Building on Leadership

I was recently asked what I thought were the best books on the topic of leadership, which is a difficult question to answer. It is almost as difficult to answer as what is my favorite album of all time. There are so many good ones; how does one pick a favorite? To assist me in my answer, I thought I would search the Internet for other lists of top works on leadership and compare the search results to books I’ve put in that category. What I discovered was very surprising. There were several classics on the list that one would expect, like Man’s Search for Meaning and How to Win Friends and Influence People. However one book kept coming up on people’s lists that I wouldn’t have classified as a source for the fine art of leadership. Alfred Lansing’s book, Endurance, was on most of the lists as a top ten consideration. How does a book about a failed Antarctic expedition capture the essence of leadership? And how could people in the construction industry benefit from this story?

I read Endurance many years ago because I appreciate works that document the human struggle through adversity. Books like Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Into Thin Air, and Unbroken provide me with solace that things could always be worse and that putting up a good fight can often be worth it. The book Endurance is about a 1914 expedition lead by Sir Ernest Shackleton where 27 men under his command attempted to become the first to cross the Antarctic continent. The expedition failed miserably, with the ship getting engulfed in massive ice floes early in the trip, changing the mission to one of survival. The book elegantly documents a 20-month struggle to find food, shelter, safety, and eventual rescue. So what are the leadership lessons to be gleaned from this work? There are many, and I think that architects, contractors, developers, and owners in the construction industry should practice the main principles in this book as basic business practices.

Choose Your People Wisely

Earnest Shackleton took a great deal of time in selecting his crew to join him on the expedition. Although he placed a great deal of emphasis on technical qualifications, he was more interested in the quality of the character than the skill set. Shackleton knew that a grueling expedition would require a group that could function as a team, had high integrity, and could be trusted. These same principles determine success in business today. Hiring managers are learning that work ethic and integrity will get you much farther than expertise. It’s more common these days to see sports teams base their recruiting on quality of character rather than the pursuit of the superstar. The best companies in the construction industry are those that are capable of attracting talent that can work together effectively, eliminate drama, embrace a challenge, and have fun while doing it.

Your People Come First

Throughout the story of Endurance, Shackleton is focused on making decisions that will save his crew from their devastating circumstances. Every decision he makes is in the best interests of the group. He had to make many personal sacrifices and risk his life throughout the mission to accomplish this feat. Shackleton knew that his motivation and influence on the group’s welfare was not just necessary for survival, but more importantly, it served as a good example for everyone involved. The only way to gain commitment from the team is to show commitment yourself. If your people feel that you care for their well being and success, they are much more likely to display the same care for their work associates. The essence of “we are all in this together” is a powerful force for any business.

Flexibility is Essential for Success

From the very start of the expedition, Shackleton had to change his goals depending upon changes in circumstances. He had to adapt to losing the ship, finding secure refuge, securing food and water, and searching for rescue. He also had to communicate the constantly changing plans to the team so they would cooperate on working toward the tasks at hand. The construction industry is ripe with change. During the latest recession many companies were thrown into survival mode similar to the Endurance team. Changes in the economy, design tastes, market movements, availability of financing, etc., require the construction industry to keep on its toes and adapt to the new challenges. Your ability to change gears in the construction industry can make all the difference in the world.

Maintain Optimism in the Face of Adversity

I am sure that Shackleton questioned many times during the group’s travails whether the crew would make it home safely, but he never let anyone know that he doubted their success. He knew that if he displayed any indication of hopelessness, the team would quit the fight, disband, or even mutiny. A realistic optimism is essential to survive in business or to grow into new arenas. The construction industry is littered with challenges; legal issues, safety concerns, and labor matters to name a few. Maintaining optimism from the top is essential if it is going to permeate throughout the ranks. Everyone needs to believe that no matter how daunting the challenge, the team is capable of achieving the progress needed to meet their goals.

I still find it amazing that an expedition that occurred over 100 years ago would serve as a guideline for effective business leadership today. Although I certainly don’t practice all of these principles as effectively as I would like in my daily activities, the voyage of a small crew of adventurers gives me hope to continue the struggle for success. I think that all of us in the construction industry would benefit from reading this book and adopting some of the principles in our day-to-day practices.

FDR Presidential Library & Museum

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is the first presidential library in the United States. Built under the personal direction of FDR in 1940, he thought that the vast quantities of documents during his four terms should be accessible to US citizens. Prior to the construction of the museum, presidential documents remained in the families of the past presidents and hopefully made it to the national archives. Roosevelt was the first to make his documents available to the public and even donated the 16 acres where the museum sits.

Re-View manufactured historically accurate wood window replicas to match the design of the originals. Every detail was meticulously matched to maintain the accuracy of the original architecture. All joinery was mortise and tenon and we used mahogany wood to make sure the windows will last another 75+ years. In addition to manufacturing precise wood window replicas for treasured landmarks, Re-View also restores historic wood and steel windows.

FDR Library & Museum

Before Pictures

After Pictures

The Price is Right

Last month we were bidding a large, multi-year project in Washington DC when our proposals started to come in for our subcontractor bids. It isn’t uncommon to have a wide variance in bid price for various bid packages, but this project had incredibly large swings in prices. This made me think about why this phenomenon occurs during the bidding process, what it means, and how to make the best sense of it. It is our goal in the construction industry to select the lowest possible price for qualified bids that best meet the scope of work, encompass the desired level of quality, and meet the schedule. Unfortunately, wide variances during bid date can be a red flag that one or more of these goals will not be met. How does one determine whether an abnormally low price is real?

It isn’t uncommon to have price variations in the American economy. Just run a simple Google search on a basic retail commodity you are interested in purchasing and you will find prices that fluctuate by as much as 20%. In the city limits of Kansas City alone you will find gasoline prices varying from $1.74 to $1.99. Purchasing the construction of an office building or the restoration of a historic landmark, however, is slightly more complicated than filling a tank of gas. When we get a low bid for a project, we call on our internal Spanish Inquisition to determine the proposal’s validity.

A loose specification will open the door for lowball pricing. If the construction documents fail to define materials, means, and methods with precision, the opportunity for interpretation can create unhealthy deviations. Failing to specify explicit materials by listed manufacturers, including performance criteria, is critical. It is also important to have a substitution process to be approved by the architect rather than allowing unapproved equals. If we get a low bid on a scope of work, we will drill the bidder on all of the details to be certain he has included all the important components. It is often discovered during this interrogation that non-complying materials have been submitted, or that the bidder missed quantities. We often uncover bidders who disregard serious elements of a proposal because they didn’t spend the time to review the specifications and assemble a meaningful bid. In some cases we have found unscrupulous bidders attempting to manipulate the specification in their quest for a low price.

Low prices are often a result of misinterpretation of the desired level of quality for a project. Although the owner, design team, and contractor have a clear understanding of the quality intent, subcontractors might not invest in understanding the critical factors of their bid. After they are awarded a contract, they might deviate in ways that can go unnoticed by the construction team. For example, using different primers might result in paint failure, changing sources for aggregate can alter masonry performance, and abbreviating labor processes can adversely affect installations. There are numerous examples of construction travesties out there that were a result of a subcontractor substituting an inferior material such as an altered installation clip. A thorough post-bid interrogation as well as ongoing quality control checks and balances throughout the construction of the building can prevent this from happening.

Finally, a low bid can be an indicator that the schedule will be at risk. Low bidders often arrive at their price because they have missed something. That something is often the project schedule. We include scheduling as part of the post-bid interview. We ask in detail, how the subcontractor intends to meet the schedule. We want to know the total labor hours, broken down by month, and broken down further by individual dedicated to the project. If it is a complicated discipline, we might ask for backgrounds of the people dedicated to the job. We also want to know about other projects the subcontractor will be working on at the same time to identify capacity conflicts. If the subcontractor has weak answers to any of these questions, the schedule will be in jeopardy.

The bidding process doesn’t need to be a game of Russian roulette. I am amused by the cartoon of the astronauts on the space shuttle talking prior to takeoff saying, “Do you realize we are about to take off in a rocket that was built by the low bidder?” If you want your project to take off and land smoothly, you might want to invest the time upfront asking the tough questions before you get into bed with an unqualified subcontractor. 

Re-View is Known for Courting Business

Re-View has an impressive portfolio of work on courthouses in the United States, working on projects from Arizona to Washington DC. The traditional county courthouse is often the most impressive architectural structure in its region. We are always amazed at the distinct architectural styles and how these iconic buildings define a community.

One aspect of the architecture of the typical county courthouse that always stands out is the windows. Architects used the fenestration to make these buildings truly magnificent. We have worked on massive monumental windows, triple-hung units, frames and sash that are bent on a radius, and artistic stained and leaded glass. The associated woodwork and trim on a typical courthouse window is often incredibly detailed and integrates with interior woodworking. Window hardware on these courthouses is frequently a highly custom design with unique finishes. We have seen locks and lifts that look like jewelry for the window.

Most of these projects are grand in scope, involving hundreds of windows. Re-View is uniquely qualified to perform custom window restoration and replication on large projects. We specialize in the restoration of both wood and steel units, and are one of the largest manufacturers of totally custom wood window replicas. We also have a great deal of experience in improving the energy performance of historic windows by using weather stripping, changes in glazing technology, or implementing secondary glazing.

One of the reasons Re-View enjoys working on county courthouses is that every project is unique. No two projects have been alike. Whether we are working on wood or steel windows, every courthouse has a distinct set of challenges that makes our business exciting.  

Failing Forward

Make a Success of your Failures

I have always had a proclivity for dwelling on the positive. It is probably some “half-full” mentality that was drilled in my head as a child. Or maybe it is a deep-seated need to impress that was a result of trying to gain my parents’ attention in a family of five kids. So when someone asks how about the state of my business, I can recite all of the great things that are going on at Re-View with an upbeat flair. I was thinking about this behavior last week as I was on a project site correcting a product failure. You haven’t spent much time in the construction industry if you’ve never had a failure, and if you have tenure and still profess total success, you’re probably lying to yourself. I am a firm believer that the way a company manages a failure makes all the difference in how they will succeed in the future. Let’s take a look at how the construction industry can utilize failures as opportunities to grow.

Re-View has had its fair share of missteps over the past 22 years. It sometimes seems that every new venture is loaded with hoops to jump through and landmines to avoid. Many of our setbacks cost the company a great deal of money. When we dove into this business over 20 years ago, there was very little information on the proper protocol for restoring historic windows. There also wasn’t much guidance on how to manufacture custom wood window replicas on a large scale, so we had to forge through the learning curve. We’re still learning today. Our most recent challenge had to do with capillary tubes not functioning properly on insulated glass sent to a high altitude project. Our company’s philosophy has always been to look at these costly challenges as opportunities to learn. We quickly figure out a correction, implement the remedy, and proceed onward as a stronger company that will avoid such mistakes in the future. Failures are merely a cost of education.

What are some of the landmines for the construction industry today?

There are a host of new technologies emerging for the construction industry: new developments in drone surveying, 3D printing, netzero construction, smart helmets, and 3D building scanning to name just a few. It is very common to lose a great deal of money and productivity when applying a new technology because of the time it takes to learn, train, and adopt the new way of doing business. The implementation of new technologies is burdened with setbacks. Think back on how long it took to take advantage of CAD, computerization, and communications. It wasn’t too long ago that it was rare to find someone who had an e-mail address. Technology is a necessary struggle for all construction related companies. The important thing is to be on the leading rather than the bleeding edge of technology.

New product developments can also be fraught with potential failures. Not only does a revolutionary material not have a proven track record, but the installation methods are also untested. That is a double jeopardy. Many new products are put through a battery of accelerated laboratory testing to determine whether they can perform as intended. Unfortunately, Mother Nature often does not act in the same manner as the lab tests conducted by scientists. Depending upon the product, it might require experienced installation techniques that can take a subcontractor many years to perfect. The industry is full of great products that failed due to improper installation. Do you really want to be the guinea pig for such ventures?

Selecting who is to be on the project team is also a potential landmine. If you have a design firm that doesn’t have experience in a particular line of work, the project gets off on the wrong foot and everyone has to struggle through the details. Also, you don’t want a general contractor to cut his teeth on a building that has features that are foreign to his background. And let’s not forget all of those hungry subcontractors who will take a job regardless of their expertise. I can tell you stories of the hundreds of woodworkers who claim to be window manufacturers, but in reality have no such training. In addition to experience, the company’s background in the same size of project is almost as important. Factors such as financing, bonding, and capacity can crater many efficient companies that are out of their league on a mega project. As a result, I am seeing more stringent prequalification standards for special projects and a growth in Integrated Project Delivery where architects, contractors, and subcontractors form a team at the design stage.

Finally, let’s not forget the human element that is responsible for Murphy’s Law. Having a lax safety program will create problems on a project, cause delays, and increase costs. The good companies are learning from their injuries to avoid them in the future. The best companies are anticipating potential hazards before they happen and developing procedures to eliminate the possibility of an injury. Quality of work is another human element that can be perfected by inspecting failures. If one takes the time to dissect a punch list and develop procedures to avoid mistakes in the future, everyone is happy. The best companies are working towards a zero punch list mentality where work quality is built into the system.

I like the quote from Winston Churchill that says, “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” If you are able to ingrain that attitude in your company culture, you will be a success in the construction industry. It may also make the situation a little more tolerable when you have to hunker down and make things right on a project that has gone wrong. 

Unconventional Convention

If you’ve been in the construction industry for long, you are no stranger to attending a convention. It seems like most associations that have a significant presence will assemble the loyal following once a year to learn more about surviving in the industry. I have been to large conventions like AIA, CSI, IWF and NAHB as well as smaller niche gatherings like state or national preservation conferences. They are often a good source of education and entertainment as well as an excellent opportunity to network with others. So with that as a backdrop, I attended the Window Preservation Standards Collaborative (WPSC) Summit last week to speak on the topic of the business of window preservation. The summit hosted 50-60 preservationists to the Campbell Center in Mount Carroll, Illinois for four days of seminars on the science of window restoration. Although this assembly pales by comparison to the thousands that attend an AIA convention, it amazes me what can happen when a small group of passionate people connect.

The members of the WPSC remind me of Martin Luther King’s following as they marched across the bridge in Selma, Alabama. Here is a small group of craftsmen and artisans who have assembled to conduct battle with the mega-corporations of the window industry. Instead of using massive advertising budgets to promote the message of window restoration, this collection of skilled preservationists rely on a grassroots effort of educating the industry on the economics and common sense of restoring historic windows. On one end of the bridge you have this small group of craftsmen armed with the proven science of historic window construction. On the other end you have the massive juggernaut of the window industry promulgating the illusory economics of window replacement. When one takes the time to study the facts, the truth of restoration prevails.

This assembly was more like Woodstock than a national convention, and like Woodstock there were some of the best practitioners of the trade represented. During the four days, attendees were exposed to the finer details of wood and steel window restoration, storm window manufacturing, business practices, and testing of restored windows. After spending four days at the program one would definitely come to the conclusion that window restoration makes sense because historic wood and steel windows are built to last for centuries. The evidence proves that the act of replacing a window with an expected lifespan of 300 years with a 20-year replacement is irresponsible behavior. Since replacement windows are not designed to be repaired, the collaborative has aptly renamed them “disposable” windows.

What amazed me the most about the summit was the subtle message that many of our construction practices of the past have undisputed validity in modern means and methods. The construction industry is constantly being tempted by new technologies that promise performance and no maintenance, only to prove to have spurious lifespans and overstated performance. Disasters such as EIFS, aluminum wiring, plastic plumbing pipes, synthetic slate roofs, and Chinese drywall are just a few examples of failed products that were once paraded as technological breakthroughs. Maybe we just need to pay more attention to the proven methods of the past and accept the fact that the simplicity tested over time may be the most revolutionary solution for current construction challenges.

Re-View Project Highlight: Knox County Courthouse

The Knox County Courthouse in Knoxville, TN was built in 1885 and continues to serve as an office for several county departments. Tennessee's first governor is buried on the courthouse lawn.

Re-View was contracted to restore the historic wood windows. Our craftsmen removed the window sash and shipped them back to the Re-View restoration plant to be restored. We restored the frames in situ, refinished the frames, and installed new perimeter sealants. All of the finishes were removed from the sash to permit a complete restoration of the wood. Re-View fabricated replica sash for units that had been replaced with inaccurate replacements. Our craftsmen installed the restored sash into the refurbished frames and installed exterior storm windows for energy efficiency.

Pictures of the Building

Before/After

Photos from the Plant

Installation