It’s been said that leadership makes you run toward the fire.
It takes courage, vision, selflessness, and other qualities of good leadership to act nobly on the spot. At this point in your life, do you tend to face challenging, trying circumstances head-on, or do you run from them?
Our character is manifested in the choices we ultimately make. These moments that call us to act will always surprise us; we may find ourselves in these situations at home, on the freeway, at a concert, at work–anywhere! As I observe the team of people who surround me at work, I’m proud to say that I’ve seen my teammates exhibit these leadership qualities, to be there for each other and our customers.
For example, last month, members of our Service team chose to shift their work and personal schedules around to prioritize a customer calling for an emergency board-up. Because of their willingness to help, the work was completed within hours of the initial phone call.
Moises Orozco (superintendent) received the emergency call at about 1 PM to remove and board-up broken spandrel glass between the 6th and 7th floors of the Silver Lake Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. He made time to visit the project site, measure the spandrel, and complete a take-off. Back in the office, we got a work order going, and Cesar Barragan (superintendent) ordered an emergency 100-foot boom lift from King Equipment. He scheduled the technicians to be on-site at 4 PM with the arrival of the lift. There on-site, Chris Ortiz and Ruben Hernandez (journeymen glaziers) cleaned out, final measured, and boarded up the opening, preparing it for a replacement panel. The boom lift was picked up the following day, like nothing ever happened.
It’s important to all of us that we maintain our 72-year history of consistently choosing to “run toward the fire” through the projects that we take on, sometimes serving others who brave massive fires in their own right, such as hospitals and quite literally, fire stations. It brings me great pride that I’m encouraged by my team to continue heading courageously into situations that require sound and quick action. In building these leadership qualities, we hope to better ourselves, our clients, our families, our communities, and our world!
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