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TECHNICAL
It is about true leadership !
Much is being said about leadership in political , business , and other circles and it was effectively brought home to me at a Plumbing Gathering hosted by BluLever Education recently .
Rory Macnamara
Here I look at overall leadership in the plumbing industry , which quite frankly is severely lacking . I accept also that what I say will not go down all that well BUT before getting one ’ s knickers in a knot , just think in terms of where the industry is now . Gee , it worries me , and I am not nor have ever claimed to be a plumber !
There are pockets of excellence of course , and while it is good because there is sincerity in the efforts of these pockets , there is an element of divisiveness as the industry does not speak with one voice . Hence its inability to address the issue of unqualified people doing plumbing , non-compliance , being side-lined and ignored by government – especially the DHET when it forms an artisan body without artisan representation at the ‘ main table .’ Read the IOPSA article for what has been suggested . We do not need suggestions we need one national plumbing body that demands the government appointed / tea drinking bodies to JUST DO IT !
We need the dog wagging the tail , not the tail - ( government ) wagging the dog ( respectfully ) the Plumbing industry . While not doubting the sincerity of the pockets of excellence , they all manage to create situations where they end up creating more questions than answers and spend time trying to justify their actions . Just think over the last few years leading up to the recent postponement of a major event and everything in between .
Plumbing is not only an essential service , but it should also be an “ island of integrity ” ( courtesy of Prof Mike Muller who coined this term ) i . e ., beyond reproach , leaders who lead for the common good of plumbers and plumbing , where competence and non-compliance are not negotiable , the inability or unwillingness to come together for the common good and stop relying on inward looking but rather a vision for the whole industry and not just for some .
We are all in this together and make the industry wag the tail or forever sit in ivory towers and hope it goes away . It is not going away , as leaders who do not have broad vision have and will continue to find out .
A leader will take all the good people along with them as a team to succeed . Of course , there will be the snipers or negative views ( that in itself is a sign of a poor leader by the way ), if there is a good leader using the strengths of others the snipers and negatives are the ones in the industry and their comments are to be considered and valued to make the industry better .
Ronald Reagan , given as one of the more successful Presidents in the USA said :
Plumbing Africa Rory Macnamara
Our most precious resource
“ The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things . He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things .” PA
“… it ( plumbing ) should also be an “ island of integrity ”
www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline October 2022 Volume 28 I Number 8