Construction Genius

I welcome back to the show Scott Gable, CEO of CityLift Parking, a company that is revolutionizing the way buildings are built in the United States, particularly in urban, land constrained environments. CityLift Parking designs, installs, and services automated parking systems that reduce the footprint needed for parking and can typically be done at a lower cost per space than conventional parking.

In this episode we discuss Scott's insights into scaling a construction business.

• Scott's first business growing a 60 head flock of sheep.
• The hard work and commitment involved in scaling a business.
• Scott's long-term goal: to be the dominant brand in the automated parking lift industry.
• The link between scaling and having a clear purpose
• Scott's love of creating a company that will outlive him.
• The importance of vision, team, and common values
• How CityLift's values are translated into everyday business
• An "ego-free" decision making process
• Professionalism defined as a combination of competence and personal relationships
• How Scott embraces the challenges of scaling, and maintains his motivation and energy
• Dealing with technically competent people who don't fit the company culture
• Essential elements of scaling: finding your why, building your team, establishing your processes
• PPQ: Scott's favorite restaurant in San Francisco on 19th and Irving.

The Construction Leaders Dashboard is one of the simplest and yet most powerful tools for leaders in construction companies of all sizes.

Construction companies use this tool to get clear on strategic priorities, recruit new field and office talent who are aligned with the mission and values of the firm, and as a development planning tool to develop the next generation of leaders.

• Focus on what matters, so that you spend your time doing the things that have the most impact with clients.
• Make sure that everyone in the organization is aligned, accountable, and contributing equally to the company's growth and success.
• Attract, develop, and retain future leaders who can continue to move the organization forward.

City Lift Parking Scott Gable A City Lift Project: Hive Parking Structure

From April 2006 through January 2011, nearly 2.3 million construction jobs

were wiped out in the United States

Ever since then, the construction industry has not been able to make up for this loss of skilled labor. There is not only a labor shortage in the field, there's also a leadership gap in the field and in the office.

Case in point is a message I received on LinkedIn from Sina Bahmani a young construction leader from Sweden:

I love your podcast Construction Genius. The content is very valuable for me and I have recommended the podcast to all my colleges. I work as a design manager in Sweden and something I would love an episode about how we as young managers can lead our teams when we still don't have so much experience in different technically advanced areas. This is a big issue in Sweden and probably in other parts of the world as well, where we have a generation shift and many young professionals in a highly demanding position.

Thanks to Sina for his question. In this episode I'll discuss three thing young construction managers can do to become effective leaders:

1. You're not that hot.
2. You don't know far more than you know

You need to grow in:

• • Institutional knowledge
  • Technical knowledge
  • Relational knowledge

1. You have an incredible opportunity

Young People have: Energy, Ambition, Time

What is your vision for your career?

Which values guide you in your career?

What is Your Edge?

What do others say you do well?

• What are the top one to three assignments, projects, or achievements I need in order to develop expertise and my track record?
• The top one to three key skills or knowledge I need to acquire?
• The top five mentors, industry leaders, functional experts, and other key people I need to know, and who I don't know now?
• Any specific formal education and training that will help me achieve my career vision

1. Be patient

Don't be in a hurry. Build your career, consistently improve your technical and people skills.

1. Be useful

Finish your work, then look to help others with their work. Start with your department, then branch out to the rest of your company.

1. Don't be jealous

Be happy when others in your company do well. Find out why they succeeded, imitate them and seek to help them to greater heights.

1. Don't boast

Allow the quality of your work to speak for itself.

1. Don't get a fat head

Don't allow success to inflate your ego, but always be thinking what you can do to improve, and increase your contribution and impact.

1. Adapt yourself to others

Study how others prefer to communicate, how they like to work and ask yourself: "How can I adapt myself to contribute to their success?"

1. Stop worrying about a raise or promotion

Good help is hard to find. Focus on being good help. Perks, raises, promotions will follow.

1. Don't get offended

You're not in college or high school anymore. In the real-world people have different opinions, perspectives and lifestyles, get used to it.

1. Don't keep track of offenses

In any career you'll get screwed, passed over, dissed. Don't keep track of it. Just keep working, doing your best, making a contribution.

1. Help others when they fail

Don't be happy when others fail. Try and help them recover. Maybe they'll be there to help you through your failures.

1. Recognize others

Notice people excelling, specifically and sincerely praise them and tell others about their efforts.

1. Don't gossip

You'll hear and see stuff. You'll be tempted to join in the water cooler talk. That's a waste of time.

1. Be Brave

Hold people accountable. Have difficult, face to face conversations.

1. Be generous

With your time and resources.

Get your copy of the Construction Leaders Dashboard and use it to clarify how you are going to become a successful leader.

This is what one of my clients, Chris Barkley, Director of Field Operations, at Teichert Construction says about the Construction Leaders Dashboard:

The structure of Eric's coaching process has been beneficial. Our business ramps up in the summer, and when things are going crazy, our guys keep our field operations running smoothly. They tell me that using the Construction Leaders Dashboard framework that Eric introduced to them has been awesome because they've been able to put pen to paper, clarify their personal goals, and relate them to their leadership responsibilities and Teichert's objectives. It's helped to simplify their focus and anchor them back into what they've committed to accomplishing this season.

The Dashboard will help you beat overwhelm, stay focused and maximize your leadership impact.

Click this link to get your copy: Construction Leaders Dashboard

Steve McGough is the president and chief financial officer of HCSS, a Texas based company that since 1986 has specialized in developing software to help heavy, highway and utility construction industry companies streamline their business operations. HCSS's mission is driven by a desire to help its customers "dramatically improve their business through our innovative, high-quality software and exceptionally helpful service, while providing a great life for our employees."

The firm works with more than 4,000 of the best construction companies in North America, including most of the top 25 in "Engineering News Record" magazine's "Top Heavy Civil Contractors."

Interview Highlights:

• The biggest challenge facing the construction industry
• How "I Build America" aims to address this challenge
• The many educational paths into the construction industry
• Changes in the construction industry, including the increasing emphasis on safety
• How to avoid the biggest mistakes construction companies make when implementing new technology
• Why continuing to promote infrastructure spending is vital to construction and the American economy
• How to attract Millennials and Gen. Z folks to your company
• How Steve managed HCSS' growth from 40 to over 300 employees
• The importance of aptitude, passion and grit
• A simple method for identifying the right employee fit when hiring
• Using a customer service focus to build a competitive advantage
• How HCSS customer, Carolina Bridge, is successfully attracting high-quality employees

More on Steve…

A 35-year construction industry veteran, McGough joined HCSS in 2005 as chief operating officer. He added "president" to his title in January 2015 and "chief financial officer" two years later. He began his career with Turner Collie and Braden, a consulting engineering firm in Houston that is now part of AECOM.

McGough has been a distinguished volunteer in national construction organizations for 15 years. His leadership positions in the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) include: senior vice chairman (2019), first vice chairman (2018), central region vice chairman (2016-17), western region vice chairman (2013-16) and Materials & Services Division president (2012). He's also the chairman of the association's Membership Development Committee, a post he's held since 2015.

He currently serves on the board of directors and executive committee for The Road Information Program (TRIP), a national transportation research group that promotes transportation policies that help relieve traffic congestion and its impact on air quality, improve road and bridge conditions, make surface travel safer, and enhance economic productivity.

McGough is the recipient of the 2012 Paul F. Phelan Award, which recognizes outstanding leadership and contributions to ARTBA's Materials & Services Division. He is an active member of The Beavers, a heavy engineering construction association based in California.

He earned his bachelor's in civil construction from Texas A&M University and his M.B.A. from Tulane University.

McGough and his wife, Elaine, live in Kemah, Texas, on Galveston Bay. They have two adult sons, Ryan and Grant.

The Construction Leaders Dashboard is one of the simplest and yet most powerful tools for leaders in construction companies of all sizes that can be used to clarify what you need to focus on in order to be a highly successful leader. It includes: Vision, Mission, Values, Edge, Initiatives, Metrics, Key Relationships, and Development Opportunities.

To get your copy of the dashboard, click this link.

"I was the worst guy in our school, the worst guy in our conference, and probably the worst guy in the State of Oregon". Dick Fosbury, innovator of the Fosbury Flop, and 1968 high-jump Olympic gold medalist.

Your construction company has a variety of limitations. You also face a constantly changing environment. And you have familiar obstacles.

• identify the obstacles you face,
• and tap the creativity and wisdom of your team
• to come up with ideas for conquering the obstacles, drive your business forward.

In today's episode of Construction Genius, you'll learn a step by step process, that I have taught construction company leaders and executives for the past 15 years, for exactly that.

• This will not work unless you are willing to be honest, humble and decisive

• If you use this step by step process as I describe it, you'll be able to lead your team, in a meeting from a blank whiteboard, to unanimous commitment on what you are going to do to overcome the obstacles you face, in less than an hour.

• Identify Obstacles correctly

• Get the Ideas of Your Team
• Prioritize the ideas and Decide what you are going to do.

If you'd like a report that details this process, click the link and download the FREE short report Kick Ass Meetings: www.ericanderton.com/kam

Episode 17: Three Ways to Prepare for a Problem-Solving Method

Episode 21: How to Build a Simple Clear Plan

Dirk Elsperman is the EVP & COO of Tarlton Corporation, a third-generation company that has been in business since 1946. With 29 years of experience at Tarlton, Dirk has worked in all aspects of the company's operations including apprenticing as a carpenter, estimating, project engineering & management, and executive management. As EVP & COO at Tarlton, Dirk is ultimately responsible for the successful completion of their projects and partners with his sister, Tracy Hart, on the administration of the company.

Dirk is also the 2019 President of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), the leading association for the construction industry. AGC represents more over 6,500 of America's leading general contractors, and more than 9,000 specialty-contracting firms.

Dirk graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Applied Economics and Business Management. He earned his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. He serves on advisory boards for the Salvation Army and Olin Business School. In his free time, Dirk enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, rafting, swimming, cycling and running.

Highlights include

• Why Dirk chose to get into the construction industry
• Lessons learned as a carpenter's apprentice about how, and how not to, perform at a high-level
• How his father encouraged him to leave the business, and pursue a career apart from the family business
• Why he returned to Tarlton, and how he began the journey to senior leadership as a project engineer
• How he worked twice as hard to prove that being a family member didn't give him special privileges
• Dirk's theme for his AGC presidency: "University of Construction"
• The challenges and opportunities of running Tarlton with his sister
• Promoting work/life balance
• How he learned about leadership by getting involved in the AGC
• Why diversity of thought is so critical in construction
• Why up and coming construction executives have a compressed timeline to learn how to lead
• The many paths into the construction industry, and the many opportunities available to excel
• Dirk's optimistic outlook for the construction industry as new technologies and safer methods of building are embraced.
• The best BBQ joint in St. Louis….

What does the NFL and the Construction Industry share in common?

The NFL is an ultra-competitive, sophisticated, high-pressure team orientated environment. So is Construction.

To get your FREE e-book version of this podcast, click this link.

In an April 2017 article published in the Ringer, Michael Lombardi (a former NFL General Manager) detailed what NFL teams look for when drafting a quarterback out of college. He describes seven quarterbacks which define successful quarterbacks:

1. A Winner
2. Emotionally Tough
3. A Grinder
4. A Learner
5. A Lifer
6. Charismatic
7. Lovable

In this episode of Construction Genius, I apply the qualities to the construction environment. Adapt them to your company and use them when you are hiring or promoting young people into leadership roles.

During the Great Recession, from April 2006 to January 2011, nearly 2.3 million construction jobs were wiped out.

One of the long-term consequences of the downturn includes a void created in field and office leadership. Today, Emerging Leaders are about ten years younger than leaders typically are when they take on senior leadership roles and responsibilities. So it's essential that you are selective when you're bringing people into those roles.

Every great football franchise has a high impact head coach.

Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots today, and Bill Walsh of the San Francisco Forty-Niners in the 1980s are two that spring to mind.

If you lead a construction company or a construction division or a department, think of yourself as the head coach, and when you promote into young people into leadership roles, you need to provide them with coaching.

Here's a simple process you can use:

• Help them to understand themselves by taking a quality assessment (I use the ProfileXT with my clients).
• Use a 360 to help them to see how others perceive them. An easy way to do this is to have an outside party contact their peers, direct reports, boss, and even people outside of the organization and ask three questions:
  1. What are the things that the emerging leader does best?
  2. What is one thing that the emerging leader can do better?
  3. What other advice do you have to help the emerging leader be more successful and perform better?
• Provide them a tool to help them describe how they're going to thrive in their leadership role. Have them sit down with pen to paper and jot down what they need to accomplish to succeed
• Meet with them regularly one-on-one to discuss their wins, challenges, and action items, so they make consistent progress

You're responsible for developing and retaining the talent that drives your financial results.

You don't always have the bandwidth to coach each emerging leader individually. It may benefit you at times to get outside help. If you decide to bring in an external coach, make sure that they check these three boxes:

1. They have to have deep experience working with construction companies and understand the game of construction.
2. They fit with the values and the culture of your organization.
3. They're a personal fit with the Emerging Leader.

This episode is brought to you by the Construction Leaders Dashboard

The Construction Leaders Dashboard is one of the simplest and yet most powerful tools for leaders in construction companies of all sizes that can be used to clarify what you need to focus on to be a highly successful leader. It includes Vision, Mission, Values, Edge, Initiatives, Metrics, Key Relationships, and Development Opportunities.

To get your copy of the dashboard, click

Tom Ford, Partner and Director of Operations of MarketOne Builders a general contractor based in Sacramento, California is my guest.

He launched MarketOne Builders in 1997 with his partner James Fitzgerald, focusing on providing Owners, Architects, Planners, Tenants and other shareholders the comfort of knowing their GC is driving the project to meet all of their expectations, especially cost control, quality and schedule.

Tom has 30 years of industry experience, and is actively involved in the business development, preconstruction and project management of commercial construction projects. He graduated from Fresno State with a degree in Construction Management. Worked for Rudolph and Sletten, which groomed his technical abilities as well as his approach to leadership.

Highlights

• The biggest challenges of a booming economy
• How "overpromotion" is affecting project efficiency and quality
• Why there is no substitute for "time in the seat"
• The importance of resourceful and creative project managers
• How MarketOne is attracting talent from the San Francisco Bay Area
• The role web, social media presence and work environment plays in hiring
• Lessons learned from the .com bubble in the late 1990s
• Learning how to structure the company to ride the ups and downs of the economic cycle
• Retaining talent by emphasizing culture, a sense of purpose, and a team environment
• Staying competitive in a mid-market environment by being flexible in project selection
• Why senior executives need to stay in touch with their people, projects, and clients
• The most important soft skill an entry level project engineer must learn
• "Jumping out of a perfectly good plane" to start a business
• Teaching the right people to be better builders
• How Tom learned humility
• Defining "relationship risk" and how it links to project success
• Making work "a better place to be"
• Lunch, beers, golf: The vital skill of building relationships with subcontractors
• Striving to sustain MarketOne's name across generations and leaving a legacy of strong relationships

Today's episode is brought to you by the Construction Leaders Dashboard. The Construction Leaders Dashboard is one of the simplest and yet most powerful tools for leaders in construction companies of all sizes that can be used to clarify what you need to focus on in order to be a highly successful leader. It includes: Vision, Mission, Values, Edge, Initiatives, Metrics, Key Relationships, and Development Opportunities.

To get your copy of the dashboard, click this link.

Sean Cook, President of Cook Engineering, is my guest on today's show.

Cook Engineering is a general engineering company based in Rancho Cordova, California. Sean and his wife Shellie started the business in 2003. They've grown the business to $30m in revenue by taking care of their customers, and providing their employees with a supportive environment.

Our interview focuses on how Sean has leveraged the success of his company into having an impact not only on his local community, but on a broader level, by providing construction services to a village in Uganda.

Highlights include

• Sean's encounter with a black mamba
• Cook Engineering's decision to sponsor a village in Uganda
• How Sean built his business so that he and his top superintendent could to travel to Uganda
• The importance of living by consistent values
• How focusing on customer service has set Cook apart from other construction companies
• How to manage the introduction of new technology into the business
• Overcoming silos between the field and the office
• The importance of quality communication
• Creating a family atmosphere at Cook Engineering
• How to identify and participate in charitable activities
• The importance of consistency
• The power of answering the phone when someone calls

Sean is clear on how he needs to lead his company, and this has enabled him to have a positive impact beyond his business. If you'd like to improve your leadership, here's something that may help:

The Construction Leaders Dashboard is one of the simplest and yet most powerful tools for leaders in construction companies of all sizes that can be used to clarify what you need to focus on in order to be a highly successful leader. It includes: Vision, Mission, Values, Edge, Initiatives, Metrics, Key Relationships, and Development Opportunities.

To get your copy of the dashboard, click this link.

1. Display Cheerful Optimism
2. Be Selfless
3. Practice Loyal
4. Demonstrate Determination

This podcast was inspired by a letter on leadership that George C. Marshall wrote in 1920. To download the letter, click this link.

George C. Marshall (1880 – 1959) was the Chief of Staff of the US Army from Sep. 1, 1939 – Nov. 18, 1945

Henry L. Stimson, the Secretary of War, paid tribute to Marshall: "I have seen a great many soldiers in my lifetime and you, Sir, are the finest soldier I have ever known."

As Secretary of State from 1947 to 1949, Marshall advocated rebuilding Europe, a program that became known as the Marshall Plan, provided billions of dollars in aid to post war Europe to restart the economies of the destroyed countries.

This plan had a massive positive impact and has directly led to the general peace and prosperity that Europe has enjoyed for the past 75 years, and led to his being awarded the 1953 Nobel Peace Prize.

President Harry S. Truman was asked which American he thought had made the greatest contribution of the preceding thirty years. Without hesitation, Truman picked Marshall, adding "I don't think in this age in which I have lived, that there has been a man who has been a greater administrator; a man with a knowledge of military affairs equal to General Marshall."

Physically Strong: This is critical to success as a leader. Therefore, take care of yourself. What you eat, how much you sleep, exercise.

Studied Your Profession: Be a student of the profession, every aspect. If you run a construction company you should have a good grasp of Bid, Build, Bill, and you should be an expert at least one.

Common Sense: What is common sense? "the knack for seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done."

Resist your impulses and pride, battle your prejudices and ignorance, and allow common sense to guide you.

To be cheerful is to be "ungrudging"

Optimism: disposed to take a favorable view of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.

How to cultivate optimism:

1. Have a 20-year timeframe on everything (This one project [hopefully] isn't going to ruin the business)
2. Distinguish between the war (running a successful business) and the battle (this project, day, person)
3. Pay attention to your spiritual state. Pump up music, inspirational reading, prayer, meditation, deep breathing. Do whatever you need to do to show up with cheer and optimism.

Your job is to "look after the comfort of your organization, prepare for tomorrow, inspect your lines."

1. Inspect your lines: Look at the numbers, look at the daily logs (if necessary). Look for gaps that need to be shored up.
2. Prepare for tomorrow: If you're in the field, you don't just want to show up and wing it. Prepare for the daily tailgate the night before. Make a list of the things that you need to accomplish each day. Prioritze and block out time.
3. Comfort your organization: How do you comfort?

E: Encouragement: You can do it! A: Accountability: Did you do it? R: Recognition: You did it!

Stay firm in your support for the company

How to navigate your internal loyalty struggles:

1. You've chosen this life, no one forced you to be in this position
2. Believe the best. Don't assume that others have bad intentions.
3. See and say within the boardroom. If you have a problem address it "up the chain of command" not "down the chain of command".
4. Disagree and commit

Have a firm or fixed intention to achieve a desired end

Determination is displayed when things are alarming.

If you choose right ends, then that will help when things are challenging

Your job as a leader is to display determination in your cheerful optimism,

in your loyalty

And by providing comfort: Encouragement, Accountability, Recognition to others

1. Ask your direct reports which of the four character traits you need to improve:
   1. Display Cheerful Optimism
   2. Be Selfless
   3. Practice Loyal
   4. Demonstrate Determination
2. Display cheerful optimism by checking yourself every day. Spend time working on your inner life.
3. Selfless: Make a note of your direct reports: Who needs Encouragement? Accountability? Recognition?
4. Check your head if your complaining about corporate direction. See and say. Talk to someone you can trust for an outside perspective
5. Determination: Keep the end goal in mind on each project and commit to overcommunicating

The Construction Leaders Dashboard is one of the simplest and yet most powerful tools for leaders in construction companies of all sizes that can be used to clarify what you need to focus on in order to be a highly successful leader. It includes: Vision, Mission, Values, Edge, Initiatives, Metrics, Key Relationships, and Development Opportunities.

To get your copy of the dashboard, click this link.