The Construction Leading Edge Podcast

This episode of the Construction Leading Edge podcast from www.constructionleadingedge.com addresses this problem: The typical approach to construction safety ignores the well-known science of human motivation...and could actually make some people LESS LIKELY to work safely. Topics covered in this construction podcast: The psychology that is ignored by the typical approach to safety enforcement and discipine. Wrong Belief #1: "It's my job to think for you and keep you safe." Wrong Belief #2: "I have to motivate you to work safely." Wrong Belief #3: "I have to tell you how to work safely and control you." The two biggest motivators, that are well-known by motivation and psychology experts, but ignored by many construction safety programs. Why safety should not be a priority. Five strategies you can use to tap into the psychology of human motivation and help your team work more safely. Resources mentioned in this construction podcast: Instant Influence: How to Get Anyone to Do Anything--Fast by Michael Pantalon Join the Construction Business Accelerator Mastermind Group - Become part of an exclusive group of construction business owners and get the support and answers you need for your business. Free Microsoft Project Scheduling Course - Learn how to create your own construction schedules in MS Project...for FREE. Construction Business Owners - Schedule a Free Business Breakthrough Coaching Session

Aaron Fairchild grew a homebuilding business in a recession and funded it like a software company. How did he do it? This episode of The Construction Leading Edge Podcast from www.constructionleadingedge.com is an interview with Aaron Fairchild, CEO of Green Canopy Homes. Here's what you'll get from this construction podcast: Why money is a means to an end. How Aaron got into development to grow his homebuilding business, and some of the mistakes he made. The interesting approach he used to fund his business during the recession. The business case for "green" or sustainable construction. What you need to think about before using the latest innovative product or material on your project. What "founder's issues" are, and why business owners should care. The connection between growing your business and letting go of control. Why you can't scale your business without trust. Resources mentioned in this construction podcast: Green Canopy's website - www.greencanopy.com Green Canopy's "Purposeful Growth" Video Secrets of Successful Contractors - A Free Video Series for Construction Business Owners Want to Eliminate Chaos, Boost Revenue 27% and Streamline Your Business? Click Here to Schedule Your Free Business Breakthrough Session

Biggest employment mistakes contractors make. A defense you can use for an OSHA citation. Payment dispute tips. Employee or independent contractor? Episode #74 of The Construction Leading Edge construction podcast from www.constructionleadingedge.com is an interview...really more of a master class with construction attorney Philip Siegel. Philip Siegel is an attorney who specializes in helping general contractors, subcontractors and suppliers stay out of and get out of trouble when it comes to labor/employment law, OSHA citations, contract consulting, payment disputes, and construction litigation. What you're going to learn about in this construction podcast: What is the unforeseeable employee misconduct defense in response to an OSHA citation? Why drug testing? How to avoid payment disputes and get paid faster. Medical marijuana - What you may not be aware of. What you need to know if you work in a state with legalized marijuana Independent contractor or employee? How to stay out of trouble. Top 3 employment mistakes contractors make One thing every contractor should do this week to avoid trouble with a federal agency that is ramping up activity right now. Resources mentioned in this construction podcast: Secrets Strategies of Successful Contractors: Free Videos for Construction Business Owners Schedule your free Business Breakthrough Coaching Call How to contact Philip Siegel Phone: 404-469-9197 E-mail: pjs@hpsslaw.com Website: www.hpsslaw.com

Symptoms vs. problems. How to identify the underlying problems causing low productivity, and solve them for good. How do the big successful contractors do it? Episode #73 of The Construction Leading Edge podcast from www.constructionleadingedge.com will show you a process you can use to get at the underlying problems to the symptoms you're dealing with, and solve them. Here's the process outlined in this construction podcast: 1. Identify the symptom or issue you're dealing with. 2. Ask, "What could be causing that symptom or issue?" Make a list of Level 1 potential causes. 3. For each of those causes/issues, list the underlying problems that could be behind them (Level 2, Level 3, etc.) 4. Keep asking, "What could be causing that?" until you get to the basic underlying problem. 5. Design a system, process or plan that will solve the basic underlying problem. Let's look at the example of Low Crew Productivity: Level 1 Potential Cause: Lack of Material Level 2 Causes behind the lack of material: Material wasn't ordered on time. Material was damaged during double handling. Material was delivered to the wrong place. Somebody forgot to pick up material from shop or supply house. Material was lost. Solutions to the Level 2 Causes behind the lack of material: Develop a material procurement schedule to ensure material is ordered and delivered at the right time. Have a jobsite logistics plan to pre-plan where material will be offloaded so it doesn't have to be moved. See #2. Have a daily planning process. Stock commonly used materials at the jobsite or shop. Hire a runner to pick up materials. Establish one person and one place where all deliveries go to avoid deliveries being lost. Level 1 Potential Cause: Crew efficiency and production Level 2 Causes behind low crew efficiency and production: Cell phone usage. Too much time in meetings. Spending time picking up materials. Time spent fueling trucks and equipment. Gathering tools and supplies at the shop in the morning. Time lost driving to and from lunch. Lack of goals. They don't know what winning looks like. Lack of planning. Insufficient tools or poor tools. Work area is not ready when they get there. Work may be getting done but it's not reported to the office. Crew waits for instructions from the boss. Solutions to the Level 2 Causes behind low crew efficiency and production: Listen to the podcast to hear about the systems, processes and solutions you can use. Resources mentioned in this construction podcast: Secrets Strategies of Successful Contractors: Free Videos for Construction Business Owners Schedule your free Business Breakthrough Coaching Call

"Estimating has nothing to do with selling." Mindset issues successful contractors must overcome. The critical financial factors you need to focus on. Free help to eliminate chaos in your business This construction podcast from www.constructionleadingedge.com is an interview with Brian King, founder, owner and president of A M King, a $100 million design build construction firm. What you'll learn about in this construction podcast: The wrong mindsets you need to overcome to be successful as a construction business owner. Why Brian says, "Estimating has nothing to do with sales." The critical few financial areas of the business you need to understand. Advice for you if you're starting a construction business. Why starting a subcontracting business might be a smart move. If you're just starting your career, or about to get out of school, Brian has some great "unsolicited career advice" you should listen to. Resources and links mentioned in this construction podcast: AM King Group's webiste - www.amkinggroup.com Brian King's blog - www.briantking.com Join the Construction Leading Edge Nation - www.constructionleadingedge.com/nation Resources for Construction Business Owners Strategies the Most Successful Contractors Use to Improve Cash Flow, Delegate Better and Get More Done in Less Time Schedule Your Free Business Breakthrough Coaching Call

Keys to growing a business to $20 million. The importance of having a business coach. Empowering people and "making their dreams come true." This construction podcast episode from www.constructionleadingedge.com is an interview with Andy Boyd, President of Integrated Protection Services (www.integratedprotection.com), and when you listen, here's what you'll learn... Topics covered in this construction podcast episode: What you need to focus on and watch out for at different stages of business growth. Is tension and conflict healthy inside an organization? How do you delegate decisions effectively? (Leaves vs. branches) The questions Andy would ask if you said you wanted to grow your business. Strategy for attacking the aging workforce/skilled labor shortage problem. How empowering people and setting up Business Unit Leaders have been keys to success. The importance of having a business coach when Andy started out. Want to boost revenue 25% - 50% and turn your company into a well-oiled machine? Click here for some free help. Resources mentioned in this construction podcast: Integrated Protection Services - www.integratedprotection.com Andy Boyd's email - aboyd@integratedprotection.com Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal Predictable Success - Getting Your Organization on the Growth Track & Keeping It There Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable Hacks and Secrets for Construction Business Owners

Tips for making your next big hire. Attacking the skilled labor shortage problem. Misconceptions about women in the trades. Misconceptions about millennials in construction. Episode #70 of The Construction Leading Edge podcast from www.constructionleadingedge.com is a conversation with Human Resources expert Luiza Mills, VP of Human Resources for a large electrical contractor in New England. Topics you'll learn about in this construction podcast: Advice for making your next big hire. Unique strategies for solving the skilled labor shortage. Common misconceptions about women in the trades, and what we can co about it. How lean manufacturing methods can help the skilled labor shortage. What it means to have "internal customers." How do you keep millennials from leaving your company? How you can get in touch with Luiza Mills: Luiza's email: lmills(at)iesc1.com Interstate Electrical Services website: www.iesc1.com Resources mentioned in this construction podcast: 25 Point Construction Business Checkup Hacks and Secrets for Construction Business Owners How Construction Project Leaders Can Put "Empowered Execution" to Work for Them.

Why do architects and engineers leave out so many details? What can you do if there is conflict between contractors and designers? How do you solve this age old problem? This episode of The Construction Leading Edge podcast is a conversation with Spencer Fullerton, who has the unique experience of being a consulting engineer and a construction superintendent. Topics you'll hear about in this construction podcast episode: Why design details can get missed, or left out intentionally. Who actually does a lot of the detailed design? Why is there often animosity between contractors and designers? Two statements you can make that will build trust. The problem with specifying execution details, and why specifying end results is better. Strategies you can use to make your interactions with designers smoother. The problem with the old RFI process. Advice you should heed if you're starting your career in design or construction. Resources you might be interested in: Construction Business Owner Hacks - Click here to learn some powerful strategies used by successful construction business owners. Inspire Your Team to See the Vision & Do Great Work - Learn how the principle of "Empowered Execution" can help you. How to contact Spencer - spencerfullerton10(at)gmail.com

Friends are for weekends. The difference between doing the work and running a business. How to make the transition from the field to the office. These are a few of the lessons that Roy Garner, owner of Eco Construction Services shares on this construction podcast episode. Here's what else you'll learn from this construction podcast: - What you need to know if you're in commercial work and considering residential, or vice versa. - The mindset changes you need to make to be a business owner. - Some surprises that you should prepare for if you're going out on your own. - How Roy made the transition from working in the field every day, to running work from the office. - What being a member of the Construction Business Accelerator program has done for Roy and his business. Resources mentioned in this construction podcast: The Construction Business Accelerator program The E-Myth Contractor: Why Most Contractors' Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It How to contact Roy Garner: Eco Construction Services website - www.ecoconstructionservices.com Roy's email address - roy(at)ecoconstructionservices.com Eco Construction Services Facebook page

Get control of your cash flow - Maximize revenue - Sell better to sell more - Maximize personal productivity - Increase crew productivity... These are a few of the Top 10 Things you can do if you own or manage a construction business, to make this the best year ever. Here are the Top 10 Ways to Make This the Best Year Ever: #1. Get control of your cash flow - Poor cash flow is not a problem...it's a symptom of other problems. A few strategies to improve your cash flow include... - Reduce "opportunity cost." - Figure out "invoicing gymnastics" to speed up payments - Eliminate "ticket starvation" to make sure you get paid for 100% of the work you do. #2. Maximize revenue - Your business is a revenue generating machine that turns days into dollars. A few strategies that will help you maximize revenue include... - Identify your key revenue producing activities - Figure out who your key revenue producing employees are - Eliminate, Automate and Delegate - Operate with a "Right to Left" mentality #3. Sell better...to sell more - Understand the psychology of selling. - Learn how to talk to customers about THEM...and not YOU. - Get over your mindset issues related to selling - Put systems in place Go listen to Episode 38 and Episode 61 for more on selling. #4. Maximize personal productivity - Only do what only you can do. - Outsource, delegate, automate, and eliminate #5. Increase crew productivity - Over invest in planning your work - Understand how to motivate your people - Create systems and processes to help them operate at peak efficiency. - Help them make you more money #6. Recruit and hire to build your business - Determine the right time to hire. - Create a job description. - Find qualified candidates. - Know how to interview them and find out the right information. - Figure out a compensation package. - Training and on-boarding process so they succeed. #7. Harness the power of effective delegation - You need to build leaders to grow your business. - Stop being a micro-manager...just stop it! - Get past the mindset issues preventing you from delegating. - Learn how to be "end result" focused, instead of "how to" focused. #8. Master the art of handling conflict - Unresolved conflict is a productivity killer, causes lots of good people to go work elsewhere, and is a leading cause of business failure. #9. Sharpen your planning skills - Lincoln said, "Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I'll spend the first 4 hours sharpening the axe." - Get better at planning for strategic business decisions, hiring, safety, revenue, profit, staffing...everything. - Planning is solving problems in the future, before they happen. #10. Learn how to build systems - A business consists of a lot of repetitive tasks that need a consistent process in order to get consistent results. - Many business activities are about the transfer of information, and you need to build consistent systems for doing so. - Systems for time tracking, change orders, sales, training, and invoicing, are all key to building your business. The Good News: First - These are all skills that you can learn. Second - The Construction Business Accelerator is designed to help you with all of them. Click here to learn how the Construction Business Accelerator can help you make THIS YEAR... Your BEST YEAR EVER.