Measure Twice, Cut Once

Many contractors use those words as words to live by for their craft. Easy to say, but harder to put into practice sometimes. During my fencing days I got to be pretty friendly with a measuring tape and can attest to the value of the adage of measuring twice and cutting once. While my partner would always jokingly say "its not a coffee table" while we were building fences, there is something to say for putting the work in to make sure you are doing the best job possible.

This story takes us back to my glory days of building fences once again. As was normal process, we had our locates done and the ground was marked up with the familiar spray painted lines to mark electrical and gas lines. While the electrical connections for most houses we worked on were at the front of the house and not really an issue for us, the gas lines were always a going concern since many of the fences we built ran between houses and right along the path of the lines to the meter. While the rules may have changed over the years, the rule of thumb for us as contractors was that the utility line could be a metre (3') away from the line in either direction. For us, that meant hand digging the post holes when there was any question of being in that range.

On the day in question we arrived with our gear and prepared to dig. The locate lines were clearly marked and we went about our business. As we dug the holes between houses with the auger we made the call to use the auger to drill the holes down the property line between the houses. We were about 6' away from the line (twice the requirement) and felt confident about using it there. To be clear, we had built dozens of fences and dug hundreds of holes over the summers we built fences so we were more than experienced with digging post holes and following the rules. About two feet down into digging one of the holes we heard the dreaded sound of the ruptured line. A haunting hiss that I can still clearly remember today. I've hit a couple of lines in my day but this day was one I will never forget. Per protocol, we called the gas company emergency line and they responded within minutes. It was what happened next that surprised me.

As the responders exited their van (like firemen hitting a scene) they all seemed to have a job. One was clearing the debris from the hole to locate the break, the next was prepping the repair line that would be connected etc. More interesting to me was the guy who jumped out of the truck and went right to the spraypainted line on the ground, rubbing it away with his boots. You see, as I said earlier the whole reason you get the lines marked is so you know where not to dig. In this case, the hole (and the gas line) was so far away from the line there was no way the gas line could have been where it was given the markings that were done. In those days we did not have cell phones so we carried around a disposable camera in the truck to have for these types of situations. Lucky for us, we took some pictures BEFORE the crew arrived. When I told them not to worry about rubbing the lines away and that we already had pictures their tone quickly changed from one of accusation and hostility to "thanks for calling us".

In business, there are some strong parallels to this story. My thoughts:

Seek Boundaries: like utility locates, you need a barometer in business to understand the boundaries of your core business focus versus branching out. While many companies drive innovation through new ideas and solutions to problems, moving too fast on a new venture or stretching yourself too thin can have challenging consequences for your business and your career. While you don't have to colour within the lines all the time, you should stick with what you are good at (core business) and tread carefully when branching out beyond that.

Measure Twice: in IT, applications are tested in a 'sandbox' or test type environment. Moving something to 'production' without taking the required steps to test and fix issues can submarine an entire program or business. Always seek to understand the implications of your actions before putting them into effect. Same holds true for a tough conversation or email. If you take the time to 'measure' the impact of your words, you may choose them differently.

Stand Behind Your Work: the worker scrambling to destroy the markings was not a good look. Same holds true in business. If you make a mistake, own it and work on corrective action plans to avoid it in the future. In a gotcha world where everyone has a camera, a social media account and an opinion you are better suited to owning the issue and driving the solution vs defending an unsavory position.

For my part, those fencing days continue to drive my actions. Whether it is woodworking projects at the house or working on the next big thing in our business, it is always important to measure twice before taking the next step. Until next time, keep the faith...

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Jim McKay is a seasoned supply chain executive with over twenty-five years experience in leading and coaching others. From the shop floor to the board room to the ball diamond and hockey rink, those who know him know that he has a few stories to share about life and leadership. Through his 'Reflections' posts and 'Reflections of a Workaholic ' publications Jim shares his experience in transportation, supply chain and leadership through impactful and insightful stories that are meant to help and inspire others.

The commentary and opinions in these stories are his own...