The Right People - Jim Collins

Contracting is not a generally business where the strategies are complex or all that different. What differentiates contractors is their ability to execute the basic strategies consistently.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

Effective execution comes down to people, process and tools - in that order.

Quote: Leaders of companies that go from good to great not with where but with who. Jim Collins.

Jim Collins explores the traits of long-term sustainably growing businesses in his book “Good to Great” where he describes how leaders of the best companies view people and how they simplify their strategies.

  • Put together a high-level scoreboard of the basics you need for a sustainable contracting business.  This dashboard should include basic metrics around customer satisfaction, profitability, cash flow, growth, safety and succession bench strength for all key roles.  
  • Develop a company operating rhythm of key meetings and feedback reporting that address address each area of the scoreboard.  These will include opportunity review meetings, interview slots, project reviews, company financial reviews, evaluations, etc.  
  • Lead a culture where egos are focused on using whatever skills anyone on the team has to improve the scoreboard.  Eliminate ego about position and keep internal competition positive. 
  • Focus on continuous improvement to processes and specific role responsibilities adjusting regularly for the optimum outcomes.  

Schedule a call to learn how we help contractors grow profitably.  




Definition - Capability
A team or company’s combination of skills, competencies, knowledge, processes, tools, and behaviors that allows them to Carry Out particular activities or achieve certain goals. Capabilities create the outcomes that customers are paying for.
10 Jugs of Wine - A Tale from Japan
Diffusion of personal responsibility can occur quickly on teams. Everyone must contribute. This is a simple tale from Japan that elegantly illustrates the point and includes how people react even when the failed results are clear.
5C Troubleshooting of Performance
Ask great questions around the five interrelated categories that cause most failures in outcomes or process, including choice, capabilities, capacity, controls, and the conditions in which all those occurred.