Ego vs execution war story


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

​

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.

Vicente Valencia

Weekly insights on how to perform when it matters | High-stakes decisions. Real situations. No BS. | 👇JOIN +2k readers 👇

Read more from Vicente Valencia

Yesterday, I paid my house insurance again. The house is still standing. Nothing burned down. Another year of terrible returns. I should complain. Which brings me to New Zealand’s proposed LNG import facility. Interesting project… So, of course… Everyone has an opinion. Too expensive. Ridiculous. Essential. A disaster. And that’s before anyone opens the spreadsheet. Here is how I look at projects like this one. An insurance policy. Domestic gas supplies are declining. When the hydro lakes run...

I spent two weeks without WhatsApp. Not a digital detox. Life made the decision for me. As a business owner, consultant, investor, and someone with hundreds of friends all over the world… I was uncomfortable. When I finally opened it, I had around 2,600 unread messages. Honestly, I was surprised there were so few. But the bigger surprise? Nothing terrible had happened. A humbling discovery. Apparently, the universe had continued operating without my blue ticks. Things stayed under control....

An infrastructure fund manager has three problems. First, raise the capital. Not easy. Second, deploy the capital. Also not easy. Because after telling LPs you have access to a wonderful infrastructure pipeline, eventually you need to buy something. Small detail. And third… Invest the capital in something that does not behave like what the fund promised to invest in. That is where careers become interesting. It’s not only about losing money. It’s walking into the Investment Committee and...