No matter your position whether business owner, manager, office administration, technician or operator, stress is part of the job. It’s how we deal with it that can make or break us.

I use this column to frequently ask for input. I encourage people to reach out and tell me what they like or dislike, and to share ideas for content. Recently, a longtime industry professional, Bob Harbuck, reached out to me and asked if we could do a story on mental health in the industry, so I called him to discuss. 

Harbuck served many years as public health regulator, a position that landed him working hand in hand with many installers in Texas. Along with installers, the job actually led him to work closely with homeowners, designers, other regulators, manufacturers and maintenance providers as well, giving him insight from all angles of the industry.

“I learned most of what I know about the wastewater industry from installers,” he says. “They’re the guys and gals out there actually doing the work.”

Being in the middle of everyone and often the first point of contact for each sector created a difficult balance. He found himself very stressed due to a number of reasons. 

In Harbuck’s experience, the industry in his area is very cutthroat. “It’s a highly competitive business. I know every state and locale is different, but in my location it’s very competitive. There’s nothing wrong with competition, but this super competition where there’s no cooperation is isolating and not good for the industry.” 

The result of that competition was difficulty gaining information from people. “I found myself very isolated in the industry,” Harbuck says. “I went to conferences and I read what I could, but I really had no resources when I wanted to bounce ideas off of people.  

“Several things happened to me personally and professionally that really provided a wake-up call.”

Help yourself

The stress led Harbuck to make some changes in his life. He realized he needed to make a mental health plan for himself before he could help the industry.

“It’s like being on an airplane,” he says. “In an emergency, you should put your mask on first so you are in a place to help others. By helping ourselves first, we can make a difference to those around us.”

Harbuck acknowledges that everyone’s situation is different and their plan should reflect that. What worked for him was concentrating on what he referred to as “the big four” — mind, emotions, body and passion/vision. 

“For my mind, I was overthinking things and needed to simplify things. I also knew nothing about my emotions. As for my body, I asked myself if I was getting enough rest or exercise and if I needed to concentrate on eating better. And for vision, what kind of company did I want to have?” 

Realizing these things, he made significant changes in his life to create a balance, changing his perspective and leading to a healthier lifestyle. He applied having a better balance overall to his career. “When I went to a site, I was looking not only to just draw the thing up and get the money, I was thinking about how the installer would actually get the plan into the ground, or what the inspector would be looking for. I started thinking about it more closely from all the perspectives involved.”

Help others

A lot of the thinking that kicked off Harbuck’s life changes and eventually our discussion were due to stress and feelings of isolation in his career. I do strongly believe this area is improving dramatically in the industry, at least from what I’ve seen in my experience. 

In each issue of Onsite Installer, we feature a column called Snapshot, where we interview someone involved in their state’s association. These people are eager to share advice, voice concerns for their respective regulations and work with others in their area to improve the industry. Associations are an incredible resource to share, learn and educate.

This month’s profile subject is heavily involved in his respective association and could not be a better example of someone who sees the value in communicating with other industry professionals for the greater good. Nick Dykes is only 34 years old, but as the third generation in his family to run Dykes Construction, he grew up with a passion for onsite professionalism. 

I’ll share a quote now that you will see again later in that column. “I enjoy speaking to people. I always get a good response. I feel like if more installers would find the courage to speak in front of groups and share their day to day life and their knowledge, it would be a great asset to our industry.”

I’m not sure what specifically Dykes meant when referring to “a great asset,” but I wonder if he realizes his willingness to share and converse could be eliminating tremendous stress and feelings of industry isolation for some of the people he’s talking to.

Take some time

It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of business and put personal matters to the side. I am a firm believer that even though it’s hard, we all need to put work on the back burner once in a while to focus our attention on the things we enjoy. For me, it’s spending time in the woods or on the water with friends and family.

Along with that, make sure you’re getting enough rest, take time to exercise, focus on eating well and keep up the effort to share ideas, help competitors and give advice. Our industry and business are strongest when we work together.

Thanks for reading the December issue of Onsite Installer. I hope everyone enjoys some time spent with friends and family during this holiday month.