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ON THE MOVE FINLEY Engineering Group Hires Bridge Designers Ton Tu, E.I. and Colin Martin, E.I. Bridge design and construction engineering firm, Finley Engineering Group is proud to welcome two bridge designers, Ton Tu and Colin Martin. Tu has a master’s degree in geotechnical and structural engineering and a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering from the University of Central Florida. He has 10 years of experience in structural drafting, research, and analysis. As a research team member, he was responsible for analysis, project management and reports for the “Development of a Sinkhole Risk Program” project between University of Central Florida and the Florida Department of Transportation. “I learned about FINLEY from my academic advisor, Andrew Yun, Ph.D. One of his former students and UCF Alumni is a bridge engineer for FINLEY. I was impressed by the types of projects that FINLEY designs all over the world. It has always been my dream to design complex bridges and now I have the

opportunity to live that dream,” said Tu. “Ton’s structural drafting, education and field experience make him an excellent addition to the FINLEY team. He is very skilled in integrated design and drawing and understands the important link between design and construction. We are very excited to have Ton join our team,” said Craig Finley, P.E., president, FINLEY. Martin has a master’s degree in structural engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. As team captain for the Georgia Tech/RPI Steel Bridge Competition, he led his team to win first place overall at the 2017 ASCE Carolinas Conference, with first place in lightness, first in efficiency, second in stiffness, and second in construction economy. His analysis experience includes a topology optimization of a multi-span bridge system and modeling analysis for the University

of Louisville Children’s Hospital Pedestrian Bridge. His field experience includes performing inspections for the Mohawk River Pedestrian Bridge in Amsterdam, New York and the I-90 Reconstruction Bridge project in Albany, New York. “I’m very excited to join FINLEY’s team and to be given an opportunity to break into the bridge industry among a group with such great international experience. FINLEY uses an integrated design approach which is very different from other firms. I’m looking forward to learning how to apply BrIM on challenging bridge projects,” said Martin. “Colin has a talent for complex analysis and demonstrated his understanding of these concepts throughout his academic studies in a variety of research activities. He is proficient in many structural analysis software design packages and we expect he will quickly learning FINLEY’s full Bridge Information Modeling approach using SOFiSTiK and AutoCAD,” said Finley.

JULIE BENEZET, from page 11

You like Milo, but you need him to recognize the importance of putting client interests first. That means Milo must ask questions and figure out what the client wants. Then he’ll know what problem to solve. A whimsical building façade curve may be about wanting something unique, not the curve itself. 2)Know who you are. Navigating conflict requires you to know your personal values, dreams, and life story. Values include everything from team cohesion to excellence. Your dreams are your personal vision. Your life story is your autobiography. What is your experience with conflict and how does it influ- ence your feelings? You know that you value high caliber performance and need it from Milo. You also have the dream of a firm that provides spectacular client service. Your resistance to conflict comes from growing up in a combative home where opposing view- points were ridiculed and dismissed. Learning to separate the past from the present is important to see the present situ- ation for what it is, not what it evokes from the past. Milo may sulk, but you know he values superior quality and your opinion. 3)Learn about the other person. Everyone travels with per- sonal fears, drivers, and history. To advance your cause, start by walking around in their shoes. Before confronting Milo, spend time learning about him from your own and the experi- ences of others. Milo cares deeply about his code expertise, but what fear prevents him from moving away from an ortho- dox, safe solution? Investing time to know your goals, personal needs, and the needs of others can convert a difficult conversation into a beneficial one. JULIE BENEZET spent 25 years in law and business, and for the past 15 years has coached and consulted with executives from virtually every industry. She is author of the of Gold Medal IBPA winner and Foreword Review Finalist The Journey of Not Knowing: How 21st Century Leaders Can Chart a Course Where There Is None . She can be reached at julie@ businessgrowthco.com.

conflict, particularly with him, who responds to criticism with stony silence. Fear of conflict is ubiquitous in the work world. At its heart lies the fear of not knowing how another person will react to a potential disagreement. The person might argue, turn silent, become emotional, or leave the room. Any of these responses can be uncomfortable. “Beneath conflict avoidance lies a fear of standing alone. To stand on your own two feet in the face of adversity, you must know who you are and what you need. It will clear your vision to learn what the other person needs to resolve the issue.” Nevertheless, without working through the discomfort, you cannot uncover what is needed to improve matters. Worse, not dealing with it causes organizational ripple effects. Operational issues remain unsolved, substandard performance continues, and conflict avoiding executives do others’ work rather than their own. Beneath conflict avoidance lies a fear of standing alone. To stand on your own two feet in the face of adversity, you must know who you are and what you need. It will clear your vision to learn what the other person needs to resolve the issue. To maximize your chances of a positive outcome, consider three strategies for approaching conflict: 1)Know what you need to win. Too often, we go into potential conflicts with the goal of being liked rather than advancing a cause. While it’s nice to be liked, you might make compro- mises that are not best for the business.

THE ZWEIG LETTER May 22, 2017, ISSUE 1201

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