I was in the building trades for 35 years. It was OK I got nine and 7/8ths fingers and my back isn't really all that bad. My shoulders sure could be better but I never wanted to be a pitcher or go sculling. As a matter of fact, I never liked moving around much unless I was getting paid for it. Retirement suits me.
I actually retired about 3 years before I quit going to work. I just didn't mention it to anyone. I remember when I turned fifty I said to my daughter that I was a little concerned. I could still do all the demanding things I had always done but no man can deny the calendar. I was worried the day would come when I couldn't do those things. Sure enough, that day did come. It turns out all those things were unpleasant and I didn't want to do them to begin with. The younger guys would see me doing something and say, " Here, I'll do that." and I would think, ' Cool.'
Hmm, the younger guys. I must have looked like Methuselah to them with my gray hair, snow white beard, suspenders on my tool belt, my nine and 7/8ths fingers. It was pretty easy to encourage them to do the heavy lifting.
They used to ask me for advice after they figured out that, appearances aside, I wasn't really going to fire them or beat them up or both. I would never do that although when I was much younger I did resign from employment once by just cold- cockin the guy. In my defense, years later we actually became friends albeit not close friends. I did go to his funeral. That's a different story about how nothing good happens late at night. I digress.
Oh, advice. I noticed early on that the work-a-day world was not blue-collar and white-collar. In the trades the world is really t-shirts and golf shirts. No-collar, collar. There are great piles of heavy stuff that need lugged about. The guys in t-shirts were doing that lugging and the guys in golf shirts were telling them where to lug it. A golf shirt costs about a dollar more than a t-shirt. It didn't take me long to figure out to buy golf shirts instead of t-shirts. It also didn't take me long to buy the next grade up of any tool that you would use constantly; tool belts, hammers, tape measures. Two reasons there: They last twice as long and it makes a better subliminal impression. I was right. That few dollars almost immediately translated into more responsibility and the wages that go with that responsibility. It does help if you actually know what you're doing but not as much as you might think. Clothes make the man.
The old timers, hmm. The old timers were just mean. The guy who taught me most of my trade talked to me like I was mentally deficient for so long I was beginning to believe him. After I'd been working with him for about 6 months we went to a job where my real employer and his crew were working, to help them finish up. I was on a step ladder fitting a piece of cabinet grade, 6 inch crown mold. Even then this stuff was about $125 for an 8 foot length. You didn't order more than you needed. The trick was: Don't screw-up. It's a high-end skill. That not screwin- up thing.
So, I'm on the step ladder and I hear the big boss ask my boss, who has berated me mercilessly for months, " Should he be doing that?"
This effen guy says to him, " Don't worry about Jimbo, he's good." My head almost exploded! I'll tell you one thing. That old timer retired nearly 20 years ago and has been dead for 10 years. I'd go to work with him tomorrow if I could.
I tried never to be that way. I corrected people when necessary and praised them as often as possible. I always asked people to do things instead of telling them. I would say things like: " I'm trying to think how we did this the last time. Didn't we do this or that?" It was all bullshit. We sure were gonna do things my way. That's why I was there but I always thought things got done faster and easier with more willing hands. I also used to tell people I'd rather be told 50 things I did know rather than not told one thing I had missed. That was true. Over the years that idea saved a fortune.
There was another thing I did intentionally. I always acted as though coffee breaks were 15 or 20 minutes long instead of 10 minutes. I always acted as though lunch was 40 minutes sometimes 45 instead of 30. I still think those "stolen" minutes of idleness made for much more productivity and the times a break had to be skipped or lunch cut short everyone was willing.
I'm a pretty good carpenter but two guys I worked with and for over the years were much better. They had this in common: When it came time they were the best laborers on the job. That created an atmosphere where shirking wouldn't even occur to people. I always tried to emulate that.
One thing I used to do that was kinda mean. In the trades you work with a lot of young guys and young guys like to raise hell. I know I did. So, when a guy would stumble in all hung over and short sleep I'd give him the worst task on the site and every few minutes I'd make sure to tell him how long it was until quitting time. " Only 5 hours and 40 minutes to go." "Only 5 hours and 10 minutes to go." And so on. They never did it twice. They did say some rude things but they never did it twice.
So, that's how I went about things.
Why do I mention this? I'm not sure. Maybe I think we could use more civility or people look better in golf shirts. I know I could and I do. Probably just a string of stuff that still makes me laugh. It's not like I miss the sweet smell of saw dust or the smooth feel of perfectly sanded hardwood. A pay check would be nice sometimes. A little saw dust in my coffee might be nice. I love the smell of saw dust in the morning. It smells like money! And it has the aroma of old friends.
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