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Construction Genius: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Eric Anderton
Thomas Edison said, "Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration." This show interviews hard-working construction company owners and executives who share their wisdom, perspectives, and lessons learned from decades of experience bidding, planning, and building profitable projects. Topics include leadership, strategic planning, conflict resolution, niche identification, succession planning, talent management, business development, and business growth.Industry expert, Eric Anderton also shares his insights about how construction company owners can increase project profit by improving communication, running productive meetings, and attracting, developing, and retaining talented leaders. Tune in each week and get practical inspiration for how to build people, projects, and profits. "I know of no genius but the genius of hard work." John Ruskin
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- Today1h 5m
Pick Up the Phone, Win the Client: How to Build a Client-First Company
Daniel McCaulley, P.E., is the founder of Ultimus Engineering, a faith-based engineering firm in Texas delivering MEP, aquatics, and structural engineering across 22 states. On this episode, Daniel shares what he learned from his first failed hire, how he transitioned from corporate engineering to running his own firm, and why the human side of client service matters more than ever. Key Takeaways: Remote work is a privilege, not a right. Small firms need people who understand that every hour is visible. Daniel moonlighted for two years and saved a year of living expenses before going full time. Preparation beats hope. Spending more time on engineering upfront saves money and headaches during construction. But you need the communication skills to sell that to clients. Picking up the phone, turning around quotes in 24 hours, and being accessible are the simplest ways to separate yourself from the competition. AI is a tool, not a personality replacement. If your emails sound like a robot and you sound like a human, you'll lose trust faster than you think. Connect with Daniel McCaulley: Website: https://ultimus.engineering LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmccaulley/ Email: dmccaulley@ultimusengineering.com Phone: 214-384-7762
- 1 weeks ago29 min
Why Your Team Isn't Executing (The Simple Fix Most Construction Leaders Miss) with Jon Dario
Jon Dario is an author, speaker, and retail leadership expert who has held leadership roles with some of the top companies in the retail and financial services industries including Macy's, Gap, and Bank of America. He is currently CEO of a real estate company in the metro NY area. Jon is the creator of AIM, a system that turns managers into execution machines and enables them to deliver radically reliable results. His fifth book, AIM, is available for purchase. In this episode, Jon walks through the Pyramid of Standards, a framework for defining what matters most in your business and making sure your team executes on it every day. He built it in the Gap outlet division after watching managers prioritize the wrong things while customers walked out the door. Key takeaways: The Pyramid of Standards creates a hierarchy of what matters most—foundation first, supplemental later. Observation beats assumption. Walk your jobsites and see the business through the customer's eyes before setting standards. Follow-up frequency is the difference between standards that stick and standards that slip. Be predictable and relentless. Great leaders adopt a white belt mentality—they stay learners and unlock answers in their team instead of dictating them. Consistency and habits drive long-term success, not heroics in the bottom of the ninth. Connect with Jon Dario: Website: https://jondario.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondario/ AIM Book: https://www.amazon.com/Aim-Managers-Radically-Reliable-Results/dp/1966786778/
- 2 weeks ago30 min
How Slowing Down at the Start Saves Time and Money on Complex Projects
Melissa Drew is the Founder and President of InSite BUILD, a construction management firm based on Maryland's Eastern Shore that specializes in complex state-procured projects. After 20 years with national contractors including Holder Construction and Gilbane, she started her own firm to bring big-project experience to a smaller, more relationship-driven model. In this episode, she shares how she manages complex projects, builds trust with contractors and owners, and leads a growing startup in a tight-knit market. Key Takeaways: Two extra weeks of planning at the start of a multi-year project can prevent months of rework Superintendents need permission to slow down. That permission has to come from leadership Trust is built in small moments, not just when the big problems hit Hiring for a startup construction firm means finding people who love the work, not just the structure When your team is full of introverts, pressure makes them go quiet. A leader's job is to keep the conversation going Connect with Melissa Drew: LinkedIn | insite-build.com
- 3 weeks ago50 min
The First 45 Minutes That Can Change Your Entire Project with Kyle Majchrowski
Every project team says they're going to communicate well. Then the project starts, and it falls apart. Why? Nobody stops to unpack what communication actually means for the people in the room. Kyle Majchrowski, author of Powerful Conversations and founder of Next Intent, has spent 20+ years on the owner side of construction and has facilitated hundreds of these conversations. He walks through the structured process that takes just 45 minutes and changes the way teams operate. Key takeaways: Trust means different things to different people. Kyle defines it as "the belief that others have your back when you're not in the room." The four cornerstones of trust (care, competence, sincerity, reliability) explain most of the tension you'll see on a project team. One question at kickoff can shift everything: "Do you naturally trust people, or do you expect them to earn it?" CliftonStrengths and Enneagram are worth your time. DISC oversimplifies. Great leaders move between team member, guide, and authority, sometimes within the same meeting. Connect with Kyle Majchrowski: Next Intent: https://www.nexintent.com Website: https://kylemajchrowski.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylemajchrowski
- 4 weeks ago35 min
How Pre-Con Mistakes Become Jobsite Rework — and What to Do About It with Scott Reynolds
A $1 mistake in pre-con becomes $10 on the jobsite and $100 after occupancy. That's the 1-10-100 rule — and it's why upstream coordination failures are the most expensive mistakes in construction. Scott Reynolds, co-founder and CEO of UpCodes, joins Eric to break down where compliance mistakes actually start, why the design-to-field handoff is still broken, and how AI-powered code compliance is helping teams catch problems before they pour concrete. Topics covered: the 1-10-100 rule of construction mistakes, AI guardrails for building code accuracy, QA/QC automation in pre-construction, the architect-to-GC handoff problem, code compliance on the jobsite, and what will be table stakes in five years. Connect with Scott and UpCodes: https://up.codes Connect with Eric: https://www.constructiongenius.com Get the Construction Genius Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DDJF3PTF
- May 12, 202626 min
Body Language Is a Leadership Skill
Your body language on the jobsite isn't just showing how you feel. It's shaping how you feel, how your team performs, and whether your project partners want to work with you again. In this solo episode, Eric breaks down the research behind body language and leadership — from the NFL to the Olympics to the construction jobsite. You'll learn the body-mind loop that deepens or reverses your emotional state under pressure, why the higher your status the more damage your negative body language inflicts, and the Big Three habits that protect your composure when it matters most. Key Takeaways: Your posture participates in creating your internal state — not just reflecting it When leaders visibly deflate, it ripples through every person who sees it Body language is a trainable skill, not a personality trait Book a 10-minute coaching call with Eric: https://10minutes.youcanbook.me
- May 5, 202648 min
Legacy Is Built in People, And Projects: 46 Years of Construction Leadership with Alton Tew
What does success look like to your best PM right now? Do you know? Alton Tew spent 46 years in construction — 25 of them building Samet Corporation's multifamily division into a $500 million operation that turned over 3,500 units a year. In this conversation, he shares the leadership principles that drove it: the 90-day check-in that keeps high-potential talent from leaving, how to stay calm when a job site goes sideways, and what his final year looked like as he handed off a 170-person division to the next generation. Simple ideas. Hard to execute. Essential to get right. 📖 Construction Genius: Get it on Amazon 🎓 The Shift: theshift.constructiongenius.com 📅 Work with Eric: 10minuteswitheric.youcanbook.me 🩸 Blood Cancer United: bloodcancerunited.org 🌐 Samet Corporation: sametcorp.com 💼 Alton on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alton-tew-aab3965a
- Apr 28, 202645 min
Flow State for Construction Leaders: Your Best Idea Is One Hour Away
What if the thing holding your construction company back isn't lack of effort — it's lack of deep thinking? In this episode, I sit down with Steven Puri, former EVP at DreamWorks, former VP at 20th Century Fox, and CEO of The Sukha Company — to talk about flow state: what it is, why the best leaders in the world use it, and how construction company owners can harness it to make better decisions and leapfrog the competition. Three things you'll walk away with: Why grinding harder creates linear growth — and deep thinking creates competitive leaps How to find your chronotype and build a flow state practice that actually fits your schedule The 'other movie' principle: why your best ideas come when you're working on something else Steven Puri is CEO of The Sukha Company, former EVP at DreamWorks, and former VP at 20th Century Fox. He speaks and consults on the neuroscience of peak performance for leaders across industries. 📚 Get Eric's book Construction Genius on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Construction-Genius-Effective-Hands-Leadership/dp/B0BHTRDY1T/ 🏗️ The Shift — Eric's leadership course for construction leaders: https://theshift.constructiongenius.com
About Construction Genius
Thomas Edison said, "Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration." This show interviews hard-working construction company owners and executives who share their wisdom, perspectives, and lessons learned from decades of experience bidding, planning, and building profitable projects. Topics include leadership, strategic planning, conflict resolution, niche identification, succession planning, talent management, business development, and business growth.Industry expert, Eric Anderton also shares his insights about how construction company owners can increase project profit by improving communication, running productive meetings, and attracting, developing, and retaining talented leaders. Tune in each week and get practical inspiration for how to build people, projects, and profits. "I know of no genius but the genius of hard work." John Ruskin
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