In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fey returns with a powerful Between the Builds reflection—breaking down one of the most important leadership lessons from his recent conversation with Burton Hackney, President & CEO of JORIS General Contractors, one of Texas’s most admired construction companies.

Rather than chasing size, geography, or market dominance, JORIS made a bold and clarifying decision: to become one of the most admired companies in Texas. Chris unpacks why that single choice reshaped how the company hires, leads, allocates time, and builds culture—and why clarity like this is the difference between growth that compounds and growth that creates friction.

This episode goes deeper than construction or leadership theory. Chris challenges leaders to confront a hard truth: most organizations don’t fail from lack of vision—they fail because leaders don’t spend enough time on what actually matters. Drawing from Burton’s philosophy, along with insights from The One Thing and Unique Ability, Chris explains why leaders must spend a disproportionate share of their time reinforcing culture, alignment, and direction.

Through candid self-reflection, Chris shares how even well-intentioned leaders get pulled into meetings, emails, and “important” tasks that quietly steal focus from the work only they can do. This episode is a reset—a reminder that your company will never rise above the clarity of its leadership or the discipline of how time is spent.

Whether you’re leading a company, a team, or your own life, this conversation will help you recalibrate your priorities, refocus your calendar, and recommit to building something that’s not just successful—but truly admired.

Key Takeaways

• Clarity beats scale — JORIS didn’t chase being the biggest; they committed to being the most admired, and everything flowed from that decision.

• Culture is the real differentiator — when people love where they work, customers feel it in every interaction.

• Your calendar reveals your leadership — vision without time allocation is just aspiration.

• Leaders must focus on their “One Thing” — spending time everywhere guarantees impact nowhere.

• Disproportionate focus creates disproportionate results — at least 50% of a leader’s time should be spent driving the most important initiative forward.

• Fragmentation kills momentum — meetings, emails, and distractions slowly erode strategic progress.

• Delegation requires discipline — letting go of good tasks is necessary to protect great ones.

• Great companies are built intentionally — admired organizations don’t happen by accident; they are designed daily through leadership behavior.

• The same rules apply to life — the question isn’t just what matters most in business, but whether your time reflects what matters most as a human being.