People are very lost in life. You know that or... at least you suspected it. Well... It’s an indisputable fact. But not only are they lost in life, they’re also lost in their professional lives… as much as the good Joe Biden in front of the teleprompter. It’s a shame because we only have one life and we should optimize it, but they don’t seem to have the same opinion and continue with tunnel vision until they’re done for. And you can only optimize something with study, analysis, hard work,...
2 days ago • 1 min read
You’re not weak, you just need to stop and think why this is happening. Let me tell you something. It’s absolutely normal to fear telling them, your client, your contractors, whatever, that what they want is absurd. That it doesn’t make sense. That it will bring the wrong outcome. And I confirm your suspicions. They are not bad people. Or stupid. Or they don’t know what they’re doing. You know that. They just got masters. And they are told what to do. Many times as you and I are. They are...
3 days ago • 1 min read
If you are applying deductions to a contractor in your project, you’re doing it wrong. Ok. Probably wrong. I’ve seen many contracts where the agency / client comes happily with the hammer of deductions. You didn’t comply, here you are the ticket. They give you 15 min to attend a user in your road in distress because a breakdown. You arrived in 16 min. Ticket. They are happy. Job done. I’m protecting the taxpayer. Well… you’re not. If, in the rest of the network, you give yourself 30 min to...
4 days ago • 1 min read
You were let alone there, on your desk. A few books to read. A lot of emails to read. All these while someone from IT was trying to set up your accounts on your deck. An assistant telling you about your new phone. Someone whose name you don’t remember, reminding you that you have a few meetings with HR in 30 min. And just when you go, someone else whose name you don’t remember, reminding you about a picture for your access card. This is the day to day of 95% of inductions out there. Certainly...
5 days ago • 1 min read
A few days ago, I wrote a post in LinkedIn. I do it now from time to time. It keeps me in my daily habit of writing… which is a habit that you should cultivate because it’s life changing. I told the story of a young engineer that told me that, after working in my project in NZ (over +1bn dollars), he wouldn’t be able to work in small projects again. He left New Zealand and went to Australia. Very sad for my lovely islands. But that’s life. Many people criticised my post, the young engineer or...
6 days ago • 1 min read
She didn’t know… But she likes Vega Sicilia more than Dom Perignon. It’s not a tasting that you do all days. Not even my wife. She was happily and quietly walking to relax before her flight Madrid – Auckland… Probably, the longest in the world. Opposite side of the earth. Arrived to the business lounge. A queue. Waiting… waiting… No movement. She asked the ladies. Israel Airlines has booked the entire lounge. What??? She just left the queue while the police was coming to the front of the...
7 days ago • 1 min read
Some years ago, when I was preparing a bid for a big project, I was asked something. It hit me hard as I still remember the conversation. It tells you a lot about how, even in the best companies in the world, people don’t see long term. Don’t see value. All seems a commodity. Don’t see beyond their eyes. Don’t’ see beyond their mental models. The question was… “What do you think?”. Yeah… That’s it. That simple question… Well, the full context was… “They put 600.000$/year for the project...
8 days ago • 1 min read
It is heartbreaking to see people giving up real estate investment when, in the first project, they get it wrong. This is a complex business. Contractors, designers, lawyers, contracts, tenants. The absolutely more normal thing to happen is getting it wrong. Have a lot of trouble. Make little money, not worth the effort. Or even losing money. The most normal thing in the world. There are ways to prevent this. Mentors, coaches, consultants, training, etc. Many decide to go solo, get it wrong,...
9 days ago • 1 min read
Do you want to build faster and better infrastructure? Do you want to make money in real estate? You can start small... but you soon need a pipeline. A very robust, clear, transparent pipeline of projects. It needs to be a commitment. Time and delivery method needs to be set up at front and widely publicized. I'm the PPP guy, but you also know that I’m a real estate investor. I see that: When it was a one-off project, no client was interested in my properties When I got a pipeline, I receive...
10 days ago • 2 min read