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In an effort to find out how Hawaii's business leaders achieve success, Pacific Business News is asking local professionals to share one tip or one "secret" that's helped them the most in their career.
Raymond Michaels, president of Maui Plumbing Inc., told PBN:
"My tip or secret that’s helped me achieve success in my career is to understand that taking time to be unproductive is essential. Quite often people who are ambitious in the pursuit of their careers tend to value productivity above all else and often feel guilty for being unproductive. We — or at least I — tend to conflate being unproductive with being lazy and that’s certainly not always the case. Quite often, it’s that unproductive time that gives me the mental clarity to work through an issue and also helps to mitigate burn out. Unproductive time can be as simple as taking a quick walk around the block without my phone or scheduling some time to go for a swim in the ocean, or just watching the sunset. I find that I must schedule this time into my week just like all the other tasks I schedule. At first it may seem superfluous, but I found it’s an incredibly useful method and tool for remaining engaged and focused over the long-term."
Michaels grew up on Maui and started Maui Plumbing in 2011 as the sole employee. Since then, Michaels said the company has grown to 54 employees and has expanded into fire protection services with the acquisition of North Shore Fire Protection in 2021.
His current title is president, but Michaels said his role is largely internal business development, marketing and director of pre-construction.
Michaels also serves as vice chair of the Construction Industry of Maui, a trade council of the Maui Chamber of Commerce operating as an independent association under the umbrella chamber's nonprofit membership organization.
This is part of an ongoing web series called Secrets to Success. Know someone we should talk to? Email Reporter Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@bizjournals.com.