Building Ships and Vision

There is a whole lot of work involved in building projects and building a construction company.

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It is easy to get mired down in endless to-do lists, processes and problems.  The one thing that holds this all together and accelerates performance is the company’s vision and mission.  

Quote: If you want to build a ship, don't drum up your men to collect wood and give orders and distribute the work. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Vision and mission are the tip of the pyramid.

It is not enough to just have them written down.  They have to be embedded so deeply into everyone on the team that they taste victory and feel the pain of any delays or potential defeat.  

This is not just for the owner of the business or project.  Each team down to the individual must have total clarity of their vision and mission.  


If the vision and mission for your company is not clear to you:  

  • What have you done in the last month to help make them clearer?  
  • What will you do today? 

If you are leading a team of people - including as a lead person on the project:  

  • What have you done to set a vision and a mission for your team?  
  • Vision Example:  We will be the “Delta Force” crew within our company.
  • Mission Example:  We will be at least 2X more productive than any other branch rough-in crew in our company.
  • What have you done to share this with the team and instill it so deeply in them they run towards that vision every day with excitement?  

If you aren’t leading anyone besides yourself?

  • What have you done to develop your personal vision and mission? 
  • Does that inspire you to be excited about waking up every day? 
  • What have you done today to get you closer?



Ownership Transition Timelines
While it is possible for ownership transition timelines to be accelerated, that largely depends on the current condition of the company, including the management team and current owner.
Business Operating Layer
Execution is the discipline of getting things done and is especially critical for contractors because we work in a highly competitive business with relatively low margins compared to the risks taken.
Everything is Too Complex - Until You Practice Enough
There is no question that construction is becoming more complex. We don’t do ourselves or others any favors by not coming to terms with that complexity. We must get comfortable learning the complexities before we can work on simplification.