Many are still suffering from the aftermath of the recession, yet for most in our industry, their personal approach is that it will never happen again in their lifetime. If you are under the age of fifty-three, with the new retirement age being 67, than reality is you will live to see another recession. Most of the world’s top economists are predicting in the year 2018 we will see signs of a recession and a downturn in construction. It is predicted by 2030 we will experience a worldwide recession worse than ever before where even the ultra-wealthy will be in a reserve versus spending mode.

So what does it mean to be sustainable as an individual? It means that when you experience injury or loss like an illness, workplace injury, loss of a job or loss of the income you are accustomed to you will endure. Endure means to get through it without devastating effects.

Employers in any industry including construction, first and foremost, look at your attitude. This is how you respond to the good, the bad, the ugly and most of all others around you. Are you a person who finds solutions or are you a person that makes comments, excuses and opponents?

During difficult times someone with equal skill to you that has a better attitude will get the job and more importantly keep a job when an employer is forced to choose who goes and who stays. Employers are also twice as likely to help you through a personal crisis if you are a person of high regard in the attitude arena.

Charles R. Swindoll summed it up this way. “Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.”

In addition to attitude employers will then seek to understand your aptitude to learn what they need you to learn to be successful at the job and within the company. It is often said that skill can be taught, but attitude and aptitude cannot. An employer will hire someone with less experience that has the desire and ability to learn all day over the one who is the so called expert who thinks they know it all or thinks the employer needs them more than he or she needs the employer.

Communication, processing skills, self-discipline and initiative are some areas we recommend you work on to build sustainability. Each of these areas can be assessed and addressed directly by you being honest with yourself.

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can” is a quote from Arthur Ashe.

Start where you are:

Evaluate how you compare to others in your same role. Ask others how they see you. Learn about yourself and your communication skills through assessments, asking the tough questions and learning about the industry. Look at what you can do to help your employer and others verses what reward you need for all you do.

Use what you have:

Each of us have a mind, a voice, and 24 hours in a given day. Start by taking time to think and evaluate, ask for ways you can help or improve, then setting time aside to make it happen.

Do what you can:

Don’t start big, start small. Do something positive each day. It will naturally lead to being able to fit more in here. After you complete, if you scored 70 or above, you know your attitude is in check and can now start working on your communication, processing, self-discipline and initiative skills. If you score under 70, you might need someone to help you evaluate if your current job and place of employment are right for you so you can be in the best environment for keeping your attitude in check allowing you to work on the other sustainability skills.  Either way if you need our help we can be reached at 305-361-0094 or help@flccmail.com.

“It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; it’s the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.” David Allan Coe

The same holds true for the stability of your career. Is it sustainable?