The Victim/Villian Paradox
Construction Nation, When my father died my mom came to live with us. She was an identical twin. All her childhood she had been bullied by her twin sister, and her mother to some extent. This did two things: it made my mom very strong and it made her slip into a victim mindset. This […]
Your Project Team’s Primary Role
Dear Construction Nation, Have you ever worked on a project where it seemed that all the team did was argue about the budget or schedule? I seem to be on this type of project all the time!! The owner feels the contractor is trying to take advantage of them. The contractor and subcontractors feel they […]
Creating a High-Trust Owner’s Team
Hey Construction Nation! All of you have seen what a dramatic impact the pandemic had on airports all over the U.S. and world. This week I had a chance to interview Judy Ross, the Assistant Director of Aviation for the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport. She and her team weathered the challenges and […]
The Four Seasons of Partnering – Part 2
Hey Construction Nation, Have you noticed that no matter what season you are in, there are specific opportunities and lessons to be learned? Sometimes the lessons come disguised as problems and challenges to overcome. Sometimes they come as ways to soar. But they always come. And they come in cycles, like seasons. Last week we […]
The Four Seasons of Partnering – Part 1
Dear Construction Nation, Have you ever noticed how everything seems to go through seasons? Your life has seasons. Your business has seasons. The economy has seasons. It just makes sense that when you have construction Partnering you will have seasons. For those of you who are Partnering your projects, understanding what season you are facing […]
The USACE Goes All In On Partnering
Dear Construction Nation, In 1982 I was asked to be a part of the President’s Council for Productivity Improvement for the construction industry. At the time Congress was afraid that our poor productivity levels in construction were going to prevent the U.S. from competing in the new global marketplace that was emerging. So, there were […]
Mega Project Success Factors 2022
Hello Construction Nation, Here is some food for thought…. 65% of mega projects fail according to a 2015 study done by the Construction Industry Institute (CII). 70% of construction projects fail according to a 2020 mega project study by University College London (UCL). I’ve seen and heard about how mega projects keep failing for decades. […]
IPI Winners: Should Partnering be More Mainstream in the Industry?
Dear Construction Nation,As many of you know, in the early 2000’s, I founded the International Partnering Institute as a charitable organization dedicated to spreading Collaborative Partnering to construction project leaders. Last week, I attended the International Partnering Institute’s 13th annual conference and awards ceremony. It was so great to watch the award-winning project team members […]
SOS! We Need Trust Now!
Dear Construction Nation, You likely know that I have been studying TRUST for the past 35+ years. One of my dearest friends, Marilynn Mobley, was the SVP for a company called Edelman, until she passed away. But Marilynn introduced me to the Edelman Trust Barometer. Each year Edelman does extensive research on the level of trust […]
Three Steps to Drive Out Fear and Create Trusted Leadership
Dear Construction Nation, I just kicked-off partnering on a project where the team gave me their list of “risks.” Then, I got an email from the construction executive asking me NOT to use this list. They were afraid to share with the owner’s team their frustration and fear. This is not an unusual situation. Of […]
