Building Success from Challenges

There is a transformation taking place throughout the construction industry. In the marketplace, there is uncertainty, so there is a need for companies to have digital agility. Technological innovations can help give clarity of information, and uncertainty can be dissolved through that clarity.

If your business has survived the challenges of 2020, you realize that allowing yourself to become stagnant in this business environment is tantamount to sliding backward. We have all been through varying degrees of suffering this year, and no one likes to suffer. But suffering does enable you to focus on what is really important to you.

Once your priorities are clear to you, you can build on that clarity. Forward thinking companies know that they need to continually be striving for the next level in business. In that pursuit, you need to focus on excellence and greatness. You’ve got to plan to persist if you want to achieve important goals.

Look for new benchmarks for your company. Don’t hesitate to raise the bar so you are continually challenging your teams and yourself. This is an opportunity to prove your grit and determination. If you are going to win at the game of life, you’ve got to toughen up

Besides grit, you need to persist as you work toward that next level of business. As has been said in various ways, half the work required for success is just showing up. That applies whether it’s for your company, job, friends, or family.

In a business context, failure has had negative connotations for a very long time. Yet the reality is that failure sets you up for future success. Lessons learned from mistakes become a solid foundation for a successful company. At the very least, they show you what not to do next time. When you are in the midst of a failure, that’s certainly no time to quit. Instead, the most savvy thing you can do is try again until you get it right.

One stepping stone toward striving for that higher level in your business is good leadership. Evaluate your leadership, including yourself. An important component of business success is making sure your leaders know you care about them. You’ve got to model the behavior you expect from them, and then hold them to high standards. Likewise, your leaders must model that same attitude toward the rest of the employees.

Another stepping stone is communication. Open communication is another way to allay uncertainty. Communicate clearly with others in your company about what’s happening, including:

·        The mission.

·        Things that are generating excitement.

·        The company’s goals.

·        Activities of each team.

As we segue into 2021, take advantage of opportunities that have come about during the past year. Don’t just get back on track . . . lay down new track.