How To Deal With Increasing Materials Prices: Alex Barthet, The Barthet Firm and the Lien Zone Podcast

Dear Construction Nation, I met Alex Barthet a few years back, when he was on my first podcast, Construction Dream Team, and I was on his, The Lien Zone. Alex is a construction attorney in South Florida and I was very excited when I saw that Alex was gathering a group of industry folks to offer advice on how […]
Does Excellence Cost More?

Dear Construction Nation, Have you ever been baffled by what makes one project team unmistakably high performing, and another team, with a similar caliber of members, fall short of success? This has been a question I’ve studied for over 35 years. I wanted to know; how can we ensure our projects succeed? The good news […]
The Anatomy of a Dispute

Dear Construction Nation, I once did partnering for a water district project. This was a $50 million project, and it was six months behind schedule and 30% complete when I was called. The contractor and owner had their trailers side by side on the site, but the team did not talk to each other. They […]
The Seven Keys to Building a Strong Coalition

Dear Construction Nation, I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Emily Cohen, EVP of the United Contractors Association (UCON). Emily has a reputation for being able to make “magic happen” when it comes to pulling together groups of people and organizations into a strong coalition. You need a coalition in your business so that […]
Your Culture Transfers to Your Projects

Dear Construction Nation, In 1980 when I joined what is today UCON, I fell in love with construction! I love the people. I love the entrepreneurial spirit. I love thinking up things, and then building them. I love the industry – it is large complex and ever changing. I love that the things we build […]
Home is Where the Heart Is

Dear Construction Nation, In 1980 when I joined what is today UCON, I fell in love with construction! I love the people. I love the entrepreneurial spirit. I love thinking up things, and then building them. I love the industry – it is large complex and ever changing. I love that the things we build […]
The Trusted Leader Profile

Over the past year, I created aTrusted Leader Profile for you that is completely revamped and updated from an old version I was using. I am so excited to share this resource with you. The Trusted Leader Profile is an assessment..
The Three Levels Of Resistance

You may think fear works; keeping people a little afraid to stay motivated. If you’re dictating to them what to do, they are likely to comply, but that does not mean they are following you.
Fear and Trust Cannot Coexist

If you are working towards trust, it is vital to understand what is on the other side. Naturally, you might ask, “what is the opposite of trust? The opposite of trust is fear. This means that fear and trust cannot coexist. As you look to improve the level of trust within your business, you must […]
The Trust-Cost Relationship

25 years ago, I came across some research that I thought was so dramatic at the time. This research displayed the importance of cooperation, collaboration and co-creation, especially when they are built on a co-trust environment and paradigm. The research was this: there is a direct correlation between the level of trust and the cost […]