Growth or Attracting Talent

It’s not enough to just build work effectively - that is just what’s required to play in the game.

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Contractors seeking sustainable growth must have aggressive and balanced strategies for acquiring work and building talent.

Leadership Tools: If you grow you need talent, if you don't grow you can't attract talent. Sustainable Growth Through Balanced Execution.

In the current economy it makes a lot of sense to selectively focus on fewer projects where you have the talent to build them profitably.  This strategy is short-term efficient and you will make a lot of money doing so. It is also long-term ineffective:  

  • Building business development capabilities takes time and deliberate practice.  The economy will experience a hiccup and you will want to have built competitive advantages through aggressive business development tactics as well as advanced preconstruction services.
  • There is no better time to improve your portfolio of customers than in a “hot” economy.  
  • If you are not growing then you will not be able to provide opportunities for your team members to grow in the long-term.  Someone else will and you will lose people over time as they take on other opportunities.  
  • Winners are attracted to other winners.  The best measure of winning in business is sustainable; profitable growth.  That will attract the right talent.    

On a scale of 0-10 how would you rate your business development capabilities?  

Your talent development capabilities?  




Increased Value by Lowering Variability
A construction business is capable of providing a very high return to the owners who have their capital at risk as well as the team members that work there. Contractors with lower variability in profitability are both more valuable and more sustainable.
Purchasing Impact on Construction Contractors
Productivity depends on having the right materials at the right time and for the right price. The impact of a contractor's purchasing systems, both good and bad, is compounded by supply chain problems.
Focused Resources = Maximum Results
Contracting is a relatively low-margin and high-risk business. Contractors can’t afford to spread out their resources on projects or in their businesses. Leaders must put maximum resources behind their biggest bottlenecks or opportunities.