Even with transformational technology tools to accelerate results for next-generation project leaders and organizations, their personal motivation and connections are key to success, agreed design and construction industry veterans and rising professionals at a recent ENR leadership forum.
The transition to a position with more responsibility is often “overwhelming” and “chaotic” because employees often move from one role to another without much guidance, said Tracey Smith, principal and organizational development expert at the consulting firm management of the FMI industry, he told the attendees of the ENR. The Chicago Emerging Leaders Forum, which also recognized its top 20 young professionals under 40 for 2024.
He said the most difficult transition for new leaders is from micromanaging day-to-day technical tasks to focusing on the overall business health of the project or entity and long-term planning, but noted the additional challenge of mindset change in a “technical problem-solving industry”.
Sheryl Van Anne, vice president and general manager of Mortenson, urged industry participants to “sit in different seats” in the professional development process. “Having exposure to different parts of the industry will help you decide which one you find most exciting,” he said.
The launch of the Chicago chapter of Professional Women in Construction has helped professional women in the region drive this professional movement through networking, said Karrie Kratz, Gilbane Building Co. vice president and business unit leader. The group now has a formal mentoring program that “opens up and connects women with others who … can give advice on a new area of interest,” she noted.
For Rod Jones, a manager at Holder Construction and one of the honorees, training his team to work independently allowed him to join the event even though “my project is still going,” he said. “I’m comfortable that I don’t have to register.” Leaders need to “get your head out of the weeds so you can see the horizon, set the team’s vision, and remove obstacles,” Holder noted. Benjamin Markham, president of acoustics consultant Acentech and former Top 20 Under 40 honoree, said. leaders must “get your own ego in check and develop your people.”
Irene Turletes, also a current awardee who is the HDR Water Resources Market Sector Leader, said she had to redefine “what success was” when she stepped into a business role, stressing that it now relates to helping members of the ‘team to look for work and help “their clients”. to complete their projects and do their own mission.”
Smith urged forum attendees to “take time to reflect on ‘Who am I as a leader? … and is this the kind of leader I want to be?'”
Wider scope
KiSeok Jeon, vice president and head of digital consulting at consultancy STV, told attendees how he soon realized his career path was not in traditional design. “That led me to look at … a larger scope,” he said, which evolved into design automation. That led to “how can we do that from an organizational perspective … and how can we leverage data to move … to the next level?” he added.
His company led to STV leadership that allowed him to lead its three-year digital transformation, creating an advisory practice that has a holistic impact across all of the company’s operating groups.
“You don’t spend time coveting a role or a position. You immerse yourself in the craft of being a leader,” STV CEO Greg Kelly stressed to attendees, adding that employers “have been rooting for you because You have done it”. something unique and you’ve distinguished yourself, and that’s what I’m talking about when you immerse yourself in the craft of being a leader.”
KiSeok now oversees a team of 24 employees who provide services and skills to clients and the broader STV team including consulting, architecture technology and engineering, product solution development and data science, he said.
The impact of technology transformation on design and construction processes and services will only increase, said Burcin Kaplanoglu, head of innovation at Oracle Industry Labs., citing a new report from the UK Architects Group that generic AI has been used by more than 40% of its members. He said the use of machine learning for robotics would play an “important role” amid the industry’s labor shortage.
“Having robots in construction areas is very visual and will change the entire economic structure of the industry,” said Jennifer Suerth, senior vice president of virtual construction, MEP and operations technology at Pepper Construction Group. He noted a significant impact on risk management.
Despite some disruption to industry practices by generative AI, Kris Lengieza, vice president of global partnerships and alliances at technology company Procore, urged attendees to explore new opportunities for use in project management .
“How can we use data to really drive better project outcomes and make better decisions?” asked Aleksey Chuprov, vice president of data analytics at Suffolk Construction. Tracking data on a centralized dashboard “allows our project teams to make real-time adjustments,” said Amy Jones, Skanska USA’s director of data analytics. This can flag problems early rather than discovering them in the future “it might be a bit hard to solve at this point”.
Rupert Motwani, head of program initiations for Americas East at Jacobs, added that tracking and analyzing data from projects, particularly large ones, is key to improving outcomes and “building a consistent approach” to the execution of the program.
Collaboration in Action Project
Emerging leaders agreed that being part of a major project team at an early career stage has been important.
As one of five contractors part of a minority-led joint venture building the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Powers & Sons Construction Vice President Kelly Powers Baria described the job as a “unique opportunity to have a challenging construction and a customer committed to using it.” as a lever to transform the paradigm of what construction looks like.” He added, “To our knowledge, this is the first time a minority-led joint venture has built a project of this significance” in the city.
“It’s transformative, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” added Kate Van Zeyl, vice president and general manager of Turner Construction Co., another contractor on the team.
Project leaders at 1000M, a 74-story, 1 million-square-foot residential tower on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue that was completed last year, also shared the career-building value of teamwork and the creative solutions to meet their various challenges, which included complicated structural elements. and an eventual redesign by mandate.
“Making a building like this is exactly why I chose this profession, and probably why many structural engineers choose the profession,” said David Fields, senior director of engineer Magnusson Klemencic Associates. Beyond the physics and other elements involved in building large projects, he added, “the heart is collaboration.”
