The Steel Ceiling: Achieving Sustainable Growth in Engineering and Construction

The Steel Ceiling

Achieving Sustainable Growth in Engineering and Construction

Peter Wilkinson

First published in 2023 by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd

Level 1, 155 Cremorne St, Richmond Vic 3121

© John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 2023

The moral rights of the author have been asserted

ISBN: 978-1-119-91044-2

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above.

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Disclaimer

The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.

To my loving and supportive wife and partner Dianne, who placed her trust in me when I began this phase of my journey over a decade ago.

‘Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction’

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (French writer, poet, aristocrat, journalist and — interestingly — pioneering aviator)

A note to the reader

Writing is not a natural process for me. I'm someone who, when faced with spare time to fill, typically seeks a new outdoor pursuit. Book writing undoubtedly fits squarely into the category of ‘indoor time'.

Nevertheless, once the idea of writing this book took hold, research on the writing game led me to one of my favourite authors. Po Bronson's What Should I Do with My Life? and Why Do I Love these People? profoundly moved and inspired me. As it turned out, not only was Po's birthdate within two years of mine, but he had also pursued a ‘real' career in finance before abandoning it in favour of writing. This seemed to me to be the perfect case study upon which to model my own journey. Imagine my horror when I discovered that Po's writing method consisted of locking himself away in a space literally the size of a small cupboard to create the necessary silence and focus to pursue his craft!

The next and more fundamental challenge concerned natural talent. They say that there is a book in everyone. I'm still not fully convinced of the truth of this statement. However, I am now sure that some books are buried more deeply within than others, as mine was certainly well internalised. I was comforted to learn that Elizabeth Gilbert, acclaimed author of Eat, Pray, Love, characterises her creative process as ‘mule-like'. An apt description of my own efforts.

The final challenge concerned the practicalities of taking myself offline from my business for what I anticipated to be some months — as was suggested by those I approached with previous experience in this field — to focus on completing the task at hand. I dwelt for quite some time on the attractiveness of the project, and the various advantages and disadvantages, before realising that I was falling back into a long-standing habit of procrastination by looking for an excuse not to get started on the project in the first place. This did not change the reality of needing to earn a living; however, the awareness did shift me towards finding the time to devote to the book.

The most productive phases of my life have occurred when I have overcome the inertia borne of having lots to do and not being sure what to concentrate on first. My method, not unique but tried and tested for me, comprises breaking down large challenges into progressively smaller, more doable, pieces. In this case, my approach commenced a few years prior by writing blog articles (you might like to refer to these at www.samwilkoadvisory.com). Initially, the subject didn't particularly matter — I simply wrote about what was of importance and/or interest to me at the time. Or put another way: I wrote about subjects I most needed to learn more about.

Once I'd written a few articles, I was encouraged by Doyle Buehler of Digital Delusion — the builder of my first business website — to have a go at an e-book. This seemed to be a really good way to synthesise the business lessons I was exploring with my early business clients, and the themes that were emerging in my articles.

I wrote my first e-book in 2014 during the most welcome spare time on the plane to and from Berlin, where I attended the week-long 10th anniversary InnoTrans International Rail Trade Fair held at the massive Messe Exhibition Grounds in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf precinct, now known as Berlin ExpoCenter City. Glancing back at the document, it's rather salesy and quite cringe-worthy for that. It was a huge step for me at the time though, and I'm still quite proud of the effort that went into it.

My more recent e-book was developed in collaboration with One Rabbit, a Geelong-based organisation specialising in marketing for professional services firms. Founder Jim Thompson and Technician Conal McLure taught me a great deal regarding the principles and application of digital marketing. The process I worked through with Conal and Jim in compiling my material for small- and medium-sized enterprises was very similar to the ‘co-design' approach I apply today with clients in developing business strategy. What the process felt like at the time was a huge amount of work for me during a period where I was particularly time-poor. The proud feeling I experience, even now, when I look back on this time was borne of an ability to keep my end of the bargain in completing a significant body of work. I'm pleased that the results at www.tippingpointadvisory.com.au have enhanced my business enormously over the years.

Since I founded SamWilko Advisory, many readers (as well as the occasional business adviser) have urged me to publish articles on a regular basis. I have come to understand that this need is, in part, driven by the Google ‘reward' system that drives so much of our online behaviour. Regular writing, however, definitely results in better writing, and I particularly credit James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) for this valuable lesson.

I believe this book demonstrates the value that good-quality coaches and advisers have created for my business, aligned with my belief that every competent business owner needs to be open to coaching and advice.

I encourage anyone considering starting a business to take up writing as a craft. The value created through writing for and about my enterprise has been immense. If nothing else, it is a means of creating content for marketing purposes — in my view, the most effective form of marketing in this modern age of saturated sales messaging.

You will find several themes in this book in previously published articles at www.samwilkoadvisory.com. My overriding intention with this book is to create a consistent, integrated narrative whilst exploring these and other themes in depth. I trust you will find my articles and book add value to each other.

Peter Wilkinson

Preface

My story

Every author, whether explicitly acknowledged or not, brings their personal experience to the story they tell. I've certainly found that learning about a business owner's story is an extremely effective — and enjoyable — way to start a conversation that leads to a better understanding of why business is showing up for the owner in the way it does. How business owners interact with their enterprises, and what they do in reaction to the situations they face, is a source of endless fascination for me. Accordingly, I've interspersed relevant elements of my story throughout the book in the interest of hopefully providing you, the reader, with a deeper understanding of what lies behind my approach.

I certainly have had a great deal of luck over the course of my working life. Not the least of which was the influence of my father, who took the time and interest to encourage a reasonably good (but not particularly well-motivated) higher school certificate holder in the direction of what was then known as the NSW State Rail Authority. I successfully applied for a cadetship, which, like other government sector programs around at that time, comprised sponsored education semesters interspersed with paid work experience. This set me on a career path in an industry that has been very good to me over 30-plus years.

The value of practical education

The terms of my cadetship required simultaneous enrolment in the NSW Institute of Technology (later to become the University of Technology Sydney) as an undergraduate mechanical engineer. The highlight of my university years was the final year project, culminating in submission of the UTS equivalent of an undergraduate thesis. In my case, I collaborated with three colleagues on an inherited project that had been taken on by UTS student teams in previous years. The Shell Mileage Marathon event was held annually at Amaroo Park Raceway in Annangrove (eventually closed in 1998 to make way for a housing development). The race involved vehicles powered by 50cc internal combustion engines specifically designed to travel the maximum possible distance on as little fuel as possible. Our team inherited a vehicle that had been constructed and entered by past UTS student teams, and we set about improving upon previous years' performance. In our case, this consisted of:

casting aside the previous spine-based vehicle chassis — which appeared to be old and broken — and replacing it with a new aluminium vehicle manufactured with the assistance of an Australian Defence Industries (ADI) colleague in their Rosebery workshops

optimising rolling resistance for the bicycle wheels used for the new vehicle

improving on engine performance by optimising the set-up via bench dynamometer testing.

What we didn't know at the time was (a) the ‘old and broken' spine chassis had just the right degree of flexibility, enabling it to ride the bumps and undulations of the Amaroo Park track in an efficient manner, and (b) the engine needed to be carefully managed during bench testing to ensure it didn't overheat and seize (which it did).

We co-opted a driver (the girlfriend of a fellow student) whose size enabled her to squeeze into the small cockpit of the vehicle. Her driving skills and ability to withstand the heat generated within the vehicle (essentially a plastic-wrapped shell sat out in the hot sun) were most admirably up to the task. We turned up at Amaroo Park on race day, decked out in white UTS and ADI badged overalls, and placed third. First place went to a Nulon Australia–sponsored vehicle with a larger budget than ours, with second place taken by a vehicle by regular competitor and privateer racing driver Moss Angliss.

I'm, even now, acutely reminded of the seemingly relentless stress associated with the entire experience. The UTS team had won the event the two prior years, and expectations were high. The idea of co-opting students for a group project was extra work that no-one was keen to own. If I recall correctly, our team took on a significant mission in replacing the old, successful chassis without much university advice or support. The engine overheating debacle referred to earlier also did not go down well with UTS staff. Ultimately, getting to the line on competition day was a close-run thing.

At the time, I managed the situation by concentrating on my part of the project — rolling resistance optimisation — and achieved a distinction for my undergraduate thesis (my first published book!). Hindsight eventually dawned upon me as I realised that my reluctance to take on more responsibility for the overall health and direction of the project was a major failing on my part. I resolved, going forward, to either take full responsibility for the outcome of a project I'm involved in or not participate at all. It's a lesson I've only forgotten on rare occasions.

From engineering to business

Overall, though, the combination of education, project work and industry experience provided a great starting point for a career. This went some way towards making up for the fact that engineering was at that time (and, to a rather disappointing extent, still is) an overwhelmingly male-dominated profession. This is despite concerted efforts by the profession to encourage more diversity in the field. Where I believe this lack of diversity and balance shows up most acutely is in the typical engineering-based approach to problem-solving. Well-trained engineers are excellent at solving ‘bounded' problems, but can struggle to deal with the less structured, humanistic environment, in which more complex problems exist. I suspect this bias aligns with the ‘thinker' orientation of many engineers, manifesting itself in the need to solve the problem at hand. A more ‘feeler' and ‘knower' oriented, contextual approach that could be introduced with a broader demographic typically results in greater insight into the nature of the problem faced, thereby improving the odds of solving the right problem. The linear mindset–based approach to problem-solving creates business risks, which can be effectively mitigated via greater diversity of thought. Refer to the Conclusion for further information regarding our differing preferences for processing and communicating information.

After graduating from UTS in 1990, I was appointed to State Rail's Flemington Maintenance Centre in Sydney's western suburbs as a passenger railcar maintenance engineer. I learnt a great deal over these four years, working with a more experienced (if a little eccentric) electrical engineer with a real talent for fault diagnosis. Eventually though, I realised I was not heading in the right direction career-wise. This, allied with my aforementioned lack of skill and interest in design, resulted in me being drawn in a managerial direction. Flemington's operational management were very supportive of my interests; for example, they allowed me to relieve the depot manager whilst he was on annual leave and experience the weight of responsibility. I was also supported in my eventual decision to leave the public sector for a role with Goninan (now UGL) at Maintrain, where I learnt several valuable business lessons that will be explored in chapter 6.

In 1996, I resolved to take on an MBA with the NSW University's Australian Graduate School of Management. I signed up to the part-time course to reduce the risk of the experience living up to its unofficial label as the ‘divorce course'. I recall the initial thrill of the induction session, where we were informed that our investment in the ‘elite' $40 000 course would guarantee our future success!

Those who have undertaken an MBA would be familiar with the more mundane reality of dabbling in a range of business-related subjects just enough to be potentially dangerous in a number of specialist areas, such as finance, marketing and law. I found the business strategy elements of the course of great interest: the contextual anchor that brought together the various threads into a relatively coherent whole. I was also lucky enough to be able to apply the strategy theory to the corporate roles I held with Serco Asia Pacific, as a management consultant with GHD and later with Transfield Services.

Of course, the networking opportunities are what makes these courses so valuable — a reality that persists today with a great many Australian institutions offering MBA programs. My most valuable learnings arose from working with a small cohort of colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experience, where I was forced to explain myself to people, including one dear friend with drama and jazz singing in her past! Imagine my surprise when I discovered there is more than one right way — not just the linear method — of getting to a correct answer.

The experiences I've outlined stand out as being particularly influential in shaping my approach to what I now do as a business adviser and coach. It would be remiss of me, however, not to acknowledge a much broader context in which I exist. In the greater scheme of things, being a healthy, white male born in one of the richest countries on the planet, and experiencing the buoyant journey that Australia has experienced over the last 30 years, confers great privilege. And with privilege comes a responsibility to give back to the infrastructure engineering and construction industry from which I've benefited in so many ways.

Notwithstanding the huge slice of luck I've been afforded in life, I cannot recall experiencing immediate or easy success in business. Outcomes, arising from improvements made in how I've gone about my business, have typically felt hard won. This certainly gives rise to my preferred approach to implementing a plan, which basically consists of formulating a strategy and sticking with it unless and until it becomes evident that the original strategy is the problem (more on this in chapter 9). Moreover, my history almost certainly influences my perspective on business luck, which will also show up in chapter 10.

However, this book is not about a personal struggle against adversity. It is about business owners harnessing personal motivation, and channelling energy into realising their vision by achieving the right outcomes at the right times. Hopefully, the lessons I've learnt will be helpful in illuminating the clear and actionable roadmap I outline in the following chapters, for breaking through the ‘steel ceiling', and achieving sustainable success in infrastructure engineering and construction.

Introduction

What needs to change for your business to grow sustainably?

Over a 30-year career in infrastructure engineering and construction, I've witnessed a steadily increasing number of good small-to-medium businesses in the industry fail to break through the ‘steel ceiling' to become great and sustainable enterprises.

Australia faces a great challenge in developing and articulating a coherent strategy for taking its place in the modern world of technology-driven change. Long-overdue disruption in infrastructure engineering and construction will continue to transform the industry, accelerated by the fallout from COVID-19. Small and medium businesses generate the energy and innovation that drives construction, which is the third-largest industry in Australia by number of employees, generating 9 per cent of total GDP in 2022.1

Australia in the mid-1980s was internationally respected in infrastructure engineering and construction and, in my opinion, has the potential to achieve greatness again. However, the period since the mid-1980s has seen a steady decline in public sector capability and expertise. More recent times have been characterised by ever more complex ‘mega projects' controlled by an exclusive group of international contractors. The industry is now beset by delays, cost blow-outs and blame-shifting. The cost of mediocre industry outcomes translates to an enormous waste of scarce time and money, derailed careers and lost opportunities.

I've experienced first-hand the industry's continuing struggle to transition from adversarial ‘bully boy’ behaviour that all too frequently shows up reflecting win/lose contracting mentality, to a more inclusive, collaborative and attractive place for tomorrow's business talent. Mental health issues are endemic in the industry,2 and the traditional support provided to site workers has broken down. In my considered view, the root cause of the win/lose mentality is the ‘feast or famine' nature of the industry. This mentality is at the root of the ‘steel ceiling' challenge, and businesses need to understand the risks of falling in line with the dysfunctional industry behaviour in this regard.

What's missing and what's at risk?

What makes infrastructure engineering and construction such a challenging environment in which to operate? Why are the major players in the industry reportedly losing money on ‘mega' project after ‘mega' project, when the demand for project services and volume of work to be undertaken is at a generational high?3 And, equally importantly, why are good small- and medium-sized businesses in the industry struggling to mature into sustainable enterprises?

When formulating answers to these questions, I am reminded of a conversation with a colleague from an investment banking background, during which he stated categorically that he would never invest his own money in the infrastructure engineering and construction industry. Why? His reasoning was based on his assessment that the potential return on investment wasn't worth the industry-typical risk. (Interestingly, he later revealed his highly volatile Bitcoin play. The rationale behind his argument: he had only bet an insignificant portion of his investment portfolio on an ‘asset' class with the chance of a huge return.)

Infrastructure engineering and construction is exposed to an array of risks that every involved business needs to understand. Infrastructure engineering and construction is, in many ways, a ‘mug's game' (a profitless or futile activity) if businesses don't have a broad and deep understanding of the context in which the industry operates. The industry is highly exposed to ‘boom and bust' economic phases, characterised by the potential for extreme volatility. Many businesses new to the industry take on enormous risks, exposing themselves to potential consequences (that should rightly be borne by the client or by more senior involved parties) for no other reason than ‘everyone else seems to be accepting it'. And the pay-off in terms of profit for taking on these risks is more than likely heavily constrained by the competitive tendering processes through which the work is secured.

I've spent a considerable amount of time dwelling on what's really missing in the industry. A common theme showing up in this current era of abundant work is the lack of collaborative behaviour displayed by many industry participants. A scarcity-based mindset is not particularly helpful in the context of growing a sustainable business. However, this mindset is understandable in an environment where the ‘pie' of work is shrinking, and everyone is seeking to secure their piece. Scarcity-based behaviour, though, makes absolutely no sense when the size of the ‘pie' is increasing.3

The infrastructure engineering and construction industry in Australia is defined and shaped by the central role of government. Key, then, to predicting — or at least anticipating — the future, is gauging governments' evolving responses to the challenge of maintaining Westernised living conditions on the edges of a massive land mass with a vast semi-arid centre. Government planners are charged with the responsibility of responding to urban sprawl and transport-related congestion resulting from population growth, as well as enhancing connectivity between our capital cities and regional centres. Infrastructure solutions that have traditionally evolved from this work must also increasingly be informed by the imperative of a de-carbonised future.4

The industry has historically struggled to be informed by and learn from history. This leads to contextual deficiencies in dealing with problems as they arise. Time spent understanding the contemporary history of infrastructure engineering and construction in Australia reveals that many of the challenges that appear surprising and new could have been predicted. Many of the issues the industry grapples with have been faced before and either dealt with or consigned to the ‘too hard' basket for future generations.

Understanding the infrastructure engineering and construction industry

Part I of this book explores the uniquely Australian context for our infrastructure engineering and construction industry. The Macquarie Dictionary defines context as ‘the circumstances or facts that surround a particular situation, event etc.'5 Context enables us to make sense of content, creating clarity out of confusion. The use of context as a communication tool is a fundamental technique that effective coaches learn to help clients make sense of the situations they find themselves in. The lesson of context is, in many ways, the most important of all lessons to learn. Understanding the corporate context in which good small- and medium-sized businesses in infrastructure engineering and construction find themselves in, goes a very long way towards untangling the conundrum of why good mid-tier businesses struggle to move up to first grade in the industry.

Thus, the first part of this book will consider the history of infrastructure projects in Australia: the evolution of our urban sprawl and how our transport and utilities sectors have been shaped accordingly. It will look at how boom and bust periods influence infrastructure engineering and construction; the internal and external factors driving consolidation; our shifting infrastructure needs; areas of investment; and the role of government in regulating, monitoring and driving the industry. Through an understanding of the many factors that influence our industry today, it becomes possible to better see how infrastructure engineering and construction businesses are impacted by external factors — and to account for those factors in enabling a business to grow sustainably.

Your roadmap for growing a sustainable business

The following parts of the book will be your roadmap to building a sustainable business in today's industry. Key to the framework I lay out is recognising where your business is in relation to the ‘tipping point' through which every good business must transition if it is to become a great and sustainable enterprise (see figure A). This framework will enable you to identify which pieces of the puzzle your business might be missing.

Figure A: Tipping point framework

Part II: The Why explores the key elements that owners must take personal responsibility for in setting the agenda and enabling change in their business.

Part III: The What details the process of creating a strategic roadmap for the journey through the ‘tipping point' from good to sustainable business enterprise.

Part IV: The How describes the 4 Pillars of the business management system that must be in place to enable sustainable growth.

Part I

The Context

The science and art of building a sustainable business in infrastructure engineering and construction needs to be informed by the effects of changing economic circumstances. Why is this of particular importance? Because infrastructure engineering and construction