Can't Read the Label From Inside the Jar

By definition it is impossible for any of us to know what we don’t know.

D. Brown Management

July 2, 2018 2 minute read

Quote: You can't read the label from inside the jar.

We could be in the top 5% inside our domain and better off spending time scaling the machine rather than perfecting it.
We could be missing something major and not be able to see it.
We could be in a very high-leverage position where even a small improvement could have a huge impact.
We could be missing so much context for the model that we have difficulty seeing how new information fits in thereby limiting our Situational Awareness.

Who are the top 5 people inside your organization that help each other refine your models of projects, your company and the industry?

Who are the top 5 people you are mentoring and coaching to help them refine their models?

Who do you turn to on the outside of your organization that is experienced and unbiased to help give you perspective?

Changes - Early Identification is Always Better

Early identification of changes and conflicts is the first key to success. The capability to identify changes and conflicts early in the process is a combination of organizational structure, systems, management, training, and coaching.

cash flow customer satisfaction estimating foreman training labor productivity preconstruction project management project planning

Selecting and Managing People for a Job Role

A job role is a collection of related tasks and decisions to achieve a set of outcomes. A person brings a wide range of desires, skills, and experience to that job role. Aligning these is the discipline of management.

Organizational Development talent

Collections and Retention Trend Metric

Assuming that a contractor’s project team has done an effective job of aggressively billing the project, the biggest variable that remains for cash flow is the effectiveness of collections.