Nine AEC professionals began their Collaborative Delivery Leadership Academy journey March 28 by attending the full-day, in-person Leadership: Building a Strong Foundation workshop in Orlando, Florida. Participants included architects, contractors, design-build professionals and Owners from Georgia, Florida, Texas, Washington and Ontario, Canada.
The Collaborative Delivery Leadership Academy is a new venture, in partnership with Barbara Jackson, LLC, designed to prepare AEC professionals to take on leadership roles within the rapidly growing collaborative delivery landscape. Unique leadership skills and an integrated mindset are necessary for leading design-build projects –– and staying ahead of the pace of its growth. 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.
One attendee who made the trip up from South Florida reflected on his experience in the Foundations course:
“I found the Leadership session extremely beneficial. The course explored the intricacies of human consciousness levels and the transformation needed to develop the right mindset within oneself and the team to enhance leadership efficacy and business performance. It focused on the transition from conventional management models based on person-centric, command and control methodologies towards a more dynamic, challenge-centric approach using collective collaboration and creativity when approaching complex problems.”
The Academy consists of six modules, each focused on a distinct component of the Design-Build Done Right® Leadership model:
- Leadership
- Communication
- Trust
- Mindset
- Teaming
- Culture
Attendees will build on what they learn about their leadership tendencies in the sessions that come after the Foundations course, a factor attendees found valuable. An attendee said he looks forward to the remaining courses, where he can use what he identified through a comprehensive self-assessment taken during the Foundations course to “explore leadership values and work towards improving competencies, helping me grow as an individual and as a leader.”
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.
A full schedule of courses can be found on the Collaborative Delivery Leadership Academy page. The next Foundations course will be held April 14 and 16, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
