Part 3: What Should Be Done Differently.

Upon reflection, there is much that can be learned from this experience as it relates to key stakeholders of a project.

1. To Company Leaders:

The key to growing a successful global business is to genuinely understand the local context where the branch will be located. Identify and partner with highly qualified individuals who have operated in those markets in various roles and empower them to lead. Trust their judgment, and if you’re unsure about their proposals, ask them to back their ideas with facts while giving them room to make mistakes. Industries are becoming more dynamic, and even your predictions may fail. If they fail first, you learn fast. By doing so, they will commit to your ideas openly, with a determination to start anew and achieve success. The humility to submit to the knowledge of your local partner is key. Harness the power of diversity by leveraging it effectively and learn to actively seek the opinions of your local teams. It’s not enough to just touch base with leaders to hear what the problems are; instead, engage directly with the staff who are doing the job to find out where the shoes hurt the business. The staff wear the shoes, while you wear the hat. Often, the real issues facing a company can be quickly identified and solved by engaging with the right people.

2. To Clients:

Understand your needs properly and choose your advisors carefully. Do not just rely on the reputation of a company’s name. Many consultancy houses can be strong on paper but carry a kind of reputation built on past glories. Understand the skills of those who will be representing you and assemble the best team to ensure they understand your needs. This ensures they can identify challenges early on and are equipped with industry knowledge to make balanced decisions on your behalf, bearing the impact in mind. Very complex projects can be solved easily when you have the right project team and likewise, simple projects can be made unnecessarily complicated when the wrong people are leading. Often, you might assume that a person with over 25 years of experience is always the best candidate to lead, but that’s not always the case. Treat experience with caution because it can become an obstacle to ingenuity. A professional could unknowingly confine themselves to their beautiful world of experience but fail to see the forest beyond their tree and miss the better ways of doing things. Value can sometimes be found in unexpected places, like oysters—if you are patient and daring to take the chance. An intelligent person with 3-5 solid years of experience in their industry can be equally suitable as your project lead, provided they have a track record to back their profile. With excellent Problem-solving skills, an analytical mind, and foundational industry knowledge, the intelligent person will use these tools to tackle challenges as they come. Pick your teams carefully according to your needs, so that you can have peace of mind.?

3. To Project Consultants:

Proactively guiding the customer is essential. Knowing when to shift into the driving seat to prevent a mishap is important. This requires understanding the project lifecycle and foreseeing which decisions could have a significant impact on the goal. Without being honest and stern with the client, you risk losing control of the project and being relegated to a secretary-like role. Often, clients are not clear or realistic with their expectations and need guidance on what is achievable. Having the courage to speak the truth to the client in a professional manner is critical. Depending on your client or project, a strong leadership team with experience and emotional intelligence can be instrumental in helping the project team deliver efficiently and with the right motivation. Show empathy while making people accountable. Occasionally, some topics may be too technical or abstract to understand, but your interest in following up on the matter should be evident. Ignorance is tolerable, provided it is accompanied by humility rather than arrogance. Trade contractors are motivated when they see their client understands their needs and have their genuine interests at heart. Show solidarity with project members when problems occur, and work together as a team to solve them. Their success is yours, and likewise the client’s. To remain relevant, hire qualified people, train them holistically, and always put your best selection forward.

When giants fall, the disruptions are tremendous and leave many emotionally broken, as has been the case for many contractors in the UK. Their loyalty was a currency they traded with, but in a situation like this, it made them question their choices and wish they had done things differently. It’s difficult to imagine and envisage their next steps. However, remember this is an opportunity to rethink how things can be done and grow into a different giant - where there is a will, there is a way.