Ptips

The Best New Thinking On Leverage And Leadership

Shannon: Kent, I’m thrilled that you could join us because I think the story you have to share—your company’s spectacular growth, your unique perspective on leadership, and how you approach leadership and leadership development in an entrepreneurial company focused on regardless of industry. Could you share a bit about who you are, where you started, Estes Construction, and your background?

Kent: Certainly, Shannon. Estes Construction was founded in 1970 by my uncle, Jim Estes, and he and my aunt grew the company through its fledgling years. I joined them in the mid-1980s and took the company over in 2003. My aunt and uncle gave me tremendous business values and a very good foundation.

As of last week, we completed our fourth acquisition, giving us four different construction companies including Estes, which is the largest, as well as an architectural firm.

Over about eight years, we’ve gone from about $35 to $40 million in revenue to somewhere around $250 million this year. So we’ve had pretty substantial growth, and to your point about leadership, we’ve been able to do that while achieving what we call in our industry ”best in class” results—our 14th consecutive year doing so.

How To Leave The World Of Competition Behind

What you hoped might be true.

What may have seemed like fairy tale visions of your future that you kept to yourself during all of your years of competitive frustration and failure can actually take on a greater daily practicality than you ever imagined.

You can leave behind the negativity and feelings of scarcity that are such a big part of most entrepreneurs’ lives. Everything can be positive, encouraging, and exciting. A future without competition is possible.

That’s what a Free Zone is: a world without competition. New Free Zones don’t last forever, but it’s not your concern whether or when other people move into a Free Zone you’ve created. Your goal is just to create more and more Free Zones.

Why Talent Diversity Matters: Expert Tips For Building The Perfect Team

But not all teams are created equal. Some have energy and momentum built right into their DNA, with everyone’s unique talents and perspectives combining and multiplying, while others just get stuck, with each person waiting for someone else to pick up the slack.

The difference between them? Talent diversity.

Great teams are diverse teams, yet most entrepreneurs start out by hiring people just like themselves. They gravitate toward people who think like them, work like them, and act like them.

Believe me, I get it: It feels good to be around people like us. It’s comforting, like a cozy blanket, to talk to people whose energy and perspective match our own. We already know they’ll get excited about our ideas and will handle projects (and their timelines) like we would, all of which provides a big confidence boost.

However, this kind of talent bias limits your personal and professional growth more than you might think. If your ideas are never challenged, neither are you. It’s total stagnation.

Our teams should be a complex tapestry of capabilities and perspectives, strengths and weaknesses, each supporting and complementing the others. In reality, they’re often a monochrome portrait of our own preferences and biases.