The Connection Between Jazz and Construction Defect Investigation
Wynton Marsalis has long been renowned for his musical abilities, but he also was recently honored for his talents in leadership. The USA Today recently published an article consisting of a question & answer session with Marsalis regarding his thoughts on the connection between jazz and business leadership. Link to Article
I’ve (in my past history) been a spectator to jazz by having a son deeply involved in it and the music business. The concept and performance of jazz has always amazed me. I played the Trumpet in school but was never great at it. The music “protocol” I was exposed to involved performing someone else’s written music under the strict supervision of the director. This is similar to my years as a General Contractor building custom homes and custom home remodeling. I was always “performing” to the written details of the customer and the Building Department.
Jazz is all about taking what you are given (the root melody) and using your experience and skill to find the right notes, rhythms and style, to provide the maximum performance, every time you get your instrument out of the box.
Construction Defect Investigation is similar in that there are no written protocol to the investigation other than “don’t miss any thing that can or is causing a problem,” on behalf of the client that you are working for. This is true from both plaintiff and defense perspectives.
In the article by Wynton Marsalis, I feel the following parallels with the tips he offers:
“Everything in jazz and business starts with integrity. Listen to others. Respect them. Build trust.”
In my business, if you ever lie, your career is over, immediately. You do have to listen to other’s opinions and filter their opinions with your own experience and background. Working with others in a non-confrontational manner builds a trust that allows for successful mediation.
“Groups who work together ‘swing.’ They believe ‘we’ is more important than ‘me,’ and by doing so, absorb mistakes.”
Establishing mutually respectful relationships with all those you work with, regardless if they are on “your side” or “the other side” is important. Those in the past that have been so arrogant as to believe “their opinion was the only right opinion” are mostly no longer with us in this business (construction defect investigation and litigation).
“You can be creative inside or outside of tradition. Inside, you reinvigorate. Outside, you counter-state.”
You can never stick with the same investigative system and report production format that you or others have just because “That’s the way we’ve always done it.” You always have to push the envelope to find new ways to investigate (to save the client on case costs and yet never “leave any stone unturned”) and report formats that make the transfer of information easier for all to grasp and use.
“Creative people dare to be laughed at. They don’t act like what they are. They be what they are.”
I’m sure there will be a lot of people laughing at me for writing this blog, but I believe there will be some that get something out of it and those will be the ones we are providing this service for, for free.
“Embrace opposites. They are, in fact, the same.”
There are a lot of opposites in the small community of Construction Defect Litigation. I’m not sure I can embrace them all, but I will try to listen and at least understand where they are coming from; even if it is out of this solar system.
The thing about Jazz musicians is that they are never done “getting there.” They are always looking for ways to improve and get more out of what they have to work with. At Steve Hill Construction Consulting, Inc. we are always looking for ways to do a better investigation, write a more informative report, that can be understood and used by more “players” in the system, to find a faster route to mediation, for the combined benefit of all involved. I am always looking for ways of stretching my skills. That is why in the last year along with construction defect investigations I also got involved with a Criminal investigation (for the California Attorney General), a Wrongful Death Investigation (on behalf of a corporation that owned a medical office), and a Home Owners Association (investigating improper construction defect remediation). I feel the more varied your experience background is, the better your investigative and report writing skills will become, to the benefit of your clients.
21 January 2007 | Business, Construction, Construction Defect, Inspections, Litigation | Comments
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