Leading
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
Read MoreCan 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?
Read MoreHow 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
Read MoreHow 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.
Read MoreWant 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
Read MoreLeadership 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?
Read MoreHow 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.
Read MoreThe Results Leader 2023
On their own few leaders work simultaneously on: the result, themselves and their team – the so called Three Key Factors.
When coaching an executive, I’d often ask “what’s your business result?”. Some respond with incredulity, “Isn’t it obvious Dave?”. It might be to them, more often it’s not, but even if it was, what about everyone else?
Ten years ago, I was steeped in this question and wrote a blog post called The Results Leader. Tomorrow the post is ten years old; it seems as relevant now as it was then so here it is – The Results Leader 2023.