Instead of reviewing a tool this month, I’m going to provide you with one — a management tool. As a site superintendent in a tight labor market, I’ve often found myself in the position of hiring and training less than qualified individuals just to keep the job going. Most of our new employees have been genuinely interested in construction but also young, new to the trades, and rarely in possession of more than a few basic tools. We usually start these new hires at the top — the top of a trench, that is. In short order, I get a sense of their work ethic and attitude and can decide whether they’re keepers. Of those who stay
