Your source for construction industry news in the Carolinas
Sparkplugs are the people in your business who make things happen – and they are essential if you want to grow beyond what you alone can ignite. We all need them in our businesses – the people I call “sparkplugs.” Sparkplugs ignite fuel. They make combustion. They make things happen. They are essential if you want…
We live in turbulent times, and you can never fully eliminate uncertainty – but there are several approaches you can employ to combat it. We live in turbulent times. Things are happening that could result in a lot of change. Plus business can be unpredictable. People are involved. That creates uncertainty. And AEC firm business…
With the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament underway as the world’s most widely viewed and followed sporting event, it’s also an opportunity for players to impress scouts from major clubs with holes in their rosters. Relatedly, recent research co-authored by management professor Gilad Chen at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business reveals how and when teams can make…
Do you struggle with communicating effectively? Communication is a critical part key part of success in the construction industry and in other parts of your life. The top leaders and best communicators have practiced and mastered the skills that enable them to communicate so effectively. You too can learn these same skills! Follow these strategies…
Each time a new President moves into the Oval Office there is considerable discussion, anticipation and focus on the first 100 days in office. New Presidents seek to set the tone of their administration and begin to implement the platform and agenda on which they campaigned. The approach also applies to construction businesses. What will the…
Today, we find ourselves in a period of societal crisis. Albeit this is a unique crisis, quite different from those many of us have experienced in the past. In the period of a few short months, a virus pandemic went from being the stuff of science fiction to a reality. We now all have a…
In the construction industry, laborers are used to hauling materials, managing equipment, and doing the heavy lifting. A great construction worker is used to showing their hard skills on the job site. But what about those all-important soft skills? The talents that land you your next job and help you be the go-to guy on…
When teams aren’t productive, companies often start looking for new tech, or new tools to streamline processes, reduce redundancies, and more. That’s what technology is for, right? Solving problems? The impulse to buy another tool is understandable, but it is important to look at the big picture before making another well-intentioned purchase. First, notice how…
Four designers weigh in on how firms can help their employees at a critical career stage The path to licensure can be challenging for many. Even with the streamlined ARE 5.0, emerging professionals are pressed to connect what they learned in school, what they’re learning on the job, and what their exams require them to…
As I left the man’s office, I couldn’t help but think his company was succeeding despite him. It could have been the way he talked in terms of “I” instead of “we,” how he talked about making all the decisions instead of empowering his people, or how most of his people worked there not because…
