Interview: Greg Campbell
“Be the person who owners want to continue working with.”
For 20 years, Greg Campbell served the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a city agency that governs LAX and Van Nuys Airports. In 2021, he left his role as Chief Engineer to lead the Aviation Practice of Enterris Associates, a program management consulting firm.
In this conversation, Greg discusses the leadership lessons that emerged throughout his career in capital construction. Greg shares the mistakes that leaders make in trying to change processes and discusses how he empowers people to make good decisions. Finally, Greg…
Key Points
Take pride in positively affecting other people
Make decisions based on the needs of your broader organization
Be the person who owners will want to work with in the future
Help your teammates sharpen their decision-making capabilities
Be patient in getting buy-in throughout an organization
Notes
What are some highlights of your professional journey?
My highlights were the people. There was a manager I had early in my career who was extremely fair with everyone, across the board. I was fortunate to witness his approach. He always had time to help and didn't play favorites. He was constantly helping people who needed it.
Later, when started leading people, I tried to replicate the way my former manager had conducted business. As I became responsible for larger crews, that approach helped me become what I consider a fair and responsible leader.
As you grow older, you become more proud of things you've done that have positively affected the lives of others. The folks I supervised have gone on to do great things. I don't take credit for their actions, but I'm proud that I had a part in helping shape their paths.
How would your colleagues describe your working style?
Hopefully, they would say that I always strive to instill responsibility. I want my teammates to make decisions for the right reasons, which should be to benefit the organization. I want my people to be willing to make decisions that might not be ideal for an individual project but that are best for the institution.
What are some differences between public and private work?
When I was in the public sector, I noticed that some private companies were truly trying to help my organization but most were just out for themselves.
People who are interested in developing relationships, building their reputation, and having long-term stability seem to be rare. Those who want to make money are a dime a dozen. I would caution any professionals who are starting out on the private side and haven’t lived through public service: be careful to keep your eye on the ball. The long game is relationships, reputation, and stability. Be the person who owners will want to continue working with in the future.
What advice do you have for people transitioning from private to public work?
I’ve witnessed a few of those folks in my career. They inevitably join public agencies at lower levels than they believe they deserve. They have to start over. My advice is to have thick skin. Stay human and stay beneficial.
On the public side, there are plenty of people who are just bystanders to efforts. They far outnumber the people who take action and they can pull you down. You've got to rise above it. If you keep your eye on the ball, focus on the long game, and do what's best for the organization, you'll do very well.
You’ve led an interdisciplinary team in establishing construction processes. How did that effort ensure performance on critical tasks?
A process is only as good as the font you use to express it. It’s meaningless unless individuals conduct themselves in the right way.
Our effort was to develop processes that gave individuals the opportunity to make good decisions. In our office, we had people from five continents speaking dozens of different languages. They didn't have the same backgrounds, upbringings, or experiences. Everybody had unique views on decision-making. The challenge was to allow everybody the basis to make good decisions. It wasn’t about forcing them to adhere to strict procedures. It was about helping individuals making hundreds of decisions each day to ensure that they would end up in a good place. It wasn’t “you shall,” or “you must”. It was it was all about helping them understand the journey of good decision processes.
What’s the hardest part of standardizing processes?
Everybody understands the fundamental principles and mathematics of their job, but everybody understands relationships differently. If you're just charting out processes in an office with the CEO and issuing strict rules, it’s easy. Three months and you’re done. But you're not going to get buy-in throughout the organization for a long time. You have to do it in an inclusive way. You should give yourself 18 months, not three.
