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I recently completed the book “A World Without Email” by Cal Newport. Newport is widely regarded as an expert on maximizing your time by prioritizing your tasks. (Check out his book “Deep Work” for more on that topic.) After reading the book and reflecting on all the...

I recently needed to give an assignment to a coworker. (Since I am an owner of the company, it happens a lot.) I called the coworker and explained what I needed. She listened and then repeated the task to me when I was done. I confirmed she had understood the...

Two weeks ago, I attended the Associated Builders and Contractors (A.B.C.) annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. However, the two most impactful events didn't have anything to do with politics or elected officials. I interacted with more than a dozen...

I have been asked to speak to a local vendor about leadership. It is very humbling and quite an honor. I have held several positions in leadership roles, and I have been asked to lead many things in my life. I credit my parents for helping make me a leader. But I have...

The flag is at half-staff right now. My mom has told me it is because the USA has crossed over 1 million deaths from COVID-19.  It is a grim fact and likely worthy of pausing and reflecting on.   If she hadn't told me, I would never have known. Despite wondering why...

Not everybody is to be trusted. Don’t believe me? Turn on your TV and find a documentary to watch. My wife, Sue, and I recently watched a couple. First, we watched “The Dropout” on Hulu. It is about Elizabeth Holmes and her company Theranos. Thinking greed was good to...

The lyrics to John Denver’s ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’ come up often at our house because we come and go a lot. The key line is, “all my bags are packed. I’m ready to go.” Recently those lyrics came to mind on a visit to my daughter Sara’s apartment.   Sara got a...

When our Dad was the National President, ABC started the Award of Excellence in 1990.  (Volunteer leader is now called the Chair, and the award has since changed to Excellence in Construction.)  So last year, when we found out Willmar Electric had won our first ever...

The sign on the door to my son’s bedroom said, “The more, the better ask others to play.”  He found it in the garbage at school.  (We never figured out why a school would throw out a sign with a message so clearly pro getting along.) It is pleasing to see your kid put...

I recently spent a week in Mexico. My wife, Sue, and I like to escape winter for at least a week every winter.   We don’t do a lot on our vacation. It is primarily a chance to thaw out and talk about life. We talk about our plan for the upcoming year.   We talk about...