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?

Resource - Elevating Construction Superintendents (General Contractors)

Elevating Construction Superintendents by Jason Schroeder is our most recommended book for Superintendents, Project Managers, and Senior Leadership at all GCs along with top leadership at any specialty contractors with a field workforce of 50+ people.

field operations Organizational Development

Time-on-Tools and Minimum Required Installation

Labor productivity IS NOT the biggest problem with field productivity. Under similar conditions the variation in how fast two crafts people actually “turn wrenches” is about 2X but there are far bigger problems to tackle. Focus on these three areas.

field productivity foreman training labor productivity

Planning is Useless

Planning how to build a project and planning how to build a contracting business are VERY different and must be approached with a different mindset. When planning ‘how’ to build a project the ‘what’ is mostly known.