“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
Peter F. Drucker
THE ART OF LEADERSHIP
Choose the right things, then do them relentlessly
Leadership begins with choosing the right problems. When you anchor effort to purpose, work becomes focused and energizing. Doing things right is efficiency; doing the right things is impact. Clarity about what matters most prevents motion without progress. This shift turns activity into outcomes and gives your team a compass during uncertainty.
Define one vital outcome, then list the few actions that move it. Say no to distractions. Turn meetings into decisions with owners and deadlines. Measure leading indicators you can influence today, and review them weekly to adjust quickly. Document a simple definition of done for each task.
Model priorities in your calendar. Protect deep work, remove obstacles, and coach people to own results. Celebrate learning and momentum, not perfection. When purpose guides choices and execution stays disciplined, teams move faster, trust grows, and results compound. Share decision logs and remove one recurring bottleneck each week.
In ninety days, define one vital outcome, eliminate three distractions, track weekly leading indicators, and model priorities through consistent action.
COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION
How does Florida Concrete Unlimited turn complex pours into safe, enduring progress?
Great structures begin with grit. In 1974, Jim Goff launched Florida Concrete Unlimited with five hundred dollars and a Pontiac Lemans. Since then, the team has pumped, placed, and finished concrete across Florida, turning plans into surfaces that carry daily life. Their ethic is simple and demanding: prepare fully, communicate clearly, and take pride in craft.
As a full-service partner, FCU brings a deep fleet and specialized know-how. High-rise pumps, separate placing booms, and truck-mounted booms move more than two hundred twenty cubic yards per hour with a reach from roughly seventy-five to over two hundred feet. Crews tackle mass pours, fast-track high-rise work, and super flat finishes with dedicated quality control and support.
They also chase records. High-rise pump kits can push concrete more than eighteen hundred feet vertically, a world record, and the company notes a national milestone for a continuous pour completed in eleven hours. More importantly, a people-first mindset turns capability into reliability, helping owners build safely, faster, and to spec.
Full-service partner delivering high-rise capability, mass pours, super flat finishes with fleet, quality control, and craftsmanship across Florida.
INFRASTRUCTURE INDUSTRY
Will the Chicago Avenue bridge closure speed safer river crossings and rebuild connectivity?
This week in Chicago, crews will fully close Chicago Avenue between Larrabee and Peoria to remove the temporary river bridge and build a permanent tied arch span. The closure begins September 29 and is paired with ongoing Halsted Street viaduct work. Construction is planned through late 2026.
Tied arch bridges suspend the deck from steel hangers while a tie girder balances the arch thrust. The design improves navigation clearance by avoiding midchannel piers and allows major components to be fabricated nearby and erected efficiently.
Through staging, the city will detour traffic, post control aides, maintain river uses, and sequence demolition, foundation work, arch erection, hanger tensioning, deck pours, and systems commissioning. The result will be a stronger river crossing, an improved riverwalk, and safer connections for people walking, biking, and driving.
Study detours, adjust departure times, follow traffic aides, and give crews space to keep reconstruction progress safe, reliable, and efficient.
RESIDENTIAL RESEARCH
Will FHA multifamily MIP cuts unlock more apartment construction starts now nationwide?
HUD finalized a sweeping cut to FHA multifamily mortgage insurance premiums on September 23. Effective October 1, all programs move to zero point two five percent, and the 2016 green and affordability categories are eliminated. The change spans new construction, substantial rehab, manufactured home parks, and refinancing.
MIP is the annual insurance premium on FHA loans that affects debt service. Lowering it reduces borrowing costs, improves coverage ratios, and can help more projects pencil, especially Section 221d 4 new construction loans. Prior rates often ranged from twenty-five to ninety-five basis points.
Action this week is practical. Eligibility hinges on applications submitted or amended on or after October 1 and not yet initially endorsed. Reprice term sheets, retest loan proceeds, and coordinate contractor bids and land takedowns around the revised underwriting and timing.
Update models immediately, rerun proceeds, rebid trades, lock commitments, and capture savings from new twenty-five basis points multifamily MIPs.
TOOLBOX TALK
Aerial Lift Safety
Good morning, Team!
Today, we cover the safe use of scissor and boom lifts for access and installation work.
Why It Matters
Tip overs, falls, electrocution, and crush injuries can occur in seconds. Uneven ground, wind, and overhead lines increase risk for people on and below the lift.
Strategies for Safe Lift Use
Pre-use inspection: A qualified operator checks controls, brakes, steering, guardrails, platform gate, tires, and emergency lowering. Look for leaks, damage, missing pins, and expired decals. Tag out defects.
Set up and environment: Park on firm, level ground. Use outriggers or mats as required. Mark holes, drop-offs, and overhead obstructions. Maintain the required distance from power lines. Verify wind limits on the chart.
Fall protection: In boom lifts, wear a full body harness with a lanyard or self-retracting lifeline connected to the approved anchor. Keep the gate closed and never climb the rails. In scissor lifts, stay within guardrails and do not use ladders or boxes on the deck.
Operation and travel: Keep both feet on the platform, secure tools, and obey platform load and occupants’ limits. Travel slowly, use a spotter in congested areas, avoid pinch points, and stop if you lose communication.
Shutdown and emergencies: Lower the platform, park level, set brakes or wheel chocks, remove the key, and report issues. Know how to use ground controls for emergency lowering.
Discussion Questions
Where are today’s lift routes, setup areas, and overhead hazards
Who is the operator and spotter, and what fall protection is assigned
Conclusion
Sound inspection, stable setup, and disciplined operation prevent falls and tip-overs.
Inspect it, secure it, lift smart!
