Weekly insights on how to perform when it matters | High-stakes decisions. Real situations. No BS. | 👇JOIN +2k readers 👇
Another project to the drain
|
A few days ago, I heard that NZ Transport Agency was withdrawing route protection for Auckland’s East West Link. What a pity. For those that don’t know… that was a multibillion-dollar project. And the infrastructure is really needed. Now… The money, time and effort already invested are gone. But that’s not only bad for the millions of taxpayers’ money wasted. It also sends the market a clear message: Don’t trust the pipeline. I bring this example, because governments want to build infrastructure. But… Very often, they do not know how to turn that intention into a deliverable project. The reasons are usual and well-known suspects. Bad assumptions? The wrong project? An unrealistic budget? A delivery model that does not fit? Or simply the wrong team? Normally it’s always a combination… However, that last reason happens more often than people admit. Look. I once walked into a room with around 100 people working on a proposal to build a tunnel under the sea. Nobody in the room had built one before. So good luck with that… because that does not seem a team set up for success. Project often collapse because the wrong questions were asked. The problems were identified too late Or the team lacked the experience to recognise what was coming. By the time everyone accepts that the project is in trouble, the options are fewer. And considerably more expensive. What a pity… and what a signal to the market. Use this information at your own risk. If you want an experienced, independent review of your project before it gets out of hand, click below.
PD 1: If you liked this email, don't keep it in secret and forward it to a friend. They will thank you enormously one day. PD 2: If somebody has sent you this email and you want to receive emails like this yourself, visit vicentevalencia.com PD 3: If you want unsubscribe, click the link below. |
Vicente Valencia
Weekly insights on how to perform when it matters | High-stakes decisions. Real situations. No BS. | 👇JOIN +2k readers 👇
Every day, I write down three things. It’s a 5-minute routine at the end of the day. First, I write down what I’m grateful for. It can be something that happened that day… or something more general. Second, I write about something I want to improve. A skill. A behaviour. Even how my desk is set up. Third, I write down five tasks that I’m going to complete the following day. And this is the most important part of the routine. Only five. That’s it. Not 10. Not 20. Five. Cinco. Things that are...
Yesterday, four years ago, I made a promise. To make the world a little better. For real. And without excuses. When your child is placed in your arms, you don’t just receive love. You receive responsibility. Fear. Hope. And you make promises you may never say out loud. Promises about the person you will become. About the example you will set. About the world you will leave behind. I accepted those promises. And the challenge. The only problem was knowing where to start. How do you change the...
Many people think success is about talent. Or discipline. Or knowledge. You don’t need to go to a political rally to know that they're wrong. More often than not, you’re brain, and then your chances of success are shaped by proximity. Spend enough time around people who complain, and complaining starts to feel normal. Spend enough time around people who think small, and ambition begins to look unrealistic. Spend enough time on projects where mediocrity is accepted, and your own standards...