Growth or Attracting Talent

It’s not enough to just build work effectively - that is just what’s required to play in the game.

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Contractors seeking sustainable growth must have aggressive and balanced strategies for acquiring work and building talent.

Leadership Tools: If you grow you need talent, if you don't grow you can't attract talent. Sustainable Growth Through Balanced Execution.

In the current economy it makes a lot of sense to selectively focus on fewer projects where you have the talent to build them profitably.  This strategy is short-term efficient and you will make a lot of money doing so. It is also long-term ineffective:  

  • Building business development capabilities takes time and deliberate practice.  The economy will experience a hiccup and you will want to have built competitive advantages through aggressive business development tactics as well as advanced preconstruction services.
  • There is no better time to improve your portfolio of customers than in a “hot” economy.  
  • If you are not growing then you will not be able to provide opportunities for your team members to grow in the long-term.  Someone else will and you will lose people over time as they take on other opportunities.  
  • Winners are attracted to other winners.  The best measure of winning in business is sustainable; profitable growth.  That will attract the right talent.    

On a scale of 0-10 how would you rate your business development capabilities?  

Your talent development capabilities?  




Bias for Action - Behavior That Matters
“Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking.” - From Amazon Principles
Lean Principle - Kaizen (Every Detail Matters)
As contractors build their businesses, it is important to look at every detail from the first meeting with a potential customer through winning and building the project. This same attention to detail also applies to supporting operations and talent.
Definition - Deliberate Practice
Practicing with a clear awareness of the specific components of a skill we are working to improve, and exactly how to improve them. It is not simply doing something repetitively for enjoyment or until it becomes mindless.