Who among us can claim that worry has resulted in a longer life? The same thing applies to business. Who among us can claim that worry has resulted in business growth? I’m confident the answer is no one.

Contractor Tip of the Month: Take the Risk or Fail

Contractor Tip of the Month: All Problems are People Problems

Contractor Tip of the Month: Matching Personality Traits with Job Responsibilities

Contractor Tip of the Month: The Proactive Approach to Employee Turnover

Contractor Tip of the Month: Is it Time to Pull the Plug?

Contractor Tip of the Month: Never Give Up

Contractor Tip of the Month: Promotions are Made from the Bottom Up

Contractor Tip of the Month: The Dysfunctions that Destroy Teamwork

Contractor Tip of the Month: Leadership…An Action, Not A Title

Contractor Tip of the Month: Hesitation Will Get You Killed!

Contractor Tip of the Month: Are You Focusing on Rags or Riches?

Contractor Tip of the Month: Pricing Work - Get it Right or Don’t Take the Job

Contractor Tip of the Month: Cause and Effect of Business Results

Contractor Tip of the Month: Every Thought Matters

Contractor Tip of the Month: Failure and Success Happen in the Same Space - the Distance Between Our Ears

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Unchecked Egos: The Enemy of Effective Leadership

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Maintaining Employees by Building the Right Work Environment

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Building Strong Leaders for the Tough Times

Contractor Tip Of The Month: What Happens Behind the Scenes, Stays Behind the Scenes

Contractor Tip Of The Month: The Value of Saying No

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Building an A-team

Contractor Tip Of The Month: There Are No Assumptions in Effective Conflict Management

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Policies For Maintaining Harmony At Your Workplace

Contractor Tip Of The Month: The Value of Role Models

Contractor Tip Of The Month: How To Sell Your Products and Services

Contractor Tip Of The Month: The High Cost of Low-Profit Margins

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Go as Far as You Can See. Then See How Far You Can Go

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Never Give Up On Your Dreams

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Getting Things Done

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Q & A from “Asking the Right Questions to the Right Audience”

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Asking the Right Questions to the Right Audience

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Never Give Up on Your Dream

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Making Difficult Decisions

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Navigating for Success by Working on Your Goals

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Harmonizing Different Personalities to Win the Game of Business

Contractor Tip Of The Month: How to Keep Moving to Success - Questions and Answers

Contractor Tip Of The Month: The King of the Mountain Doesn’t Get to Stay on Top Very Long

Contractor Tip Of The Month: When You Do the Thing You Fear to Do, You Will Have the Power to Do It and More!

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Being Happy Where We Are Right Now, Will Help Us to Get Where We Are Going

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Good Performers Propose Answers and Provide a Path Forward

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Surviving Hard Times

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Fighting With Your Competition Can Kill Your Business

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Health Issues Caused by Worrying

Contractor Tip Of The Month: You Don’t Get Results by Measuring Results. You Get Results by Measuring Activities that Lead to Results.

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Success is Defined as the Pursuit of a Worthy Goal

Contractor Tip Of The Month: There Is Only One Way to Become Successful – Slowly

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Communicating with the New Generation of Employees

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Tell the Truth, so You Don’t Have to Lie Over and Over Again

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Saying Yes By Not Saying Yes – or No

Translation: Contractor Tip of the Month

Contractor Tip Of The Month: The First Night of Sleep is On Me, the Second Night is On You

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Working on the Business Instead of in the Business

Contractor Tip Of The Month: If You Want the Order, Show Up on Time, Make My Job Easy, and Give Me a  Damn Price 

Contractor Tip Of The Month: These Boots Are Made for Workin’

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Your Team Needs a Clear Message

Contractor Tip Of The Month: People Don’t Leave Companies, They Leave Managers

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Your Team Needs a Clear Message

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Sharpen Your Saw

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Instead of Trying to Make People Nice, Just Hire Nice People

Contractor Tip Of The Month: How Can I Help You, Help Me, Help Us, Become Successful?

Translation: Contractor Tip of the Month

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Change Quickly, or Die

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Determining the Value of Your Time

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Making Money and Going out of Business at the Same Time

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Finding and Retaining the Right Workforce

Contractor Tip Of The Month: You Have Acres of Diamonds to Harvest Right Below Your Feet

Translation: Contractor Tip of the Month

Contractor Tip Of The Month: When You Lose Your Cool, You Lose the Game

Translation: Contractor Tip of the Month

Contractor Tip Of The Month: The Path To Success

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Job Cost Accounting for Construction Contractors

Contractor Tip Of The Month: The Right Team is the Infrastructure Required to Grow Your Company!

Contractor Tip Of The Month: How Your 12-Month Rolling Backlog Affects Your Annual Sales Goal

Translation: Contractor Tip of the Month

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Moving Forward in the Fog!

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Does Everyone Know Where You are Going?

Contractor Tip Of The Month: A Lifestyle Change

Translation: Contractor Tip of the Month

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Hiring the Right People: Do You Like Them? Or, Do You Love Them?

Contractor Tip Of The Month: “How to Navigate the Other Side of a Business Boom”

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Tripping Over Dollars to Save Pennies!

Contractor Tip Of The Month: When Too Much of a Good Thing Isn’t a Good Thing!

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Stop the Negative Chatter!

Contractor Tip Of The Month: When an employee makes himself irreplaceable, he must be replaced!

Contractor Tip Of The Month: If It Looks like a Duck and It Quacks like a Duck...

Contractor Tip of the Month

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Which Plan Should You Choose, A Discretionary Bonus or Results Oriented Incentive Plan? Part 2

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Which Plan Should You Choose, A Discretionary Bonus or Results Oriented Incentive Plan? Part 1

Contractor Tip Of The Month: Position Your Team For Success By Letting Them Do What They Enjoy!

Have you ever searched for something, not knowing what you were looking for, and found it? No? Me neither. That question would seem silly to a lot of people, but it’s not silly to contractors. Unfortunately, most contractors have their team aiming for

As a team leader, you deliver the same direction over and over again. You explain, you demonstrate, you feel like you’re grinding it in. Then, just when you think your team finally gets it, they take two steps back!

You want to grow your business, right? But you’re already doing all that you can. You’re at capacity and running so hard that you can’t go any faster. Even the thought of doing more sales stresses you out. Also, adding more projects to your team would on

Yesterday, while I was flying back to Columbus, Ohio, from Kansas City, Mo., a lot of things were going through my mind. I was concerned about a $5.7-million job that Lang Masonry started three weeks later than we planned, and the fact that the general c

As I’m writing this month’s tip, I am patiently waiting between events at my daughter Amy’s track meet. I’ve got a big smile on my face, as Amy has won the first two events she competed in. While Amy was competing in the high jump event, between jumps

A lesson learned from those who dug water wells by hand years ago is that the harder you dig a hole, the deeper you will get. The deeper you get, the less the view. The less the view, the less you can observe. The less you observe, the less you can plan

Perhaps because there were so many siblings in my family, I developed a deep sense of “sharing.” This sharing has attracted wonderful employees, partners and customers to my companies. Now I am no socialist – far from it. But, sharing is incorporated int

To quote the great Vince Lombardi: “It is essential to understand that battles are primarily won in the hearts of men. Men respond to leadership in a most remarkable way and, once you have won his heart, he will follow you anywhere.”

I should have bought it. I should have moved on it. I should have done it. Ever hear someone say that when discussing a piece of equipment or house or property someone else bought at a fraction of its worth?

For years, Lang Masonry’s biggest customer was John Stillwell. He was a wise, older general contractor to whom I grew quite close. When we would discuss a change order, scheduling conflict, or any other issue on one of his projects, he would remind me th