The Business Case for Diversity in Construction

Welcome to Episode 52 of The Construction Leading Edge podcast from www.constructionleadingedge.com.  This an interview with Dr. Michael Hatcher, President of Sovereign Construction and Development.

Topics we discuss include:

• How Michael started his business.  His approach will surprise some of you.
• How he landed his first contract.
• The business case for diversity
• If you're just "checking the box" for diversity, you could be making a mistake.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Free audio book and 30 day trial from Audible

How to connect with Michael Hatcher:

Company website - www.sovereignbuilt.com

Twitter - @drbigmikephd or @sovereignbuilt

The root cause of low confidence is a lack of action...

Welcome to Episode 51 of The Construction Leading Edge podcast from www.constructionleadingedge.com.  This an interview with Ryan Michler - veteran, entrepreneur, husband, father and founder of OrderOfMan.com.

This episode is all about personal development, and while the conversation is aimed at men, most of the concepts and strategies we discuss will help men and women.

Topics we discuss include:

• The root cause of a lack of confidence
• Why systems and processes are better than goals
• Why you need a life philosophy
• Leadership lessons Ryan Michler has learned
• Dealing with resistance

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Free audio book and 30 day trial from Audible

Ryan Michler's website - www.orderofman.com

Deep Work by Cal Newport

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink

Ego Is The Enemy and The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday

The "If we can't find them, we'll have to create them," strategy to the skilled labor shortage.

Welcome to Episode #50 of The Construction Leading Edge podcast, brought to you by www.constructionleadingedge.com, which continues to tackle the skilled labor shortage problem in construction.

This episode is an interview with Shawn Van Dyke, COO of a trim and millwork contractor in Knoxville, TN and a 20 year veteran of the construction industry.

We talk about topics including:

• The unique approach his company is taking to solve the skilled labor shortage problem.
• "If we can't find them, maybe they don't exist.  Maybe we'll have to create them."
• The surprising page on their website that has been a powerful recruiting tool.
• How new hires can achieve a level of skill at a craft much faster than was possible in the past.
• How social media helps their carpenters hone and improve their skills.
• Practical advice you can use to clean up the paperwork side of your business.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Paperwork Punchlist - 28 Days to Streamline Your Construction Business

Shawn's website - www.shawnvandyke.com

Shawn's email - connect(at)shawnvandyke.com

If for some reason you have not joined The Construction Leading Edge Nation...

Click here to join The CLE Nation

Do you have a construction workforce problem? One solution is to keep the talent you currently have...

Welcome to Episode #49 of The Construction Leading Edge podcast from www.constructionleadingedge.com, which takes another swing at helping you solve the skilled construction workforce shortage and/or staffing deficit you are facing.

How do I find good talent?  How can I keep other companies from stealing my people?

What do I have to do to keep my good employees from leaving? How much should I offer to pay someone?

How do I go about finding a better job?  Can a recruiter/headhunter really help me?

If these are questions you have asked.....

Then this podcast episode is for you.

Eli White is an expert at finding talent for construction companies, and helping talented construction professionals find their next career opportunity.

In this podcast, we cover topics including....

• What you need to be doing with your construction workforce NOW so you survive the next recession.
• What it means that you are in an "employee's market."
• The surprising and simple thing many companies are NOT DOING to solve their construction workforce problem.
• Tips for recruiting, training and managing millennials.
• Opportunity mapping
• How you can figure out the right compensation package to offer a new employee.
• How to work with a recruiter if you are looking for the next career opportunity.

Resources mentioned in this interview

Join the Construction Leading Edge Nation

My Resources page - Click here to get instant access to free training, a free webinar and my reading list that just might change your life

Mike Rowe Works Foundation - " The Skills Gap is here, and if we don’t close it, it’ll swallow us all. Which is a long way of saying, we could use your help…"

How to connect with Eli White

Her website - www.bravorecruiters.com

LinkedIn

Facebook Page

Email - elizabeth.white(at)bravorecruiters.com

Skilled workforce shortage problem? Here are some tips...

Welcome to Episode #48 of The Construction Leading Edge podcast from www.constructionleadingedge.com, which tackles the skilled workforce shortage problem facing the construction industry.

Are you facing the upcoming months wondering how you're going to staff your project load?

Having more work than you have workers to do it is a good problem....but it's still a problem.

Maybe you have heard construction thought leaders discuss the skilled labor shortage in our industry, and heard them talk about going into high schools and trade schools to tell kids that a career in the construction industry is a great way to raise a family.

You're shaking your head thinking, "That's a great idea, but that doesn't help me next week or next month."

You need some solid strategies that will help you next month, next week...or even tomorrow.

If that's you, then this podcast will help.

You need to listen to the entire podcast, but here are a few nuggets for you.... 

Load shedding : The deliberate shutdown of parts of a system to prevent failure of the entire system, when demand strains the capacity of the system.

Load shedding, a strategy used by electrical engineers, can also be used to help solve your workforce shortage problem.

Step #1: Identify your Key Revenue Producing activities

Step #2: Determine the personnel involved in those activities - they are your Key Revenue Producers 

Step #3: Identify the non-revenue producing activities your Key Revenue Producers are spending time on

Step #4: Eliminate, Automate and Delegate to "load shed" those activities

Eliminate unnecessary paperwork, moving material around the job, and time wasted talking.

Automate activities like timesheet tracking (Tsheets) and field reporting (Archisnapper)

Delegate activities like buying material, renting tools, servicing and transporting equipment to less skilled staff members.

Click here to give a few bucks to support The Construction Leading Edge 

Check out my Resource page for a bunch of helpful courses, articles, book recommendations and other stuff that will help you.

Hope this helps.

Todd

Welcome to Episode #47 of The Construction Leading Edge podcast from www.constructionleadingedge.com.

This is an interview with David Moody, founder and owner of C.D. Moody Construction, a general contractor located in Lithonia, GA.  

In this interview with David Moody, I cover topics including the following:

• His background, which is a little surprising for a guy who started a construction company.
• The story of how his business started.
• His approach to leadership and business.
• The tragic event that occurred during his childhood, which he had to overcome years later.
• How that tragic event led him to help others who have similar experiences.
• His advice for construction business owners
• A whole lot more....

Resources mentioned in this interview

The Construction Leading Edge Nation - click here to join up

My Resources page - Click here to get instant access to free training, a free webinar and my list of books that just might rock your world.

How to connect with David Moody

Company website - www.cdmoodyconstruction.com

David's personal blog - moodyspeaks.com

David Moody on LinkedIn

Jennifer Lanzetti: Survivor contestant and virtual construction business owner

Click here to join The Construction Leading Edge Nation

In this episode of The Construction Leading Edge podcast I interview Jennifer Lanzetti, Survivor Season 32 contestant (that's right...the TV show), virtual construction business owner and survivor of some real life adversity. 

Here are some of the topics we cover:

• Was the "all girl alliance" she tried on Survivor a mistake?
• The business lessons she learned from being on Survivor.
• Did she learn any lessons in leadership from being on the show?
• The personal adversity she faced long before she was on a reality show, and how that adversity has shaped her.
• What NOT to do when you are in a crisis.  (Hint: Avoid anything that provides INSTANT relief.)
• Jennifer's career path, what led her to start her own business two years ago.
• The connection between the economic crash of 2008 and Building Information Modeling (BIM.)
• The internal and external resistance she faced when starting her business.
• The benefits of being direct and how that shows up in her business and life.
• Jennifer's daily routines. 
• Lots of other goodness....

Resources mentioned in this episode :

Dr. Wayne Dyer's Blog

War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Battles by Steven Pressfield

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath

The Go Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink

How to connect with Jennifer:

Her company website - www.cn3dconstruction.com

Email - jennifer(at)cn3dconstruction.com

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

Construction Business Startup Advice and Coaching

Click here to join The Construction Leading Edge Nation

In this episode of The Construction Leading Edge podcast I talk with David King, founder of RollTheLex Painting about how he started the business in mid 2015, learn about his story and then offer him some coaching advice.

You can get involved with the conversation too!  Click here to go the the CLE Facebook page and share your advice (or questions) with David.

Here are some of the topics we cover:

• How and why he decided to go with a construction business startup
• The niche market that David focuses on, and why.
• How he uses Facebook to grow his business...check out the RollTheLex Facebook page here.
• How his beard may or may not be the #1 reason for his success....
• The tough lessons he has learned in his first year in business

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Daniel Lapin's unique perspective on making money - click here to read more
• 41 Mistakes to avoid when dealing with conflict at work

Do you want to use Facebook to grow your business?

Send me an email at todd(at)constructionleadingedge.com and let me know....I may put together some resources if enough people are interested.

Until next time,

Todd

Randy Hall is President & CEO of Batson Cook Company, #148 on the 2015 ENR Top 400 Contractors list.

Click here to join The Construction Leading Edge Nation

In this episode of The Construction Leading Edge podcast I talk with Randy Hall of Batson-Cook Company, one of the largest contractors in the southeast, about a variety of topics including the following:

• Which is more important, watching people grow or watching buildings grow?
• Why you need to develop your presentation and communication skills.
• Emotional Intelligence and why you need to understand it (Check out Episode 16 with Brent Darnell)
• Valuing people over process
• Randy's leadership influences
• The biggest challenge that the construction industry faces
• Randy's advice to business owners and aspiring leaders

Resources mentioned in this episode

The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company - Ram Charan

How you can connect with Randy

Twitter

LinkedIn

Guy Sanders of DPR Construction, one of the largest contractors in the US, shares strategies you can use to grow your team and grow your business by building relationships with large contractors like DPR.

DPR Construction is #21 on the 2015 ENR Top 400 Contractors list with $2.9 billion annual revenue and 2,600 employees.  Guy Sanders is one of DPR's leaders and talent managers, and we discuss topics including the following:

• How to know when you have the wrong people on the bus, and you need to make a change.
• DPR's philosophy, "Who we build is as important as what we build."
• How company culture affects people growth.
• How subcontractors can build relationships with large contractors like DPR Construction.
• Mistakes subcontractors make when trying to build relationships.

How to connect with Guy:

Guy Sanders on LinkedIn

Guy's email address - Guys(at)dpr.com

Resources:

Click here to go to my Resources page for free downloads and resources

Click here to join the Construction Leading Edge Nation

Listen as Greg Howell tells the origin story of Lean Construction

Welcome to episode #42 of The Construction Leading Edge Podcast from www.constructionleadingedge.com, which is a great interview with Greg Howell, a founding father of Lean Construction.

In this interview Greg shares some amazing insights and stories on the following topics:

• How the Lean Construction movement got started.
• Greg's experience as a Navy SeaBee, and how that influenced Lean.
• The impact of one commanding officer's leadership style, and how it changed Greg's approach to leadership.
• The books he recommends that you read
• A few paradigm shifts that construction leaders need to make.
• The difference between an order and a promise.
• One unexpected benefit of Lean principles that he can't quite explain yet.
• Why he only gave a few orders as a commanding officer in Vietnam...and one of them involved a monkey.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Power To The Edge - Command and Control In The Information Age

Team of Teams - McChrystal, Collins, Silverman and Chris Fussell. (Click here to listen to my interview with Chris Fussell)

Turn The Ship Around - David Marquet

Normal Accidents: Living With High Risk Technologies - Charles Perrow

41 Mistakes To Avoid When Dealing With Conflict At Work

Archisnapper - An app for creating good looking project reports and punchlists