Team Building

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Our Graduate Gardener

May 16, 2012 in Community Service, Team Building, The Outdoors | No comments

This is the fourth year for our Community Garden. What started with a few tomato plants has expanded to fruit trees and a much larger vegetable patch.

New additions this year include:

Two large mounded beds. “Melon Mountain” will include six varieties of melons; “Squash Mountain” will be home to 5 varieties of squash and a handful of pumpkins. The seedlings are peeking out through small slits in their black weed covers.

A sprinkler system. Heads are mounted on poles throughout the garden, making watering far less labor intensive. We irrigate with water from our on-campus lake.

New plantings. We got creative this year. Beyond Alabama standards like tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, okra and peppers, we’re enjoying asparagus, blueberries and potatoes. Herbs are in full bloom.

A resting bench. Years ago, most cities used hewed stone for street curbs. On a recent project downtown, we unearthed some of these old curb structures. Three of these pieces have been formed into a garden bench, a place to rest a bit and enjoy the garden.

The most important addition is Sam Wilson, our gardener.

Sam is a recent graduate from Birmingham Southern College where he led a group of students, creating the school’s Community Garden. This project grew from a small raised bed operation into a working farm.

Like many college grads in this economy, Sam didn’t find just the right job fit upon graduation. He is between either graduate work or a full time career.

In the meantime, he’s with us a few hours each week, helping us. He is responsible for planting, harvesting and garden maintenance. Sam keeps our folks in the loop with regular email updates on the outdoors.

He’s proving to be a great asset to the team. He brought new gardening techniques and a fresh outlook to our Community Garden. We’re seeing his enthusiasm multiply through our team. In turn, we’re able to help him by providing short term employment.

As Sam said in his last email to our team, “This is your garden. Love it and it will love you back.” We’re seeing that in spades right now as we harvest potatoes, strawberries, asparagus, carrots, radishes, lettuce.

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Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email

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Off to the Races

April 4, 2012 in Family, Team Building, The Weekend | No comments

For three years running, Barber Motorsports Park has hosted the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. Stewart Perry has been there from the beginning, enjoying the weekend of family fun the races provide.

This year, highlights included the entry of V6 turbo-charged Chevy and Lotus engines and a chance to ride the ferris wheel from Neverland Ranch. We even got to enjoy a rainbow over the track.

Last weekend was a great time for our team at the races. Many thanks to Mr. Barber for making it all happen.

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Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email

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Teamwork: Moving Past the Cliche

March 23, 2012 in Team Building, The Outdoors | 2 comments

If I were to rank overused words in business today, “sustainability” would be at the top of my list. “Teamwork” is close behind, only because most do not walk the walk. In fact, I think sometimes “teamwork” has become so cliche that it has lost meaning.

So what is teamwork?

Ten years ago, I took a group of Boy Scouts on a 12-night hiking trek to the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. During the course of those 12 days, my tent partner and I would set up our tent every evening. The first 2 or 3 nights it seems like we talked a lot to ensure we knew our roles to get the tent erected properly. After about the fourth night, we quit talking because we both knew what the left hand and the right hand were doing. We erected the tent in half the time, seamlessly.

People will talk about teamwork, shaking hands and patting each other on the back. They will say, “This is my team member.” Perhaps they will qualify the statement with “external team member” or “internal  team member.” To me, without to the core belief, it does not count. Teamwork is developed and earned over time.

Over the years, I have created the following checklist. True team members:

1. Surrender their borders to each other.

2. Work together unconditionally, expecting to do more than their fair share.

3. Have their eyes on mutual goals, are unselfish and willing to share.

4. Share the praise and take the hits when they make mistakes. (This is easier said then done.)

5. Huddle together in the face of adversity rather than scatter.

To me, these five characteristics define true teamwork. The bonds strengthen with trust and time.

When you say you are “working as a team” are you meeting this definition or simply using a popular term?

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Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email

 


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Those Who Work in Glass Offices…

January 6, 2012 in Construction Trends, Team Building | No comments

Might be over-exposed.

That’s what the Wall Street Journal, “Indecent Exposure: The Downsides of Working in a Glass Office” says, anyway. With all the talk about the benefits of open design, no one seemed to consider the pitfalls. Here are a few the WSJ identified:

  • Privacy on personal matters, where human resources or other private meetings are made public, just because they can be seen.
  • The “fish bowl”effect, where coworkers find themselves exposed or distracted by their ability to see others.
  • The “Bird”effect, where people don’t see glass and walk right into it.
  • The noise factor, because glass walls allow 50-100% more noise to pass through.

As I’ve mentioned, when it was time for us to build our own campus, we worked hard to create the perfect workspace. After consulting with a few members of our team, my original thoughts for an entirely open workspace were overruled.

We ended up with what I believe is the perfect mix of openness and privacy. Each office has two glass walls–one to the outside and one facing inside. The interior walls have solid doors that shut, although we leave them open most of the time. We’ve dedicated lots of space to common areas. For us, it works.

Obviously, people need to work on their own many times, but a little bit of help never hurts. The mostly-open environment has been a real plus. If I had it to do all over again I would build office exactly the same way.

Here are a few images of our place under construction:

Our conference room, a mix of glass and solid walls, under construction.

Solid doors are flanked by glass.

Offices--light and bright--on either side of the hall.

Decals on our windows deflect birds...and people.

All outside walls are lined in windows.

 

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Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email

 

 

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Pal, Our Office Dog

July 20, 2011 in Family, Team Building | No comments

We are in the midst of  summer’s “dog days.”  While the heat might be novel to our Stewart Perry team, having a dog around isn’t. For several months, my canine companion has been coming to work with me.

Pal, a 12-year-old Springer Spaniel, used to stay at home whenever I went to the office, enduring what I’m sure were some long and boring days alone. One morning this past winter as I was preparing to walk out the door, Pal looked at me with those sad eyes that only dogs can give you, and I just couldn’t leave him behind again.

“Come on, Pal,” I said. “Let’s go to work.”

Pal quickly became our company dog. He comes to work with me almost every day now, and I think he’s been a nice addition to the office. He wanders around and visits with people, looking for a welcoming voice and a pat on the head. Members of our team will take him out walks, which is a nice way to have a mid-day break for both.

During a recent financial audit, I looked out the window and noticed that one of the auditors was walking Pal. They both seemed to be having a great time.

Studies have shown  pet-friendly environments increase employee cohesion and staff morale and productivity. Research aside, having Pal at our office seems to be nice for everyone. I know Pal definitely enjoys it. Every morning as I’m getting ready to go to work, Pal stays close to my side, making certain he doesn’t get left behind.

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Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email

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Creating the Perfect Workspace

July 8, 2011 in Construction Trends, LEED certified, Team Building | No comments

When we built our corporate campus a few years back, we were thinking about how to create a better workplace for our folks.

Our goal was to create an environment  to promote teamwork, break down cylinders and be fun. To accomplish this, I considered multiple designs:

–minimum walls and many open work areas, our customer CKP has found successful

–many workstations for management and support staff as well

–only one wall separating desks from each other, with the remaining space open to a common area

We ended up building the perfect space for us. Our offices do have walls, but there is glass across the front to keep them open. We placed our focus on common areas, like our huge work station where we all meet up to look at plans.

With all that research done our end, it was interesting to run across a recent Wall Street Journal article titled, “Designs to Make you Work Harder.“  How others approach the subject of workplace design?

Four design firms were challenged to create the ideal 15×15 ft mid-level executive’s office with no budget restraints. In the process, they learned a lot about workplace trends.

What’s in:

  • glass–shows openness and lets people see the executive at work
  • separate work zones–separates tasks and encourages collaboration
  • integration of technology–wireless friendly

What’s out:

  • status symbol executive desks
  • “ego walls” filled with trophies/awards
  • tons of storage space (paperless trends have eliminated the need)

Interestingly, these thoughts seem to fall right in line with green building and LEED guidelines–more light, openness and sustainability. I had to feel proud that even though our LEED certified place was concepted a few years back, it seems right on point with what’s happening today. What has worked for your team?

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Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email

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A Simple Garden Grows More than Produce

April 27, 2011 in Community Service, Conservation, Customer Relationships, Family, Team Building | No comments

Three years ago we decided to plant a few tomato plants beside our office. That small patch of land has become much more.

Our plot has grown into a full garden featuring silver queen corn, rosemary, strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupes, watermelons, squash, turnip greens, cucumbers, peppers and of course—tomatoes.

Beyond the beautiful produce, the beds have become a way for our company to share with the community. In the height of the growing season we harvest vegetables and put them on our kitchen table.

We share among our employees, friends that drop by and our neighbors. One year we had an over-abundance of tomatoes, so it became a team effort to see what all you could make out of a tomato. You’d be amazed at the creative recipes.

It is a joy for all of our employees to share what we grow with our customers. When we build a building we give them a home for their team, but being able to share from our garden extends into their homes as well.

Those personal relationships are the foundation of our company.

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Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email

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A Simple Flower Can Bring A Company Together

April 5, 2011 in Community Service, Conservation, Family, Preservation, Team Building | No comments

Every year, we have a Christmas gathering to bring all the Stewart Perry families together.

The first year this reunion was held at our place, we spent one Saturday morning planting several hundred daffodils across the lake on the hillside. We chose that spot because it is visible from our conference room and is a reminder of renewal and hope that comes with each new year.

The experience that Saturday with our team and their families was invaluable. We all worked together to create a nice addition to our campus. In the years since then we have added more daffodils so that now every spring across the lake we have a beautiful vista of flowers.

Our daffodils are the gift that continues to give year after year. When we construct an “owner occupied building”, during the design stage, I share with the client that to me a building should be more than 4 walls and a roof and that it should leverage important values of the company. In our case, the daffodils serve us as a reminder to our team of the importance of being cohesive. I wonder what are the important values that your environment helps to communicate?

 

 

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Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email

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Three Years and Counting

February 10, 2011 in Construction Trends, Customer Relationships, Leadership, Recession, Team Building | No comments

Few people endure slumps and a downturn in performance as often as professional athletes. Even the greatest sports stars suffer through stretches where seemingly nothing goes right. During his heyday, Michael Jordan had a commercial in which he stated, “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.” Then, after a short pause, he said, “And that is why I succeed.”

The point being that we all will go through tough times. To me, The key is how we handle the difficulties, and what we do to maintain a positive attitude and emerge stronger and better.

We have been in an economic slump for the past three years. This downturn has been longer than anything I have ever experienced, and it is not over. But things are improving. Most people expect that 2011 will be better than 2010, and 2012 will be even better than that.

Still, the psychological effects of a bad economy are similar to an athletic slump. Eventually it is difficult to keep your spirits up and you become convinced that the good times will never return. That is precisely when it is vital to visualize success.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal stated that golfing legend Jack Nicklaus used to step back and “consciously regain a positive frame of mind” whenever things were going wrong. Former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz broke out of a lengthy slump by watching a two-minute video of a series of perfect pitches he had made.

Here are a few things I do to try to encourage those around our office to keep their spirits up:

  • We have company lunches from time-to-time. Some of the ladies in our office take advantage of our kitchen and cook some wonderful and tasty full-course meal for everyone.
  • We go on company outings occasionally. Recently, many members of our staff attended a local football game and we invited not only staff, but their family as well.
  • We ensure that all employees have knowledge of our projects and company functions. While not mandatory, their level of involvement is determined by their own interests and time. This increases their own interests and helps create a sense of not only teamwork, but also ownership of the projects.

I am interested to hear how you keep employee moral up in your office or other suggestions you may have on this topic ?

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Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email

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My Use of Social Media

January 27, 2011 in Customer Relationships, Leadership, Management, Team Building, Technology | 1 comment


Thanks to several social media tools, I have been able to stay connected with increased frequency than before web 2.0.  A couple of years ago we started using several  of these  and the effectiveness of helping with relationships has been very encouraging.  I can count on a brief exchange with someone due to my blog posts, as you see here, on Facebook or on Twitter.  On the other hand, I will say that social media can be a detriment to your time management efforts.

The internet is a large and highly populated space and it is easy to get lost or chasing rabbit trails. I compare it to someone looking into a refrigerator when one is hungry, but not really sure what they want, yet they open the door to see if anything has changed. Some would compare it to insanity; doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result each time.

But through the use of Social Media, companies can now focus their attention on specific audiences much easier and start topics of conversation with just a sentence.  In addition, you can make people feel more important by personalizing the messages sent.  I enjoy reaching out to old friends to check on their well-being as well as business acquaintances, as I believe that this is a lost aspect of business today.

I believe that the economy is getting better and to me, it more important than ever before to be sure that you’re strengthening and maintaining relationships with your clients and associates in the most efficient ways across multiple platforms.

Listed below are some other blog posts to help you on your way:

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Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email

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