PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Trust: The Essential Element of Successful Teamwork I n my previous President’s Message, I focused on the importance of teamwork in the success of almost any significant effort whether in sports, business or on a construction project. The importance of teamwork has always fascinated me, because I realized early in life that I could accomplish so much more working as part of an effective team than I could on my own. A few days ago, I finished reading a book titled, The Boys in the Boat, the Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, by Daniel James Brown. The book told the dramatic story the Uni- versity of Washington’s rowing team that stunned the world at Hitler’s Olympics. The story was told through the eyes of one young rower on the crew team, Joe Rantz, who as a young boy had been abandoned by his family and believed strongly that he could trust no one except himself. You would think the book wouldn’t be too dramatic since it had a fairly predictable ending. After all, books are not typically written about losing teams—but the book held my attention to the very end. As it turned out, the vital Truly effective teamwork can only exist in an environment of trust, when each team member gives freely knowing that the rest of the team is pulling their share of the load. point of the book was not who had won the Olympic Gold in rowing in 1936, but rather why. The Washington crew team was an excellent team that had won every race, but on the fateful day of the final race for a number of reasons the odds were stacked steeply against them, and there was every reason why they should have lost. But at the critical moment in the final race, the trust was finally there within the entire team including Joe Rantz, the boy that could not trust anyone, and each member of the t e am forgot about themselves and his individual pain, and knew that each member of the team was giving unreservedly beyond their individual capacity. This story carries an important message for all of us in the foundation industry: the key to success is effective and efficient teamwork with the entire team pulling in the same direction. Truly effective teamwork can only exist in an environment of trust, when each team member gives freely knowing that the rest of the team is pulling their share of the load. Robert B. Bittner, P.E. President [email protected] In the foundation industry, the team that is battling the odds is not only the employees of an individual company, but also the owners, their engineers, subcontractors, equipment suppliers and material suppliers. DFI provides the common ground for this group to come together to interact, share perspectives and develop the trust that is essential to successful team efforts in the foundation industry. The DFI Team As I wrap up my two-year term as president of DFI, I want to acknowledge the dedicated team at the organization. It has been a pleasure working with Theresa, Mary Ellen and the DFI staff, whose enthusiasm and commitment are what make this a great organization. Thank you to the executive committee, trustees and committee chairs for their tireless dedication, commitment, contributions and shared vision. As of January, John Wolosick will be stepping up to the presidency of DFI. I want to welcome John and wish him every success as president of this great organization. 2015 Media Planner Available DFI brings together professionals in the deep foundations construction industry for networking, education, communication and collaboration. Our international, multi- disciplinary membership shares a common vision and a consensus voice for continuous improvement in the deep foundations industry. If you want to deliver your marketing message to the professionals leading and shaping the deep foundations industry, our marketing programs will put you on Common Ground. The DFI 2015 Media DEEP FOUNDATIONS INSTITUTE MEDIA PLANNER 2015 DFI I F I N D I N G C OMMO N G R O U N D Planner is available on the DFI website (www.dfi.org) under Publications and in Resources for Sponsors and Advertisers. DEEP FOUNDATIONS • NOV/DEC 2014 • 7 O T N A S D I N N U S T O I F T U E P T E E D
