You are giving a presentation. Your computer locks and you feel the sweat trickle on your brow as you hit, CTRL-ALT-DEL. Today’s post talks about how you can recover….
Continue Reading Speakers, What To Do When Your Computer Locks During Your Presentation
Today is the Tomorrow that You Worried About Yesterday
I write this post from a hospital bedside. My wife has been through a whirlwind of surgeries the past week and we are still adjusting to some complications.
As we sat talking last night, my wife reminded me of a recent fortune cookie: "Today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday." With some
Why You Should Let Your Kids Play on New Asphalt
Last week, I came home to a fresh layer of asphalt throughout our development. Smooth. Warm. Black. It looked great! Then my kids … 5 out of 6 of them … pulled out the chalk and began destroying this perfect surface.
Since their daddy represents road builders, they even created their own lanes of traffic.
Surviving Your First Ten Years As a Lawyer (or Contractor or Executive)
I realize that many different types of people read this blog: contractors, architects, consultants, homeowners, lawyers … and the list goes on. Despite our differences in vocation or industry, I think we all have a few things in common: (1) we all will face adversity in our lives; (2) we all have desire to be better
From Streets to Stardom: The Role of Urgency in Your Construction Business Development
If you’ve read a newspaper, scrolled through a blog, or watched the television over the past 48 hours, you should know about the miracle story of Ted Williams. Dubbed "the homeless man with a velvety voice," Williams was discovered on the streets of Ohio looking for work. Already he has received some lucrative
Lead from the Center: Lessons from Tennessee’s Outgoing Governor Phil Bredesen
Earlier today, outgoing Governor Phil Bredesen spoke at the final 2010 membership lunch of the Exchange Club of Nashville. Bredesen addressed numerous successes over the past eight years as governor, including conservation efforts to set aside 350,000 acres of land in Tennessee, economic development opportunities such as landing a new Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga
Why You Should Speak Outside Your Zones of Geography and Comfortability
As I blogged on Wednesday, I am speaking at two state construction law conferences in other jurisdictions this week: Texas and North Carolina. Three different people asked me why I would speak to other lawyer groups who practice in other states. Good question!
Here are a few reasons for stepping up to the mic in
Colin Reed: Leadership Lessons from Nashville’s Flood Recovery
Last week, I attended the Nashville Chamber of Commerce CEO Speaker Series featuring Colin Reed, Chairman and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment. Reed is a very good speaker and he spent the morning with an audience of 200 sharing some lessons he learned following the flood in Nashville in May 2010. If you have not seen the
Five Tips to Plan for Time Away from the Office
Many of you know that I was out of the office last week as my wife and I welcomed our sixth child into the world. Mia Hadley DeVries was born on June 29, 2010, weighing in at 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and 19.5 inches long. Yes, I just said that we have six children!!!
From Chickens to Contractors: Leadership Lessons from Chick-Fil-A’s Leadercast
Last week I attended Chick-Fil-A’s Leadercast, which included some of today’s greatest leaders such as Tony Dungy, John Maxwell, Ed Bastien and Dr. Ben Carson. The Leadercast is about developing leaders at all levels, positions and stages.
Whether you are working with 1000s of employees, 100s of clients, 10 project managers, or