When you walk into a conference room, the normal thought is that the authority figure is seated at the head of the table. At your next meeting, I’ll challenge you to look to his or her right, and take note of who’s sitting there. That person often has the leader’s ear. I was talking to …
Some time ago, I figured out the value of being a connector, working to connect the right people who may not know each other, but would benefit from being acquainted. I’ve been doing this for several years now, and typically with no strings attached. The realty is that if you expect nothing in return, then …
Over the years, I have learned the hard way that saying “no” can sometimes lead to just as much success as saying “yes.” It’s human nature to want to say “yes.” We all wish to be positive and help, but sometimes knowing our own limitations or those of our company means certain business situations or …
Just a few years ago, a 10,000 sf slab pour was a large one. We are now in the 50,000 sf range. We have recently made a series of large pours on a 15-acre project, using a laser CAD guided screed. It yields better, more accurate pours. Here is the run down on the means …
The flow chart on this sidewalk sign caught my attention. Simple. All options lead to the “right” answer. It reminded me of an important truth in sales. Every customer is different, needing a different approach to lead them to the end goal. The object is the same for us–we wish to earn the business or gain …
To me, the answer is two-fold. While I think many may subconsciously be more likely to hire folks they easily relate to or find common ground with, we have found diversity matters. Whatever we think separates us–gender, culture or any other “norm”–we have so much more success by finding common ground and sharing different views …
It doesn’t matter if you are in the C-suite or any other position in the organization. For those who are motivated to keep moving forward, it’s hard to get everything off that “to-do list.” That’s the growth mindset. You are always thinking of the next thing to make bigger and better. If I have a …
To me, Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) may have a first cousin in the younger generation managers coming online today. These are people who care about ethical framework and community involvement on a deeper level. Gratefully, that’s been part of our corporate culture in different ways over time, and we’ve recently made our efforts more official. …
The construction industry is a very fragmented industry. This is among the reasons one does not see the large-scale technological advances like you might see in other sectors. Having said this, I was with a group of young project managers today, and I was telling them how “things used to be.” Before power screeds and …
Last Saturday evening, when I attended KultureCity‘s KultureBALL, I was reminded once again what can happen when a grassroots idea gets the right leadership. Julian Maha and his wife Michele Kong, both medical doctors, founded KultureCity in 2013 after their oldest child was diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Ever since, their goal has been education, inclusion and to provide the alteration of public spaces, making …
This week, I visited one of our projects that covers several acres. It’s not ready for permanent power, but also needs power in a lot of locations. In the past, we’ve run conduit to a stationary board, which works, but has its downfalls. If there is too much load demand, breakers get tripped and the whole …
Not too long ago, I was traveling home on a Friday evening and passing through the Chicago airport. I was walking up to an escalator–one of those long, steep ones that takes you down to travel under the tarmac to the next concourse–and noticed no one was traveling down. As I approached, I realized the situation. There was an elderly …