PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Determination: Professional and Self W hat is determination? Oxford Dictionary defines deter- mination as “fitness for purpose; causing something to occur or be done in a particular way; serving to decide some- thing; resoluteness and resolve.” In our industry, we spend a lot of time and energy on determination. Without determination, in many forms and arenas, our work could not be completed. Professionally, determination guides us throughout our industry processes, from contract to execution to measurement and quality assurance/control (QA/QC). Fitness for task, execution and decision making are what we do all day long. Where determination becomes we don’t have the benefit of testing and refining an idea or concept prior to implementing. We build one-offs each time. Mulligans can cost lives, as history teaches us. Thus, deter- mination in planning is critical for success. To this end, engineering drawings may be the epitome of deter- mination. Engineering drawings represent the explicit communication of a future product using images, dimensions, references and instructions. Excellence in [email protected] Matthew Janes, M.B.A., P.Eng. President determination stop (or should it) and how do we accommodate Through communication, we express our most important, and evident, is in the communication process. Excel- lence in communication is required to convey our determination. In any project, there are significant com- peting and, often, opposing forces at work. Communication binds us together and is the most effective tool to make explicit our determination to conduct our work in the manner it is intended. The intention may be communicated contractually, it may be engineering related or simply must obey the fundamental laws of physics, it may be a code or specification, it may be veri- fication related. In some cases, our objective to do things in a particular way, with resolve, may conflict with a com- mitted stakeholder to do the same and generate conflict. Through communi- cation, we express our determination and learn of others’, hopefully, with a process of constructive negotiation that can find common ground. D o we exemplify determination via planning? Planning is a strength of each of the industry groups that make up our organization. Construction professionals may, arguably, be among the most talented planners of all professionals. In civil works, determination and learn of others’, hopefully, with a process of constructive negotiation that can find common ground. engineering drawings demands the pre- determination of all aspects of the work, and their subsequent communication such that they may be executed to every detail. Lastly, self-determination asks, “Who are we?” and “Can we exercise the fortitude to complete our personal and professional tasks and responsibilities?” Where does our determination in our familial and personal lives? Alongside my wife, we are deter- mined as to how and what we teach our children: right from wrong, a moral view- point, self-esteem and inquisitiveness. However, we are not deter- mined to impose our will or biases upon them. While it may seem contra- dictory, self-determination is freedom. To be self- determined is to possess the means to follow a desire, a thought or a path wi thout impediment . While that should be obvious and easy, it often requires all the determination we can muster to plan, conduct and accomplish this goal. B e sure when you step, step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s a great balancing act. – Dr. Seuss DFI 2020 Awards: Call for Entries DFI annually showcases and celebrates the achievements and contributions of individuals, teams and companies in the deep foundations industry. We encourage you to submit your work and nominate your colleagues for recognition. Submissions for the 2020 Outstanding Project Award, Distinguished Service Award and C. William Bermingham Innovation Award are due by April 15, 2020. Information and nomination forms are available at www.dfi.org under ‘Awards.’ DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JAN/FEB 2020 • 7
