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The Influential Project ManagerPersonal & Professional Development Author: Kyle Nitchen
Kyle is a Senior Project Manager having built 450M in state-of-the-art projects. In each episode, Kyle teaches the most effective leadership strategies, mental frameworks, and productivity hacks to take your projects to the next level. kylenitchen.substack.com Language: en Genres: Business, Education, Management, Self-Improvement Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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38 Years of Construction Wisdom: What Separates Elite PMs from the Rest
Tuesday, 29 July, 2025
Are you managing projects... or just witnessing margin erosion?After 38 years consulting with the construction industry's top performers, Scott Kimpland (Partner at FMI Corporation) has a harsh truth: Most project managers are just "spectators to margin erosion."But the best ones? They know exactly where their job stands today AND where it'll finish at completion.In this episode, Scott breaks down what separates elite project managers from the pack—and gives you the exact frameworks the top performers use.🎯 For Project Managers, you'll learn:The Golf Scorecard Method: How to break large projects into "bite-sized pieces" so you catch problems at 10%, not 90%Real-Time Job Tracking: Why foremen need to know "what par is on every hole" (and how to set this up)The Fatal 10% Rule: In labor-intensive work, if you're 10% over on labor, you're underwaterChange Order Survival: Specific strategies for not getting burned when scope creepsCost-to-Complete Accuracy: How top PMs predict final job performance with shocking precision"The two most profitable jobs you'll have are the two bad ones you say no to." - Scott Kimpland🚀 For Your Career Growth:How to build the "three foundational pillars" that separate real leaders from pure managers Why becoming "as good at building talent as building projects" is now non-negotiable The truth about why the industry's business model is fundamentally broken (and what it means for PMs)Listen now:Podcast // YouTube // Apple // SpotifyWho is Scott Kimpland? Partner at FMI Corporation with 38+ years advising contractors from $50M to $300M+. He's worked with thousands of companies and has unparalleled insight into what separates the "300 hitters from the 250 batters" in construction.🔥 Key Episode Highlights:(0:00) Scott's journey from construction family to FMI partner(15:00) Why large contractors fail and the "gluttony vs starvation" principle(25:00) Project manager vs project witness framework(35:00) The golf scorecard method for job tracking(45:00) Building the three pillars: get work, do work, keep score(55:00) Creating infinite labor funnels and talent development(1:05:00) Why the construction business model is fundamentally broken(1:15:00) Leadership principles and developing other leaders(1:25:00) Change order management strategies(1:35:00) Scott's advice for small contractors trying to scale💰 Critical Takeaways for PMs:Cash flow beats profitability as your leading indicator - you can be profitable but cash-poor and still failBreak projects into manageable "holes" - just like you can't wait until hole 18 to know you shot 102, don't wait until completion to discover you're underwaterThe 10% labor rule - foremen need real-time scorecards, not post-failure feedbackMaster construction accounting - understanding percent-complete billing is critical for survivalBuild talent pipelines - growth without talent development becomes a death spiral📚 Resources Mentioned:FMI Corporation's research on why large contractors failFMI Corporation’s research on labor productivityPeer group programs for contractorsHerb Sergeant and innovative talent development approachesProfitable Projects, Profitable Business" bookAtomic Habits by James ClearConnect with Scott:LinkedIn: Scott KimplandFMI Corporation: https://fminet.com/Email: Contact through FMIForward this to any PM who's tired of being a spectator to margin erosion. Get full access to The Influential Project Manager at kylenitchen.substack.com/subscribe
