Leadership Blueprints

Joining BJ on the show today is Bill Mandara, the CEO and Owner of Mancini Duffy. With over 25 years of experience in architectural design, Bill has applied his expertise to a wide range of projects, including industrial facilities, corporate offices, residential housing, retail spaces, and educational buildings. 

 Deeply involved in every stage of project development, from initial design to construction, Bill brings a comprehensive perspective to his work. His hands-on experience in the construction field has further enriched his understanding of all aspects of the building process, making him a well-rounded leader in the industry. 

Join the conversation to hear the fascinating history behind his architectural career path and how he ended up in the AEC industry, what sparked his interest in becoming an owner, and Bill also sheds light on some of the leadership lessons he’s learned since taking over Mancini Duffy. For all this, and more, tune in now. 

Key Points From This Episode:

•   He unpacks his history, career path as an architect, and how he ended up in the AEC industry.

•   His journey into the Mancini Duffy firm and reinventing the culture. 

•   Bill speaks to some of the leadership lessons he’s learned taking over Mancini Duffy.

•   How Bill and his business partner Christian assigned roles and split duties at the company. 

•   Putting your ego in check, and not grabbing for recognition.

Quotes:

“[My grandfather and father] always had this narrative of elevating the family throughout the generations.” — Bill Mandara

“I think [a leadership lesson I’ve learned] is that; if you give people opportunity, they’re going to either really impress you, or not. And I think you can pretty quickly understand that.” — Bill Mandara

“Say what’s on your mind, be honest, and don’t beat around the bush — sometimes just saying what’s on your mind — [will] usually end in a much better result than you’re thinking. Get it all out there.” — Bill Mandara

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Bill Mandara on LinkedIn

Bill Mandara on X

Bill Mandara | Mancini Duffy

Mancini Duffy

Christian Giordano on LinkedIn

Ego is the Enemy: The Fight to Master Our Greatest Opponent

Leadership Blueprints Podcast

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BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

True leadership isn’t just about personal achievement; it’s about empowering others and driving meaningful impact. In this solo episode of The Leadership Blueprints Podcast, host BJ Kraemer dives into the heart of leadership transformation. 

Tuning in, you’ll hear BJ unpack the concept of “leadership as leverage” and how leaders act as levers for those they are leading. He expands on this concept by sharing his insights on what the army taught him about leadership, like how to balance mission execution with taking care of the people who accomplish that mission. To end, BJ encourages listeners to reflect on their leadership style and commit to leadership in 2025. 

Don’t miss out on this impactful conversation on how to become the lever your team needs!

Key Points From This Episode:

•   Unpacking the concept of leadership as leverage and how leaders act as levers.

•   The two objectives of leadership: accomplishing the mission and serving your team.

•   Why leadership is not about you, but the people relying on you.

•   How great leaders ensure their team understands the why behind their mission.

•   Navigating the tension between taking care of your team and accomplishing the mission.

Quotes:

“The leadership platform is one to be taken seriously, and requires constant self-reflection, self-development, testing, reevaluating, reapplying, and this whole process of continuous improvement.” — BJ Kraemer

“Leadership is about understanding and executing the mission that you've been empowered to lead, and taking care of the people and empowering them to help you accomplish that mission.” — BJ Kraemer

“Leadership's not about me. I'm not here to become a better me for me; I'm here to become a better me for everybody that's going to be relying on me.” — BJ Kraemer 

“Reflect on your leadership of 2024: Did you lean more toward focusing on your team or focusing on the mission?” — BJ Kraemer 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Leadership Blueprints Podcast

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BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

Some of the best examples of good leadership come from the military. Today on Leadership Blueprints we are joined by veteran and CEO of HCPA Construction, Heath Sanders. 

Tuning in, you’ll hear all about who Heath is today, his career journey from the Naval Academy to construction, his vision for his business in the future, and so much more! Heath discusses some of the most important leadership lessons he learned from the military and how he’s made use of them in his construction and entrepreneurial career. 

He touches on the parallels between leadership lessons in the military and in trade professions like construction. And he shares his thoughts on nuclear power and even shares advice for transitioning veterans. 

Thanks for listening in! 

Key Points From This Episode:

•   Heath tells us about HCPA Construction and BeaverFit. 

•   What led him to the Naval Academy and a breakdown of his career. 

•   Heath shares some leadership lessons he’s learned and how he applies them to HCPA. 

•   What his vision is for where HCPA Construction is going in the future. 

•   Heath’s thoughts about nuclear power and advice for transitioning veterans. 

Quotes:

“[In the military,] you have a mountain of things that need to get done and you have to be able to prioritize the most important tasks, and what I found interesting is that’s really the case in construction as well.” — Heath Sanders
 

“Do the right thing right and in that order.” — Heath Sanders

“I think the trades and specifically construction are well suited for military veterans.” — Heath Sanders

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Heath Sanders on LinkedIn

HCPA Construction

BeaverFit

The Fountainhead
A Game of Thrones

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Capital is the cornerstone of healthcare infrastructure, and building large-scale projects without it is impossible. 

Joining us today is Gail W. Kosyla, Executive Vice President and CFO at Yale New Haven Health System, to explore the intersection of healthcare, finance, and infrastructure. With over 38 years of experience, Gail has navigated the complexities of mergers, capital allocation, and strategic planning in a not-for-profit healthcare model, overseeing $6 billion in annual operations. 

In this engaging discussion, Gail shares how her team balances immediate needs with long-term investments, including a billion-dollar neurosciences tower project adapted in the wake of the pandemic. She also reflects on the challenges of fostering innovation while maintaining access and quality in a system under financial pressure. 

Gail’s career path offers valuable lessons for leaders across industries. Her focus on mentorship, collaboration, and lifelong learning underscores the importance of shared knowledge and diverse perspectives in tackling today’s challenges. 

Tune in for a fresh perspective on leadership in complex, dynamic systems!

Key Points From This Episode:

•   Balancing quality care delivery with financial sustainability in nonprofit healthcare.

•   Unpacking the role of mergers and acquisitions in the healthcare industry.

•   How leadership makes decisions that balance core services and new growth opportunities.

•   Gail’s experiences as a woman in finance and healthcare and how it’s shaped her leadership.

•   The future of healthcare real estate, including supplementing ownership of core facilities.

•   Examining the challenges and opportunities of managing large-scale projects.

•   The need for strategic planning and investment in technology and growth.

Quotes:

“[As a non-profit] we don't exist to make a profit, but we need to make a profit to be able to fund important projects, to fund growth, and to have that security net of care for our community.” — Gail W. Kosyla 

“Everyone should be involved in finance. We’ve all got to be stewards of our resources – I just consider myself the shepherd of that. It’s up to all of our people – down to every employee in the organization of just being good stewards of our resources.” — Gail W. Kosyla  

“Building those connections and having safe spaces to have conversations is so important. – I don’t think that any one person can know everything, we’re just better when we talk to people and share.” — Gail W. Kosyla 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Gail W. Kosyla on LinkedIn

Yale New Haven Health

Lean In Circles
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

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BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

Ever wonder what it takes to fix the people problem in the industries that quite literally build our world? 

In this episode of Leadership Blueprints, we sit down with Dan Briscoe, President of BuildWitt, a company on a mission to transform the "dirt world,” from heavy civil construction to infrastructure and more. 

Join us as we unpack the leadership, recruitment, and retention challenges facing the construction industry and explore how BuildWitt is innovating with creative solutions like microlearning platforms and leadership summits. Dan also shares invaluable insights from his journey through the Marine Corps, healthcare, and construction, offering actionable leadership lessons that resonate beyond the dirt world, and touches on the vital importance of caring for employees. 

If you want to find out how tackling these challenges can elevate your leadership, inspire your team, and secure a thriving future for the construction industry, be sure to tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

•   BuildWitt’s focus on improving recruitment, training, and engagement in the dirt world.

•   Unique challenges and hidden opportunities in the construction industry.

•   The importance of caring for employees while building sustainable business models.

•   Rethinking work-life balance to attract the next generation to the construction industry.

•   Addressing systemic issues like mental health, safety, and professional development.

Quotes:

“There's so much of this industry that people don't know, don't see, take for granted.” — Dan Briscoe

“You’ve got to have a good business that's profitable so that you can lead and care for people. That's got to be first.” — Dan Briscoe

“To attract the next generation [to the construction industry] and make it somewhere where people want to come work, they want to have a life and they want to work hard – We've got to think differently as leaders.” — Dan Briscoe

“We've got to be better companies to our current employees so that they don't leave and that they're fulfilled – We've got to take care of them not only with a paycheck, but look at their health and mental health.” — Dan Briscoe

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

BuildWitt

Dan Briscoe on LinkedIn

Dan Briscoe on Instagram

Aaron Witt

Dirt Talk Podcast

BuildWitt Training

BuildWitt Connect

Ariat DirtWorldSummit

Echelon Front Field Training Exercise (FTX)

Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family

Landman

Banana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bananas

Reset: How to Change What's Not Working

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BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

Engineers should leave the world a better place than they found it! 

Today, we are joined by the executive director of the National Engineering Foundation, Pat Natale. In this conversation, you’ll hear all about Pat’s incredible career, why he always prioritizes people in business, the power of marketing and diversification, and so much more! 

We go on to discuss how the public’s awareness and understanding of infrastructure investment has changed and why it should not be political. We also dive into his experience at PSEG and  some leadership lessons he learned throughout his career.

Finally, our guest offers some final words of wisdom for anyone who is new to the engineering world. 

Thanks for tuning in!

Key Points From This Episode:

•   The importance of the ‘people’ side of business. 

•   Which diversification programs are working according to Pat and the power of marketing. 

•   Pat shares how the public’s awareness and understanding of infrastructure investment. 

•   Why infrastructure and engineering should not be political. 

•   Final words of wisdom for engineering students and new engineers. 

Quotes:

“[Engineers are] the doctors of infrastructure, and we’re going to advise you on what you need to do.” — Pat Natale

“I believe engineers should leave things better than we found them.” — Pat Natale

“Engineers need to be able to communicate effectively.” — Pat Natale

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Pat Natale on LinkedIn

United Engineering Foundation

Changing the Conversation

Messages Matter

The Tipping Point

Think Big, Act Small

Jason Jennings Books on Amazon

The O-Ring Case Study

National Academy of Construction

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BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

How can today’s leaders best empower the new generation? 

Melissa Smith is a Leadership and Innovation Consultant for a boutique firm in Michigan called Innovatrium, and she joins us today to share her career journey, and key insights she has learned along the way. Join us as Melissa unpacks the four personality categories that guide her as she builds international teams. 

We discuss the five things that an idea needs to succeed, which include a birthday, and Melissa shares what she loves most about the new generation and how we can best support them to harness their enthusiasm most effectively. Melissa gives us a glimpse into her interior world with the quotes she lives by, why she would like to be remembered as a try-hard, and more. 

Tune in today to hear all this and more. 

Key Points From This Episode:. 

•   The four personality categories that she builds her teams around. 

•   How her work is structured through the framework, experimentation, and a final step forward.

•   The five things that an idea needs to succeed. 

•   What Melissa believes the next generation needs from us as leaders. 

Quotes:

“We create teams around these four different personalities to bring about innovation and new ideas.” — Melissa Smith 

“You have to overcome the inertia that is the status quo, and that’s the hardest part.” — Melissa Smith 

“What we can give [the next generation] is our ears, to listen to the challenges they have [through] a lens of wisdom and lived experiences, but to have them keep [their] enthusiasm.” — Melissa Smith 

“To go at all things with enthusiasm and to put your whole self behind them I think is where I’m at.” — Melissa Smith 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Melissa Smith on LinkedIn

Innovatrium

The 6 Types of Working Genius

Moonshots

Range
Simon Sinek
The Infinite Game

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In the final episode of Leadership Blueprints for 2024, BJ Kraemer focuses on Christmas gratitude, reflecting on the year, and planning for a successful 2025. The episode emphasizes the importance of annual reflection as a tool for growth, acknowledging wins and losses, and setting clear, actionable goals for the coming year.

Key Points From This Episode:

·       The significance of the movie It's a Wonderful Life as a lens to understand gratitude and perspective.

·       Kraemer’s personal annual reflection process, which includes reviewing his calendar and photos, identifying wins, losses, and  lessons learned.

·       Planning and prioritizing goals for 2025 with a focus on professional, family, and personal objectives.

·       The power of habits and systems in achieving success, with advice on creating an "ideal week" and building consistency.

·       A closing message on reframing challenges as lessons and expressing gratitude to those who made an impact.

Quotes:

• “No year is a failure if we learn from it.” — BJ Kraemer
• “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” — William Arthur Ward
• “The person we want to become is a direct result of the goals we set and achieve, the people we meet, and the books we read.” — BJ Kraemer

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• It's a Wonderful Life
• BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn
• Leadership Blueprints Podcast

What does it take to excel in architecture and engineering leadership? 

Andrew Lewis, principal architect at NK Architects and manager of their Philadelphia office, shares his journey from an ambitious architecture student to leading in one of the industry’s most respected firms. Reflecting on his formative years, Andrew highlights how serendipity and initiative shaped his career, from pivotal moments like building connections at unexpected places to spearheading large-scale projects early in his tenure. 

Andrew also discusses the importance of curiosity, a willingness to step outside comfort zones, and fostering a workplace culture that embraces trust and autonomy. He provides insights into NK Architects’ entrepreneurial spirit, the feedback loops that propelled his rapid growth, and the firm’s adoption of the EOS system to guide their next phase of development. 

Tune in for valuable lessons on balancing ambition with humility, creating environments for leadership to thrive, and staying curious in a fast-evolving industry!

Key Points From This Episode:

•   Andrew’s journey to becoming an architect and joining NK Architects.

•   Reflections on how the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is evolving.

•   The importance of having a willingness to grow, especially as you start your career.

•   Andrew’s insights on nurturing leadership within your organizations.

Quotes:

“Graduating into the bottom of a recession isn't really so bad, because you don't really have anything to lose. It's not like when you start working for a couple years and you get comfortable and then all of a sudden the industry just completely shuts down.” — Andrew Lewis

“The feedback loop opportunity that I was getting was so tight and so condensed that I was like, ‘I'm advancing at a really fast rate here, and if I just keep at this, who knows where it's going to go’. And 14 years later, I feel like that feedback loop is still active – I'm still really learning and growing daily.” — Andrew Lewis
 

“It was really rapid growth for where I [was] in my career. And I can't say that was because of me. That was really because of the environment that I was placed in.” — Andrew Lewis

“This knowledge of when to speak up and when to say something and when to take action – I can't say that anyone taught me that. I think that's that's just a thing [where] maybe there's a bit of it inside of you, and then there's a bit of nurture as well.” — Andrew Lewis

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Andrew Lewis on LinkedIn

NK Architects

AIA

NCARB

Fitwel

Traction

Phish

Trey Anastasio

The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

Cherelle Parker

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 While military strategy often looks to the past, the future demands adaptability and innovation. 

At West Point, the Cyber Engineering & Academic Center (CEAC) is designed to prepare cadets for the technological and military challenges of tomorrow. In this episode, Dr. Led Klosky, Professor of Civil Engineering and the Dean’s Executive Agent for Design and Construction, takes us behind the scenes of the $200 million CEAC project. 

He reveals how its design balances tradition with modern needs, creating flexible, future-proof spaces that are ready for anything (even the potential for giant fighting robots! Dr. Klosky also reflects on fostering collaboration among stakeholders, managing friction with empathy, and the importance of mental resilience in high-pressure environments like construction and the military. 

Tune in to uncover leadership lessons that apply to any field and discover how adaptability, vision, and clear communication can drive success in even the most complex projects.

Key Points From This Episode:

•   Dr. Klosky’s journey from Virginia Tech to West Point via the oil fields and academia.

•   His evolving role as the Dean’s Executive Agent for Design and Construction at West Point.

•   Why collaboration and flexibility are essential for building a dynamic, future-ready US Army.

•   Reasons that communication is key for resolving issues and keeping stakeholders aligned.

•   Addressing mental health and resilience in military, academic, and construction settings.

•   Unpacking some of the parallels between Army and construction industry cultures.

Quotes:

“We teach leadership [at West Point]. We grow leaders. It’s possible to make an excursion from where you are to where you want to be – as a leader or a human being. It’s not innate or somehow written in the stars at the time of your birth.” — Dr. Led Klosky

“Communication often suffers in times of crisis when, in fact, communication should go up. You should have more communication the bigger the crisis.” — Dr. Led Klosky 

“Luck is a combination of preparation, recognition, and action.” — Dr. Led Klosky 

“How do we involve [all stakeholders] in a way that acknowledges the expertise they bring, harvests their great ideas, and moves to resolution quickly when there's a conflict? That was largely my role [to facilitate] during [the CEAC design process].” — Dr. Led Klosky

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Dr. Led Klosky

Dr. Led Klosky on LinkedIn

US Military Academy at West Point

Cyber & Engineering Academic Center (CEAC)

USMA 2035 Modernization Plan

1776

Into Thin Air

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