Padraig Delaney – Regional BIM Manager at Sir Robert McAlpine gives his expert career tips

With responsibility for some of the most significant, reference BIM projects in the UK Padraig knows what good looks like and has become a rare expert in making it happen.  Here are Padraig’s top 5 career tips.

TIP 1: EMBRACE NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Graduating as an Architectural Technologist I never could’ve predicted the route my career path has taken; from working on one of Europe’s largest BIM Projects, to moving to London to work on some of London’s most iconic projects, to now managing a team of BIM / DEG professionals across London – this wouldn’t of been possible if I didn’t take the initial leap of faith into some unknown territory.  Whether it’s moving out of your comfort zone to a new city or considering a different career path, I would always encourage people to embrace new opportunities. 

TIP 2: GROW YOUR NETWORK AND GET FEEDBACK

I have seen first-hand how mentoring and support for colleagues can be powerful in terms of career and personal development. I often seek other people that I respect and admire for guidance and they’re all generally quite flattered and accommodating when asked.  Asking for feedback isn’t easy but I always advise people to do so. That’s how we progress and grow. Doing this might result in some uncomfortable conversations but we all need to acknowledge this in order to improve. 

TIP 3: CULTURE

With emphasis on BIM and Digital Engineering, how we communicate and interact with teams and individuals within the business can be instrumental in the culture we encourage. An employee that becomes a catalyst for supporting construction methods with the use of digital technology can position themselves in an important position to drive change, not just in an operative sense but in an interpersonal way of working too.  Culture doesn’t change overnight. You must invest in it, work hard at it, train for it. You have to show your colleagues, supply-chain, clients & stakeholders that you mean it. 

TIP 4: DIVERSITY 

Diversity helps to grow our teams. That includes backgrounds, previous experience, demographics, gender, sexuality, race and opinion. During my time as Regional BIM and Digital Engineering Manager for Sir Robert McAlpine I’ve had the chance to build a great team of individuals where everyone is welcome.  As a company we’re proud of the diversity we already have within the organisation, but we know there’s much more to do. We’ve recently launched seven internal Affinity Networks to improve Communication between the organisation and underrepresented groups within it. These networks include LGBTQ+, Working families, BAME, Gender, Age, Ability and Socio Economic. 

TIP 5: THINK LATERALLY 

You don’t always have to follow the traditional vertical or top-down organogram structure to progress and grow your career. If you look laterally across your organisation and increase your understanding of the different disciplines within you can identify a new territory of opportunity.