(Re)Discovering Joy in Building
3/1/25(Re)Discovering Joy in Building
I’m at LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch, waiting for my wife to get her makeup done before a gala tonight. (Don’t judge, fellas—I’m earning serious brownie points!)
As I sit here, it hits me: LaCenterra was the last project I built as a project manager almost 20 years ago. After this, I moved into operations, then quickly into leading the business in Texas. I went from building things to building the business. And without realizing it, I let the joy of building slip away.
Last week at a CEO roundtable, I had dinner with a friend who runs a large, family-owned construction business. He grew up playing in the equipment yard, tagging along with his dad and uncle, absorbing the business from the ground up.
At dinner, he said something that stuck with me:
"There was a time I could’ve won the lottery, and it wouldn’t have changed a thing—I’d have shown up to work the next day because I loved it that much. But somewhere along the way, I lost that feeling."
I know both those feelings! I remember stepping onto my first job site and instantly knowing—this is it! The smell of diesel and cut dirt got my engines running. I couldn’t wait to get started, even when “starting” meant mopping the trailer. I just loved being there.
That was 30 years ago. I’ve never hated my job, but the joy faded as cut dirt and diesel were replaced with spreadsheets, personnel issues, and video calls where people forget to unmute themselves. The tangible feeling of progress—the fun part—was harder to find.
So, I asked my friend a simple question:
"What would it take for it to be fun again?"
He hesitated, unsure. But as we talked, he remembered the things he still loved: organizing a project, serving clients, watching a longtime superintendent succeed, seeing senior leaders grow.
He started to smile. The joy was still there—it just looked different now.
And that’s when it clicked for me, too.
We get into construction because we love to build. We love seeing something real take shape because of our effort. But as we grow, our job shifts. We move further from the work, and if we’re not careful, we lose sight of our why.
At some point, I stopped building projects and started building builders—building leaders. And while I didn’t recognize it at first, that’s where my greatest satisfaction comes from today.
It’s easy to get caught in the grind and forget why we started. Construction is stressful, demanding, and full of challenges. But in my opinion, it’s the most rewarding business to be in. It’s something we get to do—not something we have to do.
So, I’ll ask you the same question I asked him:
If it’s not fun today, what would it take to make it fun again?
And if you’re loving it, what keeps you coming back—not because you have to, but because you want to?
