ROOF TOP NEWS

THIS PAGE IS DESIGNED TO LET YOU GET TO KNOW US WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE THINK, AS WELL AS WHAT WE ARE DOING.

THE ARTICLES CONTAINED HEREIN WILL MAKE YOU THINK

YOU WILL AGREE

YOU WILL DISAGREE AND SOMETIMES YOU MAY GET UPSET

BUT 

IF YOU READ OVER TIME YOU WILL COME TO UNDERSTAND WHO WE ARE AS AN ORGANIZATION

WE ARE AN ORGANIZATION THAT STRONGLY BELIEVES THAT THE KEY TO THE FUTURE IS EDUCATION.

BROAD BASED EDUCATION 

CREATIVE, PROGRESSIVE, INNOVATIVE, SUCCESSFUL, LEADERS, ENTREPRENEURIAL,  AND PROBLEM SOLVING PEOPLE HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON

THEY ARE THINKERS

LEADERSHIP EDUCATION

For years the most common answer given when industry people were asked "What do you thing the roofing industry needs most" has been training. Our apprenticeship committee has been very aggressive at keeping our apprenticeship program one of the best in the country. Recently our Labor/Management Committee unveiled our newest addition to Roofing Industry education, our Leadership Education Program. It is a comprehensive education program which takes a minimum of 168 hours to complete over a one year to eighteen month period.

The program was preceded by an in-depth study of our current "best practices". Over a period of a little more than a year individuals from both management and labor on a company by company basis were interview to determine how we think and act when we are performing at our best. We then tried to figure out why we can't always perform at our best and what do we need to do to move us closer to continuous peek performance. Out of that study developed much of the basis for our leadership program.

The first group is a specifically selected pilot group, chosen from existing foremen. During the first run of our program we will study them as hard as they are studying to evaluate our program so that we can make any improvements necessary. That group has already been chosen and we kicked off the program at a dinner on April 20, 2000. Sixty five people attended including the participants and many of their wives. The atmosphere was enthusiastic and appreciative. We started by showing our appreciation to the participants and after reviewing the program they responded by overwhelmingly showing their appreciation for us developing the program for them. I have to believe we are on to something.

I included an outline of the program on this site. I will be criticized for doing that because some will feel others will steal our work. To them I say, it is not that easy. All over America there are University libraries. Inside the books contain enough information for several Doctorate Degrees. you can sit in one of those libraries every day for 10 years, you may even read some of them but that alone will not earn you a degree. Without the work the outline is nothing more than a good idea. Our industry is full of people with good ideas, it is lead by people who are willing to invest the time, energy and resources into developing and implementing those ideas.

I included an outline of the program on this site.  I will be criticized for doing that because some will feel others will steal our work.  To them I say, it is not that easy.  All over America there are University libraries.  Inside the books contain enough information for several Doctorate Degrees.  you can sit in one of those libraries every day for 10 years, you may even read some of them but that alone will not earn you a degree.  Without the work the outline is nothing more than a good idea.  Our industry is full of people with good ideas, it is lead by people who are willing to invest the time, energy and resources into developing and implementing those ideas.

Roofer Leadership Education Program Overview

Phase I Training   10 - 20 hours

Introduction, Retreat – First half of core component

Introduction

2-3 hours dinner- meeting with owners, facilitators and participants 

Overview of Program

TIME FRAME: Will take place on April 20, 2000 at the DoubleTree Hotel 

Retreat

First Course in foreman/key contributor training
12 -16 hours of tailored management session, offsite in overnight retreat style facility (Friday/Saturday)

Follow up and Feedback from participants 1- 4 hours
Questionnaire on Effectiveness of Retreat

TIME FRAME: Took place May 12 & 13, 2000 at Chaminade in Santa Cruz

Phase II Training      Second Half of Core Component

Specific Management Training classes designed for foremen to enhance effectiveness on the job. Classes will be video and audio taped. Audio tapes will be given to each student soon after each class to be listened to as a form of review and to reinforce each lesson.

Phase II (a)

12-24 hours

Specific Sessions on safety/products and other outside vendor programs. My be NRCA sponsored programs or other programs approved by the Committee. (some of these sessions may also be used in Phase III)

TIME FRAME: Dependent on committee review of programs & vendor availability

Phase II b

30-36 hours

Management Sessions        3 hours per session

1. Planning and Preparation of the Worksite

- Analysis of job and site
- Analysis of safety risks
- Analysis of job risks

2. Crew Motivation

- Planning for Crew Strengths and Weaknesses
- Taking a Team Leadership Role and Approach
- Creating Stability Within a Crew

3. Crew Motivation

- Duplicating the Best Practices Within a Crew
- Communicating how Crew Actions Affect the Bottom Line

4. Leadership

- Goal Setting - Long-Term/Short-Term
- Communicating Expectations
- Listening Skills
- Cause and Effect Analysis on/off the job

5. Leadership  

- Management by Example
- Fostering Cooperation within the Crew
- Fostering Cooperation with the Customer and Trades

6 Career/Education Planning for Participants
- Analysis of program to date
- Identification of goals short-term/long-term
- Session with counselor/trainer to map out ducation/training program

7. Customer Service Skills

- The First Impression
- Adapting to Customer Expectations
- Customer Communication
- Post Job Analysis – Customer’s Point of View

8. Communication Among Cultures

- Recognition of Cultural,/Language Differences
- Adapting the Management Style
- Communicating Expectations to Different Culture

9. Problem Resolution

- Identifying problems
- Analyzing the problem
- Effective decision making
- Solution implementation
- Dealing with difficult people or situations

10. Capstone/Overview  
- Review of Leadership,/Communication/Motivation and Planning Concepts

TIME FRAME: Classes begin in mid June. Tentative schedule is approximately one class every two weeks. Final schedule will be developed after input is received from students at the retreat. Earliest possible completion end of October.

Phase III Electives 36-48 hours

Choice of Training/Education from Local Community Colleges, UC Extension, Technical College, or other Adult Ed. Students will individually choose classes based on the subject areas listed below or any other subject areas that the Labor/Management Committee may approve.

- Management/Supervision
- Computer Literacy
- English Language Training
- Spanish Language Training
- Roofing Design/Engineering
- Train to Trainer

TIME FRAME: Unable to determine depending on aggressiveness of students and availability of classes. This phase could start as soon as January.

Phase IV Capstone and Re-view 12-20 hours

Three to six evening sessions to be held quarterly designed to analyze progress of participants, review key concepts and plan for the future. These classes bring all the students back together. Sessions will include:  

Roundtable Discussions of Challenges on the Job
Review of Key Issues in Communication and Leadership
Motivating a Diverse Work Crew
Planning and Goal Setting

TIME FRAME: Runs concurrent with phase III