Hey – Walker and Davis here.
Happy Saturday morning to the Laying Foundations community!
Asking questions is a great skill to have, especially in your first few years in construction. So, how can you ask “too many” questions when you are on the job site?
Today’s issue takes about 5 minutes to read and was written for you by Walker Lott.
Enjoy!
Quote Of The Week
During your first few years of construction, you will find that you know very very little and what you thought you knew was either wrong or just scratched the surface.
However, that’s ok. Everyone who is new to the construction industry starts that way but only a small percentage is interested in accelerating that knowledge and shortening your learning curve.
So, how do you continually ask “too many” questions without the person you’re talking to trying to avoid you on the job site?
1. Ask Both Job-Related AND Personal Questions
Davis is a master at this. When you are talking to someone on your site, you should want to get to know them personally and professionally.
Getting to know them personally will enable you to begin developing a relationship that can last longer than the project itself.
It also helps open up more conversations about the job, what they are doing, and why they got into construction in the first place.
2. Keep Asking Until You Understand
Have you ever asked a question, got the answer, and said ok, but didn’t fully understand? I know I have. When you are asking someone on the job about a specific task or job they are doing, keep asking until you fully get what they’re doing.
Try asking your question a different way, explain it back to them, ask them if you are understanding it correctly, etc. But don’t be afraid to keep asking because once you fully understand it, you can then use it to teach someone else or implement it on your job site.
3. Learn Something New Daily By Asking Questions
It is easy to go to work and come home without trying to learn something new. But in your first few years in construction, you should be learning something new every day.
This will greatly help you in the long run and will enable you to be a huge benefit to the project if you have a grasp on how things work on a job site.
Ask the PM, Super, Safety, QC, Foreman, Laborer, etc, ask anyone and everyone you can questions so you can constantly be learning on your job site.
Quality of the Week: Reliability: Allowing others to trust your work by your daily actions.
20-Year-Old Self Advice: If you make a mistake and need help, find 3 possible solutions first and then go ask for help. That way it shows you actually thought through it first and didn’t immediately give up.
Next-Gen Vision
This is inspired by SiteNews – the modern voice of Canadian Construction. Laying Foundations believes in painting a picture for the younger generation. By doing so, we want you to submit your best job site photos for the month of June. We will release the best photos at the end of the month of July to share with our subscriber base. The best photos will get a shoutout on the newsletter and laying foundations merch!
Help us paint a picture for the younger generation to see how awesome the construction industry is by submitting your photo here!
Check out episode 133 on The Laying Foundations Podcast!
Join us for a conversation with our close friend Jesse Hernandez. Jesse is a two-time author, owner-operator of his consulting firm Depth Builders, podcast host, and live stream extraordinaire. Join us each month as we continue our conversation and discuss failures in our own lives with the intent to show others how to be vulnerable and have real conversations.
