Leadership Blueprints

In any partnership, trust is a key player; both the trust you find in your partner and the trust you knowingly have in yourself. Joining BJ on this episode of Inspiring People & Places is John Grady, who serves as the Northeast Region Executive and Senior Vice President of Development at Wexford Science & Technology in Philadelphia.  As a seasoned executive with a wealth of experience in real estate, finance, city building, and corporate and public affairs, John has a remarkable track record of leading successful public-private partnerships. He knows how to craft compelling messaging and drive inclusive investment and growth across various sectors.  John also dives into his career arc, the great story of the Philadelphia Navy Yard and its redevelopment. In addition to key leadership lessons that John has learned while working on projects that bring the public and private sectors together in partnership.  Don’t miss this episode for his thoughts on how leadership has changed, why work transforms people and communities, and more! Key Points From This Episode:•   The great story of Philadelphia’s Navy Yard and its redevelopment. •   The importance of private and public partnerships.•   Key leadership lessons John has learned while bringing together the public and private sectors to accomplish projects.•   The idea that work transforms people and communities. Quotes:“Working with good people really [gets] me motivated.” — John Grady “The Navy Yard is a tremendous example of Philadelphia at its best. It’s got a bright future, and at its most fundamental core, it is a day-to-day real-life public-private partnership, every day.” — John Grady “I’m a big believer that partnerships are built on trust. You have to go into a relationship trusting your partner, trusting what they can do well, trusting them to do that, and trusting yourself, knowing what you do well, and bringing that to the table.” — John Grady “Work transforms communities. It transforms people.” — John Grady Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:John Grady on LinkedInWexford Science & TechnologyThe Navy Yard PhiladelphiaInspiring People & Places PodcastMCFAMCFA CareersBJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

We are inspired by the leadership, passion, and mission-focus that veterans bring to the built environment. However, figuring out what your next steps are after serving can be challenging.  During this episode, we welcome Arpan Patel, Director of Operations at the US Air Force Reserve. He shares his story, from growing up with immigrant parents, to serving and leveraging his background in civil engineering to build a career on the other side.  You’ll also hear about the process of excavating his Ikigai, where the synergy of purpose, skills, opportunity, and passion lives. Arpan describes how he found the willingness to absorb what was available to him in order to make an informed decision about his future. We also explore the importance of favoring legacy and people over dollars and cents, before Arpan shares some of the ideas and principles that have supported him along the way.  Thanks for tuning in!  Key Points From This Episode: •   Navigating the gut punch of not reaching a lifelong goal to be an aviator.•   The mindset shift required to understand that engineering supports the mission. •   Leadership lessons for the transitioning veteran: networking and more.•   Understanding that people and legacy far outweigh dollars and cents. Quotes:“A theme throughout my history is networks that have helped bolster opportunities or allowed me to leverage the opportunities in front of me, opened doors, and allowed me to walk through them.” — Arpan Patel “Life is unfair and doesn’t pan out the way that you see it, but that doesn’t mean that you have to be defeated.” — Arpan Patel “Life is tough, but tough times don’t last, tough people do.” — Arpan Patel  “Do your best, go for it, do everything you need to do, but if it doesn’t work out, keep your head up.” — Arpan Patel  “When you find communities that have shared passion and values, you’ll connect.” — Arpan Patel  Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Arpan Patel on LinkedIn Society of American Military EngineersThe E-Myth RevisitedWorking GeniusIkigaiThe Go-GiverGetting Naked Inspiring People & Places PodcastMCFAMCFA CareersBJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

Betty Shanahan, former CEO of the Society of Women Engineers and AVP at DePaul University, shares her inspiring career journey. She discusses the importance of leadership, emphasizing the need for humility and self-awareness in knowing when to step down. Betty elaborates on empowering women in engineering through education and mentorship. She also underscores the significance of celebrating achievements and working on career development outside one’s job. Listeners will enjoy her insights on balancing work and life while leaving a lasting legacy.

The built environment offers vast potential to impact those who live, work, and thrive in these spaces. Today’s guest on Inspiring People & Places is Joe Reagan, the Executive Vice President of Development at Wexford Science and Technology.  Join us as we explore the diverse aspects of his career journey, including how his understanding of deal-making and real estate within the built environment has deepened his appreciation for the financial implications of a mission. Joe also shares key leadership advice that has served him well throughout his career.  Additionally, we discuss why military veterans often occupy senior facility roles. Be sure to tune in to hear all this and more! Key Points From This Episode:•   Understanding the deal-making and real estate of the built environment gave him an appreciation of the financial implications of a mission.•   The evolving economic model of healthcare and the economic drivers of the capital and real estate markets and how these two are playing out in Joe’s world.•   A leadership lesson that has served Joe throughout his career in the built environment. Quotes:“It’s [my] ability to communicate back and forth that has helped me adjust my career going forward.” — Joe Reagan  “There comes an appreciation of the value of knowing people you are going to be working with and why repeat business should be such a big part of everyone’s business plans.” — Joe Reagan  “[There is] potential to impact the built environment and the place that people live, work, [and] love. You really can have a profound impact on the built environment.” — Joe Reagan Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Joe Reagan on LinkedInWexford Science and TechnologyBernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe's Series 1 to 5 Books Set (Prey, Trafalgar, Fortress, Triumph, Tiger)Inspiring People & Places PodcastMCFAMCFA CareersBJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

“When we value women, then we begin to value everyone.” These are the wise words of today’s guest; women’s advocate, international speaker, and author, Jill Tietjen.  In this conversation, you’ll hear about Jill’s early life and interest in math, her passion for encouraging women to pursue STEM careers, her incredible career, and so much more! We delve into the electrical engineering challenges Jill has encountered before discussing her opinions about how grids can be modernized and what the demands are.  Jill goes on to tell us about her writing career, where her love for books came from, and how she managed to persevere through writing 16 books. She even tells us how her life purpose to rewrite women into history ‘fell into her lap’ and shares one leadership lesson she has carried with her through her career.  Finally, our guest answers our rapid-fire questions and even tells us what she wants her legacy to be. Thank you for tuning in! Key Points From This Episode:•   Jill tells us about her life, career, and mission to encourage women to go into engineering.•   How we can modernize electrical grids and current electrical demands. •   Where Jill’s passion for books came from and how she persevered through writing 16 books. •   How engineering can be a more attractive industry for women.  Quotes:“When we value women, then we begin to value everyone and when we value everyone, then everyone’s ship rises.” — Jill Tietjen  “Not only are women not encouraged to be engineers and in the STEM fields, they’re also not written into our history books.” — Jill Tietjen  “We’re going to have to figure out alternatives in order to meet [electrical] demand.” — Jill Tietjen Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Jill TietjenJill Tietjen on LinkedInJill Tietjen on FacebookJill Tietjen on XOver, Under, Around, and ThroughDuty CallsInspiring People & Places PodcastMCFAMCFA CareersBJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

We're going to do things a little differently and speak to the younger generation: Avery Kraemer, Trey Kraemer, and Daniel Wits - BJ's daughter, son, and nephew.  Avery, Trey, and Daniel all describe what their parents do for work before giving us their own definitions of leadership and what it means to be a good leader. We discover what they like and dislike in the people they look up to and why leaders need to be both strict and easygoing.  Be sure to listen closely for a hidden BJ Masterclass in parenting! Thanks for listening! Key Points From This Episode:•   Avery’s definition of a leader and her list of qualities that every good boss needs to have. •   Reminiscing on a moment when Avery saw herself as a leader. •   Daniel and Trey describe good leadership. •   What they love and dislike most about the people they look up to as leaders. •   Why good leaders are both strict and easygoing.   Quotes:“I think everybody is drawn to help other people and building a career helping other people seems very attractive.” — BJ Kraemer  “We need to tie our work back to the people and how it serves people.” — BJ Kraemer  Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Inspiring People & Places PodcastMCFAMCFA CareersBJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

Great leaders are constantly making balanced decisions based on risks and rewards. Today on Inspiring People & Places, we discuss how leadership affects project outcomes.  In this solo episode, you’ll hear all about how the late Irv Richter and Hill International inspired BJ to think about what leaders do to drive successful project outcomes. We discuss the art of project management before breaking down the Army’s Composite Risk Management process and its principles. Finally, BJ explains why he believes a great leader synthesizes a risk/reward matrix in their head in order to drive project success.  You don’t want to miss this one so be sure to tune in now! Key Points From This Episode:•   The importance of risk management and what leadership has to do with it. •   Why BJ believes that there is an art and a science to risk management. •   What risk management has to do with leadership: everything! •   Why you should avoid unnecessary risk and accept it when the benefits outweigh the costs. •   The incredible risk/reward matrix leaders balance in their heads.  Quotes:“Risk management is a leader’s job.” — BJ Kraemer  “The art of decision making is knowing when you can accept some risk in order to maintain project momentum or project success.” — BJ Kraemer  “Great leaders have a continuous risk/reward matrix going on in their head and they know when to slow things down, they know when to call [a] halt, and they also know when to speed up even though there may be some risk associated with whatever the outcome is.” — BJ Kraemer  Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Composite Risk ManagementHill InternationalIrv Richter – Hill International Inspiring People & Places PodcastMCFAMCFA CareersBJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

Your career path doesn’t need to be linear for you to fulfill your dreams.  Today’s guest brings an amazing journey to our conversation. Former NASA Astronaut and retired US Air Force Colonel with more than 180 days in space, Cady Coleman is a popular Public Speaker and Media Consultant, Research Affiliate to MIT’s media lab, and much more.  During this conversation, she shares some of the unexpected twists and turns that her career has taken, along with key insights on being industrious as you map out your career. We delve into her experiences in space, what it was like to fly twice with NASA, and why, given the opportunity, she would spend another six months on the international space station.  Join us as Cady talks about her leadership philosophy and reveals who she is most inspired by, why she leads from the back, and more.  Key Points From This Episode:•   The non-linear journey behind her multi-faceted career.•   The rewards of being part of a mission. •   Experiencing NASA, flying twice, and spending six months on the international space station.•   Research at NASA and understanding the marriage of humans and spacecraft. Quotes:“People tend to think that any job of their dreams is going to be a straight line and it’s this maze of intersections where you actually don’t really know whether to turn right or left, but you try to pick the one that seems to make the most sense.” — Cady Coleman “Giving back to your community is important for everyone so that you understand what life is like for somebody else.” — Cady Coleman “I think the purpose of leadership is to get stuff done, which often involves making change.” — Cady Coleman “I wake up in the morning and I say ‘I am enough’ because it’s hard to remember that when you’ve got really big dreams and big goals.” — Cady Coleman Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Cady ColemanCady Coleman on InstagramCady Coleman on FacebookCady Coleman on XA Man on the MoonThe ExceptionsInspiring People & Places PodcastMCFAMCFA CareersBJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

We are all limitless, even in our mortal human forms, and it’s time you realize that!  Don’t miss out on this epic conversation with the one and only Christiana Cioffi, empowerment ambassador, leadership coach, and speaker. A West Point graduate and former marketing VP, Christiana brings a wealth of experience to the table.  Join us as we explore her remarkable journey, discuss being fearless in the army, unpack how she helps people reflect on their truest identity, her three-part process, and how she supports people who find themselves leading from a place of fear and insecurity. Don’t miss out on all this, and so much more, on this episode of Inspiring People & Places. Enjoy.   Key Points From This Episode:•   We dive into a discussion about being fearless in the army and how it transpires. •   Christiana unpacks how she helps other people reflect on their true identity.•   What companies can do to support women coming into male-dominant industries. •   How Christiana supports individuals who lead and act from a place of fear and insecurity. Quotes:“It’s fairly basic — people need to be treated fairly and equally regardless of their gender, race, age, or any of that.” — Christiana Cioffi  “I think it’s about who’s at the top in an organization. They set the culture [of that organization].” — Christiana Cioffi  “I am of the mindset that we are limitless. Meaning, we are souls embodied in a human form but we are limitless.” — Christiana Cioffi  Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Christiana Cioffi on LinkedInAn Unapologetic Spinster: True Modern Dating StoriesThink and Grow RichJoe DispenzaInspiring People & Places PodcastMCFAMCFA CareersBJ Kraemer on LinkedIn 

Imagine it’s New Year’s Eve; you’re toasting champagne with your friends and family, but for the first time in a long time, you’re not discussing next year’s resolutions. Instead, you’re celebrating the incredible feeling of having accomplished this year’s goals. By the end of today’s episode, you’ll be inspired to revisit your past resolutions and feel empowered to achieve them by the end of this year.  Tune in to discover invaluable insights and practical advice to help you get clear on your goals, understand what it means to “show up and do the work,” find accountability partners to keep you on track, celebrate your wins along the way, and much more. Don’t miss this opportunity to feel motivated and equipped to make the most of the rest of 2024! Key Points From This Episode:•   What you need to do before showing up daily and doing the work to achieve your goals.•   How to assess your capacity and overcome the tendency to want to “do it all.”•   The power of discipline and delayed gratification.•   Essential elements of an effective action plan. •   Reasons that accountability partners and flexibility are key to your success.•   The importance of celebrating your daily and weekly wins. Quotes:“I’m not saying you can’t have multiple goals. I am saying that we all have a certain amount of capacity – to implement change, implement discipline, and put time, commitment, and dedication to accomplishing the goals we have.” — BJ Kraemer  “Stacking [successes and habits] will build the momentum and the positivity that you’re looking for.” — BJ Kraemer   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: ‘The Marshmallow Experiment and the Power of Delayed Gratification’The Power of HabitThe ONE ThingInspiring People & Places PodcastMCFAMCFA CareersBJ Kraemer on LinkedIn