Alice Lane Phase 3
(2016 – 2017)
With the completion of University, I had to work back a bursary with a construction company called WBHO. This was still in South Africa. The project was an 18 story commercial and retail development with 7 basement parking levels. You can find out more about the project here. I arrived when the construction had reach the 7th floor and still had part of the 7 story below ground basement to build.
My job title was Site Engineer and I was in charge of all structural elements. Concrete, rebar, structural steel etc. I inherited the role from a senior engineer who had left the company, leaving behind a complete set of instructions on what to do. I plunged into the deep end and tried to emulate the role like-for-like. I worked 12 hour days, half day on Saturday, and Sundays once a month. There were countless late night concrete pours and an endless amount of problems to be solved.
Upon completion of the structure, I was charged with leading the subcontractors to complete the ground floor podium works which consisted of paving, landscaping, water features, signage, lighting, an array of shop fit outs, sculptures etc. At the time it felt as though much responsibility was placed on me and I wasn’t sure what my limits were and whether or not I reached them.
Here are some lessons learned from the period:
- The finishing works for commercial buildings are harder than the structure to complete, so it’s worth pushing the structural elements to completion fast to open up the finishing works;
- Subcontractors give you their best resources when there is plenty of work to go around. Then remove them and give you the runt at the final 1/3;
- You have to fight with subcontractors to get them back to site to tie up loose ends;
- Most humans struggle with putting a plan together and adapting as the work matures;
- Your best employees become the go to for everything… well at least those that are willing to take decisions against challenging problems;
- If there is an area of work which can be started you should be asking yourself, “why haven’t I started?”;
- My boss on the site was a slave driver. He completed the job on schedule but the culture was toxic and all the staff wanted to leave. If you have agency, having someone boss you around makes you resentful and unmotivated.
A quick aside. I am intrigued by the dichotomy that exists when thinking about “fear factor” as a leader. To get the best out of my team, do I push more to the “slave driver” end of the spectrum? Or do I become the nicest boss in the world? I often refer to a game mechanic from the computer castle simulator Stronghold Crusader. If you want to geek out I suggest you watch this. The happy medium you need to find is the culture that makes your workers the most inspired. Brining out the best in everyone. Have a look at my reading list notes on Sun Tzu’s The Art of War for another point on this topic. Now… back to the lessons learned.
- Having a strong relationship between architect, contractor, consultant, and client results in shit getting done. Sever that and everything becomes a contractual mess;
- Rework on finishes is inevitable, especially with many subcontractors working around each other;
- There are many ways to solve the same problem. If unsure on which one to pick, select an option and learn. Action produces results. Better to choose the option that will hurt more in the short-term but will produce a more favorable outcome in the long run. Humans tend to avoid short-term pain;
- Understanding the work of all disciplines allows you to guide the team in the right direction, even leading “experts” down the right path;
- You should never give the impression that you’re trying to go 1up on a subcontractor or partner to benefit your company financially. Making everyone feel like they are apart of the mission is important;
- Working with government entities is slow and painful;
- Having a boss who arrives at work first and is last to leave makes you work harder;
- Pumping concrete to high elevations is messy and challenging;
- Young engineers in the design office are afraid when their “perfect” drawings are not adhered to on site. There’s a great deal to be learned about your designs when you try to build them;
- Allowing subconsultants or subcontractors to charge by the hour makes them work slower;
- Scope creep on megaprojects needs constant attention;
- How do you know that you have enough employees? When your employees start to complain that they’re drowning;
- Some subcontractors will go above and beyond for you, hold them tight.
