The Coaching Corner with Michael Riegel

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Coaching Corner for the Connection. 

I can still remember meeting my field inspector, Jim, at a project site after a major fire had disabled a wastewater treatment plant in New York City. Everyone was working around the clock to make repairs because the outage meant 140 million gallons of untreated sewage would go straight into the Hudson River – three weeks before the New York City Triathlon. After five hours into a 12-hour shift, Jim turned to me and said “What are you doing here?  You went to college so you wouldn’t have to be doing this”. 

In that moment, my entire professional philosophy came into view. 

As a leader, I could not ask others to do what I was not willing to do.  Leadership is doing the right thing when nobody is watching.  At midnight on a steamy August night with the smell of fire and sewage hanging in the air, the lightbulb went on.  My purpose was to help others to navigate challenges, find success, and identify their own personal and professional philosophy.   

Now that you know my philosophy, let me introduce myself.

I am a coach and consultant, and I have been working in and around the construction industry for the last 30 years. (30 years? How did that happen?)  After graduating with a degree in Construction Management, I began my career in transportation planning and traffic engineering in New York City. Like so many of us, I had absolutely no idea where my early jobs would lead me. But I stayed open to the next opportunity, and the next, and the next. As I tell my 20-year-old twins, Jake and Sophie, don’t worry about your college major.  Take interesting classes, learn as much as you can, and savor the experience. 

In addition to working as an engineer, Project Manager, proposal writer, and Program Manager  for small and local, regional, and national[DGR1]  companies, I earned an MBA, became a certified coach, wrote a book for trade contractors, managed a mentor program for contractors, and learned a lot.  I can now see the arc of my career, and the thread that holds all these pieces together.  I was always interested in how teams worked, the interactions between clients and consultants, how to leverage different communication styles (which also helps when you’ve been married for 23 years), and how to help others set and meet their goals. 

Essentially, I was invested in and curious about the people – the most valuable asset in any organization. And I still am.  And I hope that you see your people – your colleagues, your direct reports, your managers – as your most valuable assets, too.

Here are three of my favorite tips for working well with others that I share in my workshops and coaching:

Communicate early and often.  Clear communications can be the difference between success and failure.  In managing a project team, set clear goals and expectations, and communicate them.   Everyone benefits from knowing what is expected of them, whether you are leading the team, logging RFIs, or responding to RFPs.  Provide opportunities to hear concerns and be heard through formal meetings, one-on-one supervision, and casual inquiry.

If you can measure it, you can manage it.  In construction, we are good about measuring progress.  Hopefully, that means that we are also managing progress, risks, and potential changes.  How well are you or your company in measuring the progress or effectiveness of your employees?  I frequently hear from clients that there are no regular performance reviews.  The measurement begins by establishing the roles, responsibilities, expectations, and deliverables.  By creating the standards, team members can be assessed against them. 

Use your time wisely.  Time is one of the few resources that, once spent, can’t be recovered.  We are terrible estimators of the time required to do a task or how we allocate the time in our day.  If you feel like you just can’t quite catch up with your schedule or your to do list never shortens, it would be helpful to examine “what” you are doing and the time expended.  The manager’s dilemma around delegation is frequently that it takes more time to explain an activity for someone else to do than to do it myself.  True, the first time.  Focus your time on the highest value tasks that require your expertise.

I will be sharing thoughts and ideas on a range of leadership and professional development topics, as well as practical tools, tips, and techniques that you can try out in your own way. 

One of my values is learning. For me, there is always something new to read, watch, consider, or listen to that can help me meet my goals. I hope you feel the same.

If there are topics of interest or situations you would like me to discuss, feel free to email me at mriegel@aecbusiunessstrategies.com or just let me know about your challenges and successes.