Paintshop and Management: Transparency and Accountability
The terms “transparency” and “accountability” are used in every trade and industry, including government and not-for-profits. Together, also sometimes synonymously.
What do transparency and accountability mean, in relation to the painting and decorating trade?
Transparency: Painter demonstrates a clear, honest and understandable picture of his or her, as well as others’, decisions, choices, actions, behaviors, etc.
Accountability: Painter becomes answerable and takes responsibility for his or her, and/or others’ decisions, choices, actions, behaviors, etc.
How can transparency and accountability work in the painting and decorating trade?
Problem/Situation: Yellow paint used for “No Parking” and “Yield” lines faded, wore off fast.
Transparency: Painter shows management the difference in composition and durability between paint product supplied, and the product recommended for high-traffic exterior surface.
Accountability: Painter takes share of painter-supervisor-management group’s responsibility for approving, ordering and using less durable and low-cost paint product.
Problem/Situation: Re-touched up others’ surface touch-ups, still left paint color differences.
Transparency: Painter shows G.M. how budget and time crunch drove decision to re-touch up small area versus repainting entire wall or room.
Accountability: Painter takes responsibility for completing work order that way, knowing results and need to still repaint wall or room as soon as possible.
Problem/Situation: Repainted entire wall after bleach clean-up of major Black mold fungi buildup, costing more than touching up immediate surface.
Transparency: Painter shows Housekeeping Director and G.M. why repainting wall was necessary and explains why it may be needed again in near future.
Accountability: Painter takes responsibility for own and supervisor’s decision to repaint area as soon as possible, and to help get guest room back into circulation.
Problem/Situation: Painted office walls stripped of wallcovering and heavily infested with Toxic Black Mold Fungi.
Transparency: Painter shows management why applying paint vs. wallcovering is safer, healthier.
Accountability: Painter assumes responsibility for tone-down appearance; offers to add border.
Problem/Situation: Caulked, repainted lobby’s slylight area vs. touching up water leak spots.
Transparency: Painter shows management that treatment plan protected area. Also, how it “bought” them little more time before major repairs and reconstruction would be needed.
Accountability: Painter takes responsibility caulking and repainting jobs temporary, visible fixes.
Problem/Situation: Declined “quick-fix” project to repaint all exterior guest room doors.
Transparency: Painter showed management dire need, and wise move, to properly prep, fill cracks, sand, and prime area before applying finish coat.
Accountability: Painter shared responsibility for appearance of doors, if repainted with minor prep work.
Problem/Situation: Discreetly inspected major wall damage, and advised extended-stay family of guests in suite before notifying managers.
Transparency: Painter explains to guest that damage must be reported before repairs could be done. Reported damages, situation to managers; suggested creative solution for repairing area.
Accountability: Painter takes responsibility for inspection and assessment before reporting problem. Takes responsibility for proposing that guest help make repairs to save everyone money and face.
Problem/Situation: Completed priority-scheduled project late, delayed by manager’s switching painter to handle unscheduled, extra project.
Transparency: Painter shows managers how delays impacted completion of priority project, before arrival of large group of guests.
Accountability: Painter assumes share of responsibility for non-completion of project in time, also for not holding firm to shared goal of General management-Engineering/Paintshop-Housekeeping.
Tips on how to look at any problem or situation
- It falls within the painter’s/paintshop’s scope of expertise, abilities, resources, responsibility.
- It has a solution. * So let’s find out what that is
- Let’s take care of it, the best we can with what we have to work with.
- Do it for the people. Do it for the place. Do it for the community.
Tips on how to look at Transparency and Accountability
- In the short-run or long-run, honesty is the best policy – and the easiest to justify.
- The obvious will always shine through, one way or another, eventually.
- It’s easy to understand what’s true, and to see through the rest.
- Self-responsibility is the trademark of a good human being.
A Painter’s work life is full of tests. Beyond skill, ability, knowledge, and adeptness.
Among them are tests that measure:
- His/her character, sense of ethics and philosophy of living.
- His/her loyalty to the painting trade and construction industry; the employer, manager, team.
- His/her commitment to the organization, and the business.
- His/her respect for and appreciation of everyone served by that organization – eg. guests.
- His/her collaborative spirit toward everyone with whom the business deals.
- His/her self-responsibility toward the organization’s role in the community at large.
A painter’s willingness to be transparent and accountable is a central key to professional and personal success, fulfillment and longevity!
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Thank you to every painter that tries to live and work a self-responsible life.
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Thanks, everyone, for visiting “Painting with Bob.”
Copyright 2015, 2017. Robert D. Hajtovik. All rights reserved.
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