VOICETheThe official magazine of The Construction Users RoundtableIn collaboration with CIISpring 2019FIND VALUE IN CURT! Learn about membership at www.curt.org.Characteristics of Cutting-Edge Leadership The Construction Users Roundtable 5TABLE OF CONTENTSINDUSTRY LEADERS: 7 A Message from Jim Ellis, CURT President 9 A Message from Gregory Sizemore, Esq., CURT Executive Vice President 11 A Message from Stephen Mulva, CII DirectorGET TO KNOW CURT: 13 Connecting With CURT’s Board of Directors 15 Committee ConversationsON THE COVER: 20 Characteristics of Cutting-Edge LeadershipFEATURES: 27 Digital Transformation is Upon Us – Part 2 30 Transformative Labor Risk ManagementSPECIAL SECTION: 34 Looking Back at National Conference 2019! 41 Looking Forward to National Conference 2020! 42 INDEX TO ADVERTISERSPublished By: Matrix Group Publishing Inc. 5605 Riggins Court, Second Floor, PO Box 41270, Reno, Nevada 89504 Toll Free Tel (866) 999-1299 Toll Free Fax (866) 244-2544 www.matrixgroupinc.net President & CEO Jack Andress Operations Manager Shoshana Weinberg (sweinberg@matrixgroupinc.net) Publisher Jessica Potter Editor-in-Chief Shannon Savory (ssavory@matrixgroupinc.net) Senior Editor Alexandra Kozub (akozub@matrixgroupinc.net) Finance/Administration Pat Andress, Nathan Redekop, Lloyd Weinberg (accounting@matrixgroupinc.net) Director of Marketing & Circulation Lloyd Weinberg (distribution@matrixgroupinc.net) Sales Manager – Winnipeg Neil Gottfred Sales Manager – Hamilton Jeff Cash Matrix Group Publishing Inc. Account Executives Andrew Lee, Bonnie Petrovsky, Brenda McPhee, Brian MacIntyre, Cheryl Klassen, Colleen Bell, Frank Kenyeres, Jim Hamilton, Julie Welsh, Kevin Harris, Renée Kent, Rob Gibson, Sandra Kirby, Selina Mills, Tanina Di Piazza, Tenisha Myke, Terri Erkelens Advertising Design James Robinson Layout & Design Kayti Taylor ©2019 Matrix Group Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Matrix Group Publishing Inc.Published For: The Construction Users Roundtable 4100 Executive Park Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45241 Tel: (513) 563-4131 Fax: (513) 733-9551 E-mail: construction-users@curt.org Web: www.curt.orgOn the Cover: According to motivational speaker Keni Thomas, “Leadership has never been about the rank, the position nor the title we hold. It is the example we set for the people we serve. Who is on your left and who’s on your right?” This issue’s cover story explores what it means to be a good leader, and what qualities separate good leaders from bad. Turn to page 20 to learn more.To update your subscription information, email distribution@matrixgroupinc.net. Note, all past issues are available for free at www.curt.org if you prefer to read the electronic version.June Member Meeting June 10-11, 2019 Salt Lake City, UTSafety Summit June 12, 2019 Salt Lake City, UTSeptember Member Meeting September 9-10, 2019 Charleston, SCLean Summit September 11, 2019 Charleston, SCNovember Member Meeting November 11-13, 2019 Clearwater Beach, FL CURT Awards of Excellence Gala November 12, 2019 Clearwater Beach, FL2020 CURT National Conference February 10-12, 2020 Chandler, AZJOIN CURT AT THESE UPCOMING 2019 Events Up-to-date details can be found at www.curt.org.The Construction Users Roundtable 7INDUSTRY LEADERSA Message from the CURT PresidentI wasn’t always on a path headed towards a career in construction. In fact, an interesting tidbit about me is that I was offered a full university scholarship – for track. Yes, it may be hard to believe that now, but in my prime, I was a great runner. After a year on this track, so to speak, I decided to go another direction and became an electrician. This was my beginning. Since then, I have retired from the DuPont Company, have built projects across our entire world, and I now serve as General Manager, Global Engineering and Project Management for SABIC. My career has spanned decades and logged me more frequent flier miles than I’ll ever know. There have been ups, downs, recessions and booms. There have been successes and failures, hits and misses. And throughout all of these ebbs and tides, there have been great leaders along the way who have taken the time to help me find my way.When we are in our early years of development, we learn so much about leadership from those around us. Perhaps you learned it from your parents or a trusted guardian, an athletic coach, a teacher or from leaders or elders in at your church or in your community. Personally, I was fortunate to have exposure to leaders from each of these areas and I was able to see their leadership – great leadership – in action. In each case there were common themes, but the one that stands out most to me was their selflessness, with a focus on giving to others and simply making a difference in the lives of others. Although perhaps over simplified, this simple leadership principle dwarfs the many definitions of leadership and the volumes of literature, and now media, on the subject. At CURT, our prime focus is making a difference for our industry at large, the companies we serve and the generations that will follow us. This next generation of construction leaders (whether architects, engineers, contractors or trades people) will continue our legacy of making a difference in safety, and working towards better productivity quality. All of this will make a difference in the world. I recently had an excellent discussion with Colton Brown, who is the Chair of CURT’s Young Professionals Advisory Board, and we talked about his definition of leadership. Here is what he had to say: “Leadership is when one individual takes time to transfer knowledge, experiences and guidance to other individuals. This includes leading by example, enhancing motivation within the company and being creative in terms of solving problems. Leadership is also defined as coaching and building Young Professionals and other individuals in your company so that they can grow into larger roles. The most important aspect of leadership is communication. Studies have shown that companies that have great leaders and mentors tend to retain more employees due to satisfaction and motivation increasement.”These important nuggets, or perhaps forgotten lessons about leadership, are literally words from our future – from a young man who is a leader now in his own right, but who will become an industry leader if we (me and you) are truly the leaders we proport to be. It is up to us “old dogs” to take young leaders under our wings, to mentor them and to show them the way. Not just because we have to, but because we want to. Because we want to guarantee future excellence and success in our industry. Colton is one example but if you look at your own company, you will find similar Young Professions at your own organization who are eager to learn how to be the industry’s future leaders. In the words of Crosby Stills and Nash, “Teach Your Parents Well.” We can learn a lot from our Young Professionals and certainly we have a mandate as leaders ourselves, to help them grow and develop through our coaching and mentorship. I want to express my deep appreciation to all of CURT’s members. Through your dedication and leadership, we will continue to make a difference for our industry and in the lives of those who will lead our industry into the future. Jim Ellis President The Construction Users Roundtable SABIC, Global Engineering Manager Engineering and Project ManagementAt CURT, our prime focus is making a difference for our industry at large, the companies we serve and the generations that will follow us. This next generation of construction leaders (whether architects, engineers, contractors or trades people) will continue our legacy of making a difference in safety, and working towards better productivity quality.Lessons on LeadershipThe Construction Users Roundtable 9INDUSTRY LEADERSA Message from the CURT Executive Vice PresidentThis quote, spoken by my good friend Keni Thomas, speaks to me. It expresses what I believe all of us know – that if we’re not living our lives in a way that is filled with passion and purpose, we’re not truly living our lives at all and we will never truly be fulfilled. You may recall that Keni spoke at the 2017 CURT National Conference. During the final keynote address he shared his story of being an Army Ranger and a part of Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. The main objective of the Task Force was to capture the elusive Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. As a part of this mission, Thomas and fellow Task Force members were involved in the Battle of Mogadishu, which was later immortalized in the book Black Hawk Down and its subsequent film adaptation.Keni’s story of courage and fearless leadership struck a chord with the audience, and with me. As a leader at CURT, hearing his words gave me pause to consider the impact our organization is making on our members and our industry. I asked myself if the leaders of CURT are doing enough to positively impact the industry in which all of us have built our careers. Are we working hard enough to ensure that our children, grandchildren and future generations can find success in the many career options the construction industry offers?If someone were to write a book, The Story of CURT, I would hope that its opening chapter would speak of industry leaders who were eager to band together for the greater good; where individuals at competing companies commit to create meaningful change, to work as a team, not in isolation, and make a change in the world like Keni and his team did in Operation Restore Hope. The results of this effort are obvious when you consider the remarkable strides the construction industry has made in terms of improved project safety.Subsequent chapters would focus on topics such as executing projects on a global scale, workforce development, lean and modularization, and productivity, as well as developing our young professionals. There would be stories and case studies of the great strides being made, and how we accomplished our missions and challenges, and also about how much more needs to be done. The truth is, CURT’s story is still being written. I’m sure we are not even half-way through; the leaders of our organization have great visions for the future. I believe that each of the men and women who lead this organization are truly working toward the greater good, are desirous of seeing our mission accomplished – they want to make a discernable difference. Additionally, as CURT’s leaders retire, we are making sure the next generation of trailblazers is coming up with new ideas, new energy and a strong desire to keep the momentum going. I truly believe that the progress we’ve made through our Young Professionals Advisory Board is contributing to this. Where one chapter ends, the next one begins. I am proud that our organization’s leaders, and leaders of our member companies, believe in the impact that mentoring the next generation is having. Will you be a part of CURT’s narrative? You are invited to join the team! Will you be a major player in advancing our industry? We are always interested in working with all industry leaders to achieve our mission. If these are topics that excite you, I want to personally invite you to join our ranks. The benefit of membership isn’t fictional; we at CURT are working towards lofty goals that will impact all facets of our industry, your organization, and your personal and professional development. The theme of leadership runs throughout this issue of the magazine. As the cover suggests, we want to inspire you to be the amazing leader you were called to be; to lead with cutting-edge ideas, and with resources to make lasting and meaningful change.Imagine what we can achieve if….! It would be truly remarkable. As always, if you want to learn more about CURT and the work we are doing, please go to the website at www.CURT.org or call the office and speak to any of our tremendous staff members. Greg Sizemore Executive Vice President The Construction Users RoundtableThe Story of CURT“You have to find something in your life that makes a difference.”– Keni ThomasI believe that each of the men and women who lead this organization are truly working toward the greater good, are desirous of seeing our mission accomplished – they want to make a discernable difference.Next >