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BUSINESS NEWS BOWMAN COMPLETES INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS IN INMAN SQUARE, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS Bowman Consulting Group Ltd., a national engineering services firm delivering infrastructure solutions to customers who own, develop and maintain the built environment, is has announced the completion of the Inman Square intersection safety improvements in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This accomplishment marks a significant achievement in Bowman’s commitment to delivering projects that enhance safety for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and transit users. In 2017, the Kleinfelder-led team was selected for the project through an on-call services contract with the City of Cambridge. At the project’s onset,
before its acquisition by Bowman in 2022, McMahon Associates was chosen to lead urban planning, transportation analysis and street designs, a role they continued to perform through the project’s conclusion as Bowman. Prior to the improvements, Inman Square was a high-crash intersection. Through partnerships with local stakeholder groups, Bowman’s team developed an intersection design that aligned with the needs and objectives outlined in several city plans, including Vision Zero and pedestrian, bicycle, climate and transportation plans. “Our ability to listen to the community and develop a design that effectively addressed local needs is a testament to the expertise of our team,” said Christi Apicella, New England urban planning
team lead at Bowman. “This project is a shining example of what is possible when local needs, safety and sustainability are prioritized in an urban neighborhood. We’re proud to see this project complete and being enjoyed by the traveling public.” The improvements were a high priority for the City of Cambridge. Our team’s ability to swiftly deliver an effective design was a crucial factor in meeting this urgency. The chosen design transformed Inman Square’s geometry into a configuration that prioritizes safety of all modes of transportation. Additional safety enhancements include separated bicycle lanes with protected phasing, fully accessible sidewalks and crossing islands and the addition of floating bus stops and a transit queue-jump lane.
the managing principal had no qualms with my layoff decision. Turns out, neither of those was true. Knowing your impact actually is data to our story! This is why it’s so meaningful. At the very end of the movie, the town crowdsources the funds to help. One man says, “I wouldn’t have a roof over my head if it weren’t for you.” This statement is impact, not just thanks or appreciation. This one throwaway line is the only time we hear someone verbalize the impact George has made on their life. This seems simplistic, but how many of us actually hear about our impact? My coworker Necia Bonner shared a few stories with me. One was when she and a coworker were walking through their cancer treatment facility project. A patient, upon learning that they were the designers, proactively approached them and shared that her chemo treatments were now bearable, thanks to the redesign of the space. Necia also shared that one of her direct reports decorated Necia’s desk for the holidays and left a note, detailing how her mentoring has made an impact this year. Turns out we can share impact stories from top to bottom! Most of us live our lives like pre-angel-visit George Bailey, telling ourselves the story that no one sees our efforts. George learns that even without grand adventures and a big bank account, his life made a positive change in the world. Leaders may assume that compensation is enough and that their teammates know the impact they have. But in the absence of that information, the story we tell ourselves may be false. Impact is a key element in engagement – beyond ping pong tables or Taco Tuesday. Life isn’t the movies; there is no guardian angel showing us our impact. The onus is on each of us to share the impact. To the principal who I met at the memorial, thank you. You really have no idea how much that small feedback changed how I viewed my time at your firm. Janki DePalma, LEED AP, CPSM is director of business development at W.E. O’Neil. Contact her at jdepalma@weoneil. com .
JANKI DEPALMA, from page 7
Five Keys for Engaging People, Leaders, and Organizations , a book by Tracey Maylette, synthesizes years of research and case studies. I watched a presentation by the author and he talked about the difference between job satisfaction and engagement. In particular, he and his colleagues believe that engagement moves away from a transactional model of perks and dives deeper into MAGIC, or meaning, autonomy, growth, impact, and connection. His definition of impact is “seeing positive and worthwhile outcomes and results of your work.” In an informal LinkedIn poll, I asked people about their relationship with impact and their work. Do they know they make a positive impact? Do they care? My extremely unscientific poll with a limited data set showed that only 14 percent knew of their positive impact from their manager. Thirty-eight percent could see the impact based on their results. But a whopping 48 percent stated they had no idea of their impact. During a pivotal scene in It’s a Wonderful Life , George Bailey learns of a bank shortfall (due to his uncle’s error). As chairman, he tries to fix this, reaching out to the only person in the town who has enough money to help. This interaction leads George to a very dark place. He’s frustrated, fearful, and feels alone. George’s situation, the results of my LinkedIn poll, and my own experiences echo something similar – the human need to create meaning. Brene Brown coins a phrase “the story I’m telling myself” and in her book Dare to Lead writes, “In the absence of data, we will always make up stories.” She goes on to cite the work of Robert Burton, who explains that our brains love stories – especially ones that have a clear good guy (often us) and a bad guy. When we have limited information, we create an inaccurate story to fill the gaps. In George’s case, his story is that he has to take sole responsibility for the bank shortfall and no one will help him. In my story, it was that as a part-time employee,
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THE ZWEIG LETTER MARCH 4, 2024, ISSUE 1527
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