“Not finance. Not a strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage.”
Patrick Lencioni
THE ART OF LEADERSHIP
Teamwork Turns Ordinary Groups Into Extraordinary Competitive Advantage!
Teamwork is not a warm sentiment but a strategic decision. When leaders view collaboration as the ultimate advantage, they design structures that reward shared wins rather than lone heroics. People stop guarding turf and start sharing information, ideas, and credit. The result is faster learning, better decisions, and a culture that pulls together under pressure.
High-performing teams do not appear by accident. They begin with trust, built through honesty about strengths, weaknesses, and mistakes. With trust in place, honest debate becomes possible, so the best ideas rise above rank and ego. Clear commitments follow, and everyone knows who is responsible for which result and what support they can expect from others.
Leaders make this advantage durable by modeling vulnerability, inviting constructive feedback, and addressing problems promptly. They celebrate behaviors that prioritize the team and redirect actions that prioritize personal comfort over shared success. Over time, people realize that the safest place is within the team, where they can contribute fully, learn rapidly, and share responsibility for results.
Over ninety days, build trust, clarify goals, embrace accountability, and celebrate shared wins to make teamwork your defining advantage.
COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION
How does EJ turn access solutions into safer, more innovative infrastructure for communities?
EJ helps the world flow by focusing on access to the systems beneath our feet. Since 1883, this fifth-generation family-owned company has designed, manufactured, and distributed solutions that connect people to water, sewer, drainage, telecommunications, and power networks. In 2012, legacy brands united as EJ, strengthening a single standard of performance and service.
From maintenance hole covers and frames to grates, hatches, and composite enclosures, EJ turns quiet hardware into dependable gateways for inspection, safety, and maintenance. Materials science, rigorous testing, and disciplined manufacturing create products that last, while regional teams bring practical knowledge of codes, climate, and installation that shortens learning curves and prevents rework.
The deeper insight is stewardship. Reliable access points protect people in the street and crews underground, shrink life cycle costs, and keep cities resilient. When a partner blends craft, innovation, and local presence, infrastructure becomes more predictable and communities gain time to focus on growth rather than emergencies.
Family-led leader in access solutions delivering quality, safety, and service that protect infrastructure and empower communities with durable reliability.
INFRASTRUCTURE INDUSTRY
What execution lessons emerge as MARTA deconstructs the Five Points canopy downtown live?
This week in Atlanta, contractors began surgical deconstruction of the Five Points Station concrete canopy, the first phase of a $230 million overhaul. Work proceeds while trains and concourses remain open, with bus detours and modified entrances in place. Crews are segmenting prestressed beams and post-tensioned elements to protect the underground hub and prepare for a new mass timber canopy of about 32,000 square feet.
Deconstruction here is less demolition and more choreography. Performing the job above a live station requires short outage windows, intensive monitoring, and precise picks. Prefabrication and rehearsed weekend changeovers will matter later when the new canopy and plaza arrive, improving daylight, ventilation, and legibility while keeping transfers intact.
For firms, risk lives in interfaces. Lock engineering submittals early for temporary works, align insurance around deconstruction hazards, and sequence procurement for timber, glazing, and controls. Owners should track schedule float and customer experience metrics daily, because predictable access and messaging can determine whether downtown merchants feel disruption or momentum as deconstruction targets completion by 2027.
Preplan outages, modularize tasks, stage materials, track daily impacts, communicate transparently, and measure performance to protect cash flow and sustain momentum.
RESIDENTIAL RESEARCH
Will Home Depot and Lowe’s earnings confirm a pro-led remodeling rebound ahead?
Two home improvement giants are set to report their third-quarter results this week, providing a real-time snapshot of professional demand, do-it-yourself appetite, and jobsite availability. For residential builders, commentary on Pro sales, special orders, and delivery speed often foreshadows lead times for flooring, cabinetry, roofing, and mechanical components.
The insight is mixed, not just totals. If professional purchases outpace do-it-yourself purchases and inventory turns improve, backlogs can clear more quickly, and allowances can stabilize. If traffic softens and big-ticket categories lag, retailers may lean into promotions, supporting option packages while signaling payment-sensitive demand that requires tighter price discipline.
Move from headlines to logistics. Audit open purchase orders, reserve jobsite deliveries early, and align finish schedules to current in-stock assortments. Preapprove brand alternates with designers and lenders, and update bids to reflect any guidance on pricing, availability, and credit. Let the tone of management comments shape allowances, not last quarter’s assumptions.
Leverage Pro programs, lock delivery slots, preprice alternates, align allowances with promos, and time orders to inventory signals from earnings updates.
TOOLBOX TALK
First Aid Response and Incident Reporting
Good morning, Team!
Today, we are reviewing how to respond when someone is hurt and how to report incidents and near misses on this site.
Why It Matters
The first few minutes after an injury are critical. A calm, organized response can prevent a minor injury from becoming life-threatening. Good reporting helps us fix hazards before someone else gets hurt.
Strategies for First Aid and Reporting
Preparedness and roles: Identify who on the crew is trained in first aid and locate the kits and automated defibrillator. Keep access clear to gates, stairs, and roads to ensure emergency vehicles can respond quickly.
Immediate response: If someone is hurt, stop work, secure the area, and send one person to call for help with clear information about the location and injury. Do not move the injured worker unless there is an immediate danger, such as a fire or structural collapse.
Basic care and protection: First aid-trained workers treat within their training. Use gloves and eye protection when contact with blood or body fluids is possible. Place used dressings in lined containers and wash hands thoroughly afterward.
Communication with emergency services: When calling for outside help, state the site name, address, access point, type of injury, and number of people involved. Assign someone to meet responders at the gate or street.
Incident and near miss reporting: Report all injuries, even small ones, and all near misses to supervision before the end of the shift. Provide honest details about what happened, the conditions, and the tools involved so that controls can be improved.
Follow-up and learning: Participate in incident reviews and safety talks after an event. Share lessons learned so everyone benefits.
Discussion Questions
Where are today’s first aid kits, automated defibrillators, and main access points
Who is first aid trained, and who will guide emergency responders to the scene
Conclusion
Quick, calm care and thorough reporting protect people today and improve safety for future work.
See it, treat it, report smart!
