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
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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Leadership traits: five rules for effective team management
When balancing the wide-ranging demands of day-to-day work, how can construction leaders build teams well – and keep them motivated?
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How to foster diversity of thought within your company
There’s a lot of talk about diversity and inclusion – here’s a few practical ways to build it and with it your own performance and the culture of your team and company.
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Construction should adopt a coaching style of management to make every person count
Building Magazine published one of my articles back in April, it seems to have struck a chord on LinkedIn with more likes and re-posts than usual. In it I confront the “skills shortage” – a perennial problem, much talked about ever since I joined the industry in 1976. Lots has changed since then; we now have collaborative contracts, BIM and MMC but the default management style remains. Changing that will change everything, here’s how to get started
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