The People make it Interesting

The shed industry, like all other industries, has its fair share of unique characters. I’ve worked with many different kinds of personality types over the last 15 years. Some of my co-workers have been very pleasant to deal with and some have been, well, not so much. The key to it all is learning how to deal with each one in the right way. If you’re going to be successful in the shed industry – or any other industry – you must learn to deal with people. It has been said that, “Humans are funny people.” I couldn’t agree more! The simple process of building a shed is pretty easy to most of us. Sheds, as a rule, are some of the simplest structures built. The people, though, are an entirely different story! When I first started at Better Barns things were very straightforward. Vance was the owner, the boss, the chief, and most everything else. I was the flunky. That relationship was simple. He told me what to do and I did it. We got along quite nicely for the most part. Unless I wasn’t moving fast enough, which was basically all the time. See, Vance is a 100 miles per hour type person and I’m more like a snail. Vance moves at top speed all the time. Sometimes it is in reverse, but it is always at top speed! We’ve had to learn to work through our differences to be profitable. I was the first full-time person hired at Better Barns, but I was not the last. I’ve watched many men and women come and go from our company over the years. Each of them presented their own challenges. Names are withheld in the following examples to protect me from being shot. The first challenging co-worker was a very talented young man who knew pretty much everything. Not just about sheds, either. I mean he knew everything! If you wanted to know about quantum physics, or how to overhaul an engine, or why geese fly in a V, he could tell you. I learned that to deal with people like him you just take what they say with a grain of salt and you can always just ask Google to be sure. Next, I learned about dealing with a prankster. This fellow was always tripping me up with new tricks. He never meant any harm but loved to play practical jokes on anyone and everyone. His greatest achievement was to secretly fill Dakota’s hood with sawdust then trick him into flipping the hood up on his head. Talk about a lot of sawdust in your clothes! Dealing with a prankster is much easier if you’ll be willing to laugh along with them, even if you’re the target. Also, getting them back helps. Another favorite character of mine never forgets anything, unless he wants to forget it. Years ago, something embarrassing happened to me on a lunch break while eating with this man. He still brings it up regularly! He remembers every time anyone messes up and reminds them of the occasion often. No story gets old to him. Unless it is a story about him. Then, he never seems to remember it! The best way to deal with people like him is to just recite the story and laugh along with them. It ruins the fun for them. The shed business is a relatively tame line of work. We don’t have some of the same obstacles and excitement that some other industries face. But, I’d say that we have just as many colorful characters as the next group of people. Because, “People are People, wherever you find them!”