The Transformational Power of Y-E-S

When I interviewed for my first construction job as an entry-level field engineer on an electric arc furnace project in my hometown, I was told I would be “aligning columns and beams.” I graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering, but spent the past four years in the coal mining business and had to remind myself which one was the column and which the beam. I said YES – of course I can align the columns and beams!

From this rough start, I went on to a 30-year career in the engineering and construction business, saying YES to assignments managing the design and construction teams that would develop industrial facilities worldwide.

Even without the specific know-how, I said yes to every opportunity.

My career of saying yes afforded me the fantastic opportunity to learn about a variety of industries and processes – all different, all interesting. I didn’t know anything about steel rolling mills, casting machines, blast furnaces, coke ovens, gold mills, chemical plants, hydro-electric power plants, garbage burning power plants, nickel refining, silver refining, or iron ore pelletizing – and perhaps I knew only a little bit more after I built them. I certainly didn’t know how to build ships (let alone describe which end was the bow and which the stern) when I was asked to run a shipyard – but even without the specific know-how, I said yes to every opportunity.

My YES also provided the collateral benefit of experiencing cultures outside of my western PA upbringing – both domestic (Utah, Maine, Ohio, and in PA both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia) and internationally – with the diversity of Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, South Korea, Chile, Peru, Australia, Norway, Italy, Iceland, and Germany.

Lucky for me, none of my lack of specific industry or cultural knowledge mattered much because I was fortunate to build the right teams around me…and what great teams they were! Our teams had the expertise. My job was a labor of love – to “align” those expert “columns and beams” to achieve goals, meet deadlines, and keep promises.

In retrospect, my saying yes to that labor of love transformed my career, and my perspective as a leader, husband, father, and human being.

Start With Yes

As a Vistage Chair, my yes’ are different, but my belief in the opportunity that saying yes offers in terms of exploring yourself, growing as a leader, and learning as a human has only strengthened.

Today, I say yes to:

• Showing up every day as the best leader I can be

• Being more curious

• Being fully present

• Being more candid

• Holding others AND myself accountable

• Being courageous enough to keep saying yes to all of this

YES took me all over the globe as a constructor and eventually as CEO in diverse industries. Crazy? Maybe, but I prefer courageous.

Are you courageous enough to be challenged in your thinking – courageous enough to be held accountable for your decisions – courageous enough to be vulnerable? If so, let’s talk about saying YES to Vistage – and the transformational opportunities that yes offers.

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About the Author: I’m an Executive Coach, Vistage Chair, and founder of DEMEE Consulting who brings 20+ years of hands-on C-level experience to inspire growth in others and raise the bar in all aspects of leadership. Contact me: Dave.Meehan@VistageChair.com.