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Being Before Doing

Frances Hesselbein’s Blueprint for Character-Driven Leadership that Shapes Culture, Sparks Courage, Boosts Impact Across All Teams

Frances Hesselbein argues that leadership begins with character, not tactics. When people witness integrity in motion, they trust direction without coercion. Instead of perfecting control systems, she urges us to perfect self-awareness, turning everyday behaviors into magnets that attract commitment. How you greet, listen, and decide teaches more than any policy manual.

Influence grows through consistent, servant-minded actions. Share information freely, celebrate small wins, and remove barriers that slow momentum.Great coaches ask questions that spark insight instead of dictating answers. By shifting focus from controlling tasks to developing people, you multiply capacity in ways rules never could.

She asks: which habit will you revise today to mirror the leader you aim to be? Replace terse emails with questions, swap rushed judgment for dialogue, trade visibility for vulnerability. When identity meets action, culture advances and results arrive. Small tweaks reshape our stories!

Map a clear intent, pace the day, remove one barrier; prove leadership by decisive acts that turn shared purpose into steady progress for all today!

Exxon’s $100M Chip-Grade IPA Upgrade Breaks Ground

Exxon Mobil invests $100M to retrofit Baton Rouge plant for pure isopropyl alcohol serving US chip fabs by 2027, to ease domestic chip import reliance

Exxon Mobil has begun a $100 million retrofit at its Baton Rouge, Louisiana complex to make chip-grade isopropyl alcohol. Revealed March 26, the move meets soaring solvent demand from new U.S. fabs in Arizona, Texas and Ohio. Completion is set for 2027, trimming reliance on Asian imports.

Crews are replacing vintage piping with stainless reactors, high-vac towers and a Class-100 bottling line that fills 15,000 drums a day. Peak labor tops 600, and the revamp adds 40 permanent jobs. The solvent will reach 99.999 percent purity, eclipsing pharma standards. New heat-integrated exchangers will trim energy use by 10 percent and cut CO2 emissions by 35 kt each year.

Analysts call the upgrade a CHIPS Act lynchpin; one EUV fab can gulp five million liters of IPA a year. Local output will slash lead times and contamination risk as AI drives chip complexity. State leaders say the deal shows Louisiana can pivot from fuels to tech chemicals. Analysts predict copycat upgrades at Gulf plants soon.

I-81 teardown contract locked now

State inks $251M deal to demo Syracuse I-81 viaduct, launch Community Grid, add boulevards, bike lanes and 1,200 jobs, keeping 2031 finish on schedule

New York awarded a $251 million contract to Salt City Constructors on Monday, kicking off the final phase-one package of Syracuse’s $2.25 billion I-81 Viaduct Removal. The design-build team will excavate eight blocks of elevated highway, erect temporary ramps, and pour the first pieces of the street-level Community Grid meant to reunite a city split since 1959.

Crews will begin by shifting traffic to the rebuilt I-481 interchange this summer, then drop the 50-foot-tall viaduct girder-by-girder with high-reach shears. Three new signalized boulevards, four miles of bike lanes, and green stormwater swales follow, while an on-site concrete recycler slashes truck trips and carbon.

DOT leaders say the deal sustains 1,200 union jobs and keeps full completion on track for 2031. Housing advocates welcome land-trust parcels but press for tighter rent caps as values climb. For Southside neighbors who marched for removal, scissor cranes under the dark steel confirm a long-promised turning point.

Timber Tower Trend Transforms Urban Housing

Fast Code changes and new grants spark wave of green CLT apartments; Seattle’s 8-story Heartwood lists, 12-story towers line up nationwide.

Seattle’s eight-story Heartwood apartment the city’s first Type IV-C building under the 2021 code hit the market in February, and brokers say the CLT landmark logged 30 tours in its first week as funds chase low-carbon certificates and faster returns that trimmed nine months off pro-forma schedules.

Behind the buzz are fresh policy carrots: last month the Softwood Lumber Board and USDA doubled mass-timber accelerator grants, while Washington and Oregon launched embodied-carbon incentives that award up to $7,500 a unit for wood-framed mid-rises. Add relaxed height limits in the 2024 IBC and lenders suddenly view timber as mainstream multifamily.

The pipeline shows the pivot LIHI’s 12-story U District tower and Portland’s Julia West pour this quarter, and Georgia okayed a 300-unit CLT complex. Analysts count 7,200 residential timber units underway nationwide, triple 2022. Suppliers warn U.S. lamination capacity must double by 2027 to keep pace. Industry groups expect ascent to accelerate.

The Importance of Proper Signage and Barricades on Construction Sites

Introduction
Good morning, Team! Today's toolbox talk addresses proper use of signage and barricades. Clearly marking hazards and restricted areas prevents accidents and protects everyone on-site.

Why It Matters
Missing or unclear signage can result in injuries, accidents, or unauthorized access. Proper barriers and signs help us maintain a safe, organized site.

Strategies for Effective Signage and Barricades

1. Clearly Mark Hazards:

   • Use visible signs to alert workers of hazards like excavations, electrical areas, or overhead risks.

2. Maintain Barricades:

   • Regularly inspect barriers to ensure they remain secure and clearly visible.

3. Follow Regulations:

   • Adhere strictly to OSHA guidelines regarding sign types, sizes, colors, and placement.

4. Update Signs Promptly:

   • Immediately remove outdated signs and place new ones as site conditions change.

5. Train Workers:

   • Ensure everyone knows the meanings of common signs and respects barricades.

Discussion Questions

• Have you witnessed incidents due to unclear signage or inadequate barricades?

• How can we improve our current signage and barrier practices?

Conclusion
Clear signage and proper barricades protect workers by communicating hazards effectively. Keep signs visible, accurate, and respected.

Sign clearly stay safely!