Strategy and Fighting the Fewest Battles

Nothing will have a bigger impact on a contractors business over the next decade than putting in a very rigorous process for strategy development and execution.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

The industry is changing rapidly due to technology, a massive shortage of management talent as well as major trends in project delivery and geographic expansion.  

Leadership Tools: Strategic Planning. A General does not plan how to win every battle; they plan how few battles they need to fight to win the war.

Strategic decisions along with the operating rhythms and the feedback mechanisms that ensure execution are the most highly leveraged decisions in the business. 

This is an area where an experienced 3rd party can add significant value.  Find someone that resonates with your team and has experience relevant to your company.  Change the facilitator every few years for fresh ideas. Unless they are really bad don’t change them every year so you have some continuity.  You might consider overlapping facilitators having the outgoing facilitator sit in on your side of the table providing additional continuity.  

Consider bringing in some of your key customers, vendors and subcontractors as part of your strategic planning process.  Whatever you do; don’t underestimate the value of this process.   

Learn More




Customer Strategy Intersection
Having an effective market strategy is the #1 thing a contractor can do to ensure sustainable and profitable growth. For your strategy brainstorm the following and look for intersections:
Creating The "Perfect Field Day"
Contractors build things and that comes down to the men and women in the field. They are the ones adding the value to the raw materials and that is ultimately what the customer is paying for.
Training Value Metrics: 4 Progressive Levels
In general, training adds value, but not all training is valuable. Understanding the different levels of measuring the results of training is the first step in building effective training.