For the last few years, I’ve served as one of the directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Birmingham Branch. This country is fortunate to have a strong central bank. When congress founded the Fed in 1913, it was explicitly stated that goals should be “maximum employment, stable prices and moderate long-term interest rates.” …
A long time ago, I made the decision to vocalize the good I see by giving genuine compliments as often as possible. I don’t mean, “You look nice today,” compliments. While those are valuable, they are at surface level. I means something more like, “I watched you in that meeting and you have a real …
I recently read an article from the Rotary magazine about resilience. This sentence from the opening paragraph stuck with me: “Each of us is genetically hardwired to recover after a failure, some more quickly than others…Whatever degree of resilience we possess, we can always work to increase it.” The piece goes on to discuss practical ways …
These days, we have a solid group of both office and field management who are leading Stewart/Perry well, probably the best we have had. Because of this, I felt like I could make the commitment to assist the Mayor of Birmingham when he asked me to serve our city by being part of his transition …
After experiencing two years of record price increases, material shortages and a scarce workforce, it seems that things are getting a bit better, at least with the availability of talent. I’m not sure if it was the end of stimulus and relief checks, or a more complicated mix of factors, but it seems like folks …
The last couple of years have been an estimator’s nightmare. We often price jobs several months in advance, and we all know that the trajectory of pricing has been angling up. By the time we get around to building a project, that preliminary pricing is often obsolete. I asked our estimating team for a State of the Union …
I recently read an article saying there are two kinds of job candidates: Experienced and Trajectory. Upon being hired, experienced candidates can jump right in. They have the wisdom of experience and require very little coaching. They also command a higher salary. Trajectory candidates are hired not for their proven track record, but for their …
For the last couple of years, building and maintaining relationships has been harder than I have ever seen in my career. Zoom, along with its video conference first cousins, has been a bandaid for our mental health, but these have eliminated a lot of sidebar and casual conversations that use to take place while walking …
Quality, value and price are often big deciding factors as to what lands a job. If those things are equal, or close to it, what drives the transaction? The answer might be simpler than you think. We all would rather do business with people we like. In my book, likability–being relatable and making that personal connection–is one of …
Several years ago, when eBooks came on the scene, I remember most everyone predicting the demise of both the corner bookstore and national bookstores. It did not happen. There is something special about holding a book or conversations in a bookstore. When eCommerce started accelerating, we heard about the total demise of bricks and mortar …
How do you hire the right group to build your project? In many ways, it’s like any other major purchase decision. Price, financial stability and reputation are always a factor. Beyond these basics, to me, there are two things that prospective buyers of construction services sometimes overlook: Culture. Does the contractor’s general approach to business …
When it’s time to bring on additions to our management group, the person we hire often depends on the need. It might be a highly experienced and specialized candidate, or it could be one who shows more raw talent, street smarts and desire. We’ve learned that going with the most experienced candidate generally has the …