A couple of years ago, when Daniele came to me suggesting we switch from a monthly newsletter to a weekly blog, my first thought was, “fifty-plus articles per year.” Now coming into the close of the second year of a blog per week, sometimes written by me (with proofreading and editing from others), and sometimes from another industry with specific expertise, such as finance, we have easily been able to come up with topics. Each week, common challenges seem to repeat themselves. Some are specific to construction, and some are more generally-focused on careers or business.
Thank you for subscribing and sharing, and especially for your positive comments and encouragement to keep writing. In particular, I am very pleased to hear how the articles have aided in your career growth, or even just provided you with encouragement on a difficult day.
We have organized the articles from the past by category, Hiring, Interviewing, Finance/Accounting, Mentorship, Workplace Behaviors, Careers, Management, Holidays, and Miscellaneous.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year where your personal and career goals are achieved. Remember, “You see what you are looking for”, and if you ever need someone to encourage you, we are a phone call away, or, if you are in town, you may stop in and see us.
Enjoy the Holidays,
Suzanne and the FLCC Team!
The Human Resources Title
Building a Successful HR Department in the Construction Industry All too often, executives hiring for their companies or departments have blamed, shamed, or remained steadfast that their in-house Human Resources employee was why they lost a candidate to another […]
What Do You Think About Employment TRAPS?
A client of ours at FLCC suggested this blog topic. He, as all of us currently operating businesses are, finding skills-gap training a necessity with time and cost to acclimate employees at an all-time high and employee retention at […]
Relocation Time
Number nine on Indeed’s list of reasons to make a job change is relocation. This is an excellent reason, and many make the change because of it. Annually, on average, about twenty-five percent of the individuals, we work with, […]
Academy Graduates in Construction
Recently, a client of ours invited me to attend the Service Academy Career Conference (SACC) in Jacksonville, FL. The client assured me the academy graduates were not the average men and women who we are so thankful for, serving […]
Big Shoes to Fill
Do you personally know someone separated from a significant other who, when they start a new relationship, keeps talking about and referring to experiences with their ex? When a key employee resigns from a company, often the same thing […]
The Second Spouse Syndrome
“I worked for a small construction company and they had cash flow issues.” I never want to work for a small company again. “I worked for a big company and they didn’t care about their employees.” I never want […]
Career Matchmaking and Dating
As a Career Matchmaker I get many single professionals asking me if I can also introduce them to the right love match. There are many similarities with dating for long term relationship and dating for a career match. Although […]
Interpretation and the Follow-up Questions
Have you ever seen the lists that circulate social media asking how many items can you check off the list? The question asked is whether you have done or have never done each item on the list. Some of […]
Hiring Smart to Support Your Field Managers Who Directly Manage Working Foremen and Trades
This past year, more than years past, we’ve had more superintendents and field managers want to leave self-performing contracting firms for roles where the contractor subcontracts the trade labor. They state there is a shortage of qualified tradesmen and […]
The Cockpit, the Castle, and the Community – Why Someone’s Workspace Matters
The open concept floor plan for offices took off in the 1960s to help foster communication and collaboration in the workplace. Private office space has always been the most preferred by employees, although individuals will have different reasons for […]
Your Construction Management Resume—One Pager or Not?
How to Get Your Construction Management Resume Noticed by Hiring Managers Catching up on reviewing resumes this weekend from Construction Management professionals at various stages of their careers, I saw resumes on a single sheet and others that could […]
Construction Industry Job Market: Perception vs. Reality
A multitude of options seem to be available to construction management professionals in today’s workforce, which bolsters the notion that those seeking new employment are in the driver’s seat over employers trying to hire. Is this perception accurate? And […]
Interviews: Get Below The Surface
The experts that report construction labor statistics, such as Associated General Contractors (AGC), Construction Dive, and even the US Department of Labor, continually report the shortage of both trade and management labor in the construction industry. The numbers on […]
Interpretation and the Follow-up Questions
Have you ever seen the lists that circulate social media asking how many items can you check off the list? The question asked is whether you have done or have never done each item on the list. Some of […]
Hiring Smart to Support Your Field Managers Who Directly Manage Working Foremen and Trades
This past year, more than years past, we’ve had more superintendents and field managers want to leave self-performing contracting firms for roles where the contractor subcontracts the trade labor. They state there is a shortage of qualified tradesmen and […]
Humble Confidence at Any Stage in Your Career
This week we facilitated a class at FIU where we coached Construction Management and Engineering students on how to prepare their best selves when entering the workforce and taking the next step in their careers. Specifically we discussed ‘humble […]
The Cockpit, the Castle, and the Community – Why Someone’s Workspace Matters
The open concept floor plan for offices took off in the 1960s to help foster communication and collaboration in the workplace. Private office space has always been the most preferred by employees, although individuals will have different reasons for […]
Tips When Adopting a New Employee
In business, the formal term for the time following offer and acceptance of a job is called onboarding. Formally defined by Webster as “the action or process of integrating a new employee into an organization,” the reality is that […]
Getting Better at the Same Job
Over fifty percent of candidates with whom we connect tell us they are “looking for growth”. When we ask them what growth looks like, they often state titles. For example, a project engineer will state that in 2 years […]
Don’t Settle
One Spring Break from college, our daughter brought her boyfriend home to meet us. After spending a week together with all of us, she asked me, “What do you think of ___?” All I said was that he was […]
Time Off and Time Out
More than halfway through Indeed’s list of why people resign, and at number ten, is because you, the employee, feel conflicted about workplace policies. Indeed goes on to say that if your company’s policies for telecommuting, (which is the […]
Relocation Time
Number nine on Indeed’s list of reasons to make a job change is relocation. This is an excellent reason, and many make the change because of it. Annually, on average, about twenty-five percent of the individuals, we work with, […]
Happy and Effective Working
Number eight on Indeed’s list of why people change jobs is culture and workspace. Finding out where and how you will work is particularly important before you accept the offer of a new job. Why? Because your productivity will […]
The Reaction to Feedback and Structure
In Indeed’s list of the top reasons why people resign, number seven is needing more feedback or structure in the workplace. Indeed’s author explains that some individuals thrive in a more fluid work environment, while others need more structure. […]
Do You Feel Valued in the Workplace?
This week, we conducted reviews with several of my employees. It is always for me a balance of demonstrating my appreciation for their choosing to work for us and the discussion of how they are or aren’t meeting expectations. […]
Lost That Lovin’ Feeling
Moving to number three on the Indeed list of top reasons people leave their employers is “feeling uninspired.” The internet search for “uninspired” reveals, “If you describe something or someone as uninspired, you are criticizing them because they do not […]
More Money, Please
Last week we started a series of blogs to help you determine if it was time to make a career move. The list we are working from is from the Indeed career page titled “16 Reasons Employees Leave Their […]
Interviews: Get Below The Surface
The experts that report construction labor statistics, such as Associated General Contractors (AGC), Construction Dive, and even the US Department of Labor, continually report the shortage of both trade and management labor in the construction industry. The numbers on […]
Academy Graduates in Construction
Recently, a client of ours invited me to attend the Service Academy Career Conference (SACC) in Jacksonville, FL. The client assured me the academy graduates were not the average men and women who we are so thankful for, serving […]
Big Shoes to Fill
Do you personally know someone separated from a significant other who, when they start a new relationship, keeps talking about and referring to experiences with their ex? When a key employee resigns from a company, often the same thing […]
Time to Stay and Time to Go
The Importance of Timing in Construction Management This month, I traveled up north to be with my extended family as we mourned the young life we lost. Not even a quarter of a century on this Earth, he was […]
The Super Superintendent
Qualities of a Successful Construction Superintendent “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” was a phrase coined by Benjamin Franklin long before the “Superintendent” title existed. The advice presented in this axiom is certainly […]
Aware to Care
The first week of May marks National Construction Safety Week—a week to recommit your awareness to doing your part for a safe jobsite. Both workers and companies commit to building a strong safety culture and learn why it is […]
Are You Lonely?
We rarely think of the workplace as a lonely place. Yet feelings of loneliness can occur at any time, wherever we are in our careers. Workplace surveys often confirm the executive adage “It’s lonely at the top,” and the […]
Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder
Have you ever met a couple that is together and wondered why? The term “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” literally means that the perception of beauty is subjective. You or I can have differing opinions on what […]
What Might Look Different
Taking our Christmas tree down this year—because if we didn’t, it might fall itself from being surely past its time—we both commented on how much we enjoyed it this year. That was immediately followed in unison by how we […]
Taking a Step Back
Sitting outside, doing some work on my laptop, I looked up to see a cable hanging down on the outside of the house. When inquiring into what it was, I discovered the contractors working on the outside of our […]
Fact and Opinion in the Workplace
One of my former coaches reposted a banner that said, “A fact is information minus emotion. An opinion is information plus experience. Ignorance is an opinion lacking information. And stupidity is an opinion that ignores a fact.” The last […]
What is “Imposter Syndrome”?
Recently I saw a post from a long-time, former employee who pursued a new career with a comment referring to imposter syndrome. This was not a term I had heard of before so decided to research it. According to […]
Born Free – Creating Workplace Independence
In honor of Independence Day, we are skipping to number 15 on Indeed’s list of why employees leave their jobs which is “wanting more independence.” The article explains that “Some managers use micromanaging as a way to keep track […]
Did You Get Your Money Yet?
How to File for Employee Retention Credit in the Construction Industry Over a year ago, the CEO of a contracting firm we do business with and I were discussing the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). He mentioned he filed through […]
Construction Accounts Payable – More than the Bottom Line
Depending on the size of a firm in the construction industry, the accounts payable job may be a stand-alone role, or it may fall under the responsibilities of an Accounting Manager, Controller, Office Management or even the owner of a small […]
Employers – ERC Deadline is March 2023
Many of us employers were fortunate to have the PPP assistance during Covid to help us sustain our businesses through all the uncertainty from the pandemic. Now make sure to see if you qualify for the Employee Retention Credit […]
Financial Security In the Workplace
Indeed lists the 14th reason for people changing jobs as a person who is seeking a more financially secure company. They elaborate this statement with “Things like budget cuts and limited resources can be challenging to work with. As […]
More Money, Please
Last week we started a series of blogs to help you determine if it was time to make a career move. The list we are working from is from the Indeed career page titled “16 Reasons Employees Leave Their […]
Effects Spending Habits Have on Your Career
We turned the calendar to November, officially ushering in the holiday season. This is frequently the time of year many in the workplace are in the celebration way, using remaining PTO, maybe looking forward to a bonus, and, as […]
A Seller’s Market
The brokers at the West Palm Beach boat show this year spoke of a lack of inventory—and yet, thousands of boats are still on the market. At car dealerships, one hears that inventory is low due to manufacturing shutdowns […]
2021 Florida Construction Industry Compensation- Vertical Building
Job Seekers: If you are considering a new job look at the total compensation package; challenge, growth and stability of the position. In addition, the track record of the employer should be evaluated. Compare where you would be in […]
Compare Your Similarities to Better Define Your Differentiators
Construction is a unique yet truly diversified industry, because no two companies can be exactly the same. Though companies compete in the same market segments with one another, the make-up of leadership, staff and the overall business model will […]
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness FAQ
Dear FLCC Subscribers, According to SBA.gov, 466,221 construction-related firms received a total of $64,568,137,994 in Paycheck Protection Program loans representing 12.38% of the overall loan program. For the most part, we have heard companies using their PPP monies responsibly. […]
“More, Better” Management Attention, Please
Indeed’s number five reason people leave their jobs is to seek a better management relationship. Indeed states, “If you feel like you need a more supportive manager or supervisor, it may be time to look for a company that […]
Do You Feel Valued in the Workplace?
This week, we conducted reviews with several of my employees. It is always for me a balance of demonstrating my appreciation for their choosing to work for us and the discussion of how they are or aren’t meeting expectations. […]
Promoting Construction Trade and Management Careers (part 1 of 2)
Our Governor here in Florida announced this year that he is granting $89 million toward training, and $10 million would be awarded to state colleges and universities to create career and technical education charter schools. DeSantis said the charter […]
Workplace Love Language
Thinking back about a day my assistant’s children spent with us at FLCC doing virtual school because of construction underway at their home. At one point during the day, I looked out from my office to see her little […]
The Balance of Power in the Workplace
Who is more important in the workplace, employer or employee? Established business owners know you can’t grow and sustain a business without the right human capital. Human capital refers to the stock of knowledge, talent, skills, and abilities brought […]
Gentle Workplace Management
Being the dominant personality I am, I grew up hearing the words “be gentle” quite often, but I never interpreted it to do with character. It was more when handling things such as small chicks or ornaments for the […]
The CEO/President and the COO/Operations Relationship
My CEO coach was explaining the organizational chart, stating to me “you work through your leadership team, and you guide them to confide in one another: “complain up” if they don’t have something good to say about the boss, […]
I Like Working Remote
In March 2020, with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, everyone was facing new challenges. Employers in particular had to find a satisfactory way in which to navigate the situation, as personnel with school-age children, high risk health problems, […]
Heads Up
I appreciate that my husband and I apprise each other when we have meetings or travel that alters our usual schedule or upcoming plans. This same courtesy is something that should also be implemented in the workplace. Forwardly communicating […]
Seventy-Five Percent by 2025
At a recent Work of Leaders workshop session, a client asked us to set aside time to discuss improving communication with the younger generation. I asked my daughter Samantha if she would take the lead to co-facilitate this segment […]
New Year Prospective and Perspective
This is the time of year many of us are looking back at last year long enough to look at adjustments in the new year with the intention of more favorable results. Recapping helps us gain perspective on what […]
Part 2: Promoting Construction Trade and Management Careers
Several years back, I was asked to co-facilitate a lunch group of wives married to successful men in the construction industry. These ladies had never worked in the industry themselves. About half of them had careers outside of raising […]
Seventy-Five Percent by 2025
At a recent Work of Leaders workshop session, a client asked us to set aside time to discuss improving communication with the younger generation. I asked my daughter Samantha if she would take the lead to co-facilitate this segment […]
Construction Management Career Jumpstart
Just as the battery in your car may need a jump start from time to time, each of us might need a jumpstart in our careers to aid our ability to move forward. The first time someone needs support […]
2021- What a Year!
That isn’t a typo. You either glanced at this with anticipation to what you will be thankful for when 2021 comes to a close with a glass half-full, or you read it and saw a glass half empty, with […]
Looking Beyond Your Nose
This is that time of year when the lights shine bright. One of our family traditions is to set up a display of the Rudolph figurines. Last year we finally added Bumble to the set when a friend of […]
Would You Give Four Hours a Month?
My husband and I often reminisce about our many mentors—formal and informal—who have shaped our careers by being a sounding board, educating us on the nuances of the industry, and guiding us to the right people to answer our […]
Coaching for Communications
Coaching helps highly functional people (teams of people) get to the next level so they can have a more meaningful and satisfying life (work environment). Working with my own leadership team recently at FLCC and in conjunction with the […]
Create A Culture of CARE with the help of AGC
Associated General Contractors of America has launched a website called The Culture of CARE—buildculture.org. The Culture of CARE is challenging leaders to take a bold and visible step toward ensuring their workplaces are welcoming, safe, and inclusive for an […]
A Decade to Remember: Past and Future
2020 is here! Most people in the construction industry don’t want to look back a decade to 2010. The recession was in full swing, opportunities were limited to certain project types, and companies of all sizes were competing for […]
Your Workplace Views of Thanksgiving
Navigating Workplace Diversity during Thanksgiving Celebrations Growing up in New England, not only from my father, a US History teacher in his first career, but annually in school, we studied the founding fathers of the United States and the […]
Memorial Day – Not Just a Day Off From Work
Remembering the True Meaning of Memorial Day Growing up in the northeast, Memorial Day weekend represented for me a day of accompanying my parents and grandmothers to the cemeteries to remember and plant flowers around the headstones of loved […]
Gifting Toward Your Career This Holiday Season
This month I posted on LinkedIn the start of the next semester of online classes for AGC. Every day in the construction workplace is an opportunity to learn on the job, which is one of the many reasons construction […]
Holiday Traditions and the Workplace
Do you have traditions you repeat at holiday time, every year, outside the workplace? Have you ever thought about how the experiences attached to those traditions could benefit your perspective in the workplace? Consciously or unconsciously, they can and […]
Workplace Love Language
Thinking back about a day my assistant’s children spent with us at FLCC doing virtual school because of construction underway at their home. At one point during the day, I looked out from my office to see her little […]
Be My Valentine?
Remember the first grade Valentine’s day parties? It was required you bring a card for everyone in the class. Even at that formative age, giving a valentine to someone that might not be so sweet stirred emotions, as did […]
A Big Career Step in the New Year
Reflecting back and setting goals for 2022 included, for me, assessing the matches we made this year. Thankfully we had very few matches that didn’t work out. The “fall-offs,” as we call them, do, though, all have a common […]
Initial Perceptions in the Workplace
America celebrates the Fourth of July every year to commemorate the end of the Revolutionary War, our country’s freedom from Great Britain, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. According to History.com, “When the initial battles in the […]
Soldier Strong
For Americans, Memorial Day should mean much more than a holiday off from work. If it doesn’t, I encourage you to attend an event like I did recently to listen to testimonies from those who have fought and continue […]
The Building of Saint Patrick’s Cathedrals, New York
Recently, while watching the preemptory to the new movie about the life of St. Patrick entitled “I Am Patrick”, I remembered there are two St. Patrick Cathedrals in New York City. The original, formally called The Basilica of St. […]
What Might Look Different
Taking our Christmas tree down this year—because if we didn’t, it might fall itself from being surely past its time—we both commented on how much we enjoyed it this year. That was immediately followed in unison by how we […]
Grieve to Achieve
A few years back was a particularly tough year for me losing four close family members, including my dad. Most people associate grieving strictly with death. On the contrary, death just tops the list of the many life events […]
Be My Valentine?
Remember the first grade Valentine’s day parties? It was required you bring a card for everyone in the class. Even at that formative age, giving a valentine to someone that might not be so sweet stirred emotions, as did […]
With or Without COVID-19: Healthy Construction Workplace Behavior Supports Positive Outcomes
Our Career Coaches converse with people from the construction industry on a daily basis—from college age to retirement age, and from management to administrative and accounting roles. Companies are challenged to demonstrate compassion about circumstances related COVID-19, which is […]
Fatherhood Qualities In the Workplace
Recently I was listening to a news segment entitled “The Family Behind Father’s Day”.From it I learned that although Father’s Day was first celebrated in 1910, it did not become a national holiday until 1972. Sonora Smart Dodd, who […]
Soldier Strong
For Americans, Memorial Day should mean much more than a holiday off from work. If it doesn’t, I encourage you to attend an event like I did recently to listen to testimonies from those who have fought and continue […]
Construction Appreciation Week
Twenty-five years ago, I wrote the construction love poem. At the time, I had moved out of the field and began helping construction executives and construction professionals connect together for the right career match. I remember listening to the […]
Idioms and Slang – Workplace Commonality or Confusion?
Recently one of my employees, a naturalized citizen with English as a well–mastered second language commented on the different idioms I use to ensure he correctly understood their meaning. Growing up in New England in the ‘70s and ‘80s, idioms were utilized often in my family, so it is no […]
Elections – Does Your Vote Count?
Not a day goes by in 2020 where both critics and supporters of our current US President seem to be ubiquitous. Listening to all the arguments can really mess with people’s minds, causing many to become so disgusted that […]
Main, Satellite and Jobsite – The Office Cleanliness Practice
COVID or no COVID, your office needs to maintain order and cleanliness to function properly and make the appropriate good impressions. Several decades ago, Chicago Tribune columnist Ann Landers publicized Miriam Hamilton Keare’s Golden Rules for Living. The rules […]
