construction industry moving forward year after year is the two both Sean and Rob seem to embody personally: Wisdom and Courage. 

If Wisdom is applying the accumulated knowledge and experience to a current situation, and Courage is boldly seizing opportunities and firmly dealing with challenges, then you have two structural ingredients for permanency within the organization and on the jobsite.  Even though Rob works with the horizontal surfaces as a concrete mason and Sean tests all the moving parts within the building, every now and again, both men must call upon Courage to deal with the challenges they encounter on behalf of the owner of the building.  The years of experience and knowledge from working in the trades, in addition to their personal aptitude for working with the professionals, gives them the capacity to have a long-term view of any project.

Even though the character model appears to be a fixed set of seven elements based on an ancient theory, it continues to prove to be quantum when one is "barking orders, moving fast, and yelling loud!"  One thing is for sure, neither the construction industry nor the character model are for sissies, whether you wear suits and meet in a boardroom downtown or wear jeans and get your hands dirty.