Management
You’ll Never Get a Second Chance…
First impressions matter. In these initial minutes, maybe even seconds, we sometimes may make unconscious judgments, including whether or not we can trust a person. I’ve read that we tend to…
Leadership
Pushing Your Luck
I sometimes think I used up all of my share of blind luck about 15 years ago, when I played in a charity golf tournament that Coach Bowden of FSU…
Read MoreContinuing Education
A Trip to the Dark Side and Back Again
A break in, or a ransom letter. An invitation to the dark web. It sounds like a movie plot, but it played out here last month. A computer hacker waited until about 7:20 pm,…
Commodities Pricing
The Bigger Picture.
In our business, there are times when the tendency is to quantify by the unit. “Price per square foot” is used to measure all kinds of things, from the average…
Construction Trends
Open Office? Not in Construction.
This morning, I was on the phone with one of our service providers. There was a question about our account that required me to speak with a representative…And after hearing at least…
Customer Relationships
The Art of Listening (Or Paying Attention)
One of our senior managers recently told me about walking a project with our civil site superintendent and a customer. As they toured the job site, the customer asked several questions and shared other thoughts while they walked. Without…
Construction Trends
An Engineer’s DNA
Yesterday, one of our customers stopped by to talk about a new mixed use development that we will start end of the 1st quarter–retail, apartments and condominiums. “You may have…
Tips from the Field
Adaptive Reuse–Always Interesting
“Be Prepared.” The 100-year motto of the Boy Scouts could also be well-suited for the Adaptive Reuse or Historic Restoration arena, along with having “the vision.” Here you see a…
Management
From the Rear View Mirror
This time of year, there are always resolutions about this and that floating around for the new year, the things we say we are going to do better. It’s just…
Management
Lose the Alarm Clock
Sleep and I have a precarious relationship. On the one hand, it’s a necessity. But the downtime can feel wasted, like I could have been getting more accomplished. I’ve heard…