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"At EllisDon we rely on our people - pure and simple - and we give them the freedom to think hard about what our clients need to succeed, and all the authority they need to deliver this success in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust."
Geoff Smith, President
Geoff's Blog
An Unlimited Holiday Policy?
February 16, 2010 | 02:02
When I was in Calgary, a few eons ago, I hired a lot of people. When asked about EllisDon’s vacation policy, I’d sometimes say:
Haiti. It’s Time to Help
January 15, 2010 | 12:01
Many of you will remember that, several years ago, when a devastating Tsunami hit Indonesia, Malaysia, and India, the people at EllisDon responded immediately.
The Secret of Leadership: Who the Hell Knows?
November 15, 2009 | 12:11
Like everyone, we give it a lot of thought. We interviewed three ‘leadership development’ firms last year. Each one asked ‘How many leaders are you trying to develop? We said: ‘One thousand.’ They said ‘Seriously, you need to identify your top leadership candidates, invest heavily in them, and they will provide great leadership to everyone else.’ We said ‘We have one thousand employees, we want every one of them to maximize their leadership potential. Do you have a program for that?’ Silence.
The Fatal Attraction of Consensus Management
October 26, 2009 | 12:10
Everybody appears to think that management by consensus is the way to build a successful company. I get this advice from every possible direction. And who could disagree – you forge a consensus on your direction, strategy and every key issue, and then you have everyone pulling together with unified enthusiasm in the same direction. Who could argue with that?
Openess
October 06, 2009 | 12:10
This is just a simple blog about the second most important thing that I finally figured out about business.
A Subcontractor's Bill of Rights
September 28, 2009 | 12:09
At EllisDon, we really do understand how important Subcontractors are to our future. We recognize that without their loyalty, EllisDon cannot compete or ultimately survive.
A Builder’s Internet Community – But What’s The Business Model?
August 17, 2009 | 12:08
We have promised our clients, employees and anyone else who cares that we are going to open up EllisDon and offer everything we can to the construction community (making profits for the core business by building relationships and opportunities).
The War For Talent Resumes?
August 04, 2009 | 12:08
If the recession is over (already?), then I guess that means the War for Talent is back on.
The Next Big Threat/Opportunity
July 10, 2009 | 12:07
The construction industry is going to consolidate. It has to.
The Paradox of Business
June 22, 2009 | 12:06
Perhaps business leadership is the opposite of what it is generally supposed to be;
Conventional Wisdom Be Damned (Part II)
April 06, 2009 | 12:04
Why Mission Statements Are Very Dangerous (Just One Person’s Opinion):
Challenging Conventional Wisdom: Part 1
March 23, 2009 | 12:03
The Bogusness of ‘Work/Life Balance’: One Person’s Opinion
OK, I finally get it: We gotta get naked.
March 16, 2009 | 05:03
I have struggled for a long time with the notion of wide, free, open collaboration. Sure, it’s certain that any competitive advantage is temporary at best, but that brief period of time can be very lucrative, can’t it? And that time period may not be so brief if your competitors happen to be distracted. (Plus, I have likely read ‘The Art Of War’ a few too many times.)
Let’s Dance. (With apologies to David Bowie.)
March 09, 2009 | 12:03
EllisDon owns a great resort in St. Lucia, which maybe is teaching us some specific lessons about our construction business. Well, we will see anyway.
Dateline - Saudi Arabia: Fast, Fluid, Flexible in the Mid East.
March 02, 2009 | 12:03
Everyone knows that the Dubai has crashed. Six months ago, EllisDon was were desperate for people; with in the last six weeks, our professional staff of 215 people has dropped to below 150, and our key client is in trouble – very painful developments for many people. Here’s a bit of good news:
What the Very Smart Clients Want
February 23, 2009 | 12:02
Along with Rick Maggiacomo, I had lunch with one of our key clients last week. He was pissed. Somewhat happily I guess, he wasn’t pissed at EllisDon, he was pissed at the entire construction industry.
Let's Make the Recession More Painful
February 13, 2009 | 12:02
EllisDon also owns a luxury resort in St. Lucia called Windjammer Landing. You should, of course, spend the entire recession there, but that’s not the point here.
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