AECPMA Podcasts Presents

Everyone knows The Golden Rule (Treat others the way YOU want to be treated!), but what about The Platinum Rule? “The Golden Rule makes perfect sense—until you think about it as a project manager in charge of team or a PM working closely with clients,” says President of Resilient Strategies Richard Steinhart, P.E. “If you treat someone like you want to be treated then how can you go wrong?” he asks. As it turns out you can go very wrong. “Just because I like to be treated a certain way doesn’t mean that every team member and all clients want the same treatment, value the same standards, or look at the world the same way.” In this podcast—through real-life stories and practical tips—Steinhart argues: “Is The Golden Rule really so golden?” He suggests we in the design industry can do better—The Platinum Rule: “Do unto others as they would like done unto them!” In this podcast you will learn: - Four basic behavioral styles and how they relate to personal interaction - How to determine what YOUR own behavioral style is - How to quickly figure out what behavioral style the people you are communicating with are - How to adjust YOUR style to match those you work with everyday Steinhart will tell you how his strategy works. “It doesn’t matter if you are dealing with your boss, a co-worker, a client, or your spouse,” he says. “When you follow The Platinum Rule as one of your relationship strategies, you will be rewarded—with stronger associations with those you live and work with everyday.” About the Presenter: Richard L. Steinhart, P.E., is president of Resilient Strategies, LLC, a management consulting firm focused on helping small businesses succeed and grow. www.resilientstrategies.net “If you treat someone like you want to be treated then how can you go wrong?” he asks. As it turns out you can go very wrong. “Just because I like to be treated a certain way doesn’t mean that every team member and all clients want the same treatment, value the same standards, or look at the world the same way.” In this podcast—through real-life stories and practical tips—Steinhart argues: “Is The Golden Rule really so golden?” He suggests we in the design industry can do better—The Platinum Rule: “Do unto others as they would like done unto them!” Steinhart will tell you how his strategy works. “It doesn’t matter if you are dealing with your boss, a co-worker, a client, or your spouse,” he says. “When you follow The Platinum Rule as one of your relationship strategies, you will be rewarded—with stronger associations with those you live and work with everyday.”

When you align professional passions with job-specific responsibilities your firm become better at talent acquisition, professional development, and succession planning. “Imagine a tool specifically made to help you find the talent you need—or to develop the resources you already have—to create the workforce you need to stay competitive, that’s Harrison Assessment,” says PSMJ’s Vickie Oakley. Oakley will walk us through what exactly Harrison Assessment is, and isn’t. She will then explain the specifics of a tool that correlates the performance ratings of A/E Project Managers—working engineers and architects managing significant projects—with proven work-related traits to produce reliable outcomes. With Oakley we will explore: What Harrison Assessments measure and how the tool works The relationship between doing what you love and job success How Harrison Assessments differ from other personality tests Last year, PSMJ introduced the Harrison Assessment tool for A/E Project Manager. Oakley now covers what firms can gain by adding it to their recruitment and retainment toolbox. In this live, one-hour podcast, you will learn: - Why intuition and going-with-your gut won’t cut it any more when it comes to finding great A/E Project Managers - How assessments can help you avoid costly development decisions—or at least move into situations with eyes wide open - How firms use the tool to help current project manager grow and train—specific results help the process - What leadership needs to know about the Harrison Assessment—It’s not just an HR tool Harrison Assessments currently offer 6,500 preconfigured JSFs, but the A/E Project Manager assessment gives firm leaders the insightfulness of the Harrison Assessment Performance Benchmarking methodology combined with the specific performance ratings of PMs that excel in the A/E environment. About the Presenter: Vickie Oakley is a consultant with more than 30 years of experience in human resources. Her experience includes work in the areas of compensation, training and development, benefits, and recruiting. She has 11 eleven years as the Director of Human Resources for a 136-person, engineering/environmental consulting firm. Prior to her consulting experience, Vickie worked in the utility industry specializing in compensation and recruitment. Vickie received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology, her master’s degree in human resource management and development from Troy University, and her doctorate degree in spiritual development and counseling from Covington Theological Seminary, Chattanooga, TN. She completed Dale Carnegie Training Course and worked as a Class Coach with Dale Carnegie. Vickie is a Gallup Certified Strengths’ Coach, Certified Harrison Consultant, Certified Myers Briggs Practitioner, and a Certified Neuro Linguistics Practitioner.

One element of the digital economy is blockchain technology (BT)—a method of open record-keeping that eliminates intermediaries, steps, and entities. “Think of a huge excel spread sheet shared with lots of people with one major difference, you can’t modify any of the existing rows without altering all the rows preceding it,” explains Nick Martin, CEO of TechChange. Martin will start with bitcoin and other cryptocurrency and move onto how a decentralized, distributed, digital ledger can and will disrupt the A/E/C space. “It is particularly useful in countries and contexts where the actors such as governments, banks, and other entities do not trust each other.” With blockchain you can: 1. Produce deliverables/artifacts faster 2. Allow for greater transparency 3. Lessen fraud and abuse 4. Produce fewer disputes Earlier this year, Martin talked about the risk, reward of using blockchain and bitcoin at the ACEC Annual Convention and Legislative Summit. Now in this one-hour live podcast, you will learn: 1. How BT can drive efficiencies, collaboration, and effective design/build 2. What is #AECoin, “Smart Contracts,” and PODS 3. How can architects and engineers be rewarded over the lifecycle of an artifact or deliverable Blockchain is disruptive and adoption is coming and coming quickly. Per the National Association of Corporate Directors’ Directorship magazine, “Companies today that do nothing about blockchain are at risk because you have consumers running hard on adopting new technologies. … If you are not in these conversations from a strategic point of view, there is a risk on the horizon of not understanding the changes that are coming.

Business metrics and strategic planning are areas that most A/E Project Managers dread, possibly avoid, and may even ignore. Yet, the creation and use of effective metrics to influence business strategy is one of the most important ways PMs can help firms bring about crucial strategic success. Joshua Plenert, author of Strategic Excellence in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries - How AEC Firms Can Develop and Execute Strategy Using Lean Six Sigma, talks with PMs and offers insight on how they can apply the leadership of Shingo and the scientific thinking of Lean Six Sigma to create, execute, and communicate critical business metrics. With Shingo and Lean Six Sigma as critical backdrops, Plenert addresses some of the mistakes and apprehensions, ineffective and detrimental metrics, and more: - The purpose of Business Metrics and why they are important - The top five KPIs that Project Managers should know - The how and why of selecting and executing good metrics By listening to this podcast, you will learn ... - How to drive performance and influence behavior, in a meaningful way—using metrics to execute the strategy of the firm - How to use metrics to motivate, inspire, and recognize team members - Helping PMs Think Bigger and make the connection from metrics to performance About the Presenter: Joshua Plenert, P.E., is a licensed professional engineer and is currently serving as a regional manager for the engineering and architectural firm where he plays a major role in the development of two branch offices. Josh holds a BS in civil engineering, an MS in structural engineering, and an MBA. He has worked in various aspects of the AE industry for more than 14 years. His project management experience includes working more than eight years in all phases of construction, construction management, facilities management and more than six years of structural engineering, engineering management, and business development. He has also served as an adjunct professor of engineering and a lecturer in business management.