Ted Aadland, Aadland Evans Constructors Inc.,
Portland, Oregon, USA
Support System
When problems crop up,
Ted Aadland likes to talk to
his employees about how
his father used to manage
projects. That way, he can
share advice—without
pointing fingers. “It’s a way
to deflect the criticism and
still get my point across,”
says Mr. Aadland, CEO of
Aadland Evans Constructors
Inc. Core to his management philosophy is offering
project leaders guidance and
trusting them to get the job
done, rather than micro-managing them.
Mr. Aadland began his
career as a bridge contractor at
Hensel Phelps Construction
Co., and by his mid-20s he
was managing large projects
for the company. “They
gave me the opportunity
and the tools to prove what
I could do and they believed
in me,” he says.
That experience shaped
his leadership style. And
now, 40 years later, he tries to
offer that same support to his
project managers, giving
them the chance to make
critical project decisions and
supporting them through the
outcomes.
How would you describe
your company’s approach
to project management?
Our project managers are
the key people on every
project and we expect them
to totally understand everything about the project. We
also rely on them to lead the
team and to build a strong
relationship with the owner.
What are the primary
benefits you’ve seen from
project management?
First off, a successful project
is one you make a profit on.
But it’s also a project that
leaves the owner feeling like
they received good value.
Our project managers work
closely with owners to
understand their needs and
their priorities. And that’s
different on every project.
A successful
project is one
you make a
profit on. But
it’s also a
project that
leaves the
owner feeling
like they
received a
good value.
Sometimes, safety or environmental issues are more
important than when they
pour the concrete.
The project manager also
has to be open and honest
with the owner, even when
problems arise. We have a
wind farm project going
right now where two subcontractors are constantly at each
other. Instead of pulling each
subcontractor aside to talk it
out, our project manager is
meeting with both of them,
along with the owner, to
address the issues. Bringing
the owner into these meetings ensures there’s no mis-communication and that he
knows exactly what the situation is and what the plans are
to resolve it.
What’s unique about
your company’s project
management philosophy?
We give our people the
license to make decisions. I
don’t want people coming to
me for every decision that
needs to be made, but I do
want them to be able to
look me in the eye and tell
me why they made the decisions they did. Even if they
make mistakes—and we
all make mistakes—if they
can offer a solution, we can
move beyond it.
We don’t beat people up
around here. We solve problems. That’s how I treat my
project managers and that’s
how I expect my project
managers to treat their teams.
Are there aspects of your
project management
you’re trying to improve?
I believe very strongly in the
value of continuing education for project managers. It’s
good for the company and
shows your team that you
care enough about them to
invest in their education. My
team always comes back
from training opportunities
refreshed and ready to apply
FROM THE
TOP
what they’ve learned. But we
don’t always make as much
time for it as we should.
How has the economy
affected your approach to
project management?
When the economy weakens, competition gets
tougher and everyone has to
tighten their belts. It’s a matter of getting everyone on
the team to find small ways
to do a better job and we do
that by going back to project
management basics. We
focus on pre-planning, we
address things we may have
gotten lax on during more
comfortable times and we
stick to good communication strategies.
The key is never having
to go back and do things
over. I make sure my people understand that speeding things up by cutting
quality doesn’t help. What
helps is doing it right the
first time. PM
