This week’s episode topic was a request from longtime listener and previous guest Jason Lange, who wanted to hear more about managing schedule on a construction project. As it turns out, we had a lot to say about schedule – so much, in fact, that we are covering schedule for two episodes.

This week, we’re talking about the steps to take, and the pitfalls to watch for at the beginning of the project, when you’re setting your schedule up. If you know us at all, you won’t be surprised to hear that our approach to schedule management relies heavily on the planning phase.

We talk about:

• Managing risk for items outside your control
• Getting valuable input from key subs and vendors
• Clauses in the contract that should be dealbreakers
• Why Procurement Planning is key to managing schedule
• Negotiating the terms so you have the leverage to control your risk

The post Episode 49 – Planning Your Project Schedule appeared first on Arcade Construction Academy.

Delegation is tough! We talk to leaders every day who want to give their teams the freedom to make decisions, but can’t seem to get to the place where they can hand over that authority. Often, we jump to the conclusion that team members can’t handle the responsibility, when in fact our delegation issue is more of a communication issue.

This week, we’re talking about a really cool model for understanding delegation, built by Leadership Expert Jurgen Appelo. By working to understand and communicate all of the various levels at which we can delegate a task, we can stop carrying every single decision and start handing over authority so we can focus on our own highest value work.

We talk about:

• Why delegation is so hard
• The nuts and bolts description of the Seven Levels model
• Team building activities to start the delegation conversation
• How to diagnose the ‘failing point’ of delegation in your organization
• How to work on learning to delegate, one level at a time
• Seven Levels as a communication tool
• Using the Seven Levels as a spectrum, not a single indicator

The post Episode 48 – Seven Levels of Delegation appeared first on Arcade Construction Academy.

We’re back! After a not-so-short unplanned hiatus over the holiday break, we are back in the saddle and turning out episodes again! We’re starting with the single topic we spend the most time addressing in January: Performance Reviews.

Back in Episode 34 we talked about setting up a good system for Performance Management, but this episode is about holding the session itself – what to do, what not to do and how to keep things as productive and positive as possible.

We talk about:

• Review of metrics and measurable goals
• How to handle the first review
• Why the focus needs to stay on the conversation
• The shortcomings of written review systems
• Real time performance management
• How performance management is actually a lot like parenting
• Settings goals for the conversation
• Keeping the conversation productive, as a coach
• Separation (in time) between compensation and performance

The post Episode 47 – Annual Review Time! appeared first on Arcade Construction Academy.

This week, we are talking about the sometimes complicated topic of being grateful. If you celebrate Thanksgiving, you know that while we’re all enjoying a giant holiday meal with whatever your family’s favorite dishes may be, the underlying meaning of the holiday is right in the name – giving thanks.

We’re talking about why some of us in the modern world can have a complicated relationship with gratitude, and some ways to tap into the positive parts of that emotion while sidestepping some of the noise that society has introduced.

We talk about:

• Favorite Thanksgiving Dishes
• Why gratitude is good for you
• Why gratitude can be complicated (especially for women)
• Steer clear of ‘gratitude for what you have’
• Focus on gratitude for who you have
• Focus on gratitude for what you have accomplished
• Favorite Thanksgiving desserts

If you would like to read the book we talked about in this episode – Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski, you can find it here.

The post Episode 46 – Giving Thanks appeared first on Arcade Construction Academy.

This week, we’re talking about one of Jason’s pet peeves – Project Management Software. We see all kinds of PM Software issues, from software that we have to continually work around, to software that just doesn’t do what we want it to do.

In this episode we’re going to talk about why that happens and how you can make your PM Software work for you.

We talk about:

• Learning the basics of Project Management with a Yellow Notepad
• Why Software reflects workflow, and why that matters
• The disconnect between software developers and construction software
• Why Enterprise software isn’t always the answer
• How to find the right software for the job (and how to grow into it)

The post Episode 45 – PM Software appeared first on Arcade Construction Academy.

Last week, we were the ‘Big Top’ Sponsors for ABC’s circus themed Fall Event, and we promised a surprise.

We had a lot of fun with the sponsorship, the event and this episode. We’re talking about:

• Taking the Risks that we’ve always wanted to take
• The times when you have to just take a leap
• Circus classes at Emerald City Trapeze Arts in Sodo

We took a chance to do something fun, and had a blast doing it. This week we’re talking about why sometimes, it’s totally worth the risk!

The post Episode 44 – Do Something That Terrifies You! appeared first on Arcade Construction Academy.

Back in Episode 31, we talked about keeping track of all of your tasks in one place. This week, we’re talking about what the benefits are of keeping your whole team’s tasks in one place with Team Tasking.

Team tasking is a great way to make sure that everyone is on the same page, from keeping managers apprised of what’s happening at a glance, to letting teammates know what to ask about, or what not to tackle to avoid redundancy.

We talk about:

• Minimizing Interruptions
• Supporting your Reports Without Micromanaging
• Lightweight Delegation, using the ‘Notes’ field
• Keeping Track of Dates
• Communicating Using Bonus Columns
• Avoiding Redundant Tasks
• Giving Visibility to Coaches and Mentors
• How to Roll Out a Tasking System

The post Episode 43 – Team Tasking appeared first on Arcade Construction Academy.

This week, it’s our favorite holiday – Halloween!

(Check out the podcast image to see Bowie, our new pet dragon skeleton!)

We’re talking to some longtime Arcade friends and family, as well as some newcomers about spooky safety stories. Tune in, if you’re in for a scary good time! Crack open your favorite Halloween candy and let’s talk safety!

The post Episode 42 – Spooky Safety Stories appeared first on Arcade Construction Academy.

This week, we spoke with another special guest – Jason Lange, Chief Operating Officer for AM Exteriors.

We asked him what he’d want to discuss on the podcast, and he had a great idea for a really relevant topic – leaving a job well. After his recent experience of spending some time away from AM Exteriors, and then coming back to the fold, he had a lot of great advice to share!

We talk about:

• Reasons for leaving, and how they affect the way you leave
• Leaving without burning bridges
• How much notice is enough?
• How to prepare your team for your departure
• Keeping track of your professional contacts
• What is yours and what gets left behind?
• Leaving well for you

Join us for an in-depth discussion about how to maintain your relationships even when it’s time to move on to a new company.

The post Episode 41 – Leaving Well appeared first on Arcade Construction Academy.

We help construction companies. Being in a line of work like that puts us into contact with other organizations who do the same all the time. We work with several different trade organizations in a few different capacities, but always to the same end – helping subcontractors and GCs to do their work more efficiently, more safely and with fewer headaches.

Often we meet contractors who ask the question, “What can a trade organization do for me?” We know some good answers, but we thought it was a great opportunity to put you in touch with the expert, so we brought in special guest Wendy Novak from Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington (ABC.)

We talk about:

• The History of Trade Organizations
• The 3 kinds of help that trade organizations provide
• Access to Community
• Access to Training
• Access to Resources
• How the internet has changed the landscape for Trade Orgs and what they’re doing to stay on the leading edge
• Understanding what the incoming generation of business owners want
• The value of curation in the age of information overload
• The shift of value from money to time
• The shift of importance from work to family
• The real value of ‘IRL’ connections

If you’d like to learn more about Wendy or ABC, you can find ABC at www.abcwestwa.org and find Wendy on LinkedIn!

The post Episode 40 – Trade Organizations appeared first on Arcade Construction Academy.