One of the great things about this crazy construction business is the wide open interactions we all have with so many different people each day. As a Construction Supervisor on a jobsite today, you may deal with loony carpenter who thinks the power lines are sending him secret messages, a structural engineer who you are fairly certain has never built anything in his life, an inspector who seems to enjoy torturing you and a boss who pushes, pushes, pushes. Challenging, yes…boring, no.

Yet with all this interaction, I challenge you to not lose your humanity in the process. Take some time to help someone today. Think about a person working under your authority that shows promise, that you like and think could advance. Encourage that person today, give he or she an assignment that tests capacity. Hone your ability to discover ability in others.

Your day will go better. If you consistently practice this habit, your years will go better also. The people you help almost never forget it (I can certainly name the people that went out of their way to help me, can’t you?) and your company benefits by having more competent pool of employees.

Consider the words of that old German philosopher, Goethe (pronounced Ger-ta):

If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that.

Help someone today to become who they are capable of becoming.