Peter Southwell – Stick to what you know

“Stick confidently to what you know well and understand what you don’t…….”

Hello, my name is Peter Southwell.  I have spent 37 years in the construction industry working in various project advisory and management roles.  I am pleased to be able share my lessons learned.

Specifically I have held the following roles:

• Project and construction advisory and management
• Project planning and programming
• Contract management & administration
• Business development
• General management

What I’ve learned:

• To keep it real – stick confidently to what you know well and understand what you don’t, so that you can call on someone else who does.
• To listen more (especially to people who have different views to yours); ask more; say ‘thank you’ more, but otherwise – talk less.
• To be open with people, including having difficult conversations when that’s necessary for them and the business.
• If you set high morals and standards for yourself, good people will get on the bus with you.
• That you never stop learning.
• That being able to write well and succinctly is important.
• That if you’re not enjoying work, do something else. 35 years is too long and life’s too short to be doing something that you don’t love!