Professional and Career Topics

• 60% of Projects Miss Their Contract Requirements. . .WHY(?)

Because A/E/Cs were never educated, trained, and developed "To play nice with others!"

In place of learning subjects related to proactive listening, collaboration, cooperation, and

communication, their managers bring in "Conflict Management" consultants!

Everything and everyone are connected, i.e., "Systems Thinking" is the

people, process, tech and leadership model going forward.

Respectfully,

Bill

I've been on many teams throughout my life -- youth sports, school projects, clubs, committees, design teams, construction project teams, volunteer groups, etc. Some teams were better or more effective than others. I've found that much of what I know about teamwork was learned in those different team settings.

One non-profit I volunteered with started out with a narrow and clear mission focus, and they were very effective. It was exciting to be a part of their impact and see the positive outcomes. The longer I was involved as a local volunteer, the more and more that headquarters seemingly added to the scope. Things got so muddied (and sometimes seemed counter to the original mission) that I got burned out and stopped participating. One thing I have learned is that great teams have a clear mission/goal they are trying to achieve, and any team efforts are tested against that guidepost before moving forward. 

I had one school project where a classmate assigned to my team said out loud to the group, "Oh good, we got Heidi, so we know we'll get an A without even trying." Guess how wonderful that group dynamic was? (We did get an A, but I had to do pretty much all of it myself after that tone was set.) We were all peers. We all had the same background information. There was no real "leader" position, and no one in the team had the ability to produce consequences for non-contribution or reward for exceptional work. I learned in those types of teams how important it is to have someone with the authority to assign roles and create a culture of accountability.

Construction projects are an interesting combination of different companies, contracts, and perspectives. In my experience, they go much more smoothly when the different parties are able to leverage their skills and knowledge. For example, engineers need to admit that there are constructability constraints they need input on from the contractor.  And contractors need to admit that there are codes and calculations they need an engineer to review or complete before deviations from plans are made in the field. From those multi-disciplinary teams, I've learned that one of the most critical aspects of teamwork is being humble enough to admit what you do and don't know.

I've been on many teams throughout my life -- youth sports, school projects, clubs, committees, design teams, construction project teams, volunteer groups, etc. Some teams were better or more effective than others. I've found that much of what I know about teamwork was learned in those different team settings.

One non-profit I volunteered with started out with a narrow and clear mission focus, and they were very effective. It was exciting to be a part of their impact and see the positive outcomes. The longer I was involved as a local volunteer, the more and more that headquarters seemingly added to the scope. Things got so muddied (and sometimes seemed counter to the original mission) that I got burned out and stopped participating. One thing I have learned is that great teams have a clear mission/goal they are trying to achieve, and any team efforts are tested against that guidepost before moving forward. 

I had one school project where a classmate assigned to my team said out loud to the group, "Oh good, we got Heidi, so we know we'll get an A without even trying." Guess how wonderful that group dynamic was? (We did get an A, but I had to do pretty much all of it myself after that tone was set.) We were all peers. We all had the same background information. There was no real "leader" position, and no one in the team had the ability to produce consequences for non-contribution or reward for exceptional work. I learned in those types of teams how important it is to have someone with the authority to assign roles and create a culture of accountability.

Construction projects are an interesting combination of different companies, contracts, and perspectives. In my experience, they go much more smoothly when the different parties are able to leverage their skills and knowledge. For example, engineers need to admit that there are constructability constraints they need input on from the contractor.  And contractors need to admit that there are codes and calculations they need an engineer to review or complete before deviations from plans are made in the field. From those multi-disciplinary teams, I've learned that one of the most critical aspects of teamwork is being humble enough to admit what you do and don't know.

We discussed high-performing teams in December 2025, which is relevant to your question and might provide additional insights.

 https://collaborate.asce.org/professionaltopics/discussion/attributes-of-high-performing-teamsorganizations-your-experience

In my view, the skills to lead teams and be a good team member come from observation and practice and cannot be taught. Working in an organization that values teamwork helps, as it provides positive role models. One can still learn from organizations that don't do it well. In both cases, it takes one to reflect on what's working or not working and why to build the skills needed to be a good team member and eventually a good team leader. Leadership support, commitment, and modeling of good team skills are also essential. You can't ask people to do something that you are unwilling or incapable of doing.

We discussed high-performing teams in December 2025, which is relevant to your question and might provide additional insights.

 https://collaborate.asce.org/professionaltopics/discussion/attributes-of-high-performing-teamsorganizations-your-experience

In my view, the skills to lead teams and be a good team member come from observation and practice and cannot be taught. Working in an organization that values teamwork helps, as it provides positive role models. One can still learn from organizations that don't do it well. In both cases, it takes one to reflect on what's working or not working and why to build the skills needed to be a good team member and eventually a good team leader. Leadership support, commitment, and modeling of good team skills are also essential. You can't ask people to do something that you are unwilling or incapable of doing.