Ego vs execution war story

Published over 1 year ago • 1 min read

Dear project managers and executives
You are not paid to referee ego wars.
You are paid to protect outcomes.

I have seen this many times.

And doubts and concerns freeze you like a bunny looking at the two lights of the car moving to you.

Look.

If you're witnessing a standoff between two inflated egos, do everyone a favor:
Remove them both—or at least the one you can control.

Will it feel disruptive? Yes.
Expensive? Maybe.
Unfair? Possibly.

But trust me... it’s a bargain compared to the cost of keeping them around.

I've seen projects lose millions because someone had to be right.
I’ve seen teams break, timelines collapse, and reputations tank—
Not because of risk or complexity...
But because no one had the guts to pull the ego out of the room.

Leadership is about subtraction.

Sometimes, the best move is cutting the wrong person at the right time.

More wisdom? Check below.

$99.90

The 15 Top Lessons of a PPP Project Nightmare

Learn about:
The number 1 killer of Projects
Why this was not going to be just "another construction project, mate"... Read more

Get those lessons now

PD 1: If you liked this email, don't keep it in secret and forward it to a friend. They will thank you enormously one day.

PD 2: If somebody has sent you this email and you want to receive emails like this yourself, visit vicentevalencia.com

PD 3: If you want unsubscribe, click the link below.

What is more dangerous than this?

Look. A question for you. What is more dangerous… Sending a letter you know may be wrong? Or sending one that everyone is convinced is right? In my experience… Definitely the second. A bad letter creates questions. A polished letter creates confidence. It has been reviewed by management. Checked by the lawyers. Discussed with the technical team. Perhaps even approved by the Board. Everyone agrees. Send it. And that is precisely when I become nervous. Intelligent people do not normally make...

about 14 hours ago • 1 min read

Rule #8 of the PPPs - The shortcut with lawyers at the other end

Rule 8 of PPPs: Never go around the SPV. That shortcut has lawyers at the other end. I know why agencies do it. The SPV needs to consult the contractor. Then the shareholders. Then the Board. Then the lenders. Then the lawyers. What should take five minutes takes three weeks. So, someone decides to be practical: “Let’s speak directly with the contractor.” Wrong. Look. The contractor builds the project. The SPV owns the promise. The SPV holds the Project Agreement. The SPV carries the...

1 day ago • 1 min read

You first 100 Days - Cash Management

Someone went on holiday. Nothing particularly unusual about that. Except that this person had to approve an invoice. And without that approval, the dark accountant at the agency did not even know he had to make an important payment. Without the payment, the SPV would not have enough cash to meet its obligations. Yes… pay your debt is really important in these cases. So, a billion dollar project was suddenly exposed to an insolvency risk because one person went on holiday. Fortunately, we had...