Check Out All Activating Curiosity™ Episodes

The future of construction isn’t just about technology—it’s about how leaders respond to change. In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Brian Turmail, Vice President of Public Affairs and Strategic Initiatives at the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), to explore what construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry will require moving into 2026 and beyond. This conversation reframes a common challenge: many change initiatives fail not...

Mini Series Part 3: Clarity doesn’t come before change—it’s built through it. In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware explores how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry often stall because leaders wait for clarity that never arrives. This conversation reframes a common belief: that teams need full clarity before taking action. Instead, Ryan highlights that clarity is personal, evolving, and developed through movement—not planning alone. Through th...

Leadership in construction isn’t just about getting work done—it’s about how you bring people with you. In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Andrea Janzen, Founder of Ambition Theory, to explore how transformational leadership is reshaping construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry. This conversation challenges a long-standing norm: construction has traditionally relied on transactional leadership—focused on control, output, and experience....

Efficiency in construction isn’t just about speed—it’s about how teams work together. In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Brian Skripac of the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) to explore how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry are evolving through collaboration, technology, and design-build delivery. This conversation breaks down a critical shift: moving from fragmented workflows to integrated teams. From early BIM adoption...

Mini Series Part 2: Control feels like safety—but in change, it’s often an illusion. In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware explores how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry are shaped by our relationship with control—and why holding onto it can limit our ability to lead effectively. This conversation reframes a common belief: that more control leads to better outcomes. Instead, Ryan highlights that control often masks fear—especially when change is i...

Construction doesn’t have a people problem—it has a connection problem. In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Angelo Suntres, founder of The Human Side of Construction, to explore how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry must evolve to better support the people behind the work. This conversation challenges a long-standing norm: that toughness and technical skill define success in construction. Instead, Angelo highlights how empathy, co...

Change doesn’t start with strategy—it starts with choice. In this Mini Series Part 1 of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware breaks down the first step in building a stronger relationship with change: understanding how we make decisions and how those decisions impact others. In the construction and AEC industry, change often feels imposed—new technology, shifting delivery models, or evolving business strategies. But before we can lead change effectively, we need to understand how we personally re...

How are construction leaders managing decentralized teams in an industry built for command-and-control? In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware explores decentralized work models and how AI is reshaping staffing in AEC with Mandy McGill, founder of Aedifico. From construction leadership culture to labor productivity, discover why decentralization isn't just a trend—it's the future of how AEC firms organize work. Plus: the leadership mindsets that make it work.Traditional staffing...

Big change doesn’t start with systems—it starts with people willing to think differently. In this bonus episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware explores how real change in the construction industry happens over time—and why it requires both individual ownership and collective action. Using the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) as examples, Ryan breaks down how ideas that once felt “too big” evolved into industry-wide movements. What began...

You can build great projects—and still run an unhealthy business. In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Jessica Krause, Founder and CEO of New Lyfe Accounting, to explore why financial clarity is one of the most overlooked drivers of construction leadership and decision making. In the AEC industry, many construction leaders treat financials as a "back office" problem. But when you lack visibility into your business's true health, you can't make strategic decisions th...