Why Every Decision Runs Through Your Desk (And How It's Killing Your Business)

Gerard Aliberti • September 27, 2025

The Challenge

So I'm talking to this contractor last week who runs a $60 million construction company, and he tells me he walked into his office Monday morning ready to finally call that developer who's been dangling a 2.5-year project in front of him. This thing is right up his alley, and he knows his team could absolutely crush it. But before he can even grab his phone, here come the interruptions. His project manager needs approval on a change order, his superintendent wants to switch concrete suppliers, and his estimator is asking whether to include some risky scope in a bid that's due today. By lunch, he'd fielded twelve decisions that, honestly, his team should be handling without him.

Now my first question to him was about where his lower-level executives were in all this, but for today, I want to focus on something else entirely. Why are so many questions landing on his desk in the first place? Meanwhile, and as you guessed, that developer call never happened, and he's sitting there thinking, "I built this whole company so I could work on growing it, not so I could approve every material swap and schedule change."

The Impact

Here's the thing that's killing me about this situation. While he's stuck approving routine decisions, his competitors are out there building the relationships that land the next big contract. That developer I mentioned? He requires months of strategic relationship building, but my friend can't block out the time because there's always another operational fire to put out. His backlog should be growing, but instead, he's spending his energy on stuff that keeps him busy instead of stuff that makes him money. The brutal part is his team has gotten comfortable just asking him instead of thinking it through, because why take responsibility when the boss will just make the call for you?

The Shift

So here's something powerful I've been working on with my clients that you can start immediately, and I'm telling you, this will absolutely change how your business runs. Starting Monday morning, you and your key people are keeping a decision journal for thirty days. Every time someone comes to you with a question, write it down. What they asked, what triggered it, what you told them. Have them track the same thing on their end.

Rating Scale:

1 = Tactical (They shouldn't need to ask - needs clear authority levels)
2 = Grey Area (Needs SOP, training, or better procedures)
3 = Strategic (Owner input genuinely required)

After thirty days, look for patterns. Utilize ChatGPT or another AI tool to identify trends that you might otherwise overlook. Then rate every question on that 1-3 scale. I guarantee you'll find that seventy percent of what hits your desk falls into categories 1 and 2. That's potentially fifteen hours a week you're getting back to work on actual business growth.

The Closing

Look, if you want to take your company to the next level, your people have to start making decisions without you. This journal exercise may seem simple (and it is!), but it's the key to getting your life back and letting your business grow the way you always envisioned. When your team starts making confident calls on their own, projects move faster, problems get solved quicker, and you finally have headspace to focus on those big relationship moves that bring in serious money. Every day you put this off is another day you stay stuck answering the same questions instead of building the future you want.

Jerry Aliberti
Pro-Accel, Owner

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Ready to break free from the decision-making bottleneck and unlock your company's true growth potential? Pro-Accel's Executive Coaching program helps construction leaders build the systems and leadership capabilities that enable sustainable scaling. Reach out to jerry@pro-accel.com to schedule a call and discuss how we can transform your operations.
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< Older Post

Your Reputation Rises or Falls With Who You Build Beside

By Gerard Aliberti • September 20, 2025

The Challenge In construction, reputation is your currency. It is what keeps the phones ringing, keeps your bids in the mix, and determines who trusts you with the next big project. Yet too many contractors overlook how much their partners shape that reputation. For general contractors, the subcontractors you invite to your jobs are a mirror of your standards. For subcontractors, the general contractors you attach your name to send an equally loud message. The uncomfortable reality is that your partners become an extension of you. If they cut corners, miss deadlines, or operate chaotically, you wear that stain too. Do this often enough and people start questioning your judgment. On the other hand, when you consistently build alongside reliable, disciplined partners, the industry begins to see you differently. Suddenly, you are not just another bidder; you are the company that delivers.

Who Is Really Running Your Projects

By Gerard Aliberti • September 13, 2025

The Challenge One of the most overlooked problems in construction is confusion over who is actually in charge of the project. In smaller companies and on smaller projects, it often falls on the superintendent. They have the field experience, are respected by the crews, and drive the work forward, while the project manager plays a more supporting role. That structure works when the projects are small, but as the company grows and the projects become larger, the cracks start to show. Clients expect the project manager to lead. They want answers on budgets, schedules, and commitments. The word “manager” in the title makes them assume that the person has the authority, and in my years of experience, they should. Meanwhile, the superintendent’s value is in driving the day-to-day in the field and keeping production moving. When the lines between the two are not redefined as a company grows, tension builds. Superintendents who have always “run the job” struggle to let go. Project managers who have always supported now need to step into leadership. The lack of clarity creates a tug of war inside the company.

Relationships Do Not Win Jobs Without Performance

By Gerard Aliberti • September 6, 2025

Welcome to the first edition of The Growth Accelerator. This newsletter is designed for construction owners who are serious about scaling their operations without compromising profit or control. After 22-plus years in the industry, managing hundreds of millions of dollars in projects in the field and leading estimating teams responsible for more than $12 billion in projects, I have seen the patterns that make or break contractors. Each week, I will share insights from the field and boardroom to help you run a stronger, more profitable business. So let’s dive into the first issue topic! I figured I would start with the topic of one of my most viewed LinkedIn posts, which received over 225,000 impressions!