Construction Brothers

Sometimes they were forged in the fire, but we have some really good relationships because of our involvement in the construction industry. Tyler shares about his amusement at what people consider difficult in his new field of work. He says it just doesn’t compare to the challenges he encountered in construction. Eddie encourages you to not underestimate the benefits of working really hard alongside others. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

Today we talk to Dr. Noland White, Professor of Psychology at Georgia College & State University. IMPORTANT NOTE: Today’s conversation touches on issues of mental health. Although we hope you find the insights helpful, we want to be clear that this content is for educational purposes only. If you’re experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression, please talk to a medical professional. 02:06 - Settling InDr. White gives us a run-down of his academic and professional history. We discuss the benefits of ropes courses. It’s all about facing challenges–even if you don’t overcome them. Dr. White lists some of the courses he teaches and shares about his research pursuits. This includes everything from intimate relationships to ADHD. 07:59 - ConfrontationTyler explains that we invited Dr. White today to talk to us about how to handle confrontation. Dr. White explains that, first of all, it’s a lot easier to know what to do than it is to actually do it. That being said, he explains that the first step is to not take the conflict personally. Eddie asks about the physiological responses to conflict. Dr. White talks about how these responses can be the signal that it might be time to step back. Let tempers cool. Do a “physiological sigh” and let the body’s fight or flight reflex recede. We also discuss “box breathing.” Tyler talks about the challenges of focusing on these things in a true, real-world moment of confrontation. Dr. White says it certainly requires practice–and maybe getting feedback from your peers about how you handle situations. 17:40 - It’s Almost the JobEddie mentions that confrontation is a huge portion of the work done by many people in construction. He asks Dr. White to explain how to approach these situations when you know they’re coming. We discuss the importance of framing thoughtful questions that focus on the problem itself rather than the personal tensions.Tyler confesses to blaming and assuming and also being a dumb butt. But he also says that he’s made progress toward coming to people with a more controlled tone. He mentions that self-deprecation can really help. Eddie explains that recognizing the day as a series of confrontations–some large, some small–can lead you to maintain a readiness and keep the skillset ready for use. 25:23 - De-escalationTyler asks for concrete steps toward deescalation. Here’s Dr. White’s advice-Recognize when you need to step away and digest the situation. If it can wait until you’re calmer, then wait.-Realize that a direct confrontation doesn’t need to be bad. Front-loading of your work environment can help with this. -Think about the best physical space and time of the day to have the conversation that needs to be had.31:18 - Email and Tips for the TimidEddie requests advice for those who tend to avoid confrontation. Dr. White shares the importance of setting up strategies that enable you to have a couple productive confrontational conversations. This can break the loop that leads to an increasing fear of confrontation. Think of it as baby steps. We discuss what to do when you’re tempted to write one of those spicy emails. Write the text and then let it sit for a few hours. Revisit it in a calmer state and revise before sending. Doris Kearns Goodwin does indeed claim that Lincoln practiced this simmer-down delayed-send routine. Several of them he never even sent.We discuss the fact that email and text messages are ripe for misunderstanding because of the absence of nonverbal communication. Eddie mentions that he wishes he’d have held onto a few of his from years gone by.Another solution? Pick up the dang phone. Let someone hear your tone of voice. Tyler mentions Cal Newport’s thoughts on email. 42:28 - AnxietyTyler asks Dr. White for an explanation of anxiety. Tyler mentions that he didn’t experience true anxiety until his 20s. Dr. White shares his thoughts: Anxiety has various physiological manifestations. Anxiety comes from various sources or social circumstances. Anxiety is your body reacting to a situation that your mind for some reason perceives as a threat. Part of the solution is to identify the source of the anxiety. We discuss some of the ways to get above the anxiety-inducing situations. Reach out to those who are in positions to give you insights and help. 52:20 - Megaphone MessageDr. White shares this insight: You don’t have to be perfect. You can ask for help. You don’t have to do things the way you’ve always done them. Despite all of your experiences and all you’ve done, can you imagine that someone else’s experience might have been different. Check out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

Surely you’ve done this with your family. And surely they’re eyes have rolled every time.For the month of February, we’re talking about love… The love of construction. Today we focus on the pride we all feel when we encounter projects to which we’ve contributed. Tyler talks about his Wawa work, which didn’t exactly overwhelm his wife. Eddie goes all the way back to his time in college in order to compare the tangibility of your work. We discuss the satisfaction of being able to point to a brick-and-mortar outcome of your invested time.Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

Today we trigger our PM friends.00:40 - IntroWe chat about our studio setup and Eddie’s perceived curmudgeonliness. Eddie insists that it’s almost always about expecting people to be a good roommate. 03:57 - Tyler is giddy. Tyler shares about the comment thread on one of his recent LinkedIn posts. The initial post asked people to make a project manager fly off the handle in five words or less. Here are some of our favorites:-“Cleaners erased your whiteboard.” We wonder if cleaners should carry insurance for this offense.-“As per my last email…” We have a hard time seeing this one used in a tone that is not passive aggressive.-“Rev 16 is being issued tomorrow.” We’ve seen the numbers climb even higher than that.-“That is excluded from my proposal.” This one always comes six months down the road.-“Why is the OSHA truck outside?” We throw Dad under the bus with a story from OSHA’s early days. -“You see the new plans?” We can all work together to make sure this one goes extinct. Eddie submits a plea that people don’t nudge elements when you’re tempted to.- “They’ve been scanned in.” …Meaning you can expect some coffee stains.24:15 - Our additions and some honorable mentionsEddie shares a trigger phrase that he didn’t share on LinkedIn: “Yeah, but you lost your slot.” He shares some thoughts about the chain of events that leads to this one. Someone is wanting to put everyone else on pause. We run through a few more responses: -“That’s above my pay grade.”-“I may not have said that, but that’s what the consultant’s intent was.” -“The permits were never obtained.”30:03 - ConfessionsWe also posted an invitation for people to share about bizarre project-manager-related stories you’ve experienced or heard. Here are some highlights from that one.-A traveling employee who angered his girlfriend by visiting a specific sort of club-A worker who went AWOL under suspicious circumstances-The contractor who demonstrated his objections to excessive meetings by painting figurines in the corner of the meeting roomWe invite you to share some more via DMs.36:52 - MeetingsWe discuss the merits and annoyances of meetings. Are they necessary? Well, yeah, for sure they are to a point. Can we all agree to manage them as thoughtfully as possible, though?Check out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

We’ve reached our fourth and final episode focused on resolutions. This week, after we wade through some brotherly tensions, Eddie encourages you to identify someone who is “below” you in the business and take them out to eat. As he said last week, don’t make it weird! Just be intentional about creating space where trust can be established and advice can be shared. Make it clear that you’re available if they have questions. That’s all. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

How far up do you own? 00:58 - IntroWe chat about the naming of winter storms and make some subtle alternative music allusions. Eddie shares about how to increase your perceived IQ.03:30 - Bold projects Today we’re talking about two really ambitious projects: Big Bend, which is not currently underway, and The Line, which is. First, Big Bend: Eddie describes the shape of this unusual concept. The design was completed in 2017. The design seeks to sidestep the floor-area ratio limits of New York’s building code. Eddie raises the interesting philosophical question of how far into the sky a building’s ownership reaches. If an arched building spans over another building… How does that work? This leads to useful references to both the Bible and The Simpsons. We discuss what could happen if the issues of upward ownership could be resolved and buildings could begin to weave around over one another. We make a shout-out to Business Movers, one of our favorite podcasts.15:50 - The LineWe shift our focus to an even more ambitious project that is underway in Saudi Arabia: The Line.The Line is a mega city that aims to reach 110 miles long (170 km), 660 ft wide, and 1,600 ft tall.The target population for this structure is 450,000 people by 2026, 2 million people by 2030, and 9 million people by 2045.24:28 - Desalination, workforce, administrative issues We discuss the logistical concerns and resource issues related with a project of this scale in a somewhat inhospitable environment.The work crew for this project is currently right around 60,000. NEOM, the coordinating entity, claims that they’re investing heavily in safe, desirable work conditions. We explore the fact that the usual roadblocks disappear when a project is being sponsored by a monarchy and constructed in a remote location. We discuss the possible peripheral benefits that might spring from this project even if it’s not ever completed.We wrap up with a book recommendation: The Martian (the book rather than the movie). Track down the audiobook and listen to it while you work here on Earth.Links related to The Line: -Neom’s official site-A 30-minute Discovery Channel UK documentary -Articles: -DesignBoom The Line project update -Critical Popular Mechanics article -DesignBoom review of all Neom projectsCheck out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

In this, our third week focused on resolutions, Eddie encourages you to seek an opportunity to learn. You probably already have in mind someone whose work or career you admire. Don’t make it weird. Just ask a couple questions about the things you’ve observed in their work lives. Then shut up and listen.If this person becomes a long-term mentor, great. If this just ends up being one session of learning for you, also great. Either way, you’ll come out of the situation with some insights that position you for greater success.Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for li

We've reached our bicent...episodial?!01:58 - ReminiscingToday we’re looking back over more than three years of producing the CBP. Here are some our initial thoughts:-Our intro is still rocking a 2019 vibe. -Mom is usually pretty supportive, but… There’s an episode out there somewhere from those very first episodes, and we would really love for them to stay buried deep in whatever pile of digital debris. Tyler poses a challenge: If we get to 100 ratings on Apple Podcasts within two months of today’s episode, he’ll share this embarrassment. -Tyler flashes back to the studio setup for those earliest episodes: Just a couple dudes and a big-screen TV.-Eddie recalls and early episodes with Pete DuMont, Clifton Harness, and more.09:08 - Whitey Tighties, Pete Rose and Cannibalistic HamstersEddie gives a shout-out to his favorite episode title. Our middle brother, Andy, joined us for this episode, which consisted of brotherly recollections. Poor guy passed out quite often. We cringe as we look back at our early rhythms and quirks. Tough stuff. 11:48 - Favorite episodesHere are a few that we look back on most fondly:-Going Analog in a Digital World - (feat. Eric Reinholdt of the 30x40 Design Workshop on Youtube) -Eric Anderson and his leg lamp-Todd Dawalt (who has his own podcast, Construction Leading Edge) and our discussion about the labor shortage as we headed into the pandemic -David Smigel and an early conversation about Starlink on jobsites-Roy Underhill of The Woodwright’s Shop-Lego episode-The House that Sears Built-The RFI Blockchain-Matt Byrd of the Reality Capture Network-Donnie Williams and our conversation about supply chains19:15 - Surprise lessonsWe spend some time exploring what we’ve learned. Eddie shares that he’d thought he had the solutions that the construction industry needs. He has seen his understanding expand and has gained empathy.Tyler discusses leadership and the constraints that make it hard for higher-ups to do things the way that younger, less-experienced people think things ought to be done. We express our appreciation for the sometimes contentious discussions. We’ve seen growth result from the open exploration of points of disagreement. 28:00 - Echo chambersTyler dumps some thoughts about people pitching themselves as guests in order to discuss the fact that the industry is slow to accept technology. He disagrees. Eddie lists technologies that have been readily adopted because they increase our productivity and make us look more competent. He acknowledges that he’d look like an old man if he’d step back onto a residential-construction jobsite today with tools that didn’t exist when he was working in that world.We discuss the program features and the types of content that we’ve chosen to leave behind.39:43 - Megaphone messageWe share our thoughts for the industry. They’re simple:-Eddie: Treat others the way you’d like them to treat you.-Tyler: Say thanks. Check out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

This week Eddie encourages us to look up and look down. Engage in a conversation to see what is required for the people “above” and “below” you to succeed. Tyler shares an example about his daughter’s perpetual curiosity and encourages us to demonstrate that with those around us. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

00:47 - Introduction - Melanie’s backstoryMelanie Ford is the Senior Director of Construction for the University of Georgia Office of the University Architects. Before her move to the university, she worked for 20 years as a contractor and a Vice President of Whitsel Construction Services. She’s the Georgia Chapter President for the Construction Owners of America and one of the co-founders and current President of Athens Area Women in Construction. Melanie shares about how a stressful project in an architecture class drove her into building science. She shares about how the dean of a professor told her that a woman wouldn’t be able to tell “some 50-year-old, hard-hat-wearing man where the hell he can put his steel.” She shares about the challenges of finding a position in construction when she graduated, but a couple decades later, she is still happy with her choice to go into construction. She then tells us a bit about her family’s move to Athens, Georgia.10:37 - Melanie’s work at UGAMelanie explains what it is that she does at the University of Georgia. She oversees all construction on campus, including major capital projects and major renovations. She and her department are responsible for ensuring architectural and construction continuity across campus. She tells us a bit about the significant increase in sports-related construction, including large softball and tennis stadium projects. In addition to that, there are the ongoing renovations of buildings constructed in the 1950s. Eddie asks about how the challenges differ between different types of projects. Melanie talks about a few of her favorite projects. 19:25 - Project Managers Eddie asks Melanie to provide feedback to project managers from an owner’s perspective. She starts with thoughts about the importance of doing your research ahead of time in order to be aware of current conditions in a building set for renovation. She talks about timelines that were unnecessarily extended due to school-year schedules. She points out that many PMs tend to keep information and problems to themselves. This can be frustrating to people in positions like Melanie’s because they often have resources and connections to solve those problems.Eddie asks about the bidding process in the university domain, which leads to a conversation about task-order contracting. She explains how this approach works with smaller contracts and lists of pre-approved contractors. We explore the ins and outs of the approval process for this group of contractors and how it is used by various governmental entities. Melanie says that owner-contractor relationships result in task-order projects being completed on time more often than hard-bid projects. Melanie discusses the types of feedback she provides to contractors who ask what changes they could make in order to increase their chances of future work with the university.32:54 - Project initiation and design-buildEddie asks about the process a project goes through from the point of conception to completion. Melanie talks us through the process that sometimes involves legislators, wealthy donors. She gives an example of an unexpected connection between botanical gardens and a porcelain collection. She then walks us through the steps of a hypothetical project. Eddie asks Melanie for her opinion on design-build. She explains that she’s not a huge fan of this approach in most cases. She says that she feels like the owner loses a certain amount of control because of the chain of command that results. She prefers for the builder, the designer, and the owner to perceive one another as peers. She also mentions that the historical character of campus architecture can suffer as a result of design-build dynamics. Eddie shares about a complicated, somewhat messy arrangement he experienced in a project a few years ago and asks Melanie for her thoughts. She shares her insights about the vision-setting, information exchange, and communication complications that can arise with unusual arrangements. Melanie shares a humorous story about how she was introduced to Bluebeam. Eddie shares some thoughts about the importance of old-school communication: actual talking. We discuss the different outcomes of different forms of communication–email vs. actual voice conversations. 58:26 - Megaphone messageWe’re all on the same team. It’s all about taking a team approach. If you have your best intentions, we don’t have to have adversarial relationships. Also, support each other. Melanie shares about the importance of mentorship, especially for women in construction.1:02:53 - Bonus contentEddie shares some crazy facts about university protectionism regarding mascots and rivalries. Find Melanie Online: LinkedIn, Construction Owners of AmericaCheck out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening