7 Lessons Learned to Propel Your Career and Construction Business

My former business partner was reflecting on the big lessons he learned during his career, and it struck me that none of them had to do with estimating or pouring concrete or tying steel. His observations got me thinking, "What have I learned over the last 35 years from all of the contractors I’ve worked with?” 

You will have a variety of your own lessons learned. Here are my observations to add to your contracting management toolbox that will enable growth for you and your business.  

1 | Construction is all about people.

Bob Street, CEO of McDevitt and Street, was light years ahead of anyone else in the construction business. His company’s mission, formulated in about 1980, was: "We recruit, hire, train and retain the very best people." No mention of quality, schedule, the customer or anything else. The entire focus was on those who made up the team. Everybody in Street’s organization had that mission in their hearts. They knew that with the right people, they were unstoppable. If you've got the wrong people—no matter how talented you are as an entrepreneur—you're going to struggle.  

2 | Every day is a new day.

My wife observes that I'm optimistic 99% of the time. No one can be optimistic every day. Something unfortunate happens, other things pile on—but every day is a new day and represents a chance to start over, change things, correct mistakes or apologize to people you may have wronged.  

3 | Focus on your unique talents.

The concept of a Renaissance man is still around, but it's almost unworkable in an increasingly specialized world. Do what you're uniquely great at—the things that spark energy and joy in you—and delegate everything else. You cannot be everything to all people, and you cannot touch every function in a thriving construction firm every day.  

4 | Review your personal and company goals every week.

One of the genius things author and educator Stephen Covey did was to establish the week as the perfect time period for evaluating progress on goals. You've got 52 delineated time periods each year to examine your progress. Maybe you missed a target this week. Instead of immediately berating yourself, slide it over to the next week. It is almost certainly still attainable. It makes perfect sense to examine yourself, your behaviors, your achievements, how things are going with your team and more each week. A month or quarter is too long to wait; too many things could slip. This allows you to refocus each week. 

5 | Shed stress.

I like to play tennis at lunchtime. There are plenty of friends among whom I could find a daytime tennis match. We meet, play tennis, shower, grab a sandwich, and head back to the office. But I'd be gone two hours or more. I spoke to my colleague one day: "I feel bad, like I'm setting a bad example for the team.” And she said, "No! We want you to play tennis because you come back relaxed and feeling good. Everyone is easier to work with when they don't have stress." It doesn't matter what method you use to destress. For you it could be meditation, a brisk walk or volunteer work. Find an activity or outlet that helps you relax and relieve stress.  

6 | Commit to lifelong learning.

You don’t have to love to read-- every book or great magazine article is available in audio or even digest form. You can be in your truck going from job to job, and “read” a wisdom-filled book each week. Take advantage of technology that can allow you to learn new things about yourself, people and business.  

7 | Avoid being shortsighted.

For me, joining a peer group was the perfect solution. It's so easy to fall into the trap of not being able to see the forest for the trees. We get business myopia because we dial in and narrow our focus to do the most for our team. Avoid that and seek perspective. Join a peer group or other professional network; be around people who help you broaden and have a healthier perspective.