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?

Lean Principle - Value Add vs. Non Value Add

For specialty contractors the field workforce represents most of their competitive advantage as well as their biggest source of variability. Making improvements to field productivity requires deeply understanding what truly adds value to the customer.

field productivity lean construction

The Average Field Day in Detail (Craft Labor + Foreman)

Labor is often the biggest cost variable on a construction project. Just over half the field hours are related to actual installation. Understanding how time is spent on average in the field is the first step to improving field productivity.

estimating field productivity labor productivity

5-Step Foreman Coaching Outline

Accelerating the development of foremen is one of the most critical things a contractor can do to improve project outcomes and mitigate the craft labor shortage. This 5-step outline will form the foundation of a great coaching program.

field productivity foreman training Organizational Development talent development Talent Value Stream (TVS)