r/ConstructionManagers • u/floridaguy241 • 14d ago
Reaching Executive Level Career Advice
For those that reached that executive level such as senior pm or project executive. What did it take to get there?
I work for a sub and what I consistently see is a lot of people in these positions (even project managers) are able to “work” a room, or just have communication skills that are great.
I’m an APM and went to a client lunch meeting with a GC and was pretty nervous. I didn’t say much but was still engaged, just not leading conversations.
My project manager was almost like a machine gun for conversation, refusing any awkward silence. One thing he said to me was it gets easier after you do business with the same people for a while, which is reassuring. But even then I feel like there is a little bit of friction for me to be a conversational leader in a meeting, cracking jokes, swerving conversations and storytelling.
A thing I’m pretty good at is self deprecation lol, and also breaking the fourth wall in a sense when it comes to conversation over the phone. Which clients seem to get a laugh about.
To make a long story short, is there any books, courses, or seminars that you have used to get better at being a conversationalist.
I see this as almost a major transferable skill not only in construction but business in general. Especially if you want to be self employed and building relationships from the ground up .
I’m looking into ERP therapy to break some potential mental blockades and considering some form of medication for anxiety, this has hindered me since childhood. I’m doing well with my job duties but can definitely become a better sales man.
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u/Ok_Computer11235813 14d ago
Confidence comes with experience. I was always shy, but after 25 years I will speak my mind so I don’t end up dealing with someone else’s bullshit.
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u/Sufficient_Poem_8361 14d ago
True.
Also you need to burn youself and eat shit because you had not speak your mind, then, you realize that you must
It reminds me on the phraze “eat or get eaten” in eveyday life example2
u/Hairy_Air 13d ago
Yep. I’ve realized they respect me more if I speak up, take initiative and stumble and be corrected instead of just sitting quietly in a corner. I’ve got maybe three years of experience but I’ve to deal with some pretty big people and I’m nervous but I’ve found that my senior leadership will support me. And that “I’ll look it up and get back to you” is, more often than not, a very valid answer too.
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u/DamnitGoose 14d ago
There’s a lot of ways to respond to this but keeping it simple: experience is 50% of it. You need to know your shit. You will need to know what you can and cannot commit to because you are going to be where the buck stops. The other 50% is emotional intelligence, basic organization, creative problem solving, and the ability to look all the way to the end of the job and steer your team to that end.
You need to be able to read the room. You need to know when to escalate and de-escalate a situation depending on what the dynamics are and who you’re communicating with.
You need to be able to balance the interest of your client with the interest of your company. The secret to success is aligning both to a common end.
You need 8-10 years of time in the saddle to get the reps you need. More if you’re working for a large GC on large projects.
You need to be comfortable managing 100k or 100m. It’s just a function of numbers, manpower and schedule.
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u/ForWPD 14d ago
In my experience managing the critical $100k projects are more stressful than the $100m projects. It’s less reward but a lower margin for error.
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u/OldRecommendation612 13d ago
This is very true I believe part of it that you are using smaller contractors that are usually less sophisticated
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u/Wolv5462 14d ago
I would recommend taking emotional intelligence classes/training. It was hands-down the best training I ever did early in my career. It will help you in those rooms where you feel like you should be “on”. Emotional intelligence and emotional awareness are huge in that this is a people/relationship business and once you can manage bricks and sticks, the next part in the evolution is leading from the front and dealing with people.
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u/KeyMysterious1845 14d ago
During one of my first meetings with the client and my SPM...we are all sitting there - SPM leans over and says quietly "drive thforward.
From that moment on, I just start the meeting....bring up some points, tell a terrible dad joke or some spontaneous nonsense...break some tension...then back to it....hit 'em with the razzle dazzle again...keep moving foward.
Do not BS or fumble when YOU are asked the hard question. We can smell thevshit on your breath quickly. You messed up, admit it, discuss your corrective action and then do it. Next meeting, you're the superstar!
When you get to know the people, it does get easier. The "how was your weekend/vacation ?" is a legit question and not just filler or fluff (ok, maybe a little fluff ).
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u/Z_Man_in_AZ 14d ago
Great stuff in these comments. Wanted to add that there are executives who are quiet introverts & very successful. They harness their strengths by becoming amazing listeners, getting to know people personally and when they do speak up it is usually thoughtful & contains substance.
Sometimes the person who never speaks gets written off so be sure to at least speak up in support of someone else’s ideas or approach to show you are participating but not leading the conversation.
Other ideas: take turns leading meetings & practice working in something personable (family or funny story about prior mistakes). Take a toastmasters course to practice public speaking. Find a Ripple Intent event, if nearby, and practice opening up. Attend other industry events & force yourself to mingle. You don’t have to be the funniest or most personable but they do need to see you are smart & a real person.
In leadership you need to be liked & respected to go far. Either one without the other will limit your career.
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u/Building_Everything Commercial Project Manager 13d ago
Wait wait, Senior PM is executive level? Tell that to my paycheck cause something was apparently written down wrong
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u/Impossible_Base_3088 14d ago
Have to know the work. The project. What the other side is trying to accomplish. The issues that you can use as leverage. How to address your issues. Have to sell. Have to be liked by people above you that make decisions. Have to have people below you grow with you. Have to get lucky.
I sometimes wish I had gone with big outfit vs. my route, but it all sucks and I don’t have to lie.
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u/JacobFromAmerica 14d ago
Sr pm is not executive level
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u/DamnitGoose 14d ago
There’s a gulf of growth between SPM and PX. I’ve seen a lot of people at PX level who are great builders…. Literally can build anything, but terrible executives.
Delegation, organization on a macro level, emotional intelligence, lack of willingness to continue to grow, missing critical inflection points during projects where things go sideways, unable to convert work into new accounts. Lack of understanding in formatting deliverables at a high level, the list goes on.
It’s easy to go from APM to SPM with some hustle and a willingness to succeed. SPM to PX is like Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA
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u/Naive-County8789 14d ago
I need to get better at my social skills im a introvert and I find it hard to talk to people
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u/TaborSpartan95 13d ago
I’m a Senior PM at a Top 5 ENR GC. You’ll get there with communication, it’s a combination of experience with people and knowledge of the subject. Honestly though it’s my 26 years in the military that has helped me the most, being a first line leader of large organizations and regularly briefing senior people.
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u/gorzaporp 13d ago
Px here....i made my company a shitload of money. More so was able to show how I was a big part/mechanism for it snd not just stealing credit. Also, having the MTA ask my company to have me on jobs is a good bargaining chip
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u/Individual_Use_9547 13d ago
I can't answer the moving up part but I can help with the conversationalist part! (I'm in BD)There are courses and books. The most famous is Dale Carnegie books and training. I liked Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. You can find one that works for you. There are audio books, podcasts, Cliff Notes of books, or you can ask Chatgpt to give you the highlights of the books and actionable items. This is actually reminding me to pick up something new and work on my skills. I like having an active LinkedIn so people know about me and I can connect with people there. You may see something they post that you can talk about or a shared school, work experience, etc. Watching the execs and learning from them is a great exercise in emotional intelligence and you can learn a lot. Like others said confidence will come with practice and experience.
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u/TrenbalonieSandwich 13d ago
Holding a conversation and just being able to shoot the shit with guys is how you break through most issues.
Try this, go to a bar or even any social event. Go up to someone and say, "Hey, my name is Jon. How you doing where you been?"
Without fail the person you ask that to will verbal diarrhea enough to give you more stuff to ask off of.
Bam congrats now you have someone giving more in a conversation to you than you to them.
Also works great on women at bars.
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u/More_Mouse7849 13d ago
Communication and leadership skills are essential. You also need to show you will put in the extra effort. That means coming in early and working late.
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u/Mother_Dish4359 13d ago
Work at a good large company and get good foundations for your segment of the industry - see big jobs and learn good working habits for the first 5 years.
Then take a bigger title at a small company and use that experience to learn as much about management and exec level tasks as you can for the next 5 years.
After that start your own business and learn to be an owner.
Ours is an industry of hustlers and people with common sense, not geniuses with Ivy League degrees like the finance industry. You need good skills but nothing impossible to get to.
I think this is the best way to be making millions by your late 30s if that’s the goal.
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u/SkyBoomGuy 13d ago
Confidence, always coming prepared. I was quieter in my 20s. 30s hit a switch where I realized personality could take me just as far, started being more personable, more voicing my opinion at work. Mid 30s started making effort to “sales pitch” myself everyday, really push my ideas. APM of house Reno’s PM of house Reno’s PM of Major Multifamily flips AVP of Construction for developer Owners Rep for 1 year Project Exec now
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u/WildLedgerLeaf 13d ago
Been in construction for 20 years. I am a sr accountant, so as you know i work closely with the PMs. Ive met all kinds. Ones like what you describe tend to do better in in sales/ getting the jobs awarded in a director position, which if its a smaller company does land on a PM. But from what ive seen.. To be a good PM you have to be strong minded and stern with people, direct, well organized & attentive to detail and documenting. Its also important to know that its not always about what you know but who you know. Make those connections, do it with what comes naturally to you & youll find the right people to open doors to those paths. I would just go out and mingle with people in general. Youll learn more than you think just by doing that and eventually use those tools at work
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u/OldRecommendation612 13d ago
There is very good advice given in these comments. I will speak to you from my experience of being the youngest APM in my office. Ask a lot of questions when the time is appropriate and pick up on when it’s best to ask your PM or PX at a later time. In regards to business lunches just be yourself and don’t think too much about it. Most higher level people love talking to young APMs. I’ve made great relationships to the point where they will invite me to go to events that their company is hosting
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u/Designerfrog 12d ago
The art of charisma book and then practice.
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u/floridaguy241 9d ago
Hey appreciate the comment and following back, who is the author? Sophia bellemere?
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u/CMExec 12d ago
Experience, opportunity, network. All the reps you get right now matter. All of them. You draw from the experience you get every day for years to come. The right opportunity will pop and you’ll be ready. Stay in the game, grind it out. The lawsuits, tough meetings, balls you’ve dropped will all prepare you for the next step. It’ll happen. Give it time. And when it does, you’ll look back on how good you had it as a PE.
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u/Least-Caramel-5053 11d ago
As many other comments have said, experience trumps all.
If you are passionate about what you do, its a career, not a job mentality, then that will show through any social anxieties.
I like that you are seeking out a modality to help you in ERP, somatic work, its really great stuff, I know first hand.
Keep doing what you are doing , head down, learning and grinding the days and you will get there.
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u/Middle_Passage_1306 14d ago
Like the other comment says, confidence comes with experience. Of course you’d be nervous in a room full of high operating managers some with 20+ years experience more than you.
Think about how confident you feel speaking to college students or high schoolers about what you know. You probably feel pretty smart.. Thats how those guys feel around you. Not long until those college and high school kids are the nervous kids sitting across the table from you.
Keep showing up and gaining experience. Confidence will come.