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

What is the essence of coaching?

21st December 2020

We are going to change the construction industry from the bottom up. To do that we need to change the default conversation. Command, control and blame as a conversational style does not work; its crushing. You have felt it. There is a better way to gain commitment and get things done – big or small. Use a coaching style of conversation. But what is coaching?

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How to kill off talent

23rd November 2020

My Big Idea is taking shape, now I need to get young professionals on board with it. I’ve suggested ‘what’s in it for them’ though I don’t really know. So, I am reaching out here to find out and then I will shape things to fit. But first let’s see how to kill off talent, cos we don’t want to do that, right?

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If it works in sport, it can work in construction

16th November 2020

I’ve got a big idea. It’s about changing the construction industry from the ground up, and energising thousands of young professionals and their organisations along the way.
For the last eight weeks I have been articulating this Big Idea, here in my blog.
In this post we get down to brass tacks including: costs, benefits and executive legacies.

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Psychological safety and the dangers of deferential silence

9th November 2020

You could change the organisation for the better, perhaps together we could change the construction industry; though not without psychological safety.

Maybe that’s the elephant in the room – you have something that could work but think it would be career limiting to mention it – there’s no psychological safety round here

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The high cost of unhappiness

2nd November 2020

In our last post we highlighted the opportunity for changing the construction industry from the ground up based on the survey of millennials we did with the help of the CIOB. In this post we see the opportunity globally. 85% of the global workforce is disengaged. My Big Idea has just got a whole lot bigger.

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What our millennials really feel about the industry

23rd October 2020

We wanted to find out what our millennials really feel about the industry, so with the help of the CIOB we asked just under 9500 of them. Here’s the results. It makes for uncomfortable reading though I am full of hope. This is how construction’s young professionals can make the changes they want and change the industry for good

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Coaching vs. Management

5th October 2020

When it comes to ideas they don’t come much bigger than this, at least not in my head. I’m thinking of industry change from the bottom up. I’m thinking, coaching on a grand scale. But what is coaching? Here, I distinguish between coaching and management. It’s about the nature of conversations…

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I was lucky and entrusted with big things. Is it like that now?

28th September 2020

I’ve got a big idea. It’s about changing the construction industry from the bottom up. In this my third ‘Big idea’ post I’m reflecting on my journey up through the ranks and what it’s like for young people now. This is for managers looking to leave a legacy and for rising stars who are up for change.

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Is staff development construction’s blind spot?

21st September 2020

Together we are going to change the construction industry from the ground up. It’s a big idea I’m working on. You are focused on project delivery so let’s recruit and enable the talent coming up through the ranks to shape the future. Here’s my thinking…

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Instilling a coaching culture: How the industry could change from the inside

7th September 2020

All considered, the UK construction industry is amazing though there are problems and I have been working to fix them. I haven’t succeeded, yet. My approach has been top down. There have been some remarkable successes though the work is far from done. I have this big idea. It’s time to start working bottom up …..

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