We’re of the age when most of our friends have kids who are within one or two years of college. This fact makes it impossible to attend a social outing where the chit chat doesn’t inevitably lead to some extraordinary tale of stress in seeking recognition from an institution of higher education. A chapter of life like any other.One hockey mom recently told me her son wants to be a commercial pilot and is pursuing flight schools that specifically focus on navigation. She joked that he had been curating a map collection since he was four. Amazing! I had no idea this third line forward might someday hold my life in his worthy hands. That he’s already logged hours in the cockpit. That he knows what he wants to be and always has.
So fascinating to me that some humans can be so taken with something that never even crossed my mind. I can’t help but imagine some goddess ensuring our universe is diverse and well stocked with all the loves and devotions we need, touching each newborn with a magic passion wand. Setting us out on our life journey to find the things we want to do more than anything else.
Last week, I served on a panel to help launch the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies Report, Improving America’s Housing 2025. Representing diverse sectors of the remodeling market, each panelist fielded questions inside our specific area of expertise. My question was “what makes a remodeling worker different from others in the construction industry or other sectors?”
This is such a significant inquiry and one that often gets missed or passed over in how we assess talent and skill when specifically speaking about remodeling. As if a builder is just a builder– school or skyscraper or six story gut reno– it’s all the same. But, no, not the same at all.
A remodeler is routinely tasked with navigating the unknowns– aged infrastructure, antiquated systems, totally unpredictable client requirements. And remodeling inherently deviates from the standard. We are looking for tailored solutions that account for both the idiosyncrasies of the client’s vision and of the existing structure. We are constantly adapting to diverse challenges, historical nuances, and architectural constraints. We need an intimate knowledge of construction methodology AND expertise on how to empathically communicate solutions, negotiate cost, and manage time.
Imagine it like a medical situation– in remodeling, one has to be skilled enough to diagnose an issue and then convince the patient to undergo a timely and costly procedure during which one should be anesthetized. The kicker is, the client is actually going to be awake the whole time and might ask you a whole bunch of questions about how it’s going, what you’re going to do next, can you speed it up, and how can we look at cutting back on costs even though we’re, well, in the middle of open-heart surgery?
Since clients are directly involved with the project, both emotionally and financially, we need to have the capability to manage ongoing dialogues, negotiate challenges, and offer clarity in decision-making. We have to exhibit a profound attention to detail and maintain rigorous quality control standards— the constant calibration that demands our leadership come with humility and a whole lot of HEART. We have to want to do this more than anything else.
I’ve been told it can’t be that hard. We aren’t flying to the moon or actually performing open heart surgery on an awake patient. I get it. Our work doesn’t save lives or cure ills or require genius…
Or, does it? Maybe that’s why it’s our calling.
Allison
