10 Principles for Earning Trust in Turnaround Projects

I've managed $500M+ in projects over the years. The successful ones were all built around the same 10 principles: Give me 3 min, and I'll show you how you can lead your next project with confidence. 1️⃣ Start with Why Most project managers think they’re paid to produce deliverables. That’s bogus. Every project exists to create value. What’s the driving reason behind yours? Dig deeper than the first answer. Your project's purpose becomes a compass for decisions—and a powerful narrative to align and motivate your team. 2️⃣ Define “Conditions of Satisfaction” If your client, architect, and field team aren’t aligned on the definition of done, you’ll never truly finish. Before diving into details, clarify what you’re building and how success will be measured. Get expectations on paper. Show sketches. Build mockups. Whatever it takes. Your goal: never have the “Wait—I thought we were doing XYZ” conversation. 3️⃣ Know the Constraints Every project is defined by five levers: • Time • Scope • Budget • Quality • Value Only one (maybe two) truly matter to the client. Know what you’re optimizing for so you can make smart tradeoffs. 4️⃣ Get the Right People Your project will never be better than the people on it. You don’t need warm bodies. You need the right people in the right roles. Build your team around functions, not names. Set expectations early. Give feedback often. 5️⃣ Big Goals, Small Steps Break your project into major deliverables—then smaller chunks. Boulders -> Rocks -> Pebbles -> Sand Use tools like product breakdowns, sketches, and process flows. 6️⃣ Build a Real Timeline Every construction job has key milestones. Use pull planning, Takt, & LPS to lay out each step with realistic durations. Validate your plan with your team. Then—and only then—negotiate. 7️⃣ Risk Management Something WILL go wrong. Build a Risk Register early. Review it weekly. Rank risks by impact × likelihood. Use the TAME framework: - Transfer - Accept - Mitigate - Eliminate Antifragile projects absorb shocks. Fragile ones shatter. 8️⃣ Dealing With Change A single change won't hurt you. 100 will. Standardize how changes are submitted, evaluated, approved, and communicated. Track every change in a central log and communicate it widely. 9️⃣ Tools & Processes Your tools exist to do 3 things: - Communicate - Coordinate - Document Don’t chase shiny features. Choose tools your team will actually use. Then build repeatable processes around approvals, onboarding, access, etc. 🔟 Stakeholder Communication Most projects fall apart because of miscommunication. Map your key stakeholders. Spend 80% of your time on the 20% who can make or break your job. Tailor how and when you communicate to meet their needs. - - - - - 📌 P.S. Interested in project leadership? Join 7,500+ construction pros who read The Influential Project Manager—a free weekly newsletter with 1 idea to lead people and predict outcomes. Every Tuesday.

Captured in this photo is not just a team.....but trust, toil, and transformation in motion. This isn’t the whole team, just a few of us standing together to reflect on how far we’ve come. What you see is more than progress, it’s the enduring spirit of unity that drives every successful project forward. As we stand at the heart of a project in the making, here are 9 principles that continue to guide us, not just in managing, but in delivering with impact, 1️⃣ Prioritize people as much as process - Strong human connections solve more problems than any tool ever can. 2️⃣ Build flexible plans and resilient teams - Change is inevitable. Equip your team to adapt with confidence. 3️⃣ Engage every stakeholder early - Even quiet voices shape outcomes. Inclusion prevents surprises. 4️⃣ Align on expectations, not just deliverables - Clarify what success looks like to each stakeholder, not just what you’ll deliver. 5️⃣ Communicate clearly, frequently, and intentionally - Assumptions are expensive. Alignment is earned, not assumed. 6️⃣ Respect the culture, then shape it thoughtfully - Project success requires navigating both systems and sensitivities. 7️⃣ Seek alignment before acceleration - Fast execution is valuable & possible, but only when everyone’s on the same page. 8️⃣ Celebrate momentum, not just milestones - Progress is more than points on a timeline as it’s the energy that keeps teams moving forward. 9️⃣ Inspire ownership across the team, even if they don’t report to you. In every corner of a project site, there's a story of teamwork, grit, and belief. This is one such story. And it’s still unfolding. #business #management #leadership #success #teamwork

Projects Explode. You Hold The Reins. You can't control every project outcome. That’s the raw truth. Market shifts, surprise stakeholder demands, global pandemics... chaos happens. But these 10 actions? They’re fully in YOUR hands. The real secret to navigating project storms isn't what many think: ➟ Your mastery of PM software ➟ The title on your business card ➟ The budget you're handed Elite Project Leaders build their impact on Disciplined Actions: ↳ they relentlessly pursue clarity ↳ continuously adapt to reality ↳ never outsource their agency Here are 10 Unshakeable Actions Elite Project Leaders ALWAYS Take (When Chaos Hits). And that includes what they absolutely always master: They always define what "done" truly looks like. ↳ Crystal-clear outcomes prevent endless scope creep and misaligned effort. They always confront the brutal facts (with kindness). ↳ Sugarcoating reality delays painful but necessary decisions. They always over-communicate, especially the "why." ↳ Context empowers teams to make better micro-decisions. They always protect their team's focus. ↳ Saying "no" to distractions is saying "yes" to priorities. They always seek feedback before they think they need it. ↳ Early course correction is cheaper than late-stage disaster recovery. They always own the missteps, even if not solely theirs. ↳ Accountability builds trust faster than blame deflects it. They always document decisions & key discussions. ↳ Memory is fallible; written records are project lifelines. They always make time for "what if" thinking. ↳ Proactive risk mitigation beats reactive firefighting every single time. They always celebrate small wins, especially in long hauls. ↳ Sustained motivation is built on recognized progress. They always prioritize their own energy and well-being. ↳ You can't pour from an empty cup, and a burnt-out leader leads nowhere fast. The gap between project chaos and consistent project success? Not your tech stack or budget size. Just your disciplined actions. Start mastering the ones that put you in the driver's seat. One by one. And watch your projects (and career) transform. Which of these 10 actions resonates most with you, or which will you double down on this week? Share below ⬇️ ♻️ Repost to help someone take control when their projects feel like they're spiraling. #ProjectManagement #Leadership #CareerGrowth #BusinessStrategy #TeamLeadership #DecisionMaking #MohamedRushdi