We all know the drill. It’s brutal times to be in construction in America. While the overall unemployment rate dropped to 9% last month, it would have dropped further if construction unemployment hadn’t risen to almost 23%. For the first time in this recession, I’m feeling the pinch of projects not getting financed and the possibility of lay-offs among our regular crews.

On the one hand, I can’t do much about it. I have lots of regular customers and if their projects aren’t proceeding at the moment, I can’t really force the issue. Trying to find new customers in these times, along with everyone else, doesn’t offer favorable odds.

So what to do, whether you are a concrete foreman, an electrical PM or a small business owner? A quote from Dale Carnegie says it well:

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

Don’t spend too much time fretting over what you can’t do. Think expansively. Take time to ponder where this industry is going, what you like to do, dislike and where you excel. Don’t miss the opportunity afforded by challenging times. Position yourself or your firm to be at the right place when the right time comes.

As I sit here in my little office in the woods, I look out the window and see a couple of blue jays and a red-headed woodpecker sitting on the same tree branch. I previously threw some bird feed on the snow and dozens of birds are banqueting. I’m reminded of the words of Jesus:

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” and “Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life? Since you can’t do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

When considering my own course of action, I’m playing around with the idea that Building Information Modeling (BIM) really will completely change our industry in the next few years. Producing 3D drawings that actually show how the project (including all the mechanicals and electricals) get built would be an amazing change from the 2D cartoons we currently use. So many actual design decisions now get made on the jobsite, what if we required the contract drawings actually show that work? It will be a huge change for most of us.

Do I want to be leading or bringing up the end of that parade? What’s best for my customers? Is the cost and delay worth the much improved design documents at the end? Can those documents really be used to make the buildings work more efficiently over time? These are some of the questions I’ll be working on. I’ll let you know what I conclude.

But at the very least…I’m taking some action. To quote one of my early bosses, “Do something, even if it’s wrong.”