TRUNCATED DOMES –THE HOTTEST
CURB RAMP SUBJECT
Does
your maintenance budget
need to weather storms?
We are proud of the service, credibility and integrity we have brought to
this industry.
Supplying detectable warning systems
for curb ramps and transit platforms nationwide.
•The Industry Benchmark
•Lowest Lifecycle Cost
For technical specifications or to
arrange for a product demonstration please visit www.armor-tile.com/response
Setting the standard for durability & detectability
in tactile systems.
1-800-682-2525 | www.armor-tile.com
MM
Systems offers an expansion joint for every condition. Let
MM take care of your expansion joint checklist.
_ interior / exterior applications
_ wide range of joint openings
_ thermal / seismic movement
_ pedestrian / vehicular traffic
_ ADA compliant
_ fire rating / life safety
_ water resistant / waterproof
_ no bump, flush solutions
_ corner conditions
_ narrow sightlines
_ various finishes / colors
MM Systems has over 40 years experience
in the market, www.mmystemscorp.com. MM Systems is locally represented
by Styro Systems
of the Carolinas.
Just ask your NSS sales representative for assistance.
BASF
Construction Chemicals – Building
Systems
As part of BASF and BASF Construction Chemicals, BASF
Building Systems is much more than the union of the construction
industry’s
market-leading brands. It’s a partnership focused on trust,
reliability and commitment to making products and systems better.
BASF Building Systems offers more than you ever thought
possible – intelligent
solutions for every building challenge, innovative products and tailored
services, unparalleled access to far-reaching expertise, resources,
innovation... and the ability to bring it all directly to you, our
customer.
With our eyes on the future, we will be continuously
working to develop technologies and methodologies to dramatically
improve the properties
of products, services, the built and natural environments and the
success of our customers. Log on to learn more at www.buildingsystems.BASF.com
Hydrozo® Products
Hydrozo® clear sealers protect commercial buildings from water
and chloride intrusion, airborne contaminants, and general wear and
tear – but do not alter the original appearance. Whether used
on new construction or the rehabilitation of older structures, Hydrozo
products enhance the value of buildings and add years to their lifetime.
A wide range of sealers is available for various applications to
commercial, municipal, and industrial buildings, as well as stadiums,
bridge decks, parking structures, highways, and other reinforced
concrete structures.
MBT
Protection and Repair Products
MBT Protection and Repair solutions provide the commercial construction
industry with a wide range of products for preserving, repairing,
and restoring concrete in demanding environments. Our products
include specialty concrete repair mortars, epoxy and polyurethane
injection
resins, cement-based and epoxy grouts, dry-shake surface hardeners,
cementitious coatings, curing compounds, sealers, architectural
coatings, epoxy floor coatings, and more.
Attract the best people
by John Strelecky
Smart leaders don’t recruit the best people; they attract
them. Why do they do it? They do it because it makes their lives easier, and
their companies
more successful. How do they do it? They have a clearly defined corporate
Purpose For Existing (PFE), they tell the world about it; they live it; and
the best
people come to them.
The success of this method is based on two principles. The first
is a very basic tenant of life on the planet: Like attracts like. It is the
reason
zebras run together on the African plains, similar looking fish travel
in schools,
and in any given crowd of people, each sub-group is composed of individuals
with similar characteristics. A leader who has defined their company’s
PFE is saying in essence: "I am a zebra. If you are a zebra, come out
here on the plains and join me."
The second principle is that the best and the brightest in the
workforce seek more than just a paycheck from their job, they seek fulfillment
of
their own
personal Purpose For Existing (PFE). On average, employees spend 70 percent
of their waking hours Monday through Friday either at work, getting to
work, or preparing for work. For the most part, their work is their life.
The best
and the brightest know this and understand this. They want to make sure
that while spending 70 percent of their life at work, they are in some
way fulfilling
their own PFE. They seek out companies where the organization’s
PFE supports their own.
The concept of attracting vs. recruiting might not seem like
an important topic in an era of economic uncertainty where companies are laying
people
off, or
putting freezes on hiring. The U.S. has been in that situation now
for almost the last three years.
However, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and independent
studies from professional staffing and Human Resource Management
firms indicate
a change is coming. Projections are for labor shortages starting
this year in certain
industries and increasing to approximately 6 million skilled workers
in 2012.
The repercussions of such a shortage won’t just be felt in lost opportunity
costs as companies can’t get the necessary qualified talent to serve
their customers. More painful and directly impactful will be the costs felt
as employers try to fill open positions. According to Human Resource studies,
total costs to replace a skilled managerial level employee can total as much
as 150 percent of the departing person’s salary by the time
recruiting, training and productivity costs due to losses with current
customers are factored
in.
With studies showing 55 percent of salaried people planning
on moving as jobs become available, this cost could be substantial for individual
companies.
In light of this future, the opportunity to attract vs. recruit
the best people, as well as the issue of maintaining the right employees,
both
become more relevant.
Leaders interested in creating an environment where they attract
instead of recruit the best candidates should follow three key steps:
• clarify your PFE;
• tell the world what your PFE is; and,
• fulfill your PFE.
Clarify your PFE
What is your organization's PFE? Why was the organization formed?
What unique function does it serve? Many organizations already have
their
PFE as a deeply
imbedded part of their culture, and often it exists in some written
form. It may seem obvious to you as a leader, or to your employees.
Now is
the time
to either turn it into the written word if it isn’t yet, or
make sure it is clearly articulated if it already exists in writing.
An example of a PFE that is clear, influential and to the point
is that of Merck & Co. Inc. Merck is a global pharmaceutical products and services
company that focuses heavily on research. Their PFE is stated in the following
way: “Our business is preserving and improving human life.” They
back this up with the following sub-statement. “All of our actions must
be measured by our success in achieving this goal.”
Tell the world what your PFE is
When you have a clearly articulated version of your PFE, let
the world know what it is. Put it on all your marketing materials,
internal documents,
Web
sites and communications with buyers, suppliers, customers, campus
placement offices and partners.
Make sure that when people hear the name of your company, they
automatically know what your PFE is. It is through these efforts
that you are saying
to the world: “I am a zebra. If you too are a zebra, come join me."
Your PFE will have an impact on the people who interact with
you. Those who have a personal PFE that is similar to your organization’s
and who in fact can fulfill their PFE by helping your organization fulfill
its PFE, will
now be attracted to you. Think in terms of Merck. How attracted
do you think someone is to Merck if their personal PFE is to improve human
life?
Fulfill your PFE
Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot
hear what you are saying.”
This is something for organizations to remember. To succeed in
attracting, not recruiting the best people, an organization must
live up to the
PFE that it identifies and promotes to the world.
Exhibiting actions incongruent with that PFE will quickly damage
the company’s
credibility and decrease their attraction. However, for organizations
that live the PFE they create, every action they do makes the
attraction that much
stronger for potential candidates.
Organizations that follow these three steps will find themselves
approaching hiring in an entirely new way. Creating awareness
about the organization’s
PFE and then interviewing people attracted to the company will
become the norm, not recruiting.
For organizations that are doing the three steps very successfully,
having to work hard to recruit someone should be an indication
that they are
trying to get the wrong person. If someone clearly understands
your organization’s
PFE and your organization has done an effective job of fulfilling its PFE,
but the person still needs to be convinced, then you don’t
want them in your organization.
Make your life easier, make your company more successful. Don’t recruit
the best people, attract them.
