FIND A CONTRACTOR BUYER'S GUIDE
BECOME AN INDUSTRY PARTNER
MCAA Logo
MEMBER LOGIN JOIN
NEWS
The 2026 MCAA Annual Online Auction is Now Open ↗

Are you on a Leadership Merry-Go-Round?

Words: Linda Tennant/Public/News/20120611060000-1.jpg" width="600" height="338" border="0" alt="Can you relate to the Leadership Merry-Go-Round?" />
Can you relate to the Leadership Merry-Go-Round?
As the leader of your company, you have an opportunity and challenge every day. You have to keep employees productive, provide good customer service, and address the latest regulations–all while staying profitable.

One of the biggest challenges is keeping everyone focused on the right things long enough to get the desired results. Many times we are so busy getting things done we feel we can’t stop and decide what’s really important. Can you relate to the Leadership Merry-Go-Round?

Leadership Merry-Go-Round

Because I don’t take time to determine what’s important, everything is important.

Because everything is important, I have to do everything.

Other people see me doing everything, so they expect me to do everything.

Doing everything keeps me so busy I don’t have time to think about what’s important.

So, I often don’t know what’s important until after I haven’t done it and the problems created cost me time.

Remember...it takes time now to save lots more time later.

Get off the Merry-Go-Round

The good news is you can get off the merry-go-round with the following steps. Remember, you will never find the time to take these steps, you must make the time. Even just one hour a day or a week working on your business, rather than in it, if done consistently, will have a positive impact.

Decide what’s important and productive–start with yourself. Make a list of every task you do currently.

How many of these tasks relate to your personal productivity and how many to improving your people’s productivity? Focus on their productivity; you are productive only when they are.

Identify the three to six highest payoff activities to spend 80 percent of time.

Below is a prioritized list one of our CEO clients established as his “High Payoff Activities.”

High Payoff Activities

Develop and supervise the performance of a strong management team

Standard process for job descriptions, individual performance goals & measurement, employee assessments and feedback

Ensure high-quality service and compliance with company standards

Standard workflows & procedures; continuous process improvement

Provide employee training and employee development programs

Individual training plans based on the position and employees’ strengths and weaknesses. Employee motivation plans.

Ensure adequate staffing levels

Standard process for recruiting, interviewing, hiring, orientation and succession.

Build, develop and gain buy-in on the strategic business & profit plan.

Involve your management team in the planning and execution.

Ensure the company’s culture matches the overall cultural vision

Reinforce the company’s values, vision and mission to employees – include values assessment in pre-hire testing.

Find time for what’s important

Questions to identify the time wasters in your life: Are you putting out the same fires over and over? Are you working around employees who aren’t performing instead of addressing the lack of performance? Are you doing tasks that others could or should do? Are you answering the same questions on processes because you don’t have written procedures? Do employees get discouraged or not perform because expectations haven’t been clearly communicated and held accountable?

Develop a plan to eliminate, delegate or streamline time wasters. Work with one new habit a week or month.

Schedule an appointment with yourself weekly to work on your High Payoff Activities.

Get off the merry-go-round one step at a time. Develop your people–help them be more productive and you will be more productive. When done correctly, people development is not a cost but an investment.
 0
Building Stonework That Lasts Beyond the Surface
April 2026

How Today’s Systems Strengthen Traditional Masonry In masonry, longevity has always been the true measure of craftsmanship. Any wall can look impressive the day it’s finished, but the real test comes years later, after the first freeze-thaw cycle, after t

Rob McKay
Technical Talks
Read More
Mastering The Art Of Masonry Repair: The Dos and Don’ts
April 2026

Whether we specialize in repairs and restoration work or new construction, repairs are something that we all must do, at least from time to time. With ever-increasing competition from faster and cheaper building systems, the onus is on us as masonry profe

John Bard
Technical Talks
Read More
The Evolution of Brick Staining: From Color Complaints to Industry Essential
April 2026

Over thirty years ago, much of the conversation around brick staining centered on color complaints. In the early days, nearly all of our work stemmed from those situations, projects where something had gone wrong, and staining was brought in as a correcti

Don Foster
MAP Partner
Read More
Is Contact with Wet Mortar or Grout Dangerous?
April 2026

In the world of masonry, few materials are as common as mortar and grout. Whether you are laying brick, concrete masonry units (CMU), or pouring grout into masonry walls, wet cement and mortar are constant companions. However, beneath their utility lies a

Zach Everett
Technical Talks
Read More