If you joined us at the Federal Design-Build Symposium in August or the Design-Build Conference & Expo in November, you may have caught a sneak peek of DBIA’s new Collaborative Delivery Leadership Academy launching in early 2024.
But don’t worry if you missed those early looks; we have all the information you need to sign up for this transformative leadership program which kicks off in February.
DBIA’s Collaborative Delivery Leadership Academy (the Academy), in partnership with Barbara Jackson, LLC, is designed to equip AEC professionals with the leadership skills and mindset needed to successfully make the mental shift from a segregated services approach to an integrated one. Across six modules, each focused on a distinct component of the Design-Build Done Right® Leadership model, the Academy will clearly distinguish leadership in a collaborative environment from leadership in traditional settings and prepare design-build team members from any position, role, discipline or expertise for the purpose-driven leadership style integral to design-build’s collaborative nature.
What Sets the Collaborative Delivery Leadership Academy Apart?
The rapid growth of design-build presents the need for leaders who can deftly navigate the unique landscape of collaborative project delivery. Projections show that nearly half of all construction spending will be design-build by 2026, so building a strong foundation of leadership is vital to keeping up with that trend.
Leadership in design-build must happen at every level because it impacts every aspect of the team’s performance and results, so the lessons learned and skills honed in the Academy are tailored to the Design-Build Mindset and are valuable to any member of a design-build team. This transformational program is designed for people serious about leveraging the many benefits and advantages of using the Design-Build Done Right® model, helping them exceed expectations and optimize solutions consistently. Moreover, its concepts apply to all collaborative project delivery models, making it more widely applicable for those who complete it.
Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the differences between traditional leadership and collaborative leadership, including the skills they need to develop to succeed in collaborative delivery environments like design-build. Upon successful completion of the Academy, participants will have created a personal leadership development strategy that they can apply in their work. Additionally, they will identify targeted areas for growth and develop a path to achieving that growth, including metrics and benchmarks that demonstrate the impact of the skills they learn in the Academy. To mark their success, DBIA will provide a digital badge to illustrate their new knowledge set, a valuable companion to DBIA credentials for distinguishing design-build leaders.
What Does the Collaborative Delivery Leadership Academy Look Like?
Academy courses will be offered via a combination of in-person and virtual courses, with sessions ranging from four to eight hours. Each session will focus on a different building block of the Design-Build Done Right® Leadership Model: leadership, communication, trust, mindset, teaming and culture.
“Leadership – Building a Strong Foundation” explores the crucial competencies for effective leadership in Design-Build. The course emphasizes shifting from default tendencies to higher leadership levels, addresses the challenge of leadership and learning stagnation, and highlights the correlation between leadership effectiveness and business performance. Participants will discuss how to create a strategic leadership plan for their organizations.
“Leadership Building Block – Communication” examines the transformative role of communication in Design-Build Leadership. It delves into individual awareness, impactful conversations and the neuroscience of communication. Emphasizing conversational intelligence, the course distinguishes between transactional, positional and transformative conversations, highlighting their significance for effective leadership and trust in Design-Build Leadership Done Right®.
“Leadership Building Block – Trust” considers the foundational importance of trust in Design-Build Leadership. It explores the four factors of trust — Humanity, Transparency, Capability and Reliability — offering insights on building and measuring trust in relationships, both internally and externally. The course examines trust from client and team perspectives, addressing demographic influences on trust dynamics.
“Leadership Building Block – Mindset” centers on the profound shift from a segregated to an integrated services mindset in Design-Build Leadership. It emphasizes the transition from an inward to an outward mindset and explores the mindset dynamics between Reactive and Creative leadership levels. The discussion delves into the impact of belief structures, particularly those tied to design/bid/build, on problem-solving orientations, highlighting their influence on leadership effectiveness in the design-build environment.
“Leadership Building Block – Teaming” distinguishes between a static team and the dynamic concept of teaming in Design-Build Leadership. Participants explore how teams traditionally address challenges versus the proactive approach needed. The discussion focuses on crucial factors influencing teams, connecting the dots with communication, trust and mindset in the Design-Build Leadership context. Specifically, it addresses how leaders impact team empowerment and consistency across the organization.
“Leadership Building Block – Culture” focuses on the transformative shift needed from a design/bid/build culture to Design-Build Done Right®. It emphasizes that culture change begins with leadership, connecting leadership development to the broader goal of cultural transformation. The course addresses the challenges and opportunities in linking leadership development to cultural change, guiding participants in developing a roadmap for success in cultivating a Design-Build Done Right® culture.
Over 30 years, DBIA has built a strong foundation in design-build procurement and execution with Design-Build Done Right®, but now it’s time to take design-build to the next level. With the Collaborative Leadership Delivery Academy, we’re preparing design-build leaders who will be at the forefront of the continued growth of design-build. Courses begin in February 2024; be one of the first to earn your badge.
