With all due respect to Led Zeppelin, times are stressful at this moment, right? 
But, as contractors, you already know that stress is a constant. 
When times are tough, you’re stressed trying to get work. 
When times are good, you’re stressed executing the work. So stress is constant.

Yet, most of us in this business are adrenalin junkies. We like change. We like action. We like risk. That’s why we take on challenging projects. When projects become rote, then we get bored. And God forbid, we get bored. 

There’s plenty of excitement in life. In my own career, I lived through 7 recessions, 5 booms and one pandemic, not to mention wars, wildfires, earthquakes and a debris flow. No boredom here. Nor is there for you. 

To survive the ups and downs of the construction business, we’ve got to be mentally, emotionally, financially, and physically prepared for all contingencies.

Managing your stress is imperative for your health, your family’s health, the health of your employees and the health of your business. 

Good Times
So, perhaps times are good for you right now. You’ve got work. Your crews are busy, maybe even too busy. In fact, you’re shorthanded. You’re supposed to be more places than you have crew members for. And the phone is ringing. Are you stressed?

Damn straight, you are! You’re dealing with customers, clients, vendors, trades, employees, designers, architects, engineers, inspectors and consultants. If you’re dealing with people, then you’re going to have stress.

Humans, God love ‘em, come with baggage, needs, wants and desires. Somehow, they think that you as the general contractor are going to be able to handle them and manage all the competing agendas. Skillfully. 

Well, if you can do that, you’re really, really, really good at dealing with people. Most of us are not. Dealing with people is an acquired skill (See my blog post Becoming A Builder).  

There’s psychology, negotiation, strategic thinking, tactical issues, schedule slippage, budget busts and good old human failings (including your own!) to take into account. 

While you may have the best trades in town working on your projects, I can almost guarantee that at least one or two will let you down every year. People get ill, their kids get sick, marriages fail, they develop drug or alcohol habits or their kids do, they have a mid-life crisis, they get bored or burnt out, plus there are weddings, funerals, affairs, or they’re caring for aging parents. 

Any one of the above takes their focus off of paying attention to what they need to do to deliver their part of your whole job. All of this is real life. 

Like any team, we’re only as strong as our weakest link. Therefore, one of your primary jobs is to coach. By that, I mean observe and encourage. You’ve got to see who on your team of trades is ready to play today. 

Who is suited up? Who has game face? What’s going on in their lives? As a coach of a high performing team, you need to know and you need to care. Not just because what happens in their personal lives will affect their performance, but also because you care about them as human beings.

How about you? What are you doing each day to take care of yourself? Do you have someone to clear your head with? Is there an activity that you like to do each day that pulls you through the stresses of that day? 

Bad Times
Or perhaps times are bad for you right now. The phone is not ringing. There’s not much going on in your community. Things might be shut down. The local economy could be crashing. You’ve got to hold on. You’ve got to husband your resources, guard your cash reserve, and perhaps bid jobs for cash flow. 

Paying attention to your financials is always important, but now it’s imperative for survival. You need up to date numbers. As you sign checks for payments to vendors, you have to look at each one and question each one. How could you effectively reduce out flow in the future?

If you are leveraged with debt, you’re in a whole other predicament. Hopefully, you’ve got some senior advisors who are in your court and who have been there, done that. People from the banking, finance and development world, who have ridden out a few major recessions in the past, who can coach you on how to minimize your losses. 

Let’s face it, if you’re dealing with leveraged debt in a downturn, you’re in crisis.

Same questions as above, though. What are you doing to take care of you? It’s even more important now. If the leader’s mental and physical health is in jeopardy, the whole enterprise is at an even greater risk. 

Your Stress
So it’s vitally important for you and those around you that you take care of your health. Stress needs an outlet. When you’re still working physically, you’ve got one. Swinging that hammer is a great place to put a focus on stress.

However, when you’re in management, you must have an outlet. Sports, athletics, being outdoors, hobbies, anything that gives you at least 30 minutes a day of enjoyment that gets your blood going and provides a daily “vacation”.  

Phil Gaskill, another veteran builder, taught me 20 years ago that you’ve got to take a “vacation” every day, even if it’s just for 30 minutes, where there’s something that you look forward to, that pulls you through the day, that recharges you. 

There are always crises in construction. It’s part of the business. You must take care of your physical and mental health. Recharge. Everyday. 
 

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Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash