“Leadership is influence nothing more, nothing less.”
John C. Maxwell
THE ART OF LEADERSHIP
Earn Influence Before You Need It
Influence isn’t granted with a promotion; it’s earned when people choose to listen, trust, and act. Titles may open a door, but only credibility keeps it open. If your team complies only when you’re watching, you have authority, not influence. The quickest way to lose real pull is to use power as a shortcut—issuing directives without understanding the work or the people doing it.
Build influence the boring way: keep promises, make decisions transparent, and show up prepared. Share context—what matters, what’s changing, and which trade-off you’re accepting—so others can make good calls without you. Ask thoughtful questions, especially when you don’t have the answer. Give credit publicly and take responsibility privately. When conflict appears, name the issue early and focus on outcomes, not egos.
Once people follow you, be intentional about how you use that trust. Protect priorities, remove obstacles, and clarify what “good” looks like with examples and checkpoints. Coach by asking others to propose options, then explain why you’re choosing one and what you’ll measure next. Influence compounds when people feel more capable, calmer, and clearer after interacting with you.
Earn influence by keeping one promise daily, sharing context, and giving credit publicly.
Last Time the Market Was This Expensive, Investors Waited 14 Years to Break Even
In 1999, the S&P 500 peaked. Then it took 14 years to gradually recover by 2013.
Today? Goldman Sachs sounds crazy forecasting 3% returns for 2024 to 2034.
But we’re currently seeing the highest price for the S&P 500 compared to earnings since the dot-com boom.
So, maybe that’s why they’re not alone; Vanguard projects about 5%.
In fact, now just about everything seems priced near all time highs. Equities, gold, crypto, etc.
But billionaires have long diversified a slice of their portfolios with one asset class that is poised to rebound.
It’s post war and contemporary art.
Sounds crazy, but over 70,000 investors have followed suit since 2019—with Masterworks.
You can invest in shares of artworks featuring Banksy, Basquiat, Picasso, and more.
24 exits later, results speak for themselves: net annualized returns like 14.6%, 17.6%, and 17.8%.*
My subscribers can skip the waitlist.
*Investing involves risk. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Important Reg A disclosures: masterworks.com/cd.
COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION
What does meeting changing needs require besides bigger crews?
For MasTec, “meeting customers’ changing needs” isn’t a slogan it’s a reality of modern infrastructure. With 80+ years of experience and nearly 22,000 skilled professionals, the company positions itself where demand shifts fast: power, pipelines, renewables, communications, and the systems that connect them.
Its “who we are” pitch is fundamentally operational. Offices across North America and a wholly owned fleet of specialized equipment are presented as a practical answer to complexity enough reach and muscle to mobilize, enough planning discipline to spot obstacles early, and enough project control to protect schedules and budgets.
What makes scale believable is the cultural claim behind it. MasTec emphasizes innovation and “smart solutions” to raise efficiency, while treating safety as a daily mindset and environmental responsibility as part of quality. Add minority-controlled certification, and the company’s identity reads as both capability and commitment: build big, but stay accountable to the communities hosting the work.
MasTec’s advantage is disciplined scale: proactive execution, innovation, and safety-minded people serving changing infrastructure demands.
INFRASTRUCTURE INDUSTRY
What breaks first when contracts scale faster than local capacity?
This month, federal agencies issued a new round of large awards for barrier and sensor corridors along the southern border. For the heavy civil market, the headline is not the miles, it is the procurement model: a small set of primes now holds huge stretches of scope, schedule, and compliance.
That concentration rewrites the risk ledger. Subcontractors must scale crews, trucking, and materials without knowing if access, land acquisition, and environmental windows will line up. Primes have to coordinate water crossings, drainage, utilities, and technology installation so work becomes a continuous production flow instead of stop-and-start mobilizations.
The best operators will run it like a factory with a field address. Standardize segments, lock long lead suppliers early, and make quality metrics visible to every tier. When community impact and permitting are managed as deliverables, production rises, and claims fall.
Plan interfaces early; scale magnifies every coordination mistake.
RESIDENTIAL RESEARCH
Where does your schedule crack when a key supplier stumbles?
One of the quiet risk points in homebuilding is the distributor that sits between the mill and your framing crew. A recent Chapter 11 filing by a building materials seller has builders rechecking who controls inventory, delivery slots, and warranty paperwork. When a supplier’s credit tightens, the first thing that breaks is certainty, and tight close dates turn that into real money.
The friction shows up in places that schedules do not track. Deposits get re-approved, backorders linger, and manufacturers may flip accounts to cash on delivery or refuse returns. That can delay trusses, windows, or cabinetry, which pushes back dry-in, rough inspections, and trade sequencing. Builders are responding by splitting large orders into smaller releases, lining up approved alternates for critical items, and confirming lead times in writing before they pour or start finishes.
The smarter shift is operational discipline. Treat vendor health like a scope item, not a finance footnote. Require conditional lien waivers with each draw, consider joint checks for big materials, and keep a secondary yard ready to quote quickly. Pre-clear substitutions with designers and inspectors so swaps do not reset approvals, and tell buyers early what is locked versus flexible.
Secure alternates and payment protections before ordering critical materials.
TOOLBOX TALK
Staying focused and rested during holiday shifts
Good morning, crew. Holidays can pull attention away from the work in front of us. Today we protect each other by managing fatigue and cutting distractions. Phones stay put during active work, and we take planned breaks before anyone gets run down. If you are tired, stressed, or rushing to make up time, tell your lead so we can adjust the plan safely.
When we are distracted or exhausted, we miss hazards, misread signals, and take shortcuts. Common triggers this time of year are extra hours, travel plans, stress at home, low daylight, and cold weather. Use the buddy system, slow down on high risk steps, and stop work if you cannot focus. The goal is steady, deliberate work, not sprinting to the finish.
Get seven hours sleep when possible and avoid late night driving before work
Arrive early enough to set up without rushing
Park personal phones during work and step away for urgent calls
Review the plan, roles, and hazards before starting each new phase
Take short breaks on schedule and drink water even in cold weather
Rotate demanding tasks to prevent mental and physical overload
Use clear communication, repeat back critical instructions, and confirm hand signals
Keep walkways lit, clear, and treated for ice to reduce slips when tired
Stop and reset if you make repeated mistakes or cannot keep your mind on the task
Look out for teammates who are quiet, irritable, or slow to respond and get them help
Focus is a jobsite control, just like barricades and guardrails. We build it by sleeping when we can, taking breaks, staying hydrated, and keeping personal issues off the work face. Watch for signs like mistakes, irritability, and drifting attention. If you see it in yourself or a coworker, speak up and reset before an injury resets the whole day.
Name two warning signs that someone is too tired to work safely
What is the correct action if you catch yourself rushing or distracted during a critical task
Where should personal phone use happen during the shift
Work alert, work together, and go home safe by controlling distractions and fatigue.
