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From the Ground Up

Are you ready to step into leadership?

Second place winner in the nonfiction/business/professional growth category at The BookFest® Awards Spring 2023

You’re one of the firm’s go-to people for fixing problems and making clients happy. But you question if you want to take on the tough work of being a leader at the same time as being a doer: the heavier workload, managing the performance of other people, the longer hours and stress. Do you really want to take the more challenging path to make a difference in your life and the firm?

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“The textbook for project managers who want to grow as leaders. Fun and easy to read.” —Andrew Fort, Director, Education Programs, American Council of Engineering Companies

Whether you have three years or thirty years of experience, From the Ground Up provides the tools, strategies, and mindset to help you transition from doer to leader and bring you more aligned with what’s important to you.

What People are Saying about From the Ground Up

“The perfect leadership user manual to help think through the challenges, stay true to your values, balance a million competing demands, and grow into a successful team builder and leader.”

–Tova Peltz, Region Project Delivery Manager, Oregon Department of Transportation

“Leo’s book takes me back to when I was twenty-eight and first given the opportunity to lead a team. Leo is the ‘wise older mentor’ that I wish I had had.”

—Jerry Yudelson, PE, MS, MBA, author of twelve business and professional books for architects, engineers, and green building experts

“It is clear from page one of the book that Leo knows the AEC business extremely well. He tells story after story of specific cases where a problem was faced or issue identified, each time with some solid advice and suggestions for what one can do in a similar situation. Super easy to read and entertaining on every page—and I say that as someone who doesn’t like most management books!”

—Mark C. Zweig, Founder and Chairman, Zweig Group

“From the Ground Up covers a topic that is seldom addressed in higher education or in the professional workplace. An excellent resource for those looking to demystify transitioning from doer to leader in the AEC industry.”

—Rich Mitchell, AIA, NCARB, GGF, adjunct faculty, New School of Architecture and Design

“Leo provides relatable real-life stories, self-reflection exercises, and proven practical skills and tools that serve as a compass and inspiration for readers to lead themselves in charting their course to reaching their goals.”

—Mike Baker, Vice President, David Evans and Associates

“Essential reading for aspiring A/E/C firm leaders! Balancing billable work with the demands of strategic and operational responsibilities is not for the faint of heart. Leo MacLeod provides a road map with real-world examples and practical strategies to achieving success as a doer-leader.”

—Allison Tivnon, author of Marketing at Low Tide: How to Recession-Proof Your Marketing Department

“The steps in this book are the same ones I followed when Leo coached me as a new leader. He encouraged me to be honest with myself, to acknowledge what I need to be successful, and to feel confident putting my needs first.”

—Rebecca Grant, Principal, IBI Group

“The textbook for project managers who want to grow as leaders. Fun and easy to read.”

—Andrew Fort, Director, Education Programs, American Council of Engineering Companies

What This Book Delivers

From the Ground Up shares the stories and strategies of actual leaders Leo has coached, with the specific steps you can take to be a successful leader without leaving yourself behind.

Chart Your Course
Design a career destination that marries what you want, what others want from you, and what skills you need to develop to get there.

Don’t Travel Alone
Understand that leadership is about the relationships you build and how every interaction you have at work or at home informs what kind of leader you become.

Conserve Energy
Learn how to keep commitments and build your team’s capabilities with the DIS* formula:

- Delegate what you can
- Ignore the unimportant
- Shrink to what works

The View from Here
See what you can look forward to it when you put all the strategies in this book together to work for you.

Why I Wrote This Book

Emerging leaders are too often thrown into their new role without any support. This book is a lifeline to all those people who struggle to keep their head above water.

In the Architecture/Engineering/Construction (AEC) industry, leadership moves from the ground up. You need the technical skills to design and manage projects, but you need the soft skills to lead people. And that’s something few people learn in school. This is the textbook you wish you had had.

Everything in this book was created in response to real challenges people faced. It has been field-tested. The strategies work.

If you’re new to leadership, there’s a ton of practical advice. If you’re a supervisor, use it as your own guide to mentor people.

About Leo

How to Get the Most Value

I took the most important strategies in my book and created five-minute videos that you can find in my DIY time management course. Check out PocketTools™ for Managing Time. Learn what you want on your own time.

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Interested in Working with Me?

Every company has different challenges and priorities. I offer:

Speaking engagements
Executive coaching
Custom training (live and virtual)
Online courses and resources
360 assessments
Interview and presentation coaching
Strategic planning facilitation
Succession consulting

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