Pat Neal: Observed

4:30 a.m.
Wake up call
Neal either swims laps at the pool behind his home or goes for a run every morning.

Go Greek
Neal eats six meals a day, each with 300 calories. Breakfast on May 1 is plain Chobani Greek yogurt, followed by blueberries and bananas with saccharin. Other meals include a salad, a few bites from a buffet, another yogurt, and a grape-flavored sparkling water while driving on Interstate 75 around 4 p.m.

Book Worm
The book shelves in Neal's office include: Black's Law Dictionary; Winning Elections, by Ronald Faucheux; The Complete Idiot's Guide to Human Resource Management; and land development code books for four Gulf Coast counties.

Daily Grind
Neal is at the office by 6 a.m., responding to emails by dictating notes to his executive assistant. At 7:30 a.m. he usually calls his wife, Charlene Neal, who runs the firm's interior design unit. They speak for two minutes about a cocktail party that night and a trip to Washington, D.C.

The Late Pat Neal
On May 1 he arrived at the office at 6 a.m., and his workday ended at 8:30 p.m. He also frequently runs late. Says Neal: “I live much of my life behind schedule. I often call myself 'the late Pat Neal.'”

On the Road
Neal drives a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The vehicle, new as it is, recently surpassed 44,000 miles.

Dictator
Neal dictates email responses and memos into a Dictaphone several times a day. Neal's executive assistant, Priscilla Heim, transcribes the messages and sends the emails.

Waste Not
Neal abhors downtime. Looking over an itinerary for a Washington, D.C., trip, Neal asks an assistant to make changes. “That's not good,” Neal tells her. “It gives us four hours to do nothing.”

Home, Sweet Homes
Neal owns a home in most of the communities where the firm builds. He stays in one of the homes occasionally, mostly on nights when his wife is out of town or he works late. He has suits in every home, and he keeps a shaving kit and a toiletries bag in his Jeep.

Pile On
Neal has at least four large piles of papers on his desk, and five neatly organized piles on the floor, one for each day of the week. Employees will stream into the office and reach down for the document they need. Says Neal: “Each pile means something.”

Pep Up
Monthly sales meetings at Neal Communities are part pep rally, part sales meeting. Neal opened the May 1 meeting by pointing to the company's sales director, David Hunihan and saying, “How long have you been here, two years and three months?” Hunihan corrects Neal, saying his three-year anniversary is actually that day. Jokes Neal: “That was really a good decision for me (to hire you.) I don't know if it was as good for you.”

Over and Out
Neal has two favorite sayings to end phone calls. The most common is “over and out.” Not far behind is “did you get what you need from this call?”

Follow Up
Neal checks on sites and properties every week, trying to alter visits by region. He will sometimes climb on roofs, like he did at the Boca Royale Golf & Country Club. He will also change from a suit to jeans and back to a suit, if necessary.

Goal of the Day
Neal sets a goal or word of the day almost every day. The goal on May 1 was to “speak aspirationally.” Neal suggested the following to an employee talking at an event: “I'd like you to be gracious and aspirational, and also be brief.”

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