www.mrca.org  —  Midwest Roofer
4
SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR MANAGERS AND OWNERS 
Laurie Moore, MRCA President
A
s you move up the 
company ladder, scopes 
of positions broaden. 
Now, along with duties that are 
solely your responsibility, you 
play a support role to others. 
Welcome to management. It’s 
a whole job just helping people 
including yourself stay in your 
own lanes.  While “doing what it takes” sounds great as an attitude, 
it promotes responsibility overlaps that sometimes result in gaps. 
Adding to the fun, there’s typically unforeseen events or projects 
that fit best under your title.  Managing all these moving parts 
can be stressful and sometimes overwhelming. If you experience 
low energy or brain fog at times, stress and overwhelm could be 
the cause. Here are some ideas to not only survive, but thrive:
Managing yourself:  
Managing Stress:
Simply the belief that a situation should be different than it is 
causes an increase in stress levels. Acknowledging a situation 
“is what it is” and then determining how you would like it to 
be helps see your goal and steps to improving your situation. 
Knowing you have a direction and a plan takes the pressure off. 
•	 If you’re feeling stressed, try to identify the cause.  Feelings 
are involuntary but can be a road map to lessen stress and 
improve your outlook.
•	 If you think the current situation should be different, understand 
why it isn’t.
•	 Focus on current fact rather than predicted outcomes based 
on experience. 
•	 Acknowledge, but don’t dwell on possible future outcomes 
that aren’t necessarily true
•	  Assess the next steps that can be taken in the present to 
improve situations.
Managing your Energy:
Allowing space for creative energy leads to excitement for what 
is to come next rather than feeling like you’re being dragged 
behind a horse every time a new challenge arises.  
•	 Alternate high priority, intense focus items with easier, quicker 
to-do items 
•	 Alternate sitting with movement when possible.
•	 Alternate computer work with items that require engaging 
with people
•	 Allow breaks between meetings that require intense brainwork
•	 Batch like items together for efficiency and instant gratification 
when you check multiple things off your list at once.
•	 Don’t multitask; focus on one thing at a time.  
Manage distractions:
Every time you switch from one activity to another, it takes energy. 
Not only the energy to switch, but also the energy to re-engage in 
the work you left to address the distraction. Distractions interfere 
with being mindful of what we’re doing resulting in unsent emails 
or other forgotten actions.
•	 Silence notifications on your phone, watch, computer and any 
other electronic gizmo; only allow those absolutely necessary 
to the requirements of your position
•	 Decide how often is often enough to check for new 
communications so you can batch responses.
•	 Create shared calendars, spreadsheets or files to minimize 
the need to ask others for information or for them to ask you
•	 Define decision parameters for each position level to give 
others authority and confidence to make decisions. This helps 
with the revolving office door syndrome.
•	 Resist the temptation to scroll social media endlessly when 
you have an opportunity to give your brain a short break.
Managing and Supporting Others:
Career paths in roofing are possible from foreman to superintendent, 
to project manager, estimator and owner. During growth in your 
organization, implementing a process for those moving up to train 
their replacement eases the process of growth. In organizational 
downsizing, grouping scopes with partial percentages of 
time within one management role can simplify the process. 
Organizations are constantly evolving in needs. Rightsizing is key.
Recognizing the highest potential of the people in your company 
and shifting them into appropriate positions can be like mining 
diamonds. Seize the opportunity to place responsibilities and 
alter scopes to fit people’s strengths.  You will see them shine 
in their positions with just small incremental changes in scope 
to feed their energy instead of sucking it out with tasks that just 
aren’t a great fit.
President’s Message

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