To read more about Marita please go to australianoftheyear.org.au. Image from australianoftheyear.org.au

A complex project can really benefit from an independent coach and umpire.  Tracey Brunstrom Hammond (TBH) have decades of experience in providing project management services, and brought their skills to the 1 Bligh Street project to smooth the programming path for Grocon and their multitude of subcontractors.

TBH was involved on the 1 Bligh St project primarily to provide construction programming and planning services, and independent progress monitoring and reporting services. Their involvement commenced from the pre-tender stage and continued through almost to completion and handover.

“At the pre-tender stages we were involved in producing construction methodologies, site staging and  establishment variations, indicative costing and cashflows, and eventually of the tender programmes that assisted Grocon in winning the job to begin with,” explained TBH Senior Consultant Scott Bertoni.

“Once Grocon had commenced on the job we assisted them in producing both contract programmes and target programmes for the project. These were fully resourced programmes that allowed us to both forecast potential man-power estimates and track against actual on-site performance of individual trades.

“As the project progressed we maintained a monitoring role, reporting back to Grocon with upcoming issues that had the potential to cause delays to the project in a timely matter, allowing Grocon to manage these issues before they became critical.

“The most important features of our work were both the collaborative relationship we had with Grocon in the construction planning phases of the project, and the value that our programming services added to the project. The fact that we are an independent consultancy is of great value, as we are able to better inform our clients without the bias or agenda that may sometimes occur if these roles are performed in-house.”

The most challenging part of the programming task was the staging and construction logistics of the unique double-skinned facade and full length atrium.  TBH needed to factor in how individual complex elements affected each other, and the program as a whole.

TBH has been in business in Australia since 1965, founded with the skills and experience of Richard Tracey and Gerald Brunstrom, who had been providing services to the US Defence and Aerospace industries from their office in Seattle since 1955.  The first TBH project in Australia was managed from an office in Perth, and was for the US Navy, who constructed the Harold Holt Communications Station on the Western Australia coast.  In 1966 a Sydney office was opened, facilitating projects including upgrades of the Sydney and Melbourne airports, hospitals and high rise constructions.

TBH expanded into Brisbane in 1980 and Canberra in 1990, and also has offices in Melbourne and Perth.  For almost 30 years TBH was providing their skills to projects in Asia and the Middle East from the Australian Offices, and in 2008 TBH joined forces with Confluence to form Confluence TBH, a  Singapore-based venture which provides specialist services throughout Asia, Oceania, the Middle East and Europe, with offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Abu Dhabi.

This is a company that takes the quality of their service seriously, with accreditation by Lloyds Register Quality Assurance.  TBH are an AIPM member, and were 2009 State Winner for Project Management Achievement Award for Deer Park Bypass, Melbourne.

TBH’s ability to manage complexity, finesse details and provide Expert Witness services has proved invaluable for projects including railways, civil infrastructure, all types of construction, ICT, natural resources, hospitality, airports, Defence, health and education.

This year, the Congress will be held in Brisbane at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. With less than one week to go, TBH is proud to be part of this prestigious event, and look forward to meet all the delegates attending from over 30 countries. Visit us at Booth 39!

Since 2004, the mining sector has grown to be the largest industry sector in Queensland. While the traditional sectors of Agriculture, Accommodation and Food Services have had relatively low rates of growth in the past decade, mining has experienced much faster growth rates, driven largely by price increases for key commodities. Currently, there is in excess of $100 billion in future resource investments under active consideration in Queensland.
While the resource sector continues to drive the national economy, the competition for skilled labour will become a key issue. TBH has extensively research this sector and the potential staffing impacts these mines and their associated works will have on accommodation levels. We have gained an appreciation for the potential accommodation ‘pinch points’. In response to this we have developed a range of accommodation strategies that will assist mine companies attract and retain their valuable staff, by TBH working with mine companies to deliver a full Development Management Turnkey accommodation solution. We recognise the importance of developing project specific delivery strategies. TBH has successfully delivered complete accommodation solutions and are ready to do this for you where and when required.

Minister for Health Geoff Wilson said the emergency department includes the latest in medical technology.

Mundingburra MP Lindy Nelson-Carr said in addition to the new emergency department, North Block would also be home to a 34-bed maternity ward and an intensive care unit.

“North Block will have an expanded intensive care unit allowing for patients who need specialise one-on-one care,” she said.

For the full Townsville Bulletin article please go here.

Meiske has predominantly been involved in technology focussed projects since 2002.

I love working with people. Most people will know I enjoy a chat and being social. My favourite projects are those that allow me to form relationships with the client, as well as other colleagues rather than working on my own. There can be a greater need for interaction with the client, particularly as part of the job is the challenge of having to extract information from the client. Not always an easy task.

As most of the projects I work on are technology focussed, I love that I am kept constantly on my toes. These types of projects can change so quickly. I’m always trying to stay ahead!

So far, the biggest advantage has been the travel. I have spent time in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand. An added bonus was experiencing the subway system in Hong Kong.  As a regular user of public transport in Sydney, I realised the NSW State Government could learn a thing or two!

On a National level, I want to help make TBH a household brand. TBH has been around for 45 years and is often referred to as an Icon in the services we provide. I want to be a part of the team that works towards achieving the same status for our technology based work as our traditional services.

On the International scene, I am very interested in being involved in further enhancing the application of TBH services in Asian countries. There is so much work out there and we have so much to offer.

On meeting a new client –

When meeting with a client, particularly a new client, always start with a smile! If you can, approach people in a personal manner rather than getting straight into business. People always like to talk about themselves. They will feel more comfortable and the business talk is much more effective.

On when things get hard to deal with –

Always find the bright side to things. No matter how difficult something becomes, find something great and focus on the positive.

On those long nights in the office –

During those long late hours in the office when you know there is still a long way to go before heading home, a long line of chocolate on your desk helps!

It is TBH’s greatest pleasure to announce that Meiske Sompie and Jonathan Jacobs have been invited to join the Board as Directors of the TBH Group. A big welcome to both Meiske and Jonathan!
On a sad note, Gordon Lynas has formally stepped down as a Director of  TBH Group but will be committed to work with TBH as a Specialist Consultant.

Following a recent visit and seminar at the City University of Hong Kong on behalf of the ConfluenceTBH Joint Venture and announcing the opening of our new services in Hong Kong, we were visited by a group of 20 undergraduate students and two of their lecturers from the University. The students and their senior lecturer Dr Mei-Yung Leung were keen to visit an Australian project management and strategic services company and office, whilst they were in Sydney.

The guests visited TBH Sydney Office for the afternoon of Monday 16^th May, where they were given a presentation of what TBH is, does and our history and development by our Managing Director – Phil Lee. They were provided with some TBH mementoes and then after a briefing about TBH’s role by Brian Kooyman on the Sydney Olympics, they were taken by bus on a site visit to Homebush Bay.  This project was selected due to the varying nature of project delivery systems, and the extensive remediation and site rehabilitation work required on the site. After an interesting but tiring afternoon the students returned to the Sydney CBD around 6.00 pm and all expressed their appreciation of a great visit and afternoon. Thanks to all those who contributed to the success of the visit, especially Charles Yeung, Charlene Sin, Tess Esplin, Le Kien Luu, Maria Stamatas and Phil Lee.

This article is based on a presentation he gave at a function organised by Engineers Australia’s Centre for Engineering Leadership and management in Sydney in March. This article was first published in the April 2011 issue of Engineers Australia.

There has been wide ranging discussion and literature written about leadership, particularly over the past 10 to 15 years.

However, evidence seems to suggest that we are losing confidence in our political leaders and that this scepticism is not limited to politics. Confidence in the morals and capabilities of business leadership has also diminished. By business I include many aspects of community life such as public administrators, trade unions, military, religion and perhaps even parents.

So what does this term “leadership” mean?

In my opinion there are two quite distinct aspects to leadership: moral leadership and intelligent leadership. Perhaps there is a third that reflects emotional leadership. It could be that Martin Luther King is a good example of emotional leadership. However, I believe the emotional dimension is a result of a person’s leadership qualities and the direction his or her leadership is taking, rather than being an inherent aspect of leadership.

History is littered with highly recognisable leaders judged by society and history as good or bad leaders, based on the assessment made of their moral or ethical behaviour.

But why did they become leaders in the first place. They became leaders because of their intelligence or intellectual qualities that supported their natural talent and desire to be leaders. I believe there is something “genetic” that gives people a desire and ability to be leaders, which means leadership is not just learned.

It is difficult to deeply explore the moral or ethical aspect of leadership, as this is very much a personal judgement. However, it is a most important and fundamental aspect of being a good leader who generates trust, credibility and respect. Although in this article I am predominantly addressing the intelligent aspect of leadership, the ethical dimension is intertwined and cannot be ignored.

Intelligent leadership was first defined by Alistair Mant in his book titled Intelligent leadership. He uses the concepts of “binary leadership” and “ternary leadership”.

In binary leadership the relationship between leader and followers is one of master and servants, with the keywords being raiding, fight/flight, win/lose, power and survival.

In the binary mode somebody always comes out on top and the central binary question is: “Will I win?”

In ternary leadership the relationship between leader and followers is more consultative, with the keywords being building mature dependence, consensus, authority and quality. In the ternary mode the product, purpose or ideal comes out on top, and the central ternary question is: “What is it for?”

The Australian culture tends to favour the ternary leadership concept. However, there are times when a decision needs to be made, requiring a shift to the binary mode. This shift needs to be handled by any leader in the Australian culture with a great deal of sensitivity.

When people recall past good bosses (or teachers, or parents) it is surprising how often they spontaneously come up with: “Tough (or firm) but fair”. You don’t necessarily have to like a boss who insists on high standards and fair systems. But afterwards you are likely to remember that boss with gratitude and affection, and think of him or her as a good leader.

I would stress at this point, that neither the binary nor the ternary approach takes away from the need for authority. The difference is more about the way in which authority is established or, perhaps more appropriately, earned.

I made the comment earlier that the ternary leadership style seems to be more appropriate for the Australian culture. This can probably be explained by this country’s history of white settlement. The vast majority of Australia’s first white settlers were from a subjected class that had an inherent resentment of authority and this historical inheritance has caused Australia to become such an egalitarian society.

By comparison, Britain seems to be more binary in its leadership style, while the US business culture seeks more empowerment of its workforce than Britain or other countries in Europe, thus being closer to the ternary leadership approach.

My own professional area has been in project and strategic management over some 30 years, and it has been fascinating to observe that while several key functions of good project management have been defined over time, leadership is still viewed as only a subset of those functions. I believe it should be regarded as a key function in its own right.

Exploring the attributes of leadership is not new, it has been done since prehistory when the first tribes began to form. The ancient Greeks developed a concept for leadership, and Stephen Covey in an article titled Modelling and mentoring uses theGreek model of Ethos, Pathos and Logos.

Ethos suggests modelling, which builds credibility and the ethical foundation. Ethos is your personal credibility, the faith people have in your character and competence. It is the trust that you inspire.

Pathos suggests monitoring, the quality of the relationship. You can only become a mentor to someone if you are first a model, an example, and then build a relationship.

Logos suggest influence. However, that influence works only together with Pathos. If leaders, parents or managers try to teach the logic of their thinking before they have a meaningful relationship with their employees or children, they will find that their influence won’t last.

It is important to notice the sequence of this Greek philosophy, which Covey called “The tree of influence”: Ethos before Pathos before Logos.

People often go straight to logos and then try to convince others of the validity of their logic without first taking ethos and pathos into account. This has a negative effect on relationships. So, if we accept that ternary leadership is appropriate in our Australian environment, and we use the “Tree of influence” concept, I would consider the following behaviours as fundamentals of good leadership:

Ethos:
Trust – Leaders need to be honest and trustworthy.
Emotional expressiveness – leaders need to be able to express their feelings openly to inspire team confidence.
Empowerment – Leaders need to make those around them feel capable when deserved and fairly treated when they err.
Legacy – Leaders need to be sensitive to know when it is right to hand over to the next leader.

Spanning Ethos and Pathos:
Sensitivity – Leaders need to listen and be sensitive to people and their environment.
Personality – Leaders need to promote their capability as leader, which hopefully will earn them respect.

Pathos:  
Risk taking – Leaders need to be aware of potential risks and never ask others to take any risk that they would not take themselves (Pathos).
Capable in crisis – Leaders need to be able to cope with potential problems and crises as they arise.

Spanning Pathos and Logos:
Energy and focus – Leaders need to have high levels of personal energy and be seen to lead from the front when appropriate, and show decisiveness at the right time.

Logos:
Use of unconventional strategies – Leaders need to be creative and think laterally but with great judgement at the right time.
Excellent communication – Leaders need to be able to communicate their vision.
Vision – Leaders need to be forward looking and creative.

Spanning Ethos, Pathos and Logos are ethics and good judgement.