The Competitive Contractor

We bring you the recording of a webinar that discusses a topic that is at the centre of many conversations and an area many industry professionals voted for industry leaders and executives to address first.  

This is the recording of the second online event in the "Transforming Australia's construction industry - a group up approach" series.  The panel consists of leaders who have walked the talk. They have initiated the change in their organisations, taking a ground-up approach. We also have panellists whose work have shaped how the industry approaches the culture topic.   

Panel Chair: Matthew Mackey 

Panel Guests: 

Alison Miram (CEO, Roberts Co)

Marc Kenney (CEO, Mettle)

Kevin Porter (Anthropologist, Industry Observer)

Closing remarks: Jon Davies (CEO, Australian Constructors Association)  

The Transforming Australia's Construction Industry - a ground-up approach series and the Competitive Contractor podcast is brought to you by Shivendra & Co - www.shivendra.com. 

Episode 29 of the Competitive Contractor Podcast focuses on Smart and steady wins. It's an episode that shows what you and your organisation can achieve through steady effort over time. 

A very timely discussion as at times I feel the industry doesn’t value the impact of continuous improvement, transformation and investment in innovation. BAU activities get prioritised over long term initiatives and short term results get over resourced over visionary game-changing ideas.

But have you imagined what today would look like for ideas imagined 13 years ago?

What would a vision that was embedded as part of an organisation BAU and supported through yield for your organisation today?

In this inspirational episode, Cameron Coleman, the CEO of Wagners tells us how the Wagners team began working on today’s opportunities 13 years ago. He shares how the vision of the Wagner family materialized and how they are continuing to improve it through automation and globalisation.

You don't have to go to Silicon Valley and its surrounds and follow Elon Musk and Garrett Camp. We have them in our surrounds too. 

The Competitive Contractor Podcast is brought to you by Shivendra & Co. Find out how you can work with us to grow your business. 

Recently there has been a lot of dialogue and discussion on industry culture. Some have raised the issue of trust, some raised the issue of shifting responsibility and blame while some have referenced the term succeed at all cost.

I needed to explore this further. Why is this the case? Is profitability the main agenda in the industry, pushing off all other social responsibilities of businesses? And do businesses that value partnerships, relationships and have their horizons set on their legacy through their people, actually succeed?

In my search for guidance, I reached out Dr. Shashank Shah, who is the author of the book “Win-Win Corporations”. In discussions, he mentioned his research on Larsen and Toubro, and other companies and how their approach has made them strong and successful corporations. I explore this further in this episode of The Competitive Contractor Podcast. 

Dr. Shashank Shah is an international researcher and stakeholder management strategist with 150+ national and international publications to his credit. He has been a visiting scholar at Harvard Business School and Copenhagen Business School; fellow and project director at Harvard University South Asia Institute; postdoctoral fellow at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning; editor-in-chief of Harvard University Postdoctoral Editors Association; and consulting editor with the Business India Group. A TEDx and Talks at Google speaker, he has addressed 150+ prominent platforms across academia, industry and civil society. He was a recipient of the President of India and Governor’s Gold Medals, and of the AIMS International Outstanding Doctoral Management Student Award. A national bestselling author, he has authored three books: 'Soulful Corporations', ‘Win-Win Corporations’ and 'The Tata Group'. He was listed among the 'Top 200 Most Influential Global Thought Leaders' to be followed in 2021 by peopleHum.

The Competitive Contractor Podcast is brought to you by Shivendra & Co. Find out how you can work with us to become a competitive contractor. 

Episode 27 of the Competitive Contractor Podcast discusses the introduction of technology in construction companies.

Enabled by technology, the construction industry is edging closer to the meeting point of theory and practice. At the same time we are gliding rapidly from a place with limited technology tools to a ConTech marketplace with too many choices. The industry is becoming smarter and it will continue to do so – the time has come.

Where do construction companies and contractors start from?

What should they keep in mind?

Do leaders of construction companies need to be tech-savvy?

This is what I discuss with Tannis Liviniuk, CEO of Trillium Advisory Group. Having begun her career in the field, she spent over 10 years wearing out steel-toed boots while accumulating a wealth of hands-on experience in the intricacies of construction project delivery.

Tannis is an active industry advancement advocate. She has been a guest lecturer at the University of Houston and for the Construction Industry Institute (CII) at the University of Texas at Austin.  Tannis speaks at industry conferences globally on topics of industry innovation, Advanced Work Packaging, 4D/5D Planning, and advancing opportunities for women in construction.  She has a Master’s degree in Business Administration and is certified in project management by Stanford University's Center for Professional Development.

The Competitive Contractor Podcast is brought to you by Shivendra & Co.

Episode 26 of the Competitive Contractor Podcast discusses why ‘working on the business’ is as important as working in it.

Construction business owners have big dreams that begin with small steps, which at the start are big decisions and investments. As time progress, some make it big, and some don’t.

What are the secrets of those who have made it big?

What did they do early on and what are they doing now?

Let’s hear from Scott Fraser, GM Construction of Brefni. Scott has spent 25 years in the construction industry and has ridden the timeline of shifts the industry has seen.

Brefni is more than a business as I see it. As you would find out in this podcast, Brefni is about making the right choices, having high ambitions and about focusing on contribution to the industry and community.

Scott also shares how Brefni made it to the big league - being recognised as the Top 10 innovative companies in Australia in the property, construction and transport sector.

The Competitive Contractor Podcast is brought to you by Shivendra & Co.

Episode 25 of the Competitive Contractor Podcast discusses innovating for the greater good.

There is a lot of hype about technology in construction and what it is capable of but its seldom these days that we associate innovation in our industry with materials and methods. There remains so much opportunity to improve our materials, especially reducing its environmental impacts and so much opportunity to make work methods safe.

But is it really possible to do this as a contractor without support from governments?

I got my answer in a conversation with Jason Zafiriadis, the General Manager – Earth Friendly Concrete for Wagners.

Jason has been with Wagners since March 2020 and has over 18 years of experience in areas of sales, marketing, strategy and leadership. Wagners is recognised as a leader globally for its innovative earth-friendly products.

Listen to find out how Wagners innovates for the greater good.

The Competitive Contractor podcast is brought to you by Shivendra & Co.

Episode 24 of the Competitive Contractor Podcast discusses actions needed to progress the construction industry.

Construction is a unique industry. What we do helps other industries, society and communities to progress but as an industry, there is reluctance and hesitation when it comes to progress. Maybe there are valid reasons why progress is too slow for many of us. The big questions are - are all the stakeholders trying hard enough and what exactly is slowing things down?

To discuss this topic today, I have Matthew Mackey.

Matthew is the National Director for Cost & Commercial at Arcadis in Australia and is extremely passionate about the future of our industry. He is a recognised commercial leader with extensive local and international cost management expertise, developed over 20-years in the construction industry.  Matthew has lived in Brisbane for almost 10 years and has worked on a diverse number of projects across Australia, including the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal, Auckland Airport Second Runway Expansion, and Sydney Metro.

Matthew is a regular spokesperson and contributor on how the industry can improve collaboration and productivity and how data and digital technology can provide a positive impact on the future.

This is an episode not be missed by current and aspiring leaders of the industry.

The Competitive Contractor podcast is brought to you by Shivendra & Co.

Episode 23 of the Competitive Contractor Podcast discusses the topic of innovation in doing business.

Taking a business that is doing well to a new level is one story but taking a business that was left with only 3 staff to now approaching $100M in revenue in a few years is what exemplary transformation is about.

What were the key ingredients of this transformation? Was it challenging?

In this episode, Marc Kenney, the Managing Director of Mettle shares how his focus on innovation and people created the breakthrough the business needed. Marc has been in construction for over 30 years, serving in leadership roles globally. Recently, Marc was also featured in the Australian edition of the CEO Magazine.

Innovation changes organisations and can you imagine what is possible if you empower people at the same time?

Listen to find out.

The Competitive Contractor podcast is brought to you by Shivendra & Co.

Episode 22 of the Competitive Contractor Podcast discusses the topic of incentives in the construction industry.

Incentives or paying staff for performance is a topic many construction businesses talk about and consider, but struggle getting off the ground. While it looks simple on the surface, there are a lot of dimensions to it ranging from financial to psychological.

Does paying for performance really work?

How do we move to an incentivised pay structure and how we ensure that it is successful?

Let’s find out what Adam Cooper, the President of Ascent Consulting (https://ascentconsults.com/) has to say about this. Ascent advises construction companies globally on Business Operations, Management, Technology, Leadership and Growth Strategies. He has personally written and consulted extensively about incentive programs for construction companies, and I am delighted that he is able to join us for this podcast. Adam is also a strategic partner of Shivendra & Co.

The Competitive Contractor Podcast is brought to you by Shivendra & Co - www.shivendra.com 

Season 3 of The Competitive Contractor podcast launches today with Scott Power, the Chief Executive Officer of the BMD Group.

In Episode 21, titled “Seeing things differently”, Scott discusses factors other than great visions and ambitions that build thriving and successful construction companies.

BMD’s story is inspirational. Over a 41-year history, BMD has grown from a small business to become a diverse organisation providing integrated services of civil engineering, construction, design, property development, landscaping and maintenance.

With Scott’s leadership, BMD has seen the business become a truly national contractor and launch operations offshore. Their capabilities extend beyond transport infrastructure and land development, into non-traditional sectors including ports, airports, oil and gas, and resources.

The Competitive Contractor Podcast is brought to you by Shivendra & Co. Click here (https://contractors.shivendra.com/) to find out how you can grow your construction business and be more profitable. 

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