When you hear the word “shotgun” you probably think of a smooth bore gun for firing shot. Or you may think of Tim McGraw’s country song called “Shotgun Rider” about the girl sitting close to him in the front of his pickup truck. But I’m talking about what kids used to yell before getting into their parents’ cars. Growing up, long before seatbelts and SUVs, kids loved to ride “shotgun.” The shotgun position, in the front seat next to the driver, was easier to get into. Climbing into the back seat of a two-door sedan was difficult. Most of all, calling “shotgun” gave us a seat of prominence. It was like sitting in a place of honor.
The term “riding shotgun” came from the Old West and referred to the armed man who sat next to the stagecoach driver. It was his job to protect passengers and cargo from outlaws. Our “shotgun riders” in construction today don’t hold a gun or the place of prominence; instead, they are the people on the project who get things done — they are the “get ‘er done folks.”
Associates
Well-staffed projects have aides and associates to do the mundane tasks like going for supplies or getting lunch. No project can get along without these people, and they often take the brunt of criticism because they are inexperienced with few or no skills.
Early in my career we hired a public school administrative clerk who turned out to be the best document control person ever. She was organized, meticulous and diligent. You could not rummage through drawings or documents without her permission, and nobody had greater recall on what was in the files, what it pertained to and where to find it. Although she had zero experience on a construction site, she knew how to handle the documents.
During the 1980s-1990s, there was an industrywide conflict as to where the best safety professionals came from. Was it the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) — the degreed professional with 10 or more years in safety? Unfortunately, most CSPs were systems safety persons who seldom reached the construction site. The controversy was whether a person from the crafts was better suited to be in construction safety or the college-degreed office type. A discussion arose as to whether a medical person with first aid skills might also make the best safety person. Someone with good “bedside” manners often became good in safety. So, from a safety leadership position, all methods were tried to find, train and retain the best safety pros. After many years of utilizing safety persons, both men and women, educated or not, skilled or not, it turned out the ones best suited for construction safety were those who had the best relationships with people and showed the most genuine care for others. Compliance standards and construction sequences and processes could be learned, but true care and love for people comes from a person’s heart, mind and core values.
Why the fuss?
Site leaders, such as project managers, construction managers and engineers, are not born; they are trained by knowledgeable mentors who have blazed a trail to follow. It takes a myriad of folks to make up a site leadership team. For every senior leader down to the aide, a chain of organizational command must be in place. Each discipline in the construction process has to be in order. For general construction, it takes many departments with full staffs to cover all the bases. Every project has a defined order, sequencing of events and logic. When all is in place and in order, things can go well. It’s the human element of working well together that makes a difference.
The success of a project is judged by many elements. From an owner’s perspective cost, schedule and smooth start-up are vital. From the contractor, the aforementioned plus productivity, quality and safety are paramount. When it’s all said and done, it takes a team. No single person is good enough to do a project alone. It takes owners, leaders and some little guys. If you want to find out if all of this is true, climb aboard and ride with us in the safety business. And don’t forget to yell “shotgun”!
For more information, contact HASC Customer Relations at (281) 476-9900, Ext. 310 or visit www.hasc.com.