TZL 1300

TRANSACT IONS DBR ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS, INC. EXPANDS EL PASO PRESENCE WITH ACQUISITION OF BORUNDA & ASSOCIATES, INC. CONSULTING ENGINEERS In 2016, DBR Engineering Consultants, Inc. opened its first El Paso office to serve the West Texas region. After three successful years DBR Engineering Consultants, Inc. has expanded its El Paso presence through the acquisition of Borunda & Associates, Inc. Consulting Engineers who has served the El Paso area since 1984. “We are excited about our increased presence in El Paso through our recent acquisition. The El Paso office will be led by Robert

Borunda, P.E., who has a long and well respected reputation with his existing clients in terms of service, quality, and integrity. Our charge is to continue to provide those values while continuing to remain focused on our commitment to growth,” said Randy E. Curry, P.E., CEO of DBR Engineering Consultants, Inc. In addition to the expanded presence, the acquisition brings together the talents and expertise of two firms that will significantly increase the firm’s capabilities in both K-12 and higher education markets as well. DBR Engineering Consultants, Inc.’s El Paso office is currently working on projects with El

Paso ISD, Socorro ISD, and El Paso University Medical Center. Founded in 1972, DBR Engineering Consultants, Inc. is a consulting engineering firm providing mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering with seven offices throughout Texas: Houston, San Antonio, McAllen, Corpus Christi, Austin, Dallas, and El Paso. The firm offers additional expertise in commissioning, low voltage technology, and sustainability. Founded in 1984, Borunda & Associates, Inc. is an electrical engineering consulting company serving El Paso, Texas and Fort Bliss, Texas.

JULIE BENEZET, from page 9

complaining about it. It provides them with an identity and a guilt-tripping opportunity. ❚ ❚ “Moi?” This person can never find a reason why they should be responsible. They constantly question whether something falls within their job description. “Well, how could we possibly do Y when we haven’t seen the X study results?” They pass on suggesting how to overcome the contingency. ❚ ❚ The Border Guard. This person treats their functional area as a personal fiefdom. This often appears in project management roles with generic position definitions. Nevertheless, they will start a holy war if anyone fails to respect the ill-defined boundary. They spend little time learning what others do, much less how to advance the project goals. ❚ ❚ The Procrastinator. A first cousin of “Moi?” this person knows their role, but the right time to act never appears. “We don’t have enough data,” they whine. These counterproductive behaviors may be conscious or unconscious. Both result in project dysfunction. HOW TO OVERCOME THIS? Preventing project dysfunction offers an important leadership opportunity. Somebody has to lead the way through the thicket of confusion, stubborn- ness, and fear to establish an agreed roadmap. Conversa- tions about roles and responsibilities are not known for their entertainment value, but the contribution to project success is worth the pain. Most important to formalizing roadmap agreements is the conversation itself, because it surfaces assumptions that must be aligned. It requires many follow-on questions, good listening, and a focus on closure. A project roadmap creates group cohesion and overcomes project gaps and overlaps. It also redirects human roadblocks toward a more productive and successful outcome. JULIE BENEZET spent 25 years in law and business, and for the past 16 years has coached and consulted with executives from virtually every industry. She earned her stripes for leading in the discomfort of the new as Amazon’s first global real estate executive. She is an award-winning author of The Journey of Not Knowing: How 21st Century Leaders Can Chart a Course Where There Is None . Her new workbook, The Journal of Not Knowing , a self-guided discovery guide based on the Journey principles, was released in fall 2018. She can be reached at juliebenezet.com.

doers. The absence of agreed upon roles and responsibili- ties inevitably leads to confusion. It appears when a project is in full swing and important steps are missed. They pro- duce such disruptions as, “Did anyone check the project scope?” “Did someone call the city about how long this per- mit process will take?” or, my personal favorite, “Did you check with the attorney to make sure that’s okay?” Cries of recrimination erupt because things are done incorrectly, without authority, or not at all. The cure for chaos is to develop a roadmap that everyone understands and supports. It sounds simple and yet, it does not happen. Why is that? “While having no roadmap could be simply due to a bias for action rather than planning for it, formalizing roles and responsibilities trips defensive levers around power, identity, and avoidance. Their behavioral consequences can cause negative impacts on projects.” While having no roadmap could be simply due to a bias for action rather than planning for it, formalizing roles and responsibilities trips defensive levers around power, identity, and avoidance. Their behavioral consequences can cause negative impacts on projects. THE HUMAN ROADBLOCKS. Below is a cast of characters whose behavior can thwart project planning and execution: ❚ ❚ The Over-Functioner. This individual derives their value from being the go-to person who will always come through, even when it is outside their job function. Others like it be- cause it allows them to avoid things they don’t want to do. What results is a bottleneck while the Over-Functioner strug- gles to figure out how and when to do the work. ❚ ❚ The Martyr. Similar to the Over-Functioner, the Martyr inherits the void others have created. Unlike the Over- Functioner, the Martyr hates the extra work and feels abused. They passive aggressively react by doing a mediocre job and

THE ZWEIG LETTER June 10, 2019, ISSUE 1300

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