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The Difference Between Construction Managers And General Contractors
Construction Management

The Difference Between Construction Managers And General Contractors

The terms Construction Manager and General Contractor are often interchanged in conversation. While both parties are involved in the general management of a construction project, they’re actually very different from one another in regards to responsibilities, liabilities and costs – even the employees’ focuses and priorities will be different. Today, we’ll explore the difference between Construction Managers and General Contractors, along with the reasons that developers choose one over the other.

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Pat Finnegan October 30, 2019
What Qualities To Look For In A Boss? The Things My Favorite Boss Did
Career Planning

What Qualities To Look For In A Boss? The Things My Favorite Boss Did

I find myself thinking about a lot of the negatives associated with project management and the workplace, even without meaning to. Delays, problems, issues, disputes, claims, manipulative people, standing up for yourself at work and other similar topics are what many of my articles are written about. There’s validity behind all of these topics for sure, but there’s a lot of good we can discuss at work, too – in project management and beyond. How you feel at work often comes down to who your coworkers are. The most important coworker of them all, though, is your boss. I imagine that there’s very few people who love their job but can’t stand their bosses. Today, we are exploring the question of “What are the qualities to look for in a good boss?”. I will answer by examining my favorite boss and the seven qualities he possessed!

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Pat Finnegan October 29, 2019
Construction Management

Being A Construction Manager: Here’s An Hourly Breakdown Of A Day In The Life

Much of what you find online related to project management is theoretical. Examples feel like they’re straight out of a laboratory, lacking real-world context and reliability. Our website isn’t exempt – many of our articles related to project management and construction management are academic in presentation. While we try to provide as much context and as many examples as we can, we feel the need to create something a bit more relatable for our readers. Construction is a field that everyone can relate to in some way. Perhaps they had a new home built at some point, or were fascinated watching a huge mega-project in full-swing, cranes and all. Those of us pursuing engineering, business or a design field like architecture begin to wonder: What is it like being a construction manager? In this article, we’re focusing on a day in the life of a theoretical project manager in construction.

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Pat Finnegan October 28, 2019
Project Management

Managing Older Employees As A Younger Manager: Realities To Consider

As you become a manager in any industry, it’s inevitable that you’ll have to manage employees older than yourself. This is true for the vast majority of managers out there today. In many cases, people get promoted to a management position in their 30s or even in their 20s. The majority of their coworkers might be older than the manager in these instances! While managing an employee older than you requires a specific approach, it’s completely doable. In this article, we’re talking about managing older employees as a younger manager, along with some realities that go along with doing so.

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Pat Finnegan October 23, 2019
Project Management

Project Management Humor: Four Of My Own Personal Work Stories

Sometimes we just need to laugh. We’ve been producing a lot of longer-form content lately that’s either technical or instructional in nature. While project management is both of these things most of the time, there’s plenty of chaos mixed in for good measure. From this chaos emerges some pretty funny stuff, even if it doesn’t seem too funny at the time. This article will be focused on project management humor, as seen through four of my own personal work stories. While these are pretty silly, there’s definitely a few nuggets in each story of what not to do in the future! Enjoy.

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Pat Finnegan October 16, 2019
What Are The Signs Of A Toxic Work Environment
Workplace Experiences

What Are The Signs Of A Toxic Work Environment? Our Top 10

Does a typical workday feel like torture? Do you feel like your soul is being taken from you one day at a time? Melodramatics aside, a bad workplace environment can make our lives miserable. According to this article from Business Insider, Americans spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime and nearly 80% are dissatisfied with their jobs. If you’re working in a bad environment for a large portion of your career, it will have a negative impact on quality of life, happiness and stress levels. That’s no way to live! So what are the signs of a toxic work environment? In this article, we’ll talk about 10 things to watch out for.

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Pat Finnegan September 19, 2019
What Are The Disadvantages Of Remote Working
Project Management Experiences

What Are The Disadvantages Of Remote Working? 5 Realities To Consider

In the past, working from home or abroad was reserved for the ultra-rich. Movie tycoons like Gordon Gekko would leave the big city via helicopter to their distant beach mansions, where they’d call shots from afar. In 2019, things are changing. According to QZ.com, over 5% of Americans were working from home back in 2017. That’s over 8 million people! This figure has more than doubled since the year 2000, and is surely higher now. The advantages of working remotely are obvious: no commute, more flexibility and fewer annoying interruptions. It’s the dream. But what are the disadvantages of remote working? In this article, we’ll discuss five realities to consider before working from home.

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Pat Finnegan September 10, 2019
How Can I Get Back My Focus At Work
Workplace Experiences

How Can I Get Back My Focus At Work? 4 Common Situations

It happens to all of us. Normally we’re a machine at work – we know what needs to be done, we come to work prepared and we tackle another day head on. While we certainly face challenges, we know we can handle them and plow right through them. We raise our hands victoriously at the end of the day and are satisfied by another job well done. Then it strikes. Whether it be sickness, personal stuff, burnout or something else – we lose our focus at work! The things we normally breeze through take longer than usual. Deadlines and assignments pile up. Where a neat to-do list once sat is now a scribbled pile of scrap paper and a bunch of tasks “we’ll remember to do” swirling in our minds. Maybe bosses or coworkers are noticing that we’re not the same. “Are you OK?” they ask. This is a place no one likes to be, and only one question remains: how can I get back my focus at work? Luckily, there are many things we can do. Let’s dive in.

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Pat Finnegan August 19, 2019

About This Topic

The workplace has changed in so many ways over the years. Here are some topics related to the modern workplace.

A-Z Index
Assertiveness Bad Bosses Bad Coworkers Bad Projects Bids & Proposals Burnout Career Path Challenges Construction Issues Construction Team Contractors Contracts Day In The Life Efficiency Ego Emotional Intelligence Entry Level Free Templates & Downloads Getting Stuff Done How-To Learning From Professionals Learning To Manage Lessons Learned Management Techniques Mental Health Mindset Mistakes At Work Modern Work Habits Modern Workplace Organization Overwhelm Personalities Philosophy Poor Management Productivity Professional Etiquette Starting A Project Students Survival In The Workplace Teamwork Thrive At Work Toxic Workplaces Work-Life Balance Workload Management Workplace Bullying

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