DARRELL TRIGG’S FINAL ARTICLE AS MASTER BUILDERS’ PRESIDENT FOR BUILDING TODAY
Believe it or not, my role as National President Master Builders comes to a close at the end of August at the Master Builders AGM.
As everyone says, where did the last two years go, and how did they slip by so fast? It has been a real privilege to get around the country and meet the members that range from extremely large businesses to one employee. The passion for the Master Builders brand, their people and the industry has been fantastic to experience. I look forward to continuing to support them all at the events such as Apprentice of the Year, House of the Year, NZ Commercial Project Awards, together with all of their local events.
As I reflect on the last 24 months, there are a few key themes that float to the top.
PASSION
Travelling to pretty much every corner of the country I was always warmly greeted and not surprised by the passion the Guys and Girls had for what they do. Business owners were keen to share experiences of building New Zealander’s homes and workplaces. They were all extremely proud of what they and their teams had achieved. We have to enjoy what we do, having a real passion for your chosen vocation is key to being happy at work, it drives the need to constantly improve, and smooths out the times when things get a bit tough. Being a passionate leader in your business drives the same behaviour from your teams and is easily articulated to your clients, it becomes infectious, remember we are not providing a service, we are providing an experience!!
PEOPLE
Believe it or not, we are not in the building game – we are in the people game. Construction of homes and workplaces does not happen on its’ own. These buildings are complex things to put together, notwithstanding the battle that we all go through just to get them to site! It goes without saying that, surrounding ourselves with the best people we can to help us out reaps dividends far beyond what we can predict; having great people and developing them into even better versions of themselves is time and money well invested. Travelling around, I have met some fantastic people from all parts of the industry from site, consultant, to supply, subcontracting and support services.
I would like to acknowledge the fantastic work that David Kelly (Master Builders CEO) the Senior Leadership Team, and the entire staff of Master Builders and Master Build Services does for not only the members, but the entire industry; Master Builders is a great organisation that does a lot of work for both its members and for ‘NZ Inc’, they tirelessly look at ways to benefit the construction sector as a whole, which in turn benefits both members and non-members. This was never truer than during the recent lockdown for Covid-19, their work rate went up in helping members navigate the lockdown and preparing for the return to work, THANKS TEAM!
BUSINESS
Up and down our amazing country I have met and experienced with true amazement the fantastic initiatives and sheer brilliance of businessmen and women, young and old. There is no one rule that reigns supreme for the success of a business in the construction sector. There are so many factors, such as location, target market, size of business, etc. The one constant is that the successful people are the ones that become students of business. It is imperative that we are better at business than we are at building! When we build our business, we need to decide what our personal strengths and weaknesses are, and what role we want within our business. Fill all the other roles around you and your business will rock. Master Builders has a focus on helping our members build better businesses. This core offering recognises that members are great builders; but to stay in the game and grow, a focus on business first is key.
I would like to acknowledge the support of the Master Builders Chair and Board during my time, and my wife and business partner of 28 years Marlene, for supporting me forever.
SEE YOU AROUND!
I am passing the role of National President on, but will be staying on as a Director and look forward to catching up with you soon.
