The Construction Engineering Show

We broke the students into two groups and I got to talk to them about surveying. I brought out several of our instruments and showed them a level, a robotic total station and our GPS unit. It was fun for me, breaking down, what could be a very complex topic, into basic concepts that teenagers could understand. I had a blast.

Afterwards, a few of us were debriefing the event, and it struck me hard: This is the next generation of construction professionals. High school students, just like the ones we met today, will be taking my place. So I asked myself:

What am I, and what are we doing to introduce them to what it is we do?

And moreover, how are we letting them know that what we do is really cool?

The takeaway from my discussion is an easy one: It's up to us. We are the senior members of the industry who need to carve the paths for the next generation of construction professionals to travel. The generation before us paved the way for you and I, we need to do that for them.

Connect with me anytime!!

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠Bob Hildebranski, PE⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠Hildebranski.com⁠

⁠⁠⁠Contact Page Link

I haven't been doing enough. I've been letting you down. We have a small but growing community of sitework professionals who come here to get a dose of positive impact. And I've been lax in pushing you & I forward. I've dropped the ball. I haven't been getting the messages out. I haven't added any tools to your toolbox. Not good.

This is a call to action-Send me a DM on Linked in. Leave a comment here. Hit me up at my website. Leave a message in the Spotify Q&A attached to this episode. Let me know what I, and our growing community can do to increase your percentage of impact. Let's Go!!

Connect with me anytime!!

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠Bob Hildebranski, PE⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠Hildebranski.com⁠

⁠⁠⁠Contact Page Link

Hello Construction Engineers! It's great to be back with you for Episode #27.

Being a college instructor, learning is a front-and-center part of my life. As much as I hope the students are learning under my tutelage, I am learning as well: Learning how to speak. Learning how to break concepts down. Learning how to present materials in a digestible format. Suffice to say, we are always learning.

In this episode, I talk about how we, as people involved in construction, need to be cognizant of our need to constantly be learning. Are we creating a job office atmosphere where we are using the people and resources around us every working day to better ourselves & each other? How can we promote a learning environment in our field office? I'll give you a couple of stories & some ideas to get you thinking.

Book Recommendation: Resilience (Eric Greitens)

Connect with me anytime!!

LinkedIn: ⁠Bob Hildebranski, PE⁠

Website: ⁠Hildebranski.com⁠

⁠Contact Page Link

Hey Crew - It's so good to check back in with you here on Episode 026. 

With so many task management systems now in existence, there's an opportunity to turn your To Do list into a job unto itself. Managing your tasks should be a simple exercise: Prioritize and execute, that's the goal. 

But it's now easy to become lost in app's, bogged down in trying to get this app to talk to Outlook, which then needs an add-in to talk back to your task management, which then needs to be updated so it can coordinate with your calendar. In my world, all of that linking of applications does nothing but cause friction. 

In this episode, I discuss my task management system - Tried & true pencil & paper. I've spoken about my Franklin Planner and what a anchor it is in what I do day-to-day to keep myself organized. I challenge the listener to take a step back off the line this week and assess how your task management systems are working for you. 

Some notable links from the episode: 

Tiago Forte - Building a Second Brain 

Focused Podcast 

Connect with me anytime!!

LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE

Website: Hildebranski.com

Contact Page Link

Hey Crew - It's great to be back with you for Episode 025.

I'm a big fan of the fire service: Fire service podcasts, fire service leadership. I've come to really value listening leaders in the fire service. I think there is a lot of carry-over between the fire service and the construction industry: Our jobs place us in, sometimes, risky situations that we are called to mitigate. There are leadership issues in both of our industries that call for us to be sound in our inter-personal skills, navigating situations & issues. I love listening to great chiefs & leaders, in any industry, but those who are in the fire service always strike lots of chords with me.

One of my favorite podcasts is produced by Battalion Chief Corley Moore of the Moore, Oklahoma FD. He runs a website called Firehouse Vigilance, and produces a podcast & YouTube channel called The Weekly Scrap, which is an interview-based Q/A forum where he'll bring-on another fire service leader. There's a live chat for the Q/A, and they always seem to dive into topics that provide me with tons of takeaways.

In a recent episode, Chief Moore had Battalion Chief Curt Isakson of the Escambia, Florida FD on. Chief Isakson is an absolute fire-breather: You can't listen to him and not want to run through a brick wall. High energy, a library of knowledge and the kind of guy who you'd like to meet at a backyard cookout and hangout with.

Chief Isakson introduced me to the question, "What is my % of impact?" Obviously, his take revolved around fire service members and how they could have a positive contribute to a situation. But for me, I grabbed that same question and took it into our industry: How can I positively effect a construction or engineering situation. I think you'll enjoy this podcast.

A few linkables mentioned in the Show:

Firehouse Vigilance (Chief Corley Moore)

County Fire Tactics (Chief Curt Isakson)

Connect with me anytime!!

LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE

Website: Hildebranski.com

Contact Page Link

Hey Crew - It's great to be back with you. 

For the past few weeks, I've spent a lot of free-time thinking about goals. I've been a goal setter since I got my first Franklin Planner in 1989. Back then, I learned the basics of goal setting that we all know & love: Determining values & what matters most, developing ways of creating task lists that would be the incremental steps that lead to accomplishing the goals. I don't consider myself to be a "Type A" personality who's always trying to get to the next ladder rung, I'm just a guy who's trying to better himself everyday. Safe to say, we all are striving towards things that we believe to be important to us, so loosely defined, whether we write them down or not, we all have goals.

In this episode, I take a quick drive down my own Goal Setting Memory Lane and talk a bit on how I have historically looked at the process of goal setting. And then, I'll take you down a bit of a back-road and introduce you to a concept that has changed the way I think about goals. For me, this has been a game-changer: I won't be setting my goals the same way I used to. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on whether my new way of thinking might be something you'll implement.

A few linkables mentioned in the Show:

Range (David Epstein)

Franklin Planner System

Andy Frisella and his 75 Hard Challenge

Connect with me anytime!!

LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE

Website: Hildebranski.com

Contact Page Link

Episode 023 - I'm excited to be back after a bit of a hiatus! I've spent the last couple of months immersed in teaching a course in Construction Surveying, but the spring term has been secured, the final grades have been posted, and I now have time to get back to the podcast.

This episode comes to us by way of a question from the Interwebs. Although I could list dozens of attributes, I discuss six characteristics, traits & skills that I think ALL OF US (not just the younger members of our industry....) can focus on to improve our on-site duties:

And there's a Bonus #7 that puts all 6 of the items to work.

I mention Jocko Willink's book:  The Code. The Evaluation. The Protocols: Striving to Become an Eminently Qualified Human

LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE

Website: Hildebranski.com

Contact Page Link

Episode 22 - It's nice to be back with you all!! The couple-of-month hiatus is past, just too much else going on...

A couple of weeks ago, those of us at our company received our annual "Self-Evaluation Form." That means it's time to reassess. I've always enjoyed stepping away from the total station and the laptop and getting the 10,000 foot view of where my life & career are heading. I've done it since I got my first Franklin Planner in 1989. Self-assessment and goal setting have always been part of my life road mapping.

But this year's analysis will be a bit different. New situations, both around the shop as well as outside work. I'm still heading to the right destinations, I'm just choosing to look for off-ramps and dirt roads, as opposed to staying on the 4-lane paved highway).

In this episode, I play catch-up on the "Hey Bob, where have you been?", and then dive into how I'm setting my course of action for the year, using Jiu Jitsu as a means of establishing what the "long game" is all about.

I mention Trimble's Constructable and their article titled 14 Best Construction Podcasts to Listen to in 2022 Thanks again, Rachel, for the mention!!

LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE

Website: Hildebranski.com

Contact Page Link

Episode 20 - How well are you preparing for the work day? Are you putting in the "mental reps" prior to heading out to the site to meet with your crews? Are you prepared to inspect the work, answer questions and troubleshoot problems? 

Or are you rolling out to the site and simply reacting to what is going on, rather than engaging in the work. 

On this episode of the Construction Engineering Show, we discuss 4 ideas of ways that you can better-prepare yourself for your day on site. And even the the 4th idea is a little nuanced, implementing it will change the way you think about anticipating problems: 

1. Do the mental preparation 

2. Have the resources you need on-hand 

3. Look for and review checklists 

4. The "5 Biggest Challenges & 5 Biggest Opportunities" Card 

LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE 

Website: Hildebranski.com 

Contact Page Link