It’s not magic, but it is phenomenal what being organized can do for commercial construction subcontractors. From attracting the best employees to getting better bid opportunities, the foremost contractors are the ones who “have their act together.” That means, quite simply, everything from their minds to their offices are organized. Being Organized – It’s the Name of the Game! During the years I’ve spent with leaders in a variety of industries (including construction contrac

What follows is the second in a two-part series concerning creating and passing on a vision for your commercial construction company. The first part is here. “If you wish to build a ship, do not divide the men into teams and send them to the forest to cut wood. Instead, teach them to long for the vast and endless sea.” Although there is some controversy concerning the author of this statement the intent is worth noting. Vision transfer, an important leadership tool Among your

Building streams This report is going to follow two diverse streams which converge to make one river of thought. The first stream has to do with an encounter on a modern city sidewalk and the second with a look at the building of a medieval castle. Building high rise office structures On Tonya’s and my recent trip to Salt Lake City, we had occasion to walk from the convention center to a nearby grocery store. Therefore, we passed through a covered sidewalk which was designed

Strategy Planning in Your Construction Business Strategy for Goals Planning In the first two parts of this series we dealt with Task Priority planning and Goals Priority planning.  This time we’ll look at the Strategy infused in Goals Planning. “There are simply no shortcuts in the long run.” Frank Sonnenberg Mr. Sonnenberg has a good way of cutting through the hype. While there are easier ways to get certain tasks done, in the long run it is hard work that leads to the win.

Instagram? Why? Before we get into the whats, hows, and wherefores of using Instagram to market your construction contracting business, let’s talk about the why. It isn’t likely in today’s economy that you’re too worried about finding new clients. I recently heard it described this way; “The way you get new clients today is to answer the phone.” Yep, the construction industry is swinging along nicely, thank you! Why spend time and energy getting the word out when you’re so do

Client requests Strategy is involved when you determine what to do and what not to do when dealing with client requests. Be sure all your employees and subcontractors know what the strategy is and how to deal with the various circumstances. In my last post I presented information concerning how to deal with the inevitable change orders which pop up during construction. This time let’s look at when a client’s request for additional service or a change in production, materials,

Create a great place to work! This is the first in a five-part series. Find the other posts by clicking on Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5. Everywhere you turn there is another call concerning the lack of qualified construction workers. It is a problem. Many people and organizations are taking steps to try to change the situation for the better. Some examples can be found here, here, here, and here. Yet, the effort isn’t going to be easy and it won’t happen overnight. In t

A successful construction contracting or service business means having great people on your team. Finding and keeping those great people is a vital part of maintaining the success. So, how do you go about not only finding them, but also keeping them around? Long term thinking Of course, people who are looking for a job are concerned with both salary and benefits, yet those two items are only part of the equation. Just as on the sales side of your company it is important to bu

Escalating your business to the next level So, you’re ready to scale your construction contracting business. It is time to move to a new level. You have plans, thoughts, and ideas about moving into the big league. Read on, because there is a brief primer ahead to help you begin to work through that process. But, before we go any further, I’m going to tell you the same thing my dad had to remind me of on more than one occasion. If it was easy, everybody would do it Scaling isn