Competitive Advantage

A contractor’s market strategy is the most highly leveraged decision leadership can make.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share
Quote: If you don't have a competitive advantage, don't compete. Jack Welch Retired Chairman and CEO of GE.

Getting this right then executing effectively can easily have a 2X+ positive impact on earnings over the next 5.

  • Identifying market(s) and customers that will be growing over the next 10+ years.  
  • Developing operational capabilities and capacity that adds maximum value to these customers while being difficult, time consuming or costly for competitors to copy.  
  • Building advanced preconstruction services integrated with aggressive business development to identify projects and customers well before anyone else even has a chance.
  • Where possible including operations and maintenance services to the project after the construction phase including special projects and service work. 

General Electric consists of many individual business units each with P&L responsibilities and expected to work together.  Many contractors are structured in a similar way. 

Their management training program teaches people how to run businesses - how to compete.  

“If you don't have a competitive advantage, don't compete.”

Jack Welch; Retired Chairman and CEO of General Electric

What is your competitive advantage today?  

What will your competitive advantage be tomorrow? 

What are you doing to hold onto your current advantage and prepare for tomorrow?




From Financial Management to Business Management
As contractors go through different stages of growth it often makes sense to expand the financial management role into more comprehensive business management role. At exactly what stage a contractor starts to expand this role depends on.
GRIT - Building an Internal Drive
Great leaders build an incredible degree of cohesion, skill and sheer determination in their teams. What is critically difficult is striking that balance between helping and helping too much.
Business Development Mastery: Bechtel's Philosophy
Nothing will have a bigger impact on a contractor’s business than bringing in more quality revenue on a recurring basis. Effective business development is a capability to be designed and managed no different than the ability to build a project.