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Control is one thing that most construction business owners wish for. When you're growing, things can sometimes get out of hand, and running your business becomes more taxing and stressful than ever. To make sure you're on the right path when it comes to scaling your business, it's important to lay the right foundations, doing the work necessary from the ground up.
In this podcast episode, I talk to Al Levi of the 7-Power Contractor. Al provides valuable insight into what it takes to run and scale a construction company successfully. He shares what an org chart should look like, and what key functions should populate the top of that chart. We also discuss financial metrics that owners need to track and why owners should also be spearheading marketing efforts. We touch briefly on succession planning and the power of outsourcing and delegation.
There's a lot to uncover and learn from this episode. Check it out today!
Discussion Points:0:00 Introduction 1:57 The condo builder at Montreal 5:43 The org chart8:35 Visual accountability 9:42 The flow of communication 11:33 Key functions that populate the top of the org chart 14:51 Why the financial and marketing person should be the owner17:17 Financial metrics to track19:50 Frequency of checking estimated vs. actual 21:27 The right time in marketing 25:16 Percentage of sales to allocate for marketing27:31 Three drivers in marketing 29:35 Get past the person who reads your mail 30:51 Persist in your marketing efforts 33:11 Reasons for failures in sorting out your business 35:32 Making sure you don't lose talent while filling in limited seats of position 37:25 Conversations with people who are getting passed up 39:24 `First steps to start organizing the chaos in your company 41:51 Succession planning47:16 The power of outsourcing and delegation
About the Guest:Al Levi is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur. He created his signature program, The 7-
Power Contractor, to systemize his family's 3rd-generation Long Island plumbing, heating, and cooling contracting business and retire at age 48. Today, he shares this proven, life-changing program with contractors worldwide through his book, his online programs, his industry magazine columns, his blog, his podcast, and his speaking events.
Resources:Books mentioned in this episode:
Restaurants mentioned in this episode:
Connect with me on LinkedIn. For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to the Construction Genius: A Leadership Master-Class Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Thank you for tuning in!
Leadership is difficult. The work is endless, and you get constantly bombarded with problems left and right. Leadership is a responsibility. You have to carry the burden of making the decisions that impact your company, negatively or positively.
In a recent coaching session with the President of a construction company, we discussed three issues that every executive faces: how to make tough decisions, how to solve challenging problems, and how to prioritize.
After the call, I shot three short videos discussing the perspectives that I shared with my client to help him address his challenges. This podcast episode includes those three videos.
You will like how they give you practical ways to handle some of your toughest issues.
One of the segments is particularly personal to me. I share the most difficult decision I ever had to make, two weeks before I was due to get married. It was tough!
Listen to this episode today!
Discussion Points:
0:00 Introduction
1:40 The Franklin Planner
3:40 The principle of prioritization still works
3:59 How solving business problems is similar to losing weight
5:15 Identify your goals in business
5:37 Identify the levers to help you reach your goals
5:47 Keep track of how you execute your levers
6:10 Commit to incremental progress
6:52 The toughest decision I ever had to make
8:21 What is the toughest business decision you are making?
8:47 The difficult decision you have to make
9:21 '36 hours of pain'
9:51 Be driven by doing the right thing
Resources:
Connect with me on LinkedIn. For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to the Construction Genius: A Leadership Master-Class Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Thank you for tuning in!
Productivity drives profitability. To achieve both, organizations must excel operationally.
Technology and its implementation in company processes are essential for operational excellence. Positive change occurs when leaders are sold out to its importance and value, communicating it to their people both in the field and office.
In this week's podcast episode, I have a conversation with Don Kafka, the CEO of ToolWatch, Corp. He shares the challenges he faced in running his electrical contracting business and how it led to the creation of ToolWatch to solve those challenges. We also discuss the role of technology in dialing in operations for construction businesses and how leaders play a huge role in rolling out those initiatives to their people.
Listen to this episode today!
Discussion Points:
0:00 Introduction 2:06 Biggest challenge Don faced running his business 2:45 Bottlenecks in the construction industry 3:28 Value of strong internal operations 4:19 Where to begin in strengthening internal operations 5:25 Best construction company practices 6:07 How to convince the leadership of dialing in their operations 7:54 What ToolWatch does for operations management9:50 Recommendations for successfully using software tools 11:28 Roadblocks from the implementation of technology and overcoming them 12:42 How effective leaders roll-out technology initiatives14:13 Frequency of meetings with implementation teams and who comprises them 15:56 Clearing the ground for a fresh start when you've failed 18:00 When to dedicate a person to oversee implementation of new technologies18:56 Top three areas of focus to improve productivity and profitability
About the Guest:
Don Kafka is founder and CEO of ToolWatch Corp. Kafka established the Denver-based company in 1991 to provide tool and equipment systems that track and manage resources throughout an organization.
Since then, he has been focused on educating construction companies about the importance of operations management to improve their productivity and profitability.
Resources:
Recommended Restaurants:
Connect with me on LinkedIn. For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to the Construction Genius: A Leadership Master-Class Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Thank you for tuning in!
When should you start building and executing a succession plan? A company that values sustaining high-level leadership knows never to put this on the back burner. It will take years, not just months, of choosing who your qualified candidates are to mentoring them until you are confident enough that they are ready to take on those leadership roles with the passion for propelling the business forward.
In this week's Construction Genius podcast episode, I talk with Ryan Aukerman of the Griffith company. Ryan shares his career journey and what the emerging leader's program is all about. He discusses the methods they use to choose qualified candidates for leadership roles and the importance of mentorships internally and externally. Ryan also talks about accepting critical feedback, especially when it is something you are not comfortable with, and a lot more.
Tune in to this episode!
Discussion Points:
0:00 Introduction 2:09 How Ryan got into construction 5:00 The advantage of diverse backgrounds 5:53 Why Ryan picked Griffith 6:44 Struggles Ryan encountered in a formal leadership role7:44 Early mistakes Ryan made and how he changed his approach 9:52 Difference between a good mentee and a bad mentee 10:47 Multiple mentors 12:15 Critical feedback 13:57 Essential qualities of a construction leader 14:47 Patience and its importance15:44 How to distinguish between laziness and slow-paced workers16:37 Identifying the next generation of leaders 19:04 The emerging leader's program 19:59 Lack of understanding of leadership roles 21:35 Who to choose when you have more than one qualified candidate for a position 22:41 Dealing with situations where someone leaves a role 24:32 Advantages of ESOP in succession planning 26:24 Why do ESOP's fail?27:23 Filtering through the emerging leader's program 29:47 Next step for Ryan's career 30:59 Ryan's focus 32:08 Mental preparation 33:16 What Ryan would do differently if he could go back 34:22 Ryan shares what he wants his legacy to be 35:08 Action steps to successfully execute a succession plan
About the Guest:
Ryan Aukerman joined the Griffith Company Team in 2004 as a project engineer. He quickly moved his way up the ranks into Estimator/ Project Manager's role while completing his Technology and Operations Management degree at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
In 2010, Ryan was appointed to be the Regional Manager and became responsible for oversight of the Southern Region. While in this role, he provided leadership over notable projects including the $81 Million Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, $81 Million Omnitrans SBX E Street Corridor, $30 Million Port of Long Beach Pier G Terminal Redevelopment, and $105 Million Port of Los Angeles Berth 142 – 143 Terminal Automation Improvement project.
In 2015, Ryan was promoted to his current position as Executive Vice President. He has oversight of operations throughout the company, including estimating, project management, and field operations.
During his career, Ryan has worked with many public and private owners and has participated in alternative project delivery methods such as Design-Build and CMAR. He takes great pride in representing Griffith Company and works to show owners and industry partners the Griffith Way. He has been serving as a State Director for the AGC of California and a Los Angeles District Board since 2010. With an understanding that there needs to be a solid investment in the future workforce within the industry, Ryan works to support the education foundation and interacts with multiple AGC Student Chapters and his participation in Griffith's own Internship program.
Resources:
Recommended restaurants:
Connect with me on LinkedIn. For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to the Construction Genius: A Leadership Master-Class Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Thank you for tuning in!
Methods of project delivery are ever-changing. The need to see different outcomes, especially from an owner's perspective in construction projects, has led to the adoption of approaches like Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). It's not a one-size-fits-all method, but it's definitely worth exploring.
In this week's podcast episode, I welcome my guest, James Pease. James is an Executive Director of Design and Construction at the UCSF Medical Center. He has experience on both sides of a construction project (owner and contractor). We discuss what IPD is and who will benefit from this kind of project delivery approach. We also address skepticism regarding this method, and James gives real-life experiences to prove that it works. We also discuss the role owners play in successful project deliveries and how to address significant roadblocks when using the method.
Tune in to this episode today!
Discussion Points:
0:00 Introduction 2:26 Biggest opportunities for improvement from the owner's perspective4:31 Areas of conflicts between owners and general contractors5:58 Effective way or model to overcome challenges 7:43 Playing the game as owners in construction projects 9:34 Key elements of Integrated Project Delivery 11:12 Application of integrated Project Delivery in real-life 12:55 Building and maintaining trust and collaboration 13:56 The role owners play in successful project deliveries through IPD 14:30 Reasons for owners to take on IPD 15:04 Marketing IPD to owners as a general contractor 16:53 Dealing with major roadblocks 21:11 Who shouldn't be doing IPD?23:00 Advice for GC's who tried IPD and didn't work 26:11 Owner cooperation is essential for successful projects 27:01 One request to ask of a GC 27:40 Think like an owner if you're a GC 29:23 Three action items 30:18 Fundamental aspects of the Lean process
About the Guest:
James Pease is an owner's representative for delivering complex construction projects using Lean Integrated Project Delivery. He is the executive director of Health Design and Construction at the University of California, San Francisco. James is a board member of the Lean Construction Institute and is committed to improving the design and construction industry as a recognized speaker, Lean IPD Coach, and executive editor of leanipd.com. James has a B.S. in Management Science from the University of California, San Diego, and is a CA licensed, general contractor.
Resources:
Recommended restaurants
Connect with me on LinkedIn. For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to the Construction Genius: A Leadership Master-Class Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Thank you for tuning in!
Amazon is a household name that continues to lead and dominate the international business scene. The trillion-dollar business that it is today, however, did not happen overnight. Their success story involves failures, risks, inventions, innovation, and an intense company culture not for the faint of heart. Intimidating as it is, though, there is a treasure trove of ideas that we can learn from them to scale our business, even in the construction industry.
In this week's Construction Genius podcast episode, I welcome Steve Anderson, best-selling author of the Bezos Letters. He shares how Jeff Bezos built Amazon into what it is today and how he laid out his plans through his annual letters to shareholders. We discuss things that are considered crucial to Amazon's growth and how companies can use those strategies to grow their businesses.
This episode is something you shouldn't miss. Listen to it today!
Discussion Points:
0:00 Introduction 1:44 What can commercial contractors learn from a 'book nerd'?3:03 Practicing dynamic innovation and invention 3:54 The difference between invention and innovation 6:46 Jeff Bezos' personality as a leader9:21 How Bezos is unconventional in his business mindset11:18 Experimentation is a culture in Amazon 12:04 Timeline for an idea to come into fruition 12:49 How does Amazon balance innovation with risks14:11 Invention is where disruption occurs 15:25 How Amazon positions itself in business 17:02 Three customer pillars of Amazon17:37 Understand and articulate your culture 19:23 Generate high-velocity decisions 21:48 Promoting ownership 23:14 Understand your flywheel25:25 Amazon's flywheel 26:34 Measuring what matters, question what's measured, trust your gut28:18 Believe it's always day one 30:22 The starter pack of day one defense 31:48 What can we learn from Jeff Bezos's leadership? 33:35 Three action items from the Amazon story About the Guest:
Steve Anderson is an expert in strategic risk and business growth. Drawing on decades of experience in the insurance industry, he wrote The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow Your Business Like Amazon, a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and an international bestseller. With hundreds of thousands of followers, LinkedIn has handpicked Steve as one of the world's most influential thought leaders.
Steve helps business owners understand how to leverage the exquisite tension between risk-taking and business growth.
Resources:
Books mentioned in this episode:
Connect with me on LinkedIn. For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to the Construction Genius: A Leadership Master-Class Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Thank you for tuning in!
Are you struggling to attract the right clients to your company? Marketing plays a huge role in addressing this dilemma as you can't just hope for the best that they will someday notice you and the services you offer. When you're doing marketing right, your message will be more intentional and laser-focused, resulting in a significant shift, client and profit-wise.
In this week's Construction Genius podcast episode, I share tried and true ways to attract your ideal clients to your construction companies. I discuss the marketing funnel and the four parts of the funnel's top part that you need to focus on. I also give away three reasons why construction companies fail to maximize profits and what you can do to address those problems.
Tune in to this episode!
Discussion Points:
0:00 Introduction
1:29 Many construction companies struggle with marketing
2:57 Four parts of the top of the funnel
3:54 Hope is not a strategy
4:27 What is the purpose of a business?
4:52 Reasons construction companies fail to maximize profits
5:16 The right job, right client, right location = success
6:09 The market analysis tool
8:42 The wrong way to do marketing
9:13 The right way to do marketing
9:33 Marlboro's marketing story
12:38 Successful marketers begin with the client
13:16 Understand why clients purchase your construction services
14:26 The avatar marketing method
15:24 Understanding client's emotions to craft a marketing campaign
16:50 Questions to ask
20:23 Crafting a targeted marketing message
29:14 Seven aspects of marketing
30:39 Marketing does not have to be a mystery
Resources:
Connect with me on LinkedIn. For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to the Construction Genius: A Leadership Master-Class Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Thank you for tuning in!
Growth is every business owner's aim. But many find growing their businesses to be overwhelming; with so many things to take care of, it becomes difficult to pick an area of focus. However, growing your business does not have to be complicated; generations of companies have focused on three things, and they experienced the growth they so longed to achieve.
In this week's Construction Genius podcast episode, I welcome my guest, Bill Flynn, the Catalyst Growth Advisors' chief catalyst. Bill shares the three things a company needs to focus on to achieve growth. He discusses each of these areas of focus in detail and gives action steps that business owners can take to propel their companies forward.
If you are excited about growth but overwhelmed at the same time, this episode is for you.
Discussion Points:
0:00 Introduction 1:13 Three things to focus on for company growth 4:01 Teams and why companies should start with them 6:19 A business owner's worldview and its impact on business7:17 Critical skills for team leadership 9:46 How to help people who are struggling to perform well 12:32 Flexibility in assigning jobs to people 15:11 Design thinking17:38 Systems and what it does for a business's growth 22:44 Recommended change process that works well 25:02 Why leadership teams are not cohesive 26:05 Creating psychological safety as a leader 28:20 Cash as a primary metric for growth 30:00 Cash for growth and cash for safety31:57 Grow in a healthy way 32:52 It always starts with the people 34:27 Regaining control 37:38 Bill suggests action steps
About the Guest:
Bill Flynn collaborates with Alan Mulally, has pitched Steve Jobs, accomplished much, failed often, and learned many useful lessons from thirty years of studying the science of success.
He has worked for and advised hundreds of companies, including startups, where he has a long track record of success in multiple industries. He has been a VP of Sales eight times, twice a CMO, and once a GM of a $100MM IT services company division before he pivoted to becoming a business growth coach in 2015. He had five successful outcomes before this, two IPOs, and seven acquisitions, including a turnaround during the 2008 financial crisis.
Bill Flynn is also an author and international speaker. Bill's best-selling book - Further, Faster - The Vital Few Steps that Take the Guesswork out of Growth continues to garner a 5-Star rating.
Resources:
Books mentioned in this episode:
Connect with me on LinkedIn. For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to the Construction Genius: A Leadership Master-Class Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Thank you for tuning in!
In the construction industry, project hand-offs from one project manager to another are common occurrences from time to time. But despite how common it is, the transition is not always easy. New project managers face many challenges, including understanding the work involved and building relationships with fellow workers and the general contractor or owner.
In today's Construction Genius podcast episode, I talk about how my client and I created a process that would ensure a smooth project hand-off from one project manager to another. The process is simple and doable.
Tune in to this episode!
Discussion Points:
0:00 Introduction 1:39 Eric shares a story about one of his clients|2:34 The three-step process that 'John' developed for a smooth project hand-off 3:24 1st step: Preparing a PM to PM hand-off meeting 4:25 2nd step: Introduce the new PM to the field team 4:57 3rd step: Introduce the new PM to the general contractor 7:07 Project hand-offs don't have to result in frustration7:21 Eric's offer to CEO's and construction business owners
Resources:
Up and Comers need help.
Do you have PMs or executives making a vital contribution to your company, whom you'd like to continue to grow and progress? Consider getting them an outside coach with deep industry experience. Someone who helps them identify and overcome their challenges and develop processes like the one described in this podcast.
If you are the owner or CEO of your construction company, and this sounds interesting to you, book a short ten-minute conversation with me to explore if/how I can help. Click this link to view my schedule and reserve a time with me: https://10minutes.youcanbook.me
Connect with me on LinkedIn. For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to the Construction Genius: A Leadership Master-Class Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Thank you for tuning in!
Leaders are caught up with juggling different tasks at a time but still end up feeling like they haven't accomplished anything. We all want to boost our productivity and increase effectiveness, leaders especially, and the best way forward is to let go of multitasking in order to focus more, therefore resulting in achieving more.
In today's Construction Genius podcast episode, we are joined by Dave Crenshaw, the author of the time management best seller The Myth of Multitasking. He explains why multitasking does not result in productivity. He also shares practical ways to start reclaiming the value of your time and the difference between switch tasking and back tasking.He also gives advice regarding getting a third-party to hold you accountable.
This is an interesting and educational episode that you will learn a lot from. Tune in to this episode today!
What's Discussed in This Episode:
0:00 Introduction 1:46 Debunking the myth of multitasking 2:27 The difference between switch tasking and back tasking 4:06 Attention switches and how to minimize it5:21 Ways to develop a discipline in schedule 7:07 How to communicate your disciplined schedule to people 8:50 Closed door, open calendar policy 10:38 Emergencies vs. 'impatiencies' 11:07 How leaders should deal with the need to be perceived as the hero11:47 Busy means you're not in control 12:02 Shifting from action to results 13:13 Time blocks and how to effectively implement it 14:22 Practical ways to establish the value of your time 16:08 Delegating is back tasking 16:41 Why back tasking is productive 17:00 When to schedule valuable activities17:41 Examples of back tasking 19:44 Definition of delegation 20:21 Creating a training process and a system 20:58 The relationship between delegation and accountability22:03 Why a third-party helps keep us accountable23:06 Advice for those who want to stop multitasking24:36 Evaluating what tasks to focus on 26:23 How long does focus time need to be to create an impact 28:06 Practical takeaways to become more focused 30:51 Dave's recommended restaurant
About the Guest:
Dave Crenshaw develops productive leaders in Fortune 500 companies, universities, and organizations of every size. He has appeared in Time magazine, USA Today, FastCompany, and the BBC News. His courses on LinkedIn Learning have been viewed tens of millions of times. His five books have been published in eight languages, the most popular of which is The Myth of Multitasking—a time management bestseller. As an author, speaker, and online instructor, Dave has transformed the lives and careers of hundreds of thousands around the world. DaveCrenshaw.com
Resources:
Books mentioned in this episode:
Restaurant recommendation:
Connect with me on LinkedIn. For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to the Construction Genius: A Leadership Master-Class Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Thank you for tuning in!
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