The other day, I ran across an article with an interesting message: Create sparks instead of a big forest fire. To me, this means making small connects over time. The imagery resonated with me and prompted thoughts about business interactions. The type of “fire” one builds is as important as anything else in a relationship. …
Routinely, I try to ask myself if I am being the right kind of leader. Am I leveraging and teaching? Or am I over-coaching, getting into too many of the details and crowding out creativity? Am I allowing the “acorn” to grow or am I smothering it? Over the summer, I received an email from …
Over the years, I have learned that the just right word(s) at the right time can make a huge difference in people’s lives. At times this means motivating them to do their best, and at other times it’s helping them through a tough spell. Several years ago, I learned that one of our longterm customers …
Recently, a customer came to me with a request I hadn’t heard in a while. They wanted an integrally color-blocked single Wythe incorporated into a new project we will be constructing. Many of our projects used this means and method a few years back, but we evolved away from that type of concrete masonry unit …
Earlier this month, I wrote a post offering a few hints for those on the job search. It seems especially pertinent in these times, because we as managers are receiving more resumes than usual. Not a week goes by that I don’t see between 3 and 5 job applications. I would say the majority of …
A while back, I wrote a post titled, “Can Drywall Be Green?” which discussed the aftereffects of the Chinese Drywall crisis that plagued our country earlier this decade. When it comes down to it, drywall is a convenience product. It is efficient, replacing lath and plaster and therefore saving time and money. However the emissions …
Times are getting better, but still tough. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal compared job seekers now–often isolated and searching online–to those who were looking for work during the Depression. In the 1930s, folks were more likely to call in favors to friends and family or knock door to door asking for work. …
For the past couple of years, we’ve started a blog for each of our large projects. The premise is simple: once a week, a designated person from the field office sends digital images and brief descriptions to our home office. We manage that information, and on Tuesdays post to each project’s page. So, why do …
Have you heard of “locavores?” These folks are interested in eating food that is produced within a 100-mile radius of their home. The idea is to minimize fossil fuels from shipping and nutrition lost from farm to table. We like to consider ourselves a small part of the locavore movement. We started three years back …
On Tuesday, I posted about our local partner Superior Mechanical and their use of Lean, a system that fuels efficiency. The Lean Enterprise Institute summarize well by saying, “The core idea is to maximize customer value while minimizing waste. Simply, lean means creating more value for customers with fewer resources.” I was intrigued by what …
Recently, our friends at Superior Mechanical were kind enough to give me a tour the new half-billion dollar Children’s Hospital expansion here Birmingham. I was interested to see how they are integrating Lean construction initiatives with their BIM work to be more efficient, and save their ultimate customer time and money. As background, Lean is …
In this economy, do you feel like you have to be in 1000 different places at once? If a customer or prospective customer has an opportunity, you want to be there, always staying close. But never too close. I know the feeling. The good news is, being out of sight no longer means you have …