My Blog
This blog is for me, it’s my sketch pad where I think things through and work things out. Having worked ‘stuff’ out I think it’s good to declare it, so I am sending it to you. Hopefully you will also find it useful.
Latest Posts
How effective communication can transform your leadership style
This post is about “communication” – a topic of frequent conversation among the execs and leadership teams I work with. In it I share a little of what learnt from when I had a proper job and from the people I coach. Also, I attempt to distinguish between dialogue and debate.
… “it’s all about communication”
How to be a great mentor
I got a call from a construction leader, he asked me how to be a great mentor and then we worked it out together. This is kind of the write up, what we arrived at and the key takeaways.
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The pursuit of happiness: helping construction leaders find clarity
Every now and then big stuff happens and confidence takes a hit. It seems big stuff is happening more and more frequently.
John has lost it, again, he’s frazzled and has had enough. He thinks its just him, then realises its not.
How come? and what to do about it?
Get fit for management by developing ‘real’ skills
Fit for management is showing up as your best self and getting the best out of others. It’s about the so-called ‘soft skills’.
But wait, you’re not soft and soft doesn’t cut it in construction. Let’s not call them soft skills. The necessary skills are ‘real’ skills
How a ‘coaching style’ of management will transform construction
The culture of telling people what to do and how to do it is stifling the construction industry. Instead, project managers should become coaches
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Can a site quantity surveyor work from home?
Remote working has become increasingly common post-pandemic. But can quantity surveyors effectively oversee what is happening on site if they are working from home?
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How to inspire your people to achieve a shared vision for success
First step to inspiring your people, you have to be inspired yourself – so notice where you get your inspiration and get more of it. It’s not a one-time event, a conference or a roadshow. This is how you show up day after day as a leader, and this is who you are as a leader
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How the world has changed and how we move forward from here
Thinking about the books on my reading list for my civil engineering degree and the books I would recommend if I was a civil engineering or construction lecturer now.
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Want to attract new talent? Leave the kids alone
We’ve been talking about ‘the skills shortage’ for most of the 48 years I have been in the construction industry.
In the 90’s I went into schools to enthuse about my work as a civil engineer, the kids didn’t seem at all interested. It didn’t work. It hasn’t worked.
Here I offer a different mindset, an alternative approach that is working. Now we need to scale it.
Empowerment vs enforcement: a career-defining lesson
Why empowering construction professionals is more productive than enforcement
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