Zero to One - Advice From Peter Thiel

Construction as craft and as a business has been around for thousands of years.

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Contractors build and maintain the infrastructure that enables society to grow.  That history comes a lot of pride. It also brings a lot of difficult to change habits.

Leadership Tools: Advice from Peter Thiel. 10 Years vs 6 Months. Book: Zero to One by Peter Thiel.

With the rate that technology is changing the industry leaders in construction companies should learn a little more about how technologists think.  It will make you think differently about your strategy; especially around talent development and technology adoption.  

Peter Thiel challenges some assumptions about how long things should take to innovate in the book Zero to One.  

"If you go back 20 or 25 years, I wish I would have known that there was no need to wait."

“You should take your 10-year life plan and ask:  Why can't I do this in six months?”

"Sometimes, you have to actually go through the complex, 10-year trajectory; but it's at least worth asking whether that's the  story you're telling yourself, or whether that's the reality? "




001 - Stages of Contractor Growth (Intro)
Every contractor grows through six general stages, with each requiring different strategies, systems, structure, and leadership focus. This 90-minute discussion covers the basic challenges with examples for all levels.
Short-Interval Plan (SIP) Workflow vs. Tool
Few things will improve project outcomes more than intentional planning and deliberate execution of your Short-Interval Plans. (SIPs). The SIP tool is the tangible task, the workflow is the much more valuable piece that creates great outcomes.
Management and Leadership (Similarities and Key Differences)
A growing contractor requires both great leadership (right direction) and great management (right actions). The creativity required to attract, motivate, develop, and retain people are where management and leadership intersect.