In October 2017, 24 project managers from around the world gathered in Park City, Utah, for Keller’s first-ever Global Project Manager Academy. How did it go? We spoke to some of the delegates to find out.
As Keller becomes a more interconnected global company – sharing best practice, technologies and people – it’s vital that we give our clients a consistent level of service across the world. That’s the aim behind a new training and development initiative, the Project Manager Academy.
“PMs probably have the broadest set of skills of any role in the company,” explains organiser Colin Pitcairn, Manager for Learning and Development. “This training is about the Keller way of working and it’s designed to create project managers with a consistent skillset, right across the globe. We’re not trying to clone everyone – it’s about giving people a similar outlook on a project while being sensitive to what makes Keller unique locally.”
The five-day academy covered a broad range of topics, such as contracts, planning, risk assessment, change management, decision-making and finance. It also explored ‘softer’ skills, like communication, coaching, goal-setting, leadership and emotional intelligence.
“I’m more organised”
“It was an excellent programme, well designed and well presented,” says Nick Ayres, from Hayward Baker’s Chino Hills, California office. “All the topics were interesting and I got a lot out of them, but the biggest takeaway for me was a better understanding of myself, our clients and my colleagues.
“It’s changed the way I manage day-to-day tasks and I’m now more organised and communicative.”
“I’m developing my coaching”
Dane Pettiford, from Australian business unit Waterway Constructions, adds: “The whole thing was delivered to a really high standard, and was extremely crisp, particularly considering it was the very first one.
“Everything was kept quite simple and engaging and I never found myself sitting there waiting for anything to finish. Change management was very interesting, as was contract management – I could have spent all day on that. Even some of the topics you felt you knew well, such as project planning, we drilled down into them so they really refocused in your mind.
“I’m now working on a number of things, in particular developing my coaching and leadership style.”
Dane says he also particularly enjoyed the panel discussion, featuring five senior and former project managers, who shared their knowledge and experiences.
Breaking down barriers
For Andreas Kratochvill from Keller Austria, the academy was an opportunity to focus on sharpening his communication skills and dealing with difficult customers. He also found meeting other PMs from around the world beneficial. “It was interesting to see how we generally all work in a similar way, with similar projects and issues; I thought there’d be more difference,” he says. “I’ll definitely contact them in the future if I face a problem and need some help.”
Dane agrees: “It was great that we got to network and break down some of those global boundaries. You know that if you encounter a problem, someone somewhere will have encountered something similar.”
Customised for Keller
Colin says he was very happy with everyone’s contribution and the feedback he received. “What was unique about the training was that all of this material was customised for Keller, teaching the ‘Keller Way’ so we got feedback every day on what the delegates liked and what they felt could be improved. We’re in the process of making some adjustments, but all in all it was a tremendous first run.”
Next stop Dallas
The group will reconvene for a second workshop this year in Dallas to explore how they’ve put into practice what they’ve learned. Plans are also underway for academies in APAC and EMEA.