Management
Solutions & Thoughts
There are times when we are trying to have that “break through idea or solution” and all we get are jagged thoughts that nag the problem. Having said this, have…
Leadership
Leadership in the Trenches
This picture of trench warfare in WWI might be 100 years old, but it sums up the way many have felt the last few months, including me at times. When…
Read MoreLeadership
The Flip Side of Leadership
In Western culture, leadership can get a lot of accolades. Leaders are thought of as visionaries who make decisions and inspire action. But someone has to make that vision a reality. That’s…
Construction Trends
Hiring Smart
For us, getting involved in an FMI peer review group has been one of the smartest ways to grow our business. We meet periodically with other construction companies in non-competing…
Management
Adjusting the Sails
We’re working on four decades of being in business. The company has had ups and downs through changing cycles. We’ve been through periods of great growth, low times, the financial…
Management
Collaboration and More
When we designed our place, I originally wanted to have desks in the open. When this did not fly, I suggested offices that had two walls and opened to a…
Management
Resilient Companies
Just about anyone can be successful when the waters are calm and steady. It’s when the sea gets choppy and the waves come in that the true test begins. Everyone…
Construction Trends
Vapor Barrier and Wall Systems
Because of the construction industry’s independent nature, technology typically lags. This means that roll out of new products, even some that really work, can be slow. One of the new…
Leadership
The Pause
We’ve known for a long time that periods of stress in the American economy accelerate change in a way that’s sometimes generational. Think about the Great Depression and the resulting…
Customer Relationships
Communicator-in-Chief
Last weekend, I watched an interesting piece by Ted Koppel about how communication style and mastery of current mediums has affected the presidency. Franklin Roosevelt and his famous Fireside Chats made radio…