Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with a former manager for the great developer Trammell Crow, a major player across several sectors of real estate development in both the U.S. and Europe. He and the company are known for their quality work. My friend recounted an interesting conversation he had with Trammell when he first …
March Madness is upon us, and for the first time ever, I participated in our company’s “March Madness Bracket Challenge” that one of our sharp young APM’s put together. He told me his mother picks the teams based on which mascots she likes, and maybe I should have done the same thing. I might be …
While technology has changed, and we have a lot more tools in the toolbox, email is still the primary business communication for most of us. It has the advantage of being an easy searchable virtual paper trail. However, it can be nuanced, lack context and personality, and even feel a little cold. Over the years, …
I recently read an article generalizing the types of leaders you often find in a construction setting. It discusses the importance of creating a mix of people who are great at coaching, pacesetting, being autocratic, and working as servant leaders. These are all vital to a company’s success, but the one that really resonates with …
Steve Jobs may not have been the most beloved manager, but there is no doubt he found a way to encourage the best out of the people who worked with him. I think the philosophy is summed up with this 2008 quote from him: “My job is to not be easy on people. My job …
We work in a field where information is key. If a mistake is made on a job site, we often find ourselves trying to uncover the process, so we can correct our action and then create a path forward so we never repeat it. This involves asking a lot of questions. I recently read an …
A friend recently sent me an article about Warren Buffett and his belief that “about a dozen truly good decisions” led him to be so wildly successful. While many of these resonated with me, one stood out: Making a decision to do nothing. To use Buffett’s own words, “The trick is, when there is nothing to …
The funny thing about time is that the older you get, the faster it seems to pass one by. I read a post the other day that really stuck with me. The gist is that we are always talking about the “afters” in life. I’ll pick up this hobby after things slow down a little at …
Yesterday, I met with an architect and a subcontractor, both of whom have been successful partners for us over the years. As our meeting came to an end, conversation shifted to culture, and its importance to any organization. The subcontractor firmly believes that culture starts at the top and works its way down. He’s asked his project …
In the business world, “success” can be a tricky thing. I’ve discovered that success can be hard to quantify and easy to lose. At best, it’s a sliding scale or a point in time. Still, many of us are striving for our own version success. This could mean goals and timelines met. Money made. An image …
Over the years, communication means and methods have changed. We are now in a world where most everyone has at least a cell phone close by. While all these advances have made it easier to communicate and catalogue our work, we’ve unintentionally cut out some of the personal interactions that can make a team truly …
We are in the unique (and good) position of having an established leadership team in the field and the office. These professionals know the business and they know our approach, and they are joined by a promising group of new talent. The only negative here is that we all can get set in our ways, …