We’re All Given a Name

And He Shall Be Called…

What’s in a name? This is a question that is often not given much thought. I know I haven’t given much thought to what my first name means or why I was named Mark. I just know who I am.

However, my middle name is Eugene which was my dad’s middle name. This name I’ve thought about. I am proud of this name. It’s also who I am. I’ve shared this name with my oldest son.

The reasons names are given to people by parents are all over the map. There are family names. People named after singers, actors, characters in movies, TV shows or books. Or maybe they are just a clever “play on word” name. Some of them make me scratch my head, “What were these parents thinking?”

I’ve known people, for whatever reason, didn’t like their names.

How do you feel about your name?

Are you living out who you were named to be?

In the Bible we find people named for a variety of reasons. Many of these were significant.

For example:

  • Moses means drawn from the water, son, deliverer – this is a pretty accurate description of who he was and who he became.
  • Abraham means father of a multitude – it started as Abram which just means father until God changed it to Abraham.
  • Jacob means grasping the heal – which is what happened when he was born. It also means deceiver, underminer and sneaky. All of which he was.
  • Benjamin was originally named Benoni by his dying mother which means son of my trouble or sorrow. After his mother died, Jacob changed it to Benjamin which means son of my right hand. This second name seems to be a more positive name.

Isaiah tells us that God named his first son Shear-jashub – a remnant will return (Isaiah 7:3). This was looking to the future and what they could expect in the future. God gave Isaiah’s second son the name Maher-shalal-hash-baz – swift to plunder and quick to carry away (Isaiah 8:1-4). This is what they could expect first.

Isaiah followed up with a message of hope in chapter 9 verses 2-7. He tells them about the Messiah. That darkness and despair will not last forever.

He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

These names mean – there will be restoration, going back to the way things were in the beginning.

Names mean something.

In Exodus 3, Moses encounters the burning bush. When he goes to take a closer look, God called to him. Moses answered, “Here I am.”

I don’t know about you, but if a burning bush called my name…I’m not sure that I wouldn’t have turned and run.

But Moses stayed and it’s good that he did.

God went on to say, I am the God of your father – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:6) God went on to tell Moses to go rescue the Israelites from the Egyptians. But Moses protested and said, “Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

God told Moses that He would be with him. Moses still pushed back and didn’t feel that he could do this.

Don’t we all feel like this when God calls us to do something that we feel uncomfortable doing.

Moses asked God, if I tell the people that the God of their ancestors has sent me, they will ask, “What is his name? Then what am I to tell them?”

God replied to Moses, “I Am who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.”

This name says it all. It tells us who God is and who He will always be.

What Should Be Done First?

It’s Amazing How Clear Things Become With Limited Time

There are so many things trying to get on the “to do” list and each one is competing for the top position. Deciding which one should get the number one spot is tough. There are so many important things that we need or want to do.

The past few weeks have been crazy trying to keep up. You might have gathered that from last week’s post about the runaway train.

It’s easy to say that we have limited time, but it’s hard to schedule that way.

Several years ago, I had a computer with a battery that was not lasting as long as it had when it was new. One day while working out of the office, without the power cord, I had 2-3 things that I needed to get done before the computer shut down.

This limited time forced me to sort and prioritize.

How do we decide what to say yes to?

Emergency situations often require triage. This is the process of prioritizing patients’ treatments based on the severity of their condition and the resources available. In these situations, victims are divided into three categories:

  • Those who are likely to live, regardless of what care they receive.
  • Those who are unlikely to live, regardless of what care they receive.
  • Those for whom immediate care might make a positive difference in outcome.

These choices aren’t easy and often require a quick “gut decision”. A pre-determined system, training, and experience aid in the process. This provides for the greatest number of survivors.

Another life and death choice is deciding who gets a transplant when there are a limited number of organ donations available. Take for example a set of twins who both need a liver transplant, and their father has only one to give.

Which little girl gets it?

The early thoughts of a father would be to give half to each. The problem with this is that half would help neither. The final decision will be determined by which one needs it most or which one is most likely to survive.

Most of the choices that we make in business aren’t this critical…or are they? Decisions we make can mean life or death for our business.

In medical life or death situations, there is a system and plan in place beforehand. This same type of system should be implemented in our business. We should predetermine how we are going to choose the most important thing for the life of our business. This is where things get hard.

What should be the highest priority? Should it be production or proposals, record keeping or customer service, marketing or staff? We’re faced with tough decisions in business every day.

What makes one thing more important than another?

I can’t answer this question for you. Are you tired of struggling with this dilemma? Having the right business BUILDing tools and training can help you be better prepared for business “triage”.

If you would like to give your business a better chance of survival, schedule a free 30-minute coaching call.

This is a revision of a previous post on Nov. 3, 2019.

Instructions Lead to a Better Outcome

Three Marys and a Martha

The Bible is full of strong, brave, wise women. These include names like Esther, Ruth, Mary, Martha, and Hannah.

Women were typically looked down upon by society in the first century.

In the Jewish world in the 1st century, women were little more than servants. Many Jewish men prayed each morning, “God, I thank you that I am not a Gentile, slave, or a woman.”

In Greek society, the woman’s situation was even worse. Because concubines were common, a wife’s role was simply to bear legitimate children and to keep house.

In Roman society, things were worse still. Marriage was little more than legalized prostitution. Many women did not want to have children because it ruined their bodies.

Reflecting on these three situations shows that women were treated terribly. Men used their social privilege for their own advantage.

Jesus treated women differently.

This is one reasons He received so much push back. He was doing things differently than what was normal at the time.

Look at how the people treated the woman who poured the perfume on Jesus. Jesus told them to leave her alone. What she did was a good thing.

Let’s look at three Mary’s and a Martha.

The first Mary is Jesus’ mother. Consider for a moment what Mary would have endured in that time. She became pregnant before she was married. This would have caused her life to be turned upside down. Even so, she was faithful to the instructions she received from the angel.

Next is Mary Magdalene. She was one of many women who were following Jesus. She had been healed and had seven demons removed. Can you imagine how she was treated, being processed by evil spirits? Jesus changed her life, and she was following Him. These women were sharing the instructions of Jesus.

Lastly is Mary and Martha. These two women are an example of how important it is to focus on the right thing. Martha was caught up in being a good host. Being a good host isn’t bad if it doesn’t become our focus. Mary was focused on Jesus.

Instructions

Like Martha, we’re all presented with instructions.

We’re all aware of situations where someone is attempting to put together a Christmas gift and neglects to read the instructions. More times than not, this doesn’t turn out well.

Why is it that we think we know better? We don’t need any instructions. We’ve can figure this out on our own.

As we were talking about this in Sunday School, I realized something: this is just like people who know about the Bible and don’t read it. We think we have life all figured out and don’t need anybody or anything telling us how to live.

Just like the Christmas present that falls apart, the same thing will happen to our lives.

The Bible is the instructions for building our lives the way they were made to be built.

It’s up to each of us to read those instructions.

Riding on a Runaway Train

Getting Control of Your Busy Life

For years I’ve used the example of a runaway train as a comparison to my busy, on-the-go, overscheduled, out-of-control life. It’s like I am riding on a speeding train of which I’m supposed to be in control.

The problem is, instead of being seated comfortably in the engine car at the front, I am barely hanging onto the ladder on the back of the caboose, trying to not fall off. The train keeps speeding along, with no way for me to get control from the caboose.

I start pulling my way forward, one train car at a time. First through one, then another, then even a third. Look at me, I’m making some real progress here. It won’t be long now and I will have this train back under control.

Then—wouldn’t you know it—the train hits a bump. I lose my grip and catch the caboose as it goes by. Now I get to start clawing my way back toward the front all over again.

How am I ever going to get this crazy train called life under control?

Runaway train

If you’ve ever felt like this, then here are some ideas that might help:

            Have a plan – This is where gaining control starts. How are you going to make it to the engine? The key is to not quit. Don’t ever let go of your train unless you’re dead. As long as you are still alive, you can do something about your situation. You need to be intentional about how you want your train to operate.

            Review the past – Look back at what has worked and what hasn’t. What was it that caused you to lose your grip from the train? Determining this will help you to know how to hold on as you move forward next time.

            Find your purpose – God has given each of us specific talents that fit who we are created to be. It is up to us to find out what they are and put them to good use. This determines who we are and what kind of train we have. Is it a freight train? A passenger train? Or maybe something different?

            Don’t overload your train – Once you have determined what kind of train you’re on, you can decide what kind of cars it should have. Most likely there are some that will need to be disconnected and left behind. Overloading your train is a very common problem. Most of us think we have a ‘super train’ that can pull as many cars as we hook onto it. It’s okay if we don’t pull them all. They might fit in someone else’s train better or are just a waste of good fuel. Who knows, maybe you will need to add some different cars. The important thing is to know how many are too many and which ones don’t belong.

            Get help from other trains – Sometimes when our trains are overloaded there are others that can help us with our load. Maybe they can give us a push, a pull, or take some of our cars. It’s okay to get help. Our train isn’t the only one. If we get our load right, then we are better prepared to help other trains when they need help.

In this world, there is no such thing as a perfect train. We will never have complete control or a ride without any bumps. What is important is to not give up or quit. Keep working to make your train better. Be aware and understand what your train should be.

Work every day to make your train the best train it can be and remember, ENJOY THE RIDE!

This post is reworked from my previous post on June 16, 2016.

Where Does Our Arrogance Come From?

It Comes from Our Humanity

The ability as humans to think and plan sets us apart. The tendency is to assume we have everything all figured out. This power of choice that we’ve been given can lead to arrogance.

The further we get from God, the more arrogant we become.

In chapter seven of Isaiah, King Ahaz of Judah is freaking out that they are going to be attacked by Isreal with the help of Syria. God told Isaiah to go to King Ahaz and tell him to stop worrying. The Lord promised that this wasn’t going to happen.

He said, “But, if you don’t trust me, you will be defeated.”

King Ahaz was afraid to test God. Then Isaiah said, “Listen, every one of you in the royal family of David. You have already tried my patience. Now you are trying God’s patience by refusing to ask for proof. But the Lord will still give you proof. A virgin is pregnant; she will have a son and will name him Immanuel. Even before the boy is old enough to know how to choose between right and wrong, he will eat yogurt and honey, and the countries of the two kings you fear will be destroyed. But the Lord will make more trouble for your people and your kingdom than any of you have known since Israel broke away from Judah. He will even bring the king of Assyria to attack you.” (Isaiah 7:1-17)

We see humanity’s arrogance throughout the Bible. It started in the Garden of Eden and continues today. We are given free will and we abuse it. Then we beg for forgiveness. We do better for a little while and then…we abuse it again.

We get cocky and think we know what’s best.

Just like King Ahaz was given the opportunity to trust God, we are given this opportunity. This is why God sent His Son to earth. To pay for our mistakes. But we must choose to trust God. This makes us feel like we’re giving up control and we don’t like giving up control.

It doesn’t have to be one or the other.

It’s about making the right choice.

Just like the virgin birth of Jesus was a miracle…so is our ability to be who we are intended to be even if we choose to follow Jesus.

God can do anything…He is God. The supernatural is natural to God.

Our humanity comes from God, it’s up to us to remember this and not become arrogant, thinking we’re more than we are.

I Want To Be More Accountable

How Can I Do This?

As it seems to happen fairly regularly, the business mastermind that I’m a part of discussed accountability. This topic came up regarding things we need to accomplish in the last quarter of this year to be prepared to reach our 2025 goals.

Accountability is not a new topic for me to discuss. Back in June of 2021, I wrote about how being accountable is up to me. This post was also generated from that same mastermind.

Accountability is a hard thing to do.

Being accountable is taking responsibility for what you do or have done. Accountability is the quality of being accountable.

In the previous post, there were some examples of some subcontractors taking responsibility for problems and doing the right thing.

A couple more cases have come up just this past week.

One of my subs had an employee drill some holes through floor joists that they weren’t supposed to drill. The owner of the company is going to install some supports that are code approved. This is accountability!

The other situation was a breaker that tripped. This led to the food in the customer’s refrigerator going bad. The electrician offered to pay for the food, even though they weren’t sure if they were responsible for tripping it. This is accountability!

Being Accountable, take 100% accountability

Being accountable is good business.

Why do we avoid doing things we know we should do?

For me, there are a few different reasons, all of which are within my control.

There’s fear – being afraid that we’re going to fail, afraid we aren’t good enough, or afraid it’ll cost too much.

What about busy – I don’t have time to do that, it takes too long, and I already have too many other things to do.

Don’t forget uncertainty – I don’t know how to do that thing and it’s going to require me to learn something new.

I previously wrote about filtering my life using my core values. One of those is being accountable.

Ultimately, accountability is up to me. It is a choice.

One of the struggles with accountability is trying to do too many things. Overpromising and underdelivering is not very accountable. Scheduling better will help.

Five things that will help with scheduling:

  1. Find the balance of accuracy and urgency – This is a big struggle that I have when scheduling. I know that I’m deadline-oriented. If I allow two hours to do something it will most likely take twice that long. If I allow four hours, it reduces the level of urgency, and I will procrastinate. Something else will take its place. I’ve figured out that if I schedule myself short on time, I focus better, and the increased urgency will get it done faster. Figuring out your balance of accuracy and urgency can be tricky, but is critical.
  2. Give as much importance to my schedule with myself as to others – When I put things on the calendar that are for myself, I tend to be more lenient. This is different than when I have a meeting scheduled with someone else. If I am going to honor God and others, I need to also honor myself. This is hard for me but is one of those areas where I need to be more accountable. If I hope to spend my time efficiently, I need to be realistic when scheduling with myself and honor it.
  3. Stop trying to do too many things – But there are so many important things that need to be done. If I don’t do them, they won’t get done or they won’t be done right. This tendency of trying to do too many things has always been a characteristic that I have been proud of. This is what movers and shakers do, right? Being a micro-manager doesn’t help either. There are just too many pieces to put together by myself.  I need some clarity of focus on what my time is best spent on and to stop trying to do everything if I want to be the best steward of my time.
  4. Take into account the number of things out of my control – The bigger the project being scheduled, the more things there are to schedule. One small delay can have a snowball effect by pushing things farther and farther back. There needs to be some margin scheduled in to cover these delays. The important thing is to not let the margins become areas of wasted time. It is critical to communicate clearly to those involved the importance of being on schedule. I use two different schedules with projects. One with the customer and one with the subcontractors.
  5. Plan for unforeseen things that interrupt the plan – There are always things that can’t be planned for. It doesn’t matter how well you plan, if something breaks down or there’s an accident, the priority and focus can change quickly. This is out of my control. The difference between this point and the previous one is in the frequency and the level of disruption. We can only plan for these things to a certain point. It is more about being aware that it can happen and being ready to deal with it the best we can when it does. This is flexible rigidity.

Being accountable is being aware of these things. Understanding them. Taking intentional action to do something about it. And continually learning.

As a construction contractor adding coaching and consulting to my list, it seems that construction projects are more important than coaching and consulting…or is it?

The question is, how many more people would benefit from construction companies knowing how to do business?

Being accountable is up to me. Ultimately, it comes down to this…

I’m accountable to God.

What am I going to do about it?

What’s the Purpose You’ve Been Called To?

Here I Am Lord, Send Me

Pastor Lisa is preaching a series on the prophets. This week’s prophet was Isaiah. As is the case with most prophets…the people hearing the message weren’t very receptive.

We don’t like it when someone tells us what we’re doing is wrong.

We like to think we have it all figured out. This is how it was for the people of Judah and Jerusalem when Isaiah shared God’s message with them. He was telling them to change their ways or there was going to be price to pay.

The Bible is full of people being made aware of their mistakes. It’s also full of examples of what happens when the warnings are ignored.

In this week’s Scripture, Isaiah 6:1-8, we hear about Isaiah’s vison of the Lord sitting on His throne. There were six winged creatures flying over Him covering themselves with four of these wings. They were calling out,

“Holy, holy, holy,
    Lord All-Powerful!
The earth is filled
    with your glory.”

As Isaiah witnessed this, he realized how unworthy he was. Then he cried out, “I’m doomed! Everything I say is sinful, and so are the words of everyone around me. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord All-Powerful.”

purpose

Then one of the creatures took a burning coal from the alter and touched Isaiah’s lips and said, “Your sins are forgiven, and you are no longer guilty.”

The Lord asked, “Is there anyone who I can send? Will someone speak for us?

Isaiah answered, “Here I am Lord, send me.”

We need to be willing to do what we’ve been called to do.

This doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. It’s a more difficult road for some than others.

This is the case of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She is a Somali-born Dutch-American writer, activist, and former politician.

She is a critic of Islam and advocate for the rights and self-determination of Muslim women. At the age of five, following local traditions in Somalia, Ali underwent female mutilation organized by her grandmother.

She received political asylum in the Netherlands, gaining Dutch citizenship. In her early 30s, Ali renounced the Islamic faith of her childhood and began identifying as an atheist.

In 2003, Ali was elected to the lower house of the States General of the Netherlands. While serving in parliament, she collaborated on a short film titled Submission, which critiqued and depicted the oppression of women under Islamic law.

This led to death threats after the film’s release. At this time, she became more outspoken as a critic of the Islamic faith. Her outspoken criticism of Islam made her a controversial figure in Dutch politics. Following a political crisis related to the validity of her Dutch citizenship, she left Parliament and ultimately the Netherlands.

Moving to the United States, Ali established herself as a writer, activist, and public intellectual. Ali founded an organization for the defense of women’s rights—the AHA Foundation.

Ali was a central figure in New Atheism. She was strongly associated with the movement, along with Christopher Hitchens.

Writing in a column in November 2023, Ali announced her conversion to the Christian faith. In this article she claimed that in her view the Judeo-Christian tradition is the only answer to the problems of the modern world.

So, what changed? Why does she call herself a Christian now?

“Part of the answer is global. Western civilization is under threat from three different but related forces.

We endeavor to fend off these threats with modern, secular tools: military, economic, diplomatic, and technological efforts to defeat, bribe, persuade, appease, or surveil. And yet, with every round of conflict, we find ourselves losing ground.

But we can’t fight off these formidable forces unless we can answer the question: What is it that unites us? The only credible answer, I believe, lies in our desire to uphold the legacy of the Judeo-Christian tradition.

That legacy consists of an elaborate set of ideas and institutions designed to safeguard human life, freedom, and dignity—finding their roots in Christianity.

And so, I have come to realize that my atheist friends failed to see the wood for the trees. The wood is the civilization built on the Judeo-Christian tradition; it is the story of the West.

Yet I would not be truthful if I attributed my embrace of Christianity solely to the realization that atheism is too weak and divisive a doctrine to fortify us against our menacing foes. I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable—indeed very nearly self-destructive.

Atheism failed to answer a simple question: What is the meaning and purpose of life?

That is why I no longer consider myself a Muslim apostate, but a lapsed atheist. Of course, I still have a great deal to learn about Christianity. I discover a little more at church each Sunday. But I have recognized, in my own long journey through a wilderness of fear and self-doubt, that there is a better way to manage the challenges of existence than either Islam or unbelief had to offer.”

Like the people that Isaiah was speaking to and Ayaan Hirsi Ali we all tend to think we have it figured out. Some people chose to follow Jesus, and some don’t. The question is…are you going to say, Here I am Lord, send me?

You’ve been given a purpose. It’s up to you to decide what you’re going to do with it.

There’s Not Enough Help for Construction

What Does This Mean for the Construction Industry?

As part of my morning routine, I listen to Albert Mohler’s podcast: The Briefing. This past Friday’s episode started out talking about the falling birth rate and the effect this will have on the world.

We’ve heard how extreme this situation is in some countries like South Korea, China, and Japan. Dr. Mohler pointed out that this is not just happening in these countries, but around the world.

This is a problem because ultimately, if we continue down this path, there’s not a future for civilization if you’re not having babies.

A falling birthrate means you’re not going to have enough workers.

Not enough help

You’re going to have more aging people leaving the workplace than younger people joining it.

Just look at what’s happening in Japan, where they are using robots to take care of people in nursing homes. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a robot taking care of one of my family members.

The Communist Party of China enforced a one-child-only policy to prevent a future threat where they had too many babies. It turns out, the threat is too few.

They’ve ended up with an imbalance of males to females because of the preference for male babies. Now, there are millions of Chinese men who aren’t able to marry anyone because there aren’t enough women.

That’s a shortage in the tens of millions.

This got me to thinking about how the struggle of finding good, qualified help in the construction industry.

This is not a new problem but seems to be a growing one.

I think this is due to more than just the decreasing population. I think it’s a combination of a society that has gotten spoiled and untrained.

A lot of young people see life as something owed to them. They’ve not had to learn to work. Then, you have those of us who’ve been doing construction for a long time. We’ve been too focused on our work and never bothered to share our experiences and knowledge.

It doesn’t matter if the shrinking number of qualified people is due to a shrinking or an untrained work force.

What matters is getting the ones that are out there, trained.

That’s why I’m working to find ways to coach and consult people in the construction industry that need some mentoring and guidance.

Knowing God is Different Than Just Knowing Who God is

Even the Devil Knows Who God is

This past Sunday was confirmation Sunday at church. This is a rite that confirms a person’s baptism and admits that person to full participation in the church. It is the open and outward action of showing one’s belief and acceptance of God.

This journey starts with knowing who God is but doesn’t end there.

It is important for young Christians to be aware and understand what it means to be a Christian. It is equally important for spiritually mature Christians to walk alongside these new Christians and help them with their journey.

Satan is subtle. Just look at what happened in the Garden of Eden.

This is why it’s important to get to know Jesus, to spend time with Him, and to know Him intimately.

Even some of the disciples who were with Jesus struggled with really knowing Him. In Luke 24:13-27, two of the disciples were walking to Emmaus talking about Jesus’ crucifixion when Jesus joined them:

He asked them what they were talking about. Cleopas asked Jesus, “Are you the only person from Jerusalem who didn’t know what was happening there these last few days?”

“What do you mean?” Jesus asked.

They answered:

Those things that happened to Jesus from Nazareth. By what he did and said he showed that he was a powerful prophet, who pleased God and all the people. Then the chief priests and our leaders had him arrested and sentenced to die on a cross. We had hoped that he would be the one to set Israel free! But it has already been three days since all this happened.

Some women in our group surprised us. They had gone to the tomb early in the morning, but did not find the body of Jesus. They came back, saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive. Some men from our group went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said. But they didn’t see Jesus either.

 Then Jesus asked the two disciples, “Why can’t you understand? How can you be so slow to believe all that the prophets said? Didn’t you know that the Messiah would have to suffer before he was given his glory?” Jesus then explained everything written about himself in the Scriptures, beginning with the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets.

Here are two people that knew Jesus. They hung out with Him. They ate with Him. They were as close to Him as anyone ever was…yet up that point, they missed who He was.

Having our eyes open and being aware is where the journey starts.

Knowing Who God Is

The disciples were aware of Jesus and who He was. Their problem was their preconceived ideas. They expected Him to be some great and powerful worldly king.

We need to put our preconceived ideas away and understand who Jesus is.

Often, He does not fit into our picture of who we want Him to be.

The next step on the journey is the most important.

This is where we decide to accept Jesus as our eternal savior…or not.

This requires intentional action on our part. No one can do this for us.

The rest of the journey consists of learning.

The Next Step in My Business Journey

Doing the Things Only I Can Do

Over the past several weeks we’ve talked about having too much to do and not enough time to do it. Of how I need to delegate more of my business, but how hard delegating is for me. The only way that I can help more people is by sharing the load.

business planning

This issue has been brought to the surface after reading the book The Highest Calling by Lawrence Janesky. This book resonated with me because I see how construction businesses struggle with the business side of things. After reading this book it confirmed what I already knew…

Businesses need help building their business.

For several years, I’ve been working on ways to help construction companies with business building tools and processes. The problem is this takes time and energy away from construction projects.

So, then I shift my focus back to construction proposals and keeping those projects moving forward. And then the problem is I don’t have time to work on coaching and consulting to help people in the construction industry.

This past week is a good example of the construction part of the business not leaving any time for coaching and consulting.

It started out with Monday being a holiday. This means we started out the busy week with one day less to get everything done. There are ten different projects in varying stages. Some are almost finished, some are halfway done, and some haven’t been started.

To add to this list, I need to be doing proposals so that we will have work to do in the future.

I spent the majority of my time this week doing things that someone else could have…SHOULD HAVE…done.

If I keep doing what I’ve always done, I’ll keep getting what I’ve always got. Something has got to change. It’s up to me to do something different if I want to get past this mountain. The mountain will be easier to move, if I’m not the only one with a shovel.

One of the shovels that I’m working on giving to someone else is production coordination.

What exactly is production coordination?

It’s just what it sounds like. It’s the organizing and overseeing of the production and operation of multiple construction projects to maintain production schedules, complete projects within budget and achieve the quality of workmanship expected.

That sounds easy enough, right?

Trust me. To organize and oversee the production of multiple projects is a lot.

  • Project Coordination
    • Productivity Monitoring and Control
      • Coordinate schedules
      • Coordinate materials
      • Coordinate tools
    • Quality Control and Documentation
      • Periodic site visits and verify that quality is being achieved and maintained
      • Document with pictures and reports
    • Communicate with teams
      • Regularly review, follow-up and verify schedules
      • Determine materials and tools that are needed
    • Project Troubleshooting
      • Listen to customer concerns and document them
      • Communicate concerns with management
  • Planning and Control of Material and Tools
    • Coordinate gathering and delivery of materials and tools
    • Coordinate moving the balance of material to shop or return to supplier
    • Coordinate collection of tools from projects and/or production teams
  • Customer Service
    • Communicate schedules with customers and subcontractors
    • Assure that site organization is maintained
    • Coordinate and document finalization of punch list

So, where do I go from here?

I’m just one person and I can only do so much. If I’m going to build the business that God has called me to do…I’m going to need more help.

This means that I must be intentional and take action. Otherwise, I’m going to be limited to the number of people that I can help. That’s why this past week, I started the process of adding a PRODUCTION COORDINATOR to the team.

Stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted as to how it’s going.