Curious Teams

Just Curious...Did you enjoy season 2 of Curious Teams?

in this last episode of the season, Fred and Barbara talk about the interviews and inspirations that formed this season.

Season Two Interviews:

Scott Pheiffer, Acoustician, helped us understand the importance of effectively sharing complex information with the entire team https://curiousteams.com/2023/01/16/season-2-teamwork-with-acoustician-scott-pfeiffer/

Randy Deutsch, author of Super Users, helped us understand the value and characteristics of industry talent https://curiousteams.com/2023/03/12/randy-deutsch-superusers/

JD Schramm and Jeff Bryson show us how to app...

Just Curious...How do you successfully close-out a design and construction project?

In this episode, Barbara and Fred discuss the technical aspects of closing out projects but through the lens of collaboration? How can teams work together during closeout to minimize long term problems and to ensure success for all team members? Avoid Post Project Stress Syndrome by communicating and collaborating!

Critical elements of project closeout include:

1) Certificate of Occupancy does not mean you are one

2) Inspections and punch lists can be stressful

3) Warranties and post project s...

Just Curious...Do you know what buildings really cost? Fred and Barbara discuss TCO, the Total Cost of Ownership, and why knowing the TCO is critical to effective decision-making during design. Shouldn't you be curious about the energy costs, maintenance costs, interest costs, and other costs that may make it difficult to afford ownership?

See the ChatGPT assessment of TCO below:

When trying to reduce TCO, building owners may face several challenges, including:

Balancing short-term and long-term costs: Some cost-saving measures may have an upfront cost but lead to long-term savings. For example...

Just Curious...Were you taught how to communicate effectively in school? In this episode, Barbara and Fred talk to two communications experts inside and outside the Design and Construction industries to explore how you can communicate more effectively. JD Schramm,  communication consultant and author of Communicate with Mastery, joins Jeff Bryson, principle of Talking Forward, a construction industry communications educator, provide insight on when to speak, how to speak, and what to say to be better communicators within complex teams.

Resources:

Find JD Schramm at

https://jdschramm.com/about/

ht...

Just Curious...why are schedules so difficult to manage? In this episode Fred and Barbara deal with the difficulties and opportunities of using schedules as a tool for success. Like budgets, some professionals embrace the use of schedules to manage proactively and predictably.

Please visit us at curiousteams.com And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

Just Curious...what makes a great design and construction professional? Fred and Barbara talk to Randy Deutsch, FAIA about his book, SuperUsers: Design Technology Specialists and the Future of Practice. SuperUsers has won prizes for Best Future Technology of All Time and Best New Design EBooks both awarded by Book Authority. What characteristics should design technology (and other professionals) have? How can firms retain great talent? 

Please visit us at curiousteams.com And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

Just Curious...How can project owners be more successful? In this episode, Fred and Barbara discuss the characteristics of great owners. Six key elements and some straight talk can help owners be better team member and successful project owners. The six responsibilities of owners include:

1) Be present and ask questions

2) Make timely and informed decisions

3) Express values as well as goals with the entire team

4) Build and maintain a team that shares the owners values

5) Fire toxic team members

6) Strive to make every member of the team...

Just Curious...Do you know how it feels to be left out? In this episode of Curious Teams, Barbara and Fred discuss the importance of onboarding your team members when they are added to the team. The five critical components to onboarding in the design and construction environments include:

1) The leader must be present - don't pass of the important job of onboarding

2) Values and team principles are communicated early and often

3) All new team members are "on-boarded" the same way

4) New team members are encouraged to do their part including...

Just Curious...Are you ready to have your world turned upside down? In this episode, Fred and Barbara discuss the past disruptions and future disruptions to the design and construction industry. What are these disruption and how should you strategically prepare for inevitable changes to the market, technology, management processes, supply chain, and talent. Will you be ready when the world turns upside down?

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

Just curious...are you frustrated by virtual meetings? Fred and Barbara are inspired this week by Priya Parker's work on the art of gathering and her book of the same name. Can virtual gatherings be improved through better organization and greater thoughtfulness. How do we make these cyber meetings more relevant and effective? Do you have time to plan better virtual engagements? What are the benefits of investing time to make these meetings more useful? Roll up your sleeves and gather your bandwidth because design and construction virtual meetings can be better. 

Resources - https://www.priyaparker.c...

Just Curious...How do you feel about project budgets? In this episode, Barbara and Fred explore the complexities of using budget as a tool for success. If you struggle with budget development and maintenance, this is the episode for you. With preparation and discipline, budgets can be your best friend for project success.

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

Just Curious - Are deadlines good or bad for the design and construction industries? In this episode Fred and Barbara inspired by Episode 776 of This American Life, I Work Better on a Deadline, seek to understand the role of deadlines in the design and construction industries, exploring the pros and cons of working with deadlines as well as providing some insights on deadline management.

Five ways to think about deadlines for architects, contractors, and owners:

Just Curious - How do great leaders keep their heads during challenging times? Fred and Barbara are inspired by Dave Gilmore from DesignIntelligence and his short podcast on "Keeping Your Head" (Ep. 168). How leaders manage challenges during difficult times can make or break your projects.

Dave Gilmore's Advice for Keeping Your Head includes:

Curious Teams is BACK with a new season of conversations about teamwork, leadership, decision-making, and values. This season we will engage other professionals on these subjects, share ideas that have inspired us, and discuss the disruptive future. Join us for the first episode of Season 2. 

Just curious...How do we make hard concepts accessible to the entire team? In this episode of Curious Teams, Fred and Barbara speak with Scott Pfeiffer about collaborating with technical specialists on projects. We discuss how Scott and his team at Threshold Acoustics engage the entire design and construction team as well a...

Just Curious...What have we learned? 

As Season 1 of Curious Teams comes to an end, Fred and Barbara look back at season highlights and forward to an exciting Season 2 starting January 15, 2023.

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

Just curious...what do leaders really know about motivating teams? In this episode of Curious Teams, Fred and Barbara discuss the next three characteristics/skill sets for Caring Sophisticated Leadership. Items discussed include: 4) Motivating the team; 5) Coaching team members to success or coaching them out the door and; 6) Creating Psychological Safety. Join us for this critical conversation about leadership.

Episode References: The Inner Game of Tennis - Timmothy Gallwey https://theinnergame.com

The Coaching Habit - Michael Stanier   https://www.mbs.works

Amy Edmundson - The Fearless Organization  https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pa...

Just Curious...What makes a great leader in the design, construction, and owner environments? Fred and Barbara discuss the first three key characteristics of effective leadership. This episode covers 1. Servant Leadership, supporting others to success; 2. Striving for Balance- Directing Clearly and Empowering Freely and; 3. Providing the Tools for Team Success. Join us for this critical conversation about leadership.

https://simonsinek.com/  mentioned

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

Just Curious...Can you ask too many questions? In this episode, Barbara and Fred respond to listener questions specifically related to influencing team members. How do influence team behavior if you are not the leader? How do you influence the engagement of stakeholders? Join us to explore the concerns of real team members in action.

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

Just Curious - Can there be too many choices in design and construction? Fred and Barbara discuss a Ted Talk by Barry Schwartz, The Paradox of Choice, where he contemplates the exponential expansion of options and the consequences of that expansion. How does the availability of too many choices impact the design and construction process?

Watch Dr. Schwartz's Ted Talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_the_paradox_of_choice

Also referenced is a podcast by Greg McKeon, Episode 142. The Only Business Metric That Matters with Jeremy Utley, https://GregMcKeown.com

...

Just Curious - Why do decisions feel so risky?

In this episode, Fred and Barbara discuss Decision Risk and Decision-Ready Information, exploring what creates risk in the decision-making environment and outlining criteria for preparing information for decision-making.

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred 

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

Just Curious - When should we make decisions? In this episode, Barbara and Fred continue series on decision-making discipline including discussions on value, risk and tools. Join us for this second episode on decision-making where we discuss frameworks for decision-making and building a culture of collaborative decision-making discipline.

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their desig...

Just Curious - What makes decisions so hard but so important to make? In this episode, Barbara and Fred start a series on the decision-making discipline including discussions on value, risk and tools. Join us for this first of four episodes on decision-making where we discuss the importance of making decisions and building a culture of collaborative decision-making discipline. 

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred 

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

With Collaboration skills wrapped up in Episodes 2-5. We are pausing to talk about contingency including myths, realities and confusions. Why is contingency often mysterious to the project team? Why should contingency be related to risk?

Barbara and Fred review and debate these issues and how to use contingencies as a tool for stronger team collaboration. 

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred 

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

This is the Fifth episode in a series on collaboration skills. In this episode Barbara and Fred have a conversation about collaborative teams adapting to change and how team members actively support their teams.

The two collaboration skills discussed in this episode include:

9. Bravely Re-adjusting

10. Succeed and Fail WITH the Team- Whatever your role

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred 

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

This is the fourth episode in a series on collaboration skills. In this episode Barbara and Fred have a conversation about staying curious and when having the best idea wins.

The two collaboration skills discussed in this episode include:

7. Stay Curious

8. Best Idea Wins

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/home-owners-institute/id1537671842

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

This is the third episode in a series on collaboration skills. In this episode Barbara and Fred have a conversation about Apologizing for Missteps (Taking Responsibility)  and Being Accountable (and/or holding others team members accountable). 

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/home-owners-institute/id1537671842

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

This is the second episode in a series on collaboration skills. In this episode Barbara and Fred have a conversation about communicating effectively and transparently and not being a hero.

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/home-owners-institute/id1537671842

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/

This is the first episode in a series on collaboration skills. In this episode Barbara and Fred have a conversation about the importance of team rules, roles and core values.

Please  visit us at curiousteams.com

And for Home Owners building their design and construction team please join Fred at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/home-owners-institute/id1537671842

https://www.thehomeownersinstitute.com/