High-Performing Contractor - NEWSLETTER June 08

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

Changing Role of the Construction Leader

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

Louisiana Associated General Contractors Installs 2008 Officers

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

New ARMA 2008 Leadership Team Announced

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

The First Word: What Makes Great Leaders?

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

High Performing Contractor - Mar 2008

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

How to Get Workers to Think and Act Like Owners

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

Haymill's Steve Farrant speaks out

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

High Performing Contractor - Feb 2008

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

Is HR Leadership the Marine Corps Way Still The Way?

... Read More

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

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

Failure Isn't Always a Bad Thing

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

The essential job of a leader

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

What Leadership Is About

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

Does Judgment Trump Experience?

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

To Have A Good Workforce, You Need To Have Good Leadership Skills

... Read More

How Do I Develop My Children into Family Business Leaders?

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

Are you using the office "grapevine" to its fullest potential?

... Read More

Is Your Company Prepared For Your Absence?

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

Ownership: The Ultimate Motivator

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

Measuring Up: Good Business Practices and the Lonely Roofer

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

The Founding CEO's Dilemma: Stay or Go?

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

Guest essay from Ram Charan

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

People Acumen

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!

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

The Opposable Mind

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

Tough CEOs Often Most Successful, a Study Finds

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

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

Leadership: Watch for Reactions

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

Developing the 3-Dimensional Leader

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

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

Leadership, Patagonia-style: Changing the Criteria for Success

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

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

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

A Different Animal Seeks The Chief Executive Post

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

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

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

The New Leadership Model - Servant Leadership

... Read More

"Master Plan" or Rapid Experimentation?

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

No Business Leader is Perfect