Ego vs execution war story

Published 11 months 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.

The most dangerous words in any project

It was under control. Of course it was. April 15, 2019. Semana Santa, aka, Easter… again. The most iconic cathedral in Europe. Notre-Dame Cathedral Under renovation. Experts on site. Protocols in place. And then… Fire. Not a small one. Not, it was not a “candela”… but a catastrophic one. The roof gone. The spire collapsing in front of the world. Millions watching it live… with popcorns. Oups… This was not an abandoned building. This was not chaos. This was a controlled environment. Or at...

about 11 hours ago • 1 min read

Six people died. The cracks were already there

They opened it. And it collapsed. Just like that. March 2018. Florida. Around these “Easter” days. A brand-new pedestrian bridge at Florida International University pedestrian bridge. Award-winning design. Fast-track construction. Public praise. And six people dead. Just like that… Cracks had already appeared. Not hidden. Not subtle. Visible. I repeat… f**** visible. Engineers saw them. Discussed them. And decided there was no safety issue. Hours later… it collapsed. Let me translate this...

1 day ago • 1 min read

How governments waste millions “being careful”

Something worse than pricing a mega-project with consultants? Adding a second consultant to “validate” the price. Worse? A third one doing a peer review. Don’t laugh. This happens… Every day. Governments behaving like headless chickens. Not knowing what to do… but doing something anyway. Anything. Because “we need robust numbers.” Because “we need to protect public money.” So they spend millions… just to feel safe. Good luck with that. Let me simplify it for you. When you renovate your...