How to Lead Projects That Don’t Break
Your Antifragility Score: The quiz every modern Project Manager should take.
👋 Hey, Kyle here! Welcome to The Influential Project Manager, a weekly newsletter covering the essentials of successful project leadership.
Today’s Overview:
You’re measuring your effectiveness as a project leader based on the wrong—or at least an incomplete—thing: Predictability. Predictability isn’t nothing—it just can’t be the only thing.
You need a new scoreboard: A new way to measure leadership in the real world, under real pressure. The Antifragility Score is your new way to measure it.
Where the old model focused on time, budget, and scope, this one evaluates project leadership across the seven archetypes that drive resilient, high-performing projects: The Communicator, The Enforcer, The Builder, The Leader, The Attorney, The Accountant, The Business Developer.
🏗️ Today’s newsletter is brought to you by Foresight!
AI-Enabled Construction Project Management.
Foresight’s construction project management platform helps owners and contractors deliver major projects on-time by automatically identifying priorities, risks, and action plans in Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project schedules. We place the schedule at the heart of project execution, enabling project managers, controllers and schedulers to make data-driven decisions.
Leveraging AI, machine learning, and natural language processing, Foresight unleashes predictive insights about delay risks and work prioritization. Our secure, scalable, and user-friendly platform revolutionizes your planning and execution by creating proactive ‘look-ahead’ action plans, igniting dynamic collaboration, staying ahead of risks, learning from past projects, and enhancing schedule visibility/reporting.
🎯 How to Lead Projects That Don’t Break
Filed under: Frameworks & Tools, Leadership & Managing People
Here’s a hard truth in construction: The plan never survives the project.
Even the most detailed schedules, budgets, and risk logs can fall apart in an instant—because the real world doesn’t follow the CPM.
Storms roll in. Labor walks off. Clients change their minds. And suddenly, all the assumptions holding your project together vanish.
The problem? Most project managers are trained to operate fragile systems. Schedules that ignore basic production laws. Over-optimized budgets. Information silos. Perfect-world assumptions.
They prepare for certainty—when they should be preparing for volatility.
And it’s costing us. 70% of construction projects still fail to meet schedule, budget, or quality expectations. Not because we’re bad at our jobs, but because the systems we rely on aren’t built for this.
That’s why we need a new model.
One that thrives in uncertainty. One that doesn’t break under pressure. One that gets better because of it.
That’s the mindset of Antifragile Project Management.
Today, I’ll show you how to measure it…
Your Antifragility Score & Quiz
The Antifragility Score is your new way to measure your project leadership skills.
It’s built on a simple but powerful framework:
The 7 Archetypes of Antifragile Project Management—seven “hats” every elite construction leader must learn to wear:
The Communicator: Brings clarity to complexity.
The Enforcer: Demands discipline and excellence.
The Builder: Knows how to get things built.
The Leader: Owns the outcome and inspires the team.
The Attorney: Manages risk, contracts, and compliance.
The Accountant: Controls cost, cash flow, and business impact.
The Business Developer: Turns every job into the next opportunity.
You don’t have to master all 7 at once. But you do need to know where you’re strong—and where you need to grow.
To get you started, I have created a simple quiz to establish a baseline Antifragility Score.
At the end, you’ll get a personalized radar chart showing your current strengths and blind spots across the 7 archetypes.
How the Quiz Works
The entire quiz should take no more than five minutes.
For each archetype, you’ll respond to 5 key statements based on how strongly you agree or disagree.
Use this scale:
0 – Strongly Disagree
1 – Disagree
2 – Neutral
3 – Agree
4 – Strongly Agree
Each archetype has a max score of 20. The total score possible is 140.
0-50: Fragile (will break under pressure)
50-100: Robust (can withstand change)
100+: Antifragile (gets stronger from adversity)
So, how fragile are you? Let’s find out.
🗣️ THE COMMUNICATOR
Pillars: Precision, Situational Awareness, Alignment
I run structured, high-signal meetings that eliminate confusion and drive aligned action.
I tailor my communication style and message to match the needs of who I’m talking to.
I deliver key conclusions first, then follow with the necessary context and supporting details.
I use documentation, visuals, and briefings to keep all stakeholders informed and moving together.
I actively break down silos and create horizontal alignment across trades, departments, and leadership.
👮 THE ENFORCER
Pillars: Training & Coaching, Accountability, Culture of Excellence
I hold my team—and myself—to high standards through consistent follow-up, documentation, and enforcement.
I use systems like daily huddles, checklists, audits, and scoreboards to reinforce operational discipline.
I coach people in real time, turning mistakes into learning moments instead of repeated issues.
I address underperformance early and directly—no tiptoeing, no delays.
I create a culture where commitment, execution, and excellence are the norm—not the exception.
🏗️ THE BUILDER
Pillars: Technical Knowledge, Scheduling & Planning, Lean Thinking
I deeply understand construction methods, building codes, safety regulations, and MEP systems—and apply that knowledge to solve problems daily.
I involve trade foreman and supers directly in planning to create reliable, reality-based schedules.
I maintain rolling, visual plans that adapt to field conditions and keep everyone focused on flow.
I manage constraints, handoffs, and sequencing in a way that keeps crews productive every day.
I apply lean tools (like Last Planner, 5S, Takt, or Scrum) to reduce waste and increase team efficiency.
🧭 THE LEADER
Pillars: Extreme Ownership, Teamability, Emotional Strength
I take full responsibility for project outcomes—good or bad—and never blame others.
I stay composed, clear, and decisive under pressure, especially when things go wrong.
I build high-trust teams that solve problems together instead of finger-pointing.
I recognize how changes affect people emotionally and proactively lead them through transitions.
I consistently lead by example—doing the hard things first and setting the tone for the team.
⚖️ THE ATTORNEY
Pillars: Risk Intelligence, Negotiation, Compliance
I understand the contract inside and out and translate it into clear, tactical plays for the team.
I proactively track risks, opportunities, and compliance on a risk register that’s reviewed weekly.
I negotiate scope, terms, conditions, and responsibilities in a way that protects the project and builds trust.
I integrate all contract obligations into our workflows to ensure we fulfill every commitment.
I convert complex legal and regulatory requirements into simple field actions that drive results.
💰 THE ACCOUNTANT
Pillars: Cash Flow, Expense Management, Business Acumen
I track real-time cash flow, exposure, and margin so we’re never caught off guard financially.
I have rock-solid systems for billing, COs, pay apps, and optimizing accounts payable and receivable.
I proactively manage change orders to protect profitability and keep owners informed.
I can generate and maintain accurate financial executive reports to help facilitate smart decisions.
I make project decisions based on business impact, not just construction—considering ROI, cost, and risk.
🤝 THE BUSINESS DEVELOPER
Pillars: Depth, Strategic Positioning, Earned Reputation
I build trusted relationships with owners, clients, vendors, and subs that lead to future work.
I consistently act with integrity, professionalism, and follow-through that enhances our reputation.
I identify new opportunities and position the team to win future work before this project ends.
I maintain an updated stakeholder map and engagement plan across all key players.
I actively manage perception, influence, and trust—on site, in meetings, and behind the scenes.
How to Interpret Your Score
After you finish the quiz, you’ll get a breakdown of your Antifragility Score by archetype.
This gives you a visual dashboard of your leadership strengths—and a roadmap to focus your development where it matters most.
A low score? That’s your signal. It tells you where to invest your energy.
A high score? That’s your current superpower. Double down on it.
Here’s what mine looked like when I first built this tool:
💡 Pro tip: Save a screenshot of your score. Revisit it every 3–6 months. As your career evolves, so should your leadership behavior.
P.S. If this quiz was helpful, share it with your team or someone in your network. I'm on a mission to raise the bar for project leadership in construction—and we’re just getting started.
Share to LinkedIn, X, Facebook, or anywhere else.
I'd love to hear from you! Reply to this email with your score and let me know what you learned. I'll be replying throughout the week with ideas to help build on weaknesses and double down on strengths!
Until next week,
Kyle Nitchen
FORESIGHT.
Find out how fragile your schedule is.
Foresight leverages Nobel-prize winning research in psychology and economics to create the world’s first platform that continually learns to support you. It’s designed to help you overcome your blind spots.
The platform uses your existing schedule data to deliver insights and workflow automations that really matter. The result? Less time spent on reporting, fewer unforeseen risks, and up to a 10% reduction in project duration.
Want to see how Foresight can transform your projects? Book a demo today.
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@kyle, This would be a fantastic book title.
Thank you for sharing, leader. Like I said before, I love the way the whole is evolving. I can't wait to see the full magnitude of this excellent idea. Keep inspiring forward