Great leaders don’t pretend they can predict the future. They build teams that can adapt to it. Ries’s quote reframes leadership as a learning race: the winner isn’t the one with the loudest confidence, but the one who turns uncertainty into insight the quickest.

Learning speed comes from disciplined experiments, not frantic activity. Set a clear hypothesis, define one metric that would prove you right or wrong, and time-box the test. Give teams permission to surface bad news early, because late surprises are what truly slow execution.

Make learning visible and repeatable. Hold a short weekly review: what we tried, what we learned, what we’ll change next. Scale what works, stop what doesn’t, and capture the decision so the organization compounds knowledge. When learning is the system, progress doesn’t depend on heroics it becomes the default.

Run one weekly experiment with a success metric, then share the learning within 24 hours.

For nearly a century, a Ford Motor Company plant anchored Saint Paul’s, Highland Park. When it closed in 2011, the 122-acre site sat empty. A decade-long city-led planning process and an 18-month community engagement effort set priorities and secured development rights. In 2019, Ryan and the City entered into a redevelopment agreement, launching what is now known as Highland Bridge.

Highland Bridge expands the existing neighborhood with homes, shops, offices, and generous open space. The plan adds 3,800 residences, including 760 affordable homes, alongside 3,040 market-rate units. It also includes about 265,000 square feet of office space, 150,000 square feet of retail space, and civic destinations that connect Ford Parkway to the Mississippi River. More than 55 acres become parks, plazas, fields, and trails, supported by 1,000 new trees and native plantings.

A central water feature ties recreation to resilience. New buildings feed into a district-wide stormwater system that treats runoff on-site, capturing 94 percent of total suspended solids and boosting phosphorus capture by 75 percent. Partnering with the Capitol Region Watershed District, the project restores a previously buried water resource and cleans about 64 million gallons of runoff each year before it reaches the Mississippi River. The result is a walkable district shaped by community goals and healthier water.

Highland Bridge turns a closed auto plant into housing, parks, and cleaner water for Saint Paul.

Low-carbon concrete is moving from pilot ideas to real bid requirements as public owners look to cut embodied emissions in infrastructure. Instead of treating concrete as a commodity, agencies are increasingly requesting Environmental Product Declarations, mix documentation, and verified sources for cementitious materials. That changes preconstruction: procurement and compliance planning begin before the first yard is poured.

For contractors, the risk is in the execution details. A mix that looks fine on paper can behave differently in placement, finishing, cure time, and early strength, especially in cold or hot weather. If a project sets carbon limits without clear performance acceptance, teams can get trapped between meeting the number and meeting the schedule. Submittals can also slow mobilization when suppliers cannot produce documentation fast enough or when an approved plant is not available near the jobsite.

Winning teams treat low-carbon specs as a critical-path scope. Prequalify multiple mixes with trial batches, lock backup suppliers, and write alternates that preserve strength and durability targets. Build a documentation workflow that matches the inspection pace and aligns the schedule with realistic cure and testing windows. If you plan early, carbon compliance becomes manageable rather than a surprise change-order fight.

Collect EPDs early and prequalify mixes before bid day.

Office-to-apartment conversions are gaining momentum as cities grapple with underused downtown buildings and stubborn housing costs. When an office tower can become hundreds of homes, the appeal is obvious: faster delivery than ground-up construction, reuse of existing infrastructure, and a political win that does not require new land.

For residential construction businesses, conversions are profitable but unforgiving. Floor plates built for desks may not suit livable layouts, windows may not meet light and ventilation needs, and plumbing stacks rarely align with kitchen and bath locations. Fire and life-safety upgrades can be extensive, including egress, compartmentation, alarms, and sprinklers. Mechanical systems often need a full rethink, and sound control becomes a major scope item once people live there.

The contractors who win will treat conversions as a repeatable process. Start with a hard feasibility screen on structure, shafts, egress, and envelope limitations before chasing design polish. Lock a standardized unit kit of parts, lean on prefabricated assemblies where possible, and build a tight inspection and commissioning plan early. Most overruns come from surprises, so invest in early investigation and disciplined scope control.

Validate structure, plumbing, and egress before pricing any conversion.

Scaffolds fail people when they are treated like temporary ladders. Missing guardrails, loose planks, uneven bases, and overloaded decks can lead to falls, tip-overs, and collapsing platforms. The danger increases when crews climb cross-braces, stack materials near the edges, or work on partially built sections that were never inspected.

Before stepping on, check for a current inspection tag and confirm the scaffold is level, solid, and fully braced. Look for base plates on firm footing, secured planks with no big gaps, and complete guardrails and toe boards when required. Use the proper access ladder or stair tower, keep the platform clear of trip hazards, and do not modify the scaffold without authorization.

Work smart while you are up there. Keep loads within the rated capacity, spread materials out, and keep your center of gravity inside the rails. Lock caster brakes on rolling scaffolds and never move them with anyone on the deck. If you see damaged parts, missing pins, shifting legs, or a change in conditions like wind or rain, stop and get it rechecked.

Use inspected, fully planked scaffolds with guardrails and safe access.

The DTC beauty category is crowded. To break through, Jennifer Aniston’s brand LolaVie, worked with Roku Ads Manager to easily set up, test, and optimize CTV ad creatives. The campaign helped drive a big lift in sales and customer growth, helping LolaVie break through in the crowded beauty category.

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