Most of us expect to hear about design-build in the field, but let's talk about design-build as it applies to business development.

How are you going to sustain revenue and year-over-year growth?

It’s about designing and building your business development team.

📈To increase profitability and develop younger staff, firms must invest in project managers, superintendents, and estimators to help capture more pursuits.

Designing and building higher-level teams requires critical thinking skills, the ability to ask open-ended questions, the willingness to pivot and respond, and the confidence to articulate technical data to stakeholders.🎯

The coaching model I’m describing is an integral, ongoing part of leadership development.

It involves not just formal or occasional mentoring but also daily interactions in which PMs and other senior leaders identify in-the-moment teaching opportunities.💯

Business coaching—combined with mentoring—uplevels communication, clarity, and confidence.

This applies to le...

Every A/E/C firm has a few people who carry its legacy. It's like runners passing the Olympic torch.

In our industry, this is called knowledge transfer or “institutional instinct.”

👉Experienced executives know how to (subtly) read clients.

👉They know when a project is drifting.

👉They know what not to say in a tense meeting.

None of this is written down.

This knowledge doesn’t transfer automatically.

It’s certainly not part of onboarding.

Think about your first time driving. 🚗

You study first, but once you’re behind the wheel, the manual is irrelevant.

You have to experience the car actually moving. It's about trusting your instincts and reacting in a split-second decision.

As a growing number of senior executives retire this year, A/E/C firms without a structured knowledge-transfer system will feel the pinch.

This loss churns through project delivery, client trust, and revenue.

Here’s the truth: Decades of judgment are irreplaceable. 💰

You have the power and wherewithal to prepare the next generatio...

I met yesterday with a leader of a national construction trade organization to discuss hot-button issues our industry faces as we head into 2026.

We weren't discussing tech skills.

➡️Instead, we were focusing on the critical need for the younger workforce to uplevel their interpersonal communication.

I imagine these takeaways will resonate with you:

1. A/E/C's fragmented ecosystem must be improved to enhance job site safety, messaging, and knowledge transfer.
2. Newer staff must become proficient in decision-making, problem-solving, and other critical thinking skills. Clarifying information and logical thought processes improve job site safety, project completion, and leadership development.
3. Bi-directional knowledge in our multigenerational workforce is essential for continuous learning. Communication is not linear; rather, it is an ongoing process for all generations to embrace.

Here's the truth: Each of these points — along with cybersecurity — is a stark reminder to prioritize ...

Today's emerging talent wants more than a welcome packet and an awkward free lunch.

This generation wants others to see, hear, and value them. 

They want coaching and wisdom; not onboarding jargon. 

🔷Humans have an innate desire to feel included.

To be part of a group or community. 

And above all, younger generations want training because they want to grow.

When communication is one-way (or nonexistent), newcomers to A/E/C quietly disengage. 

You miss the opportunity to transfer knowledge. 🚩

New employees find the door and leave, depleting your training investment, team stability, and project momentum.

And every time new hires walk out the door, your firm suffers from:

👉Lost productivity

👉Delayed schedules

👉Missed pursuits

Multiply that by a few exits each year, and the revenue impact is real.💰

Ongoing, impactful training with today's communication skills is not a perk. 

It has nothing to do with a freebie pizza lunch. 

🧨It's about having a retention strategy with bottom-line results.

Let's build the...

New project managers are watching you.

What are you showing them?

In every meeting, on every jobsite, and during every project handoff, your emerging leaders are quietly taking notes.

They may not speak up yet.

But they are watching how you...

✅Communicate under pressure

✅Handle mistakes

✅Give direction

✅Treat others

Your actions become their playbook.

🧨Here's the truth about A/E/C: Strong communication and visible ownership are non-negotiable.

It's not only about what you say—it's how you lead through words, tone, clarity, and follow-up.

If experienced leaders model sarcasm, vague directions, or avoid responsibility, younger project managers are likely to do the same—and think it's acceptable when it's not.

Your communication and the leadership culture of your firm come down to this:

🗝️You lead by example, not memos and long meetings.

Train your next-level leaders today so that they don't mirror outdated and bad habits.