A few weeks ago I spent the day shadowing Jon Hautau. I had a great time attending a couple of meetings and then finishing up with a one on one interview with him. It was very insightful being able to sit in on meetings that involve Jon. I got to witness some very interesting behind the scenes work.

I really enjoyed the interview I conducted with Mr. Hautau. We talked about a lot of topics that I feel opened up my eyes towards bettering myself as a student and a worker.

Jon and I spoke about a variety of topics that were very informational. I felt that our conversation would be good for anybody going through internships or looking for full time employment to hear.

We started off talking about him and his past. As we progressed I focused on Jon’s position in management. We discussed leadership pretty heavily.

Jon commented, “As a leader you have to make yourself approachable. Go out of your way to make sure you are engaging with people so they feel comfortable.”

The PDPM programs have a weekly meeting with Jon on Wednesdays to keep up with safety incidents, talk about awards, new employees and so on. This is an example of how Jon makes himself available and gives others the chance to have a voice. It has been a pleasure soaking in knowledge from Jon because he has always been available for my questions and is always willing to give his insight on a topic.

I asked Jon if he had any advice for someone going into a leadership position and he responded, “Check your management skills to see if you need some classes. Some people are born leaders or managers while some may need a tune up. But advice for someone coming into that position for the first time would be to get to know your people. You have to know they have your back.”

Having passion for your work is very important. Having a passion for the work that you do comes first hand when you enjoy and truly love what you do. Having passion for you work is much easier when you enjoy who you work with. It is refreshing to know that Ideal Contracting’s upper management cares as much as it does about its people.

Hautau brought up a great point when he expressed, “People are the biggest thing, we have to make sure there is good culture and that the people working here are happy.”

When happiness is in the air, passion makes its way through as well. Jon and I discussed key traits a manager would look for when interviewing a possible employee. Passion was up there heading the list. Jon Pointed out that people with passion care about what they do and are usually very easy to work with.

It has been an Amazing experience working at the Warren Tech Center with Ideal Contracting this summer. This internship has shaped me into a more well rounded student, worker, and most importantly a better person. I worked with the most amazing group of people. I came into work everyday knowing that I was surrounded by hard working people who cared about me. Ideal
Contracting has given me an awesome experience and I cannot thank everyone enough!