Construction Brothers

We all see communication disconnects between designers and builders every single day, so today we talk to one of our Dad’s old work buddies, Chuck Colwill. Why Chuck? Because Chuck is an expert in the design-build approach that produces a much more nimble and efficient building team.    Chuck’s work with his firm, Colwill Engineering, is a great example of how to gracefully, creatively navigate the complications that come with supply-chain problems, bureaucracies, labor shortages, and other challenges. The firm’s use of design-build helps them execute projects with impressive efficiency. They’re prepared to handle all MEP work in a way that streamlines problem-solving.     Here are some of the insights Chuck shares: -Everything goes more smoothly when there is early and active communication between designers of a project and those whose hands will be moving the physical pieces.  -Early communication helps everyone. (You’ll hear echoes of our discussion with Ernie Maschner.) -Whether it’s generators or flex duct, unexpected supply-chain complications create problems that can be easily solved by a team who is equipped to formulate quick work-arounds.  -Client expectations haven’t changed much since Chuck and Dad Campbell were running together, so changing industry dynamics are forcing contractors to tighten up the process wherever we can.  -Siloed organizations simply can’t compete with the agility of a well-managed design-build company.   -Design-build firms do have some unique challenges. For example, it’s essential for their leadership teams to thoughtfully align the supply chains and manpower needs on multiple overlapping projects.   In the megaphone moment, Chuck coins the term “three-bid-itis” to describe the mess that leads to the cheapest guy building the most expensive design. Chuck says the solution to this problem is to go open-book with subcontractors so that a general contractor can go with the person he or she trusts and then move forward with confidence that things will be done well.  Learn more about Chuck and his company: Chuck’s LinkedIn -  Colwill Engineering Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yup. Just two brothers talking about fartlek.    Life is busy. It’s easy to let physical fitness fall by the wayside. Today we step aside from professional concerns and into this area of personal improvement. We share a bit about our own experiences with physical training–specifically running.    Fartlek is a Swedish term. It refers to a kind of training that involves varying the pacing, intensity, and length of workouts. We’ve both experienced the benefits of this and other deliberate approaches to our fitness regimen.    Listen in as we geek out about VO2, glycogen stores, and mud runs. Then get out there and hit the road!   Find Us Online: Website - LinkedIn - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eddie wore khakis and a button-down shirt to the office every single day for his first couple years in the office. He felt like this was a necessary part of showing that he took his role seriously. Tyler followed Eddie’s fashion leadership… for about a month.  Now, both of us wear jeans and a t-shirt to the office every day. And there is purpose behind this choice. This isn’t an episode about fashion, but more an episode about questioning your motivations for doing things.  Here are some touchpoints from our chat: We are surprised but deeply honored that there are actually people out there who have watched 100 episodes! It’s beneficial to ask, “Why do we do things the way we do?” The willingness to confront this question sends a message of respect to everyone in the organization. When there’s room for freedom and comfort in the process of delivering quality work, then it’s probably wise to embrace that freedom and comfort.Having a personal uniform–even if it’s a somewhat casual one–can help enhance a sense of consistency.If you need to monitor the mouse movement of your remote workers, it’s probably time for you to examine your hiring practices and your company’s culture.Team dynamics suffere when the supervisor is a clock-Nazi. The key? Focus on the outcomes.  Also, Tyler quit drinking coffee so prayers are appreciated. 🤣 Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we focus exclusively on the price of the bid, we risk finding ourselves working with people we can’t depend on. At the same time, we all know that our industry is built around profit.    Teams work best when there is balance between profit and relationship. This requires trust. When trust is present within and between crews, a project runs more efficiently and results in a better end product. On top of that, the process is more enjoyable for everyone.      Find Us Online: Website - LinkedIn - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you work in construction, you know that we have a problem. We need more young people! Someone needs to connect the countless dots of classroom learning, workplace skills, career awareness, and student interests. Lydia Burns is that connector of dots.  More formally, Lydia is known as a senior manager with Allied Construction Industries, a trade group that works on advocacy, networking, and solutions for anyone within the construction industry. Lydia’s specific focus is on the Construction Career Center, and even more specifically their K-12 programs, which work to familiarize students with various aspects of construction. The goal of these programs is to increase the number of young people heading into construction.  Here is what the ACI program does: Takes a systemic, big-picture approach to increasing student awareness and working them toward actual jobs,Fosters relationships between companies and groups of students as early as 5th grade,Seeks to reduce the anxiety many students feel regarding the math skills that are foundational to jobs in engineering and construction,Helps schools develop and implement project-based learning curriculum focusing on connecting math lessons to the real-world applications,Engages students in an actual small-scale construction project within the school building,Coordinates sequential training: 7th-grade framing, 8th-grade pipefitting, 9th-grade electrical, and so on. As you can imagine, there are challenges to this kind of work. Changing public school curriculum takes time. Putting a bunch of inexperienced high school kids in the middle of a mock construction project has risks. It’s difficult to coordinate the schedules and align the instruction of various educators and contractors.     Here are some of the things ACI does to meet these challenges:  Becomes familiar with the entire public school administrative structure within a state and district;Facilitate communication and policy alignment among OSHA, insurance companies, attorneys, and schools regarding the presence of minors on work sites; Establishes and enforces GPA requirements and other eligibility requirements for participants;Equips classroom teachers with lesson plans that focus on hands-on-learning .  As a result of their work, ACI in the Cincinnati Public Schools has seen students receive industry-recognized credentials before they leave high school.  Here are some other bits and pieces from this episode: Tyler and Lydia share their own frustrations with math back in the day.We explore how working in residential construction can lead to work in industrial construction. Lydia explains the message she communicates to school districts: “Hope is not a strategy.”We celebrate that most state departments of education have finally acknowledged that not everyone should be heading to college.  Learn more about Lydia, ACI, and their programs: Lydia’s LinkedIn -  ACI’s web page - Info about ACI’s k-12 Program Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unclear expectations, scope creep, “Dude, that’s not my job!” Regardless of the phrasing, you’ve experienced it if you’re a contractor or a sub. Today we discuss how to avoid it.   What’s the answer?    Refine.  Be clear.  Empathize.    Find individuals who are masters of their specialties. Define the job you need each person to do and then hold yourself to those boundaries.    That’s the message of today’s Five-Minute Friday.    Find Us Online: Website - LinkedIn - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wally’s range of experience is more diverse than most. Who would have guessed that the Notre Dame leprechaun (yes, he was the official leprechaun for a year) would work his way to the rank of commander in the marines and pilot AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters? Eventually, Wally worked his way into construction leadership with FMI Consulting. Now Wally works as a public speaker and consultant, inspiring people in various fields to become better leaders. In our chat with Wally, we discuss the leadership principles that build strong, productive businesses where employees want to contribute and stick around. Wally says that it’s about a range of things that boil down to a culture built on what he calls “micro trust.” Here are some bits and pieces   Advice Wally gives leaders: The daily huddle is one of the best tools you have every day.Credibility is essential.“Your behavior as a leader drives the behavior of other people.”If you put barriers in front of new people because you experienced barriers, you’re shooting yourself in the foot (and harming your business).Beware of short-term thinking that can compromise long-term results. Innovate.“You can’t create greatness in a company if you don’t share information.”Begin with the end in mind. Show respect for the individual. Give them tools that work.   Advice Wally gives today’s followers (tomorrow’s leaders): Show up, shut up, and perform.Have an open mind. Give your leaders some leeway to make mistakes. Nobody’s perfect.Pay your dues. If you’re good, you play.Don’t withdraw to your own echo chamber.   We discuss the fact that the construction industry is a crazy world. There’s a huge range of complications and every single day. Yes, it’s important to get the job done, but the job doesn’t get done if you don’t take human dynamics into consideration. Leadership development is personal development.    Wally’s Megaphone Message:  Jerks don’t win. “We” is better than “me.” Seek to make the pie bigger for everybody. Seek to get new people into the building.  Find Wally Online: His FireStarter Speaking page - His LinkedIn page  Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie on LinkedIn - Tyler on LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nature’s timelines can seem unfair. The same is true of professional timelines. It can leave you feeling left behind. Our message: Cut yourself some slack! Stay the course! Don’t rush it!    Keep learning, and watch for opportunities to combine your passions, skills, and experience into something meaningful.     That’s the nugget of insight we offer in today’s Five-Minute Friday.  Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we don’t have a guest, it’s a bit like Dwight and Jim when Michael’s out of town. Today we confront the reality that we’ve talked out of both sides of our mouths. As we reflect on that, we touch on blood, politics, and mouse-movers. Do we un-contradict ourselves? You make the call. Be warned: our dander gets up a couple times.  Wait. Before we go any further… In case you came to the show notes for the Mike Rowe sheep-castration link (which is likely), here it is. Here are some of the contradictions, insights, and questions we unpack today: Contradiction #1: Getting ahead of things vs. realizing not everyone can be at the front of the line Acknowledge that some people have bigger fish to fry than the one that you’re holding up so proudly.Some principles are relevant to both $50 billion giga-projects and a modest remodel.Is it possible to build a bigger contractor table so everyone who wants a seat can have one (without a food fight breaking out)?Surprise, surprise! It all comes back to trust. And sometimes that’s tough. Contradiction #2: Progressives vs. Conservatives (in relation to organization and technology) It’s tough to judge what’s good about new things coming down the pike but also balance that with an appreciation of traditional practices.We need someone out there on the bleeding edge.Can we use some old-timey practices to reduce RFIs? Contradiction #3: Old School vs. New School (in relation to workplace dynamics) Ties vs. t-shirtsTaskmasters vs. TwitterCompetent management vs. mouse-movers (Here’s what they look like.)Man, has Dennis seen a lot of change in his 50-year career. Today’s Megaphone message comes from Eddie: “Have a healthy respect for tradition while maintaining a passion for the truth.” Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few months ago, after a decade of the two of us working closely together, Tyler left ABSI to start his own company. What has Eddie learned from losing his right-hand man?   Help them leave well. Celebrate their wins with them. Be genuinely happy for them. Do your best to put yourself in their shoes.   Recognize and acknowledge that this separation is a form of loss, and with loss comes emotions you may not have accounted for:   Shock, disbelief, or denialAnxietyDistressAngerPeriods of sadnessLoss of sleep and loss of appetite Don’t make big decisions or be hasty. Think. Be deliberate. Figure out what has to happen right now and what doesn’t.  Refocus your goals with the team you have around you, and keep plugging.  That’s the message of today’s Five-Minute Friday.    Find Us Online: LinkedIn - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.