I took this from a friend who is a project manager in corporate dealing with AI and the threat of losing his job. I love construction in that we have a unique perspective on what AI delivers to us as project managers. It takes care of the boring, the painful and dull admin work, freeing us up for what we do best - BUILDING. Aspects won't go away from the realm of the project manager and if you are leading your own renovation or building the skills to run other people's projects then these are where the value of having a project manager really hits home. → Leading people through uncertainty → Driving decisions when leaders hesitate → Creating clarity when priorities keep shifting → Protecting trust when pressure changes behavior → Aligning people who disagree but still have to deliver → Keeping momentum alive when emotions 🚩start pulling everything apart

I recently interviewed one of my favorite tradies. Why? Because he's a painter, and he makes things look absolutely spectacular when they were looking pretty ordinary to start. He said he loves dealing with women. Yes, he really, really does, but he asks a couple simple things: 1. Keep it succinct. Now, that's a great first tip because women tend to speak more often. We like to use lots more words, lots more varied vocabulary, and guys just like to keep it succinct. 2. Dumb it down. He likes a dumbed-down conversation and really straight, plain English: "Do this, do that." 3. Ask questions that you've thought about before. Don't ask dumb questions, but actually real questions that forward the conversation around specifics of your painting job. 4. Bogan it up. You can reach a whole lot of tradies when you're talking at their level, and, shame to say, they're used to a bit of bogan language. If you are used to being a corporate speaker, adding explanatory words and what have you, no, he just says, "Bogan it up," and often that is what works for him. There are a couple of tips. If you combine them all together: - Keep it succinct. - Ask questions that relate to your painting job. - Dumb it down. - Make sure that your conversations are boganish. That's what he seems to think will work. Interesting. What do you think?

Great start to the week this week. New projects to sink our teeth into. We are extending a house in the country, up in the mountains remotely. This is fun. We are experts at remote working and building systems and processes that de-risk our clients exposure to being ripped off. There can be a lot that happens when you are off site. First things first, finding and building teams that can be trusted and will work well together with us. I have a vetting tool to run these people through to see if we can work together. Watch this space.

Hello & welcome, We would love to hear what projects you are working on. Where you are in the world and who you like to help. This is a community for sharing and learning so let us know your learnings from your building projects. :-)

I wrote an updated message today on Substack. Off the back of a friendly conversation at lunch on Saturday. I didn't realise how much we didn't listen or create a safe space for one of our friendly clients. More to discuss and learn here. https://drummondnaomi.substack.com/p/the-art-of-listening-when-building?r=3hg720&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web