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Geotechnical News • September 2013
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ASFE NEWS
for yourself that doesn’t really belong
to you.
To which Tim responded…
Thanks for your thoughts on this
topic, John, I agree with you that
trying to defend that phrase on the
witness stand would be uncomfort-
able, to say the least. Often, both the
local municipality and the owner are
looking to us for confirmation that
the work was completed according to
plans and specifications. If we put in
too many limiting phrases, it’s likely
the municipality would balk and direct
us to complete enough field observa-
tion to be able to make a conclusive
statement. We’ll need to talk about this
internally and see how we can more
accurately portray our work. Thanks
for taking the time to get back to me.
John then offered…
Hi, Tim. Feasibly you could try some-
thing like what follows. It’s shorter but
still explains the risks involved; i.e.,
you are doing what doctors do when
they obtain informed consent from
a patient. Your clients need to know
that they DO NOT want you to say
anything stronger, because that could
make you liable for the contractor’s
work, something for which you are not
insured.
“Based upon inferences we have
drawn from our [observation and/
or testing], as documented by
the daily field reports included in
Appendix A, it is our professional
opinion that the constructor is
achieving specified conditions.
Please recognize that construction
observation and testing are
sampling functions that involve
direct observation and/or testing
of less than one percent of the
overall work that the observation
and testing data are applied to
evaluate.”
Professional selling
Imagine, if you will, that the world’s
automobiles were manufactured by
25,000 companies, each one building
one car at a time, to meet the prefer-
ences of each specific buyer. And
by preferences, we don’t mean just
two-door, four-door, or SUV. We mean
everything: length, width, wheelbase,
engine, number of doors, and so on;
i.e., no two even remotely the same.
While some of these companies might
build, say, 10,000 cars each year,
most would build no more than 100.
The buyer would select the company,
agree on what was needed, review the
budget, make modest compromises
as required, pay for the vehicle in
increments, and then wait for delivery
while hoping for the best. Imagine,
further, that you’re in the market for a
new car. Knowing that you would not
take delivery until long after you make
the purchase decision, how would you
make that decision? What would be
a really important factor? We submit
that testimonials could be extremely
helpful, and not just written ones:
How about video testimonials linkable
via a company’s website? Imagine
clicking to one of the dozens available
and seeing a woman looking into the
camera and saying…
“Hi. My name is Jane Doe. If
you’re like me, you’re always
nervous about buying a car,
because you really have no idea
what it will look like or perform
like, except by virtue of the
promise made by the company.
I’m on my third Smith Associates
car. I have been delighted by each
and every one. They look like
they promise, and I love the looks.
They’ve performed exactly like I
want them to. They delivered each
one on time for exactly the price
we agreed to. I’m truly happy
with my Smith. I’ll be a Smith fan
forever.”
Then you click to another and a man
says…
“Hello. My name is Edward
Green. I’ve been purchasing
Smith vehicles for 20 years. I
know that I could get another type
of vehicle for less, especially if
I haggle, but let’s face it: These
vehicles are built one at a time;
each is custom. If I pay less, will
I get less? If I pay less, will the
people I deal with work just as
hard to deliver the highest quality
they can, or will they make –
shall we say – adjustments, so
they make the amount of profit
they need to. How could I tell?
With Smith, I know I get true
value: just what I bargained for,
delivered when I want it. You
can’t do better than that.”
Now imagine that instead of auto-
mobiles, the deliverable is an instru-
ment of geoprofessional service. That
shouldn’t be too hard to imagine,
should it? Now imagine that you can
visit a geoprofessional firm’s web-
site and link to video testimonials.
Hmmmm. From what we’ve seen,
that’s a real stretch.
Human resources management
Time and time again we hear stories
about the employee who should have
been fired, but was kept on until the
situation became so toxic there was
no alternative to dimissal. And then,
guess what? Dismissal was best for
the employee as well as the firm. That
being the case, separation before that
point would have been far easier and
far more beneficial to the company.
This applies even to top performers, as
when they seem to feel the company
and all other employees somehow owe
them, and the company “would never
even think about firing me, because
I’m so good.” The real problems with
these toxic employees is the damage
they do to morale. Others on staff –
especially the rising stars – disrespect
the managers who are afraid to take
meaningful action, leading to cre-
ation of a widespread “us vs. them”
atmosphere, and a workplace that can
become a dreaded morning destina-
tion. The result: Keeping the toxic
superstar on staff can result in damage
whose value far exceeds whatever
benefit is involved, as when others
leave for greener, better-managed pas-
tures. Ironically, when that happens,