The team at Assemble are privileged to work with many talented people in the Property, Infrastructure and Construction sector. We take our role as specialist recruiters seriously and adding value to the industry. As part of this we will be releasing a spotlight series of Industry professionals. These articles will showcase career journeys, give insight into the responsibilities of various roles and provide advice for others in the industry. In today's showcase we talk to Phil Doyle, Project Director at Greenstone Group.
1)What do you love about your job?
I’m fortunate that I have enormous variety in my national day-to-day role across the Greenstone business. My role has four key functions;
•Business Development - forming, developing, and nurturing client relationships is key
•Identifying and employing new personnel to join the Greenstone team
•Providing leadership and client relationship management on individual projects
•The custodian of the Greenstone culture.
It’s a cliché but no day is ever the same. I might be consumed by a significant bid/opportunity, organising golf with a client (the good part of my role!), trying to employ a University Graduate or a Project Director, or pulling a contractor into line, and finally making sure we are all ‘living’ by our Greenstone values. The unpredictable nature of my job is great.
I’m privileged to work with some fantastic people at a company with an amazing culture. Five years ago, I heard All Blacks mental skills specialist Gilbert Enoka speak. It resonated with me, and I have adopted some of his insights into our day-to-day Greenstone values. You can have all the strategies in the world, but at the end of the day your culture is what enables you to achieve. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” I quote this a lot.
There is a massive people element to my four key functions – and at the end of the day that is what Greenstone is. Simplistically we are selling personnel, to our clients, to look after their projects. I love the fact our people are leading, influencing, making a difference, and delivering on that over-used saying – adding value.
2)What is it like to work at Greenstone?
To quote Enoka again – “we have a strict ‘No D*ckheads’ policy within the All Blacks team”. It’s the same at Greenstone. Our people must be of the right character, be team players, humble yet influential and fun, thrive outside of their comfort zone yet stay focused on the task and don’t get overwhelmed by things that are out of their control. No one is bigger than the team, individual brilliance does not automatically lead to outstanding results.
Our team of fantastic people includes the usual mix of qualified engineers, architects, builders, and managers, but we also have a former commercial pilot, policeman and a professional photographer. Skills and experience are important, but you must come to work at Greenstone with the right attitude. When you walk out of our office you are representing all of us at Greenstone with authenticity.
3)Are you in the role, you thought you would be in, when you started your career?
Well, the start to my career is a funny story. I was off to study Accountancy at Massey University when a good family friend said to me, we are looking for a Junior Quantity Surveyor.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It’s construction and numbers, you study part time and get paid”.
“When can I start?!”
So, you can make decisions, before your 18th birthday, that can dictate the industry you end up in. It’s probably a little different now – as I’m old school and a loyal bloke who has only really worked in one industry, for three companies, in 30 years. But there are valid reasons for that, I have been fortunate to work for wonderful companies with strong cultures, but most importantly, with top people. It’s also a dynamic industry that is fantastic for the opportunities and variety it provides. I have been fortunate to morph into a completely different role from when I started out, a role I didn’t realise existed when I was 18, but one that certainly plays to my strengths – people and communication.
4)What advice would you give to those entering the profession if you knew what you know now?
All my career opportunities have come from people I know, or someone I know has a connection with someone I need to know. (That sounds like something out of Kill Bill?!). Your network creates your point of difference, relationships and connections are key. I’m always telling the younger team members of Greenstone to form professional relationships with their peers who are Engineers, Architects, Planners, Builders etc. You never know when you are going to need a favour or some advice, and it works both ways.
When you are looking at a role, remember your potential employer is looking back at you twice as hard. Initially they are looking at your character. Are you a decent person with good values? Will you ‘belong’ in our organisation? So, you need to think not what’s in it for me – but what is in it for them?
Construction and Property are challenging and exciting industries. Innovation, longevity and sustainability go hand-in-hand, and not many industries can claim that mix. With the right attitude, passion and tenacity, the opportunities in this industry are boundless.
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