Episodes

This week, we’re talking about diversity in construction again. With the launch of our new Build the Circle scholarship program, we’re spending some time talking about the problem, as we see it, and the logic that went into our approach at one solution. If you have ever felt like things aren’t right in this industry, but you have no idea how to go about making a change, this episode may be relevant to your interests! We talk about: Some of the more subtle forms of bias All of the voices that ...

This week, we’re taking another dive into our new model of organizational change, the newly named “Groundswell Theory.” As we prepare to roll out our new PM Basic Training program in a couple of weeks, we wanted to spend some time talking through the details of the framework that supports all of our construction training, Arcade’s Project Life Cycle. We talk about • Phases of a construction project • Construction Processes • Roles on a project • The Steps of each Process • Why understandin...

This week, we are talking about growth, hiring and promotion – all of the ways that a company gets an infusion of fresh blood. Of course, being the nerds that we are, we went ahead and made the vampire analogy. We talk about: • Promoting from within the company • Hiring people from outside the company • Sources of new talent and information • Case study of companies who get left behind • How to promote from within the right way • How to make sure you are still bringing new knowledge and i...

This week on The Critical Path, we are talking about a subject that is at the center of a great deal of stress and drama in the industry – Value Engineering. We talk about: •What Value Engineering is and who is benefits • Understanding which pieces of the puzzle are immovable • Understanding the role of the building life cycle in Value Engineering • ‘Smart Value’ Engineering • Finding more appropriate products or applying the economy of scale • Cutting Scope / Quantity • Cutting Profit L...

Last year, just before Covid hit, we recorded an episode about how to manage schedule in construction. The plan was to record a second part to that episode where we addressed how to handle impacts to the schedule, once it was all built out. Now that we’re getting back on track with the podcast, we thought it might be a good time to revisit that subject and finally talk more about managing impacts from the field perspective and from the office perspective. We talk about: • The importance of un...

It’s been a while since we have made an episode of The Critical Path, but we’re back and we have lots to talk about! After a long break to think about our business, our podcast, and what’s next for Arcade and The Critical Path, we’re talking this week about what’s been going on, and how we’re changing our whole outlook on Organizational Change. Stay tuned! The post Episode 74 – Now What? appeared first on Arcade Construction Academy.

This week, on The Critical Path, we’re talking with architectural innovator Kathryn Larsen, who has earned the nickname, The Seaweed Girl in the international design community. Kathryn is doing some amazing research into how we can avoid reinventing the wheel, by making use of materials and methods that were used by the ingenious craftsmen of previous generations. We’re really excited about this episode – don’t miss it! You can check out some of Kathryn’s work at https://kathrynlarsen.com/ You ...

This week’s episode is a lot of fun! We’ve been working to learn more about how Extended Reality (XR) is being put to use in the construction world for a long time. From using Virtual Reality (VR) for safety training or to better understand models while offsite to Augmented Reality (AR) like HoloLens that lets you look at the models for the project overlaid directly on the actual environment, technology is changing the way we build in a lot of fascinating ways. This week, we got a chance to sit ...

Recently, we started hearing about some really cool projects that have been happening around the world. We wanted to learn more about what companies like Sextant Foundation and Construction for Change are doing, and how the rest of us can help them in the important work they are doing. We sat down to have a cup of coffee and film a Live Stream with Shannon Bunsen and Kevin Hunter about their philosophies, their projects, what we should all know about humanitarian efforts, and how we can all help...

This week, we start running our first group through our Foreman Basic Training program. For that course, rather than give our trainees reading assignments, we put together a series of podcast style audio reviews, so that they can listen to their homework while they drive or get other things done. We’ve been really busy getting the final touches on the program, so we missed recording an episode of The Critical Path last week! Instead of just skipping an episode, we thought it might be fun to give...

As we gear up to roll out our Foreman Basic Training Program next month, we’re talking about the phenomena that prompted us to create that program – promotion without preparation. It’s a major factor in the conversation about psychological safety, and a problem that we see on a daily basis in this industry. We talk about: • The pressure that a promotion can bring • The gravity of escaping the financial pain point • Promotion from field to field lead to office management • What kind of suppo...

It’s been 19 years today since the September 11 attacks. That date is engraved in our minds for a reason – many things about our world changed on that fateful day. In a recent conversation with this week’s special guest, Brian Polis, Director of Health, Safety and Environment at Graham, we talked about implosion demolition as a practice, how it might look different today from how it looked in 2000 when the King Dome was demolished, and how we learned a lot, as an industry, from the effects that ...

We’ve had a busy couple of weeks, and lots of guests on The Critical Path lately. It felt like it was time to just settle in with an audio only episode and talk some serious construction (but also get silly with some nerdy movie references.) So, we present to you – Bidding in Construction – Is It a Xenomorph? in which we discuss how the bidding process can look a little like the Alien movies (mostly the first one, though you can’t talk about Alien without some reference to the franchise!) We ta...

As COVID has changed our world from the highly localized Seattle community to a more global perspective, we’ve been talking with a lot of people who are further away than before. As we found ourselves having more distant conversations, and building those communities up, we have been talking a lot with people affiliated with the school we both attended – Purdue University! From conversations with recent grads to professionals working with Purdue to rethink the construction program, we had a serie...

It seems like every day we see some new tool or software solution that is the ‘next big thing’ in construction. It’s true that there are a lot of new advances that can go a long way to saving us from injuries and unnecessary mistakes in the construction industry, but it’s important that we think new tech through just like any other business decision. This week, we’re talking with Trevor Lunde, who sees a lot of new technology move through the vetting system at GLY, and we’re talking about how to...

This week, we’re talking about all the time you spend doing things that aren’t your strongest or best skills, and why you should do less of that! We talk about: • Aleister Crowley (and Ozzy Osbourne) • The risk of being a little good at a lot of things • The role you are ‘built’ to play at work • The pain point of wasted time • An exercise to help determine what you’re made to do • Hiring based on what kind of people the organization needs, rather than to a job description The post Episo...

This week, we’re talking about a subject that is on a lot of minds right now – looking for work. As everyone tries to sort out the best way to respond to the economic uncertainty of the COVID crisis, many people who are great team members with valuable skills are finding themselves looking for a new team to join. We’ve been having lots of great conversations with people, talking through how to take next steps, and we thought it would be a good time to talk about it on the podcast. In other news...

This week, we’re catching up with Nigel Chiddick, who has been running a series of LinkedIn stories about his experiences with racism in his history in the construction industry, the importance of mentors and relationships, and what it’s like to share your own, very personal life stories with the world on a social media platform. We talk about: • How the industry looked when Nigel was starting his career in the 1990s for people of color • The impact that several meaningful mentors have had on...

A question we hear all the time is, “How do I get my team motivated?” A related question that not enough leaders ask is, “How can I keep from demotivating my team?” Keeping people engaged, coming to work and being excited about getting things done is one of the most common concerns of leaders. This week, we’re talking about how motivation works – get your psych textbooks out and let’s dive in! We talk about: • The five levels of motivation (and why most companies spend most of their time worki...

Downsizing. No one wants to talk about it. No one wants to have to do it. It’s not exactly a fun topic. In the era of COVID though, it’s more important than ever that we think carefully about downsizing decisions and then handle the implementation of those decisions in the right way. So, this week, we’re talking about downsizing. We talk about: • Survivor’s Syndrome: The effect that significant downsizing has on the remaining team • The impacts of Survivor’s Syndrome • Steps you can take to...

Recently, we had a great conversation on the podcast with our friend Jason Jones, and that conversation brought up a lot of really great information. After recording that episode, we found that we wanted to learn more about what a Chief Diversity Officer really does, and get some thoughts from someone who is really out there doing work in the field of Diversity and Inclusion in Construction. We put out the bat signal, and connected with Dan Lester, Director of Field Diversity, Inclusion and Cult...

Knowledge is so important in the construction industry. Knowing the right way to build things, knowing the way the customer wants things built and being able to communicate that information across teams is the most important part of our work. As important as it is to know the right answer, it is even more important that we all make sure to ask the question when we don’t know. This week, we’re talking about The Power of Stupid Questions. Here are a few highlights: • The difference between jargo...

Okay Constant Listeners, get your Jetpacks on because we are getting a little serious this week. There is a conversation happening in this country right now, and it’s long overdue. Race and inequality are heavy topics, and they can be really uncomfortable to talk about, so often we just don’t. Jason and I have been struggling with the best way to approach this conversation ourselves. The effort to be a helpful ally is confusing and challenging. On the one hand, we want to sit down, shut up and ...

This week, we recorded our first remote guest on The Critical Path. (In the past, when you have heard guests on the podcast, those people have been sitting right here in the Arcade office with a cup of coffee in hand!) In the era of COVID, we’re all making changes, and learning to work with audio recorded through Zoom is our most recent challenge. We chatted with Luke Powers, founder of Gearflow, a site where you can find parts for all of your equipment from multiple vendors, so you can compare...