Four Steps to Sustainable Growth (10+10=0)

All contractors go through different stages of growth.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

 

Leadership Tools: 10 + 10 = 0

Growing contractors face an overwhelming amount of problems and opportunities as they move through the different stages of growth. There will never be enough resources to work on all of them, especially with the shortage of talent facing the construction industry.  

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."

Abraham Lincoln

The equivalent for the leadership teams of growing contractors is to spend a significant amount of time truly identifying the #1 bottleneck or opportunity in their entire value stream.  Then breaking it down into an actionable objective with key results that everyone can align around rather than a broad vision.   

This seems simple but in reality is VERY challenging, especially as a business grows. This is an area where experienced 3rd parties can add significant value because they don’t have all the biases that are inevitable with management teams who are looking at the myriad of problems and opportunities every day.  

Learn more




Tim Ferriss Quote - Life Punishes the Vague Request
One of the best things about Tim Ferriss's book, TRIBE OF MENTORS, is the introductory chapter where Tim describes lessons learned in asking good questions over the years.
Production Tracking - Don't Be a Dry Monkey
Put a few monkeys in a cage with a ladder that has bananas on top. One monkey immediately goes for the bananas. Cold water sprays on the others. Don't let anyone on your team be a dry monkey when it comes to production tracking or schedule management.
Leadership Combinations and States of Market Growth
There is a beautiful tension in leadership teams that is required for growth. That tension shifts with different stages of a market's growth and must be integrated with the contractor's stage of growth as a company.