Sustaining The Family Feeling of A Family Business, with Sam Daniels, Ep #74

Growing up in a family-owned general contracting business, Sam Daniels worked in the field, learned back-office stuff, and then went to school to learn more of the business skills needed to be a significant part of the family business going forward. His journey into leadership and the lessons he’s had to learn — and how he’s learned them — provide great food for thought for those in the role of leadership. Sam speaks with host, Bruce Holoubek about sustaining the family feel of the business over time, what that looks like practically when it comes to employee benefits and communication, and more. Join us for this conversation.

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Outline of This Episode

  • [1:03] Building construction: how it’s built and how it shapes us
  • [4:46] Sam’s company is a diversified self-performing contractor? What’s that?
  • [6:43] Shifting from residential construction to larger-scale commercial work
  • [11:01] Characteristics that set Daniels Construction apart from other companies
  • [14:48] Working in the field as the kid of one of the company leaders
  • [17:20] The fun of being a third-generation leader in a family business
  • [22:30] Leadership lessons about caring for the team, learned from his grandfather
  • [25:06] Misconceptions about the construction industry
  • [29:55] Why long-term employees are the norm at Daniel’s construction
  • [35:19] Surprises Sam’s high school friends might experience if they met him today
  • [37:51] Why the work Daniel’s construction does, matters to Sam and to others
  • [42:02] How losing his grandfather shaped his course to lead in the family business
  • [48:01] The one thing Sam desires for his employees more than anything
  • [49:55] Two pieces of advice for top decision-makers

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