I’m sure there are people around you whom you consider to be outstanding. People who work quickly, people who are good at negotiating with city hall, people who consistently score high marks, and so on.
While everyone may have a different definition of “outstanding,” in this post, I’d like to introduce two people I’ve met who I consider to be outstanding.
A Site Supervisor Who Never Works Overtime
The first person is a site supervisor who never works overtime. (Except for preparing paperwork before project completion.)
When it comes to the job of a construction site supervisor, I think there’s a strong perception that overtime is a given. Many people view the work as only beginning once on-site tasks are finished, so in a sense, it’s nearly impossible to avoid overtime entirely.
However, this site supervisor I met never worked any overtime at all. As soon as work on the site was done, he would pack up his laptop and head home with a spring in his step. Yet, even when it came time to prepare the completion documents, there was no sign that his work had piled up.
I found it strange, so I asked why he didn't work overtime. Then, I got this reply.
"Overtime is completely unproductive. People can't maintain their concentration for that long. It all comes down to how much high-quality, focused work you can get done within a limited amount of time. Working aimlessly for hours on end beyond that will only ruin your health."
That said, realistically speaking, how is it possible to handle work so efficiently?
When I asked him about it, he replied bluntly, “These days, even though there are so many convenient tools available, very few people actually know how to use them effectively. That’s why we’re not making any progress at all in improving time efficiency.”
It’s true that many people probably only use a fraction of the software their companies have implemented. I’m one of them. If we could follow his example and constantly learn about cutting-edge tools and incorporate them into our work, a future might come where we don’t have to work any overtime at all.
A Site Manager Who Pays Out of His Own Pocket for the Site
Most people probably buy materials and such using the job site’s budget. However, I’ve met people who are willing to pay out of their own pockets without hesitation, believing it’s for the good of the job site.
At that job site, work was underway to construct a retaining wall approximately 100 meters long. However, the contractor only had enough materials for about 30 meters, so they had no choice but to adopt a construction method that prolonged the process—erecting formwork for 30 meters, pouring the concrete, removing the formwork, and then erecting the formwork again.
The company was reluctant to spend money on materials and other expenses, and there was a general sense among our partner companies that they didn’t want to incur the expense of purchasing new formwork.
However, the site manager’s decisive action completely turned the situation around.
He bought the formwork materials with his own money and reported it to the company after the fact. While this might seem like a selfish move, the site manager said, “Well, he’d already bought them, so there’s nothing we can do about it, right? The work wouldn’t have moved forward otherwise, so it wasn’t the wrong choice.”
As a result, the process was significantly shortened, leaving the company with no grounds to complain, and his choice was effectively forced into being the right one.
What Top Talent Has in Common
High-performing individuals have one thing in common: they are, above all, positive.
When faced with various problems that arise on the job, they are able to view them in a positive light. Even when a craftsman says something unreasonable to them, they can laugh it off and say, “There sure are all kinds of people out there.” They don’t let problems weigh them down. It’s fair to say they’re managing the situation well enough to avoid depression or other mental health issues.
High-performing individuals are defined by their self-discipline. I believe a positive attitude is an essential element in any job. Site supervisors bear the heavy burden of every conceivable responsibility that arises on-site. It’s important to have the mental fortitude to laugh off those challenges and move forward.
In this post, I introduced two people I’ve met who I found to be outstanding, but everyone has their own definition of what it means to be outstanding. It’s important to spare no effort in striving to become the kind of person you aspire to be.
