The Leadership Build Ep. 1: The Human Side of Mega Projects

In our inaugural episode, we go beyond schedules, budgets, and contracts to explore the human side of mega project delivery—where behavior and pressure to deliver intersect.

​Our guest, John Williams, President of Infrastructure for Northeast US and Canada at Bechtel, joins host Casey Freeman, Partner, Client Impact at JMW, for a candid conversation on what it takes to lead complex capital projects in today’s high-stakes environments. As one of the industry’s most respected leaders—and a driving force behind programs like the Elizabeth Line in London—John shares practical, hard-earned insight on what high-performing project delivery teams actually do to succeed.​

This episode covers:​

• Why today’s megaprojects are more complex than ever
• The optimism bias no one talks about at project startup​
• The simple (but overlooked) behaviors that accelerate performance from day one
• Why behavior—not culture—is the true foundation of project success​
• How Bechtel brings the elusive “One Team” to life through behaviors beyond the contract
• The moments that still require us to show up, in person​
• What next-gen leaders need to embody to meet the new demands of project leadership

​Bechtel was chosen for our first episode for a reason: when it comes to delivering under pressure, they’ve set the global benchmark. This conversation reveals the real behaviors behind that reputation—and why they matter now more than ever.​

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Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify.

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