HEADLINES ADDED: June 17, 2008

High-Performing Contractor - NEWSLETTER June 08

 |  from Quality Support Services -  |  Read the Full Article

High-Performing Contractor - NEWSLETTER June, 2008 This e-newsletter is dedicated to supporting High-Performing Contractors and all contractors working to become one. Edited by Dennis Sowards Leadership George Hedley is a contractor with some great thoughts on Leadership: “Think of great companies, large and small. Excellent companies are lead by a leader who takes and makes time to be the leader instead of a doer. He or she is the seller of the vision and what the company offers to its' employees and customers. Examples of this leadership style are... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: April 24, 2008

Changing Role of the Construction Leader

 |  from Construction Equipment Owner's Blog  |  Read the Full Article

Brad Humphrey explains the emerging trend of a “changing of the guard” in construction leaders. As the industry loses many of its baby boomers that hold roles such as supervisor, foreman, etc. the knowledge and technical experience is leaving with them. Younger, tech-savvy personnel are now filling these positions and bringing a different work ethic and new set of skills.... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: April 07, 2008

Louisiana Associated General Contractors Installs 2008 Officers

 |  from Associated Construction Publications Top Headlines  |  Read the Full Article

Baton Rouge contractor Bruce Hix, James Construction Group, LLC, was recently installed as president of the Louisiana Associated General Contractors, Inc., a statewide construction trade association headquartered in Baton Rouge comprising 700-plus construction businesses. Bruce Hix has been vice president of James Construction Group, LLC since 2002.... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: April 02, 2008

New ARMA 2008 Leadership Team Announced

 |  from RC - Breaking News  |  Read the Full Article

The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) has announced its slate of elected officers and Executive Committee members for 2008-09.... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: April 01, 2008

The First Word: What Makes Great Leaders?

 |  from Articles from ContractingBusiness.com  |  Read the Full Article

Leadership comes in all shapes and sizes. For some, it comes naturally. For others, it doesn’t. But great leaders have some common traits.... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: March 25, 2008

High Performing Contractor - Mar 2008

 |  from Quality Support Services -  |  Read the Full Article

High-Performing Contractor - NEWSLETTER March 2008 Leadership – customers George Hedley owner of Hedley Construction writes about leaders who make customers a priority: I have some deep concerns about the future of your company, the management team you have assembled and your leadership. Your business is not growing for one reason: You and your management team are not making customer relationships, selling and creating new revenue a priority." This is the opening to a letter I recently sent to a start-up company I invested in. I wanted to get... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: February 25, 2008

How to Get Workers to Think and Act Like Owners

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

FEB 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story» Companies that want to create an ownership culture need to make an explicit effort to teach employees about their stake and keep them focused on increasing stock value, says Corey Rosen, executive director of the National Center for Employee Ownership. To that end, they should give workers the freedom to take initiatives to cut costs and boost a company's bottom line. Companies should "push decision-making down," he says.... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: February 20, 2008

Haymill's Steve Farrant speaks out

 |  from Contract Journal - Business and Finance  |  Read the Full Article

t's people who make companies. Your staff are your biggest asset. This is a mantra every finance director in a construction company should have to...... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: February 18, 2008

High Performing Contractor - Feb 2008

 |  from Quality Support Services -  |  Read the Full Article

High-Performing Contractor - NEWSLETTER - Feb. 2008 This e-newsletter is dedicated to supporting High-Performing Contractors and all contractors working to become one. Written by Dennis Sowards read more... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: January 28, 2008

How Investing in Intangibles -- Like Employee Satisfaction -- Translates into Financial Returns

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

Contrary to management theories developed in the Industrial Age, employee satisfaction is an important ingredient for financial success, according to a new research paper by Wharton finance professor Alex Edmans. His findings also challenge the importance of short-term financial results and may have implications for investors interested in targeting socially responsible companies. The paper is titled, "Does the Stock Market Fully Value Intangibles? Employee Satisfaction and Equity Prices."... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: January 24, 2008

Failure Isn't Always a Bad Thing

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

22 JAN 2008 from the New York Times | Read the full story» Successful entrepreneurs invariably say that they have learned as much from their failures as their successes. (Subscription required)... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: January 23, 2008

The essential job of a leader

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

How do you learn to lead in the world of high-stakes corporate affairs? Author Warren Bennis says it all comes down to one thing: Good judgment. He talks with Kai Ryssdal about his new book. (Audio)... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: January 14, 2008

What Leadership Is About

 |  from From the Top  |  Read the Full Article

Leadership is about capturing the imagination and enthusiasm of others and bringing out the best in them both individually and collectively. At one time, U.S. engineers held significant leadership positions and were highly respected by the general public. George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and Jimmy Carter, for example, were engineers who became U.S. presidents. These engineers who went on to assume the highest elected office in the United States consistently demonstrated to the public their commitment to the betterment of society while never losing sight of what engineering... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: January 06, 2008

Does Judgment Trump Experience?

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

The publication of a new book, Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls, by Warren Bennis and Noel Tichy warrants attention if for no other reason than the range of experiences that they bring to the topic. The event coincides with an issue that has arisen in the U.S. presidential campaign, an issue of broad relevance: Does judgment trump experience?... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: January 03, 2008

How Do I Develop My Children into Family Business Leaders?

 |  from Expert Business Source - Construction News  |  Read the Full Article

If you own a family business and are hoping to someday turn over the reins to your adult children, you may be struggling with the best way to help develop their leadership skills. Experts say start early, be open, provide opportunities, and hold them to the same business and performance standards as non-family members... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: December 30, 2007

HEADLINES ADDED: December 25, 2007

Is Your Company Prepared For Your Absence?

 |  from CE Pro Recently Filed  |  Read the Full Article

If you had an unexpected accident or suddenly fell seriously ill, how prepared is your company to operate without you for any extended period of time? ... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: December 19, 2007

Ownership: The Ultimate Motivator

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

Encouraging employees to take ownership of their work will result in better customer service and a stronger company.... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: December 12, 2007

Measuring Up: Good Business Practices and the Lonely Roofer

 |  from RC - Column  |  Read the Full Article

Roofing is a tough business. If it rains, you can’t work; if it doesn’t rain, you don’t need to work. Who can you reach out to? What advice do you heed? What advice should you avoid? Owning a business can be a lonely proposition. Most business owners are somewhat isolated. They work long hours, and it can be hard to find time for friends. Family and friends also may not understand what it is like to employ people, deal with customers and fully understand the stress of day-to-day business... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: December 09, 2007

The Founding CEO's Dilemma: Stay or Go?

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

Q&A with: Michael J. Roberts and Noam T. Wasserman Editor's Note: Noam Wasserman is an assistant professor and MBA Class of 1961 Fellow in the entrepreneurial management unit at Harvard Business School. His paper "Founder-CEO Succession and the Paradox of Entrepreneurial Success," published in Organization Science in March-April 2003, won Harvard's 2003 Aage Sorensen Memorial Award for sociological research. With his coauthor, Rock Center Entrepreneur-in-Residence Henry McCance of Greylock Partners, professor Wasserman recently completed a case study about founder-CEO succession at Wily Technology. New Business publisher Mike Roberts met... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: December 04, 2007

Guest essay from Ram Charan

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

We're pleased to feature an essay from Ram Charan, author of Leaders at all Levels. Here, Charan discusses the impact profit and loss has on the balance sheet and overall health of an organization, especially when a leader is...... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: December 03, 2007

People Acumen

 |  from FastCompany.com > All Topics  |  Read the Full Article

In an excerpt from his new book Leaders at All Levels, Ram Charan discusses which social qualities make someone a good leader.... Read More

You Can't Do It All Yourself!

 |  from Associated Construction Publications Top Headlines  |  Read the Full Article

During my first seven years starting and building my construction company, I tried to do it all myself. I did all the estimates and presented the bids; I signed all the contracts, subcontracts and change orders; I made the big field decisions; I purchased all materials and equipment; I awarded subcontracts; I went to all the job meetings; I supervised concrete slab pours; and made every personn...... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: November 27, 2007

The Opposable Mind

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

I've been reading the Opposable Mind by Roger Martin. We humans have long been distinguished from other animals by our opposable thumbs... Likewise, our opposable mind enables us to consider two separate ideas simultaneously. We can use the tension between and elements of these two ideas to create new possibilities. A process which Roger labels integrative thinking.... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: November 21, 2007

Tough CEOs Often Most Successful, a Study Finds

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

19 NOV 2007 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story» What are the traits that chief executives of successful companies share? A new study suggests that hard-nosed personal virtues such as persistence and efficiency count for more than "softer" strengths like teamwork or flexibility. (Subscription required)... Read More

Scrambling to Find a Successor

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

BusinessWeek columnists Jack & Suzy Welch answer the question: If good succession planning makes so much sense, why isn’t it more common?... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: November 20, 2007

Leadership: Watch for Reactions

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

Carl Bass of AutoDesk was recently quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying that when he became CEO, "My IQ jumped 10 points and I became much funnier." What Bass discovered is that proximity to power can have unintended effects on people.... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: November 12, 2007

Developing the 3-Dimensional Leader

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

Too many leaders today are one-dimensional, narrowly focused on business results. Today’s complex business challenges require the full development and expression of a leader’s capabilities; we need three-dimensional leaders!... Read More

Why You Should Include a Joker in Every Brainstorming Session

 |  from FastCompany.com > All Topics  |  Read the Full Article

The Fast Interview: John Morreall on the link between humor and innovation, why authoritarian bosses fear humor, and the funniest CEO in America.... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: November 06, 2007

Leadership, Patagonia-style: Changing the Criteria for Success

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

Kristine Tompkins, former CEO of outdoor apparel company Patagonia, pulled no punches with the audience attending her recent Wharton Leadership Lecture. Tompkins said that when she began working full-time at Patagonia in 1972, she didn't understand how the actions of the business world as well as the behavior of individuals "affected the very underpinnings" of the individual, the family and the community. "You know that now," she said, and "the choices you make count more and more." People who can manage "the tough decisions and incorporate" difficult issues into... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: October 30, 2007

Ten Minutes with Robert Luffy, CEO of American Bridge Co.

 |  from Top Stories from ENR.com  |  Read the Full Article

By the time CEO Robert Luffy took over as president of Pittsburgh-based American Bridge in 1993, the former powerhouse steel erector had one contract and was down to 25 employees.... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: October 24, 2007

A Different Animal Seeks The Chief Executive Post

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

The gap between No. 1 and No. 2 in a company is often bigger than many realize. Here's a look at some of their differing traits.... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: September 24, 2007

The Issue: A.G. Lafley's Judgment Call

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

13 SEP 2007 from BusinessWeek | Read the full story» A.G. Lafley, Chairman and CEO of Procter&Gamble, skipped over 78 general managers with more seniority in making a key staff appointment without even consulting the rest of his management team. Lafley says “there was almost a revolt” over his decision. What could Lafley do to win back the support of his team and engage them in a process that was just about completed?... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: September 19, 2007

HEADLINES ADDED: September 17, 2007

"Master Plan" or Rapid Experimentation?

 |  from D. Brown Online - Project Management Productivity & Construction Operations  |  Read the Full Article

Tom Peters posted some very interesting thoughts "The Right Plan Is to Have No Plan" which touches both on why a lot of foreign aid programs fail and how that applies to business execution as well. At the heart of the matter is a difference in execution styles - some companies and people want to try to plan out every single detail having meeting after meeting working on a grand "master plan." Over time these companies build cultures that are afraid to experiment and believe they need every detail... Read More

HEADLINES ADDED: September 14, 2007