Julie

On Father’s Day, I like to take a moment to reflect on and acknowledge the best things I’ve learned from my Dad, Steve Struber. Some of his values have shaped Struber, as we consistently prove ourselves as we become one of the best independent projects and program advisory services firms in Australia.

In the first quarter of 2021, we have noticed that people are getting at ease and comfortable in bouncing back to the old way of doing things which is concerning. We need to make sure that we're respecting people's space, and should restrictions continue, we are ready to go to keep communicating, engaging and taking people on the journey with our projects.

Don't underestimate the quiet achievers when it comes to stakeholders.

In the infrastructure game, your outsides match your insides.

Everyone is talking about the pros and cons of virtual engagement.

You accepted the mission. You are going to procure or tender a project in a virtual world, but all you need to do is remember the 4 T’s – Talent, Tools, Time, Team.

Are you in control? There’s a big week ahead and you need to have your teams focus.

We hear you! You’re getting email after email, your diary is evolving by the minute, and the people that you need the most are now distant from you. As a leader, you are being asked to step up and make decisions in every changing environment. The only thing you can’t forget is timely communications.

We sat down with Co-founder and Managing Director Julie Castle, to get her top tips for business innovation. So, what are the different ways we can look at implementing innovation in a small business? I don't think it needs to take a huge amount of time up, but it's a lot of using your existing communication channels with your team. You may have a weekly WIP as we call them, like a week in progress session or you may have drinks together on a Friday night. Whatever form you're currently using within your team, bring up the word innovation and help people understand what it is and why it might benefit them or how you actually are looking to implement it in your business. I think sometimes employees might see that the only reason why a company wants to innovate is to make the processes faster which then might actually risk them not having their job, and that's not true. It's actually about inspiring them to use their time better and helping them be the best they can be in terms of their skills and capacity at work. It's giving people back time to live a full life.

In terms of benefiting from innovation, it's creating a culture that there's no fear around innovation. And think then, once you start getting as many people in your company really thinking about maybe changing things up or trying something new or testing something, you'll start to find opportunities for efficiency. When I look at small businesses, there's some simple tools that we've implemented in our organisation that have just expedited and de-hassled team members.

‍ Projects will struggle, and often fail, without solid stakeholder management. Securing community buy-in with clear communication and genuine engagement is the key to ensuring people are on board with new infrastructure. Understanding and managing risk is a standard part of running a project, but how often do infrastructure builders consider a lack of community engagement as a threat to success of the project? In fact, underestimating community stakeholders, or excluding them altogether, can add extra challenges to a project’s progress or even end it.