I am learning a lot about patience right now. You almost need to when you are teaching your teenage daughter how to drive.
In between the stomping on the brakes, then accelerating very quickly — testing your seatbelt strength — to knowing when to activate on a turn signal and how to adjust your mirrors, patience is something that is learned very quickly with a young driver.
You need to stay calm and think ahead to any possible outcomes that could happen as your teenager drives, all while trying not to get upset, start yelling and freaking out. Having patience will help them grow as a driver.
I keep relating that kind of patience to what I write about in Dig Different magazine. As an employee at a utility construction business, or the owner of a company, you know the importance of patience. And not just the patience you need when it comes to job site problems or customer interactions.
You need to have patience for your career to grow, no matter if you are looking for that growth as an employee, as a supervisor or the owner of a company.
ONE STEP AT A TIME
Just like learning to drive, you need to take baby steps when it comes to your career. You can’t expect to start one day and expect to be top dog at the shop the next. It just doesn’t happen that way.
Being patient means learning from those around you — your coworkers, your supervisor, even your customers. The more you learn and take in from them, the more it will help you grow as an employee and become that much for valuable to your company.
Building on your experience will help you rise up the ladder and eventually into a management role or, if you feel motivated to, start up your own company.
You need patience to do all that because it doesn’t come fast and there will be little bumps and curves in the road. Take each one in stride.
IT PAYS OFF
When Thomas Buchwald, owner of Quality Pipe Cleaning, located near Washington, D.C., started his company he didn’t jump into things too fast. He was patient and took his time growing the company founded in 1990 to what it is today — 41 employees strong and doing work all over the Washington, D.C. area for government and private customers.
The company, which is featured in this issue, has carved out a higher profile niche doing difficult or extreme excavation tasks, and is coming off its best year in history. That’s saying something when a company can do that despite a pandemic and economic worries.
Having the patience to work and keep clients and to continue to grow the company stronger is what is leading Quality Pipe Cleaning to a bigger company headquarters and, potentially, expanding its service area in the near future.
TAKING A CUE
Learn from Buchwald, or even from new teenage drivers on the road. Rushing won’t get you anywhere but in trouble, so have a little bit of patience, do what you’re supposed to do — learn — and you’ll see big things pay off for you and your company.
What valuable lessons have you learned from your career either as a general laborer, a supervisor, or the owner of a company. Email me at editor@digdifferent.com or call me at 715-350-8436. I look forward to hearing from you.
Enjoy this issue!
