Mastering Mega Projects: Communication and Leadership Insights with Pratheesh (Prat) Nair

Welcome, dear listeners to the speaking flow

podcast where we share unique experiences to help you unleash

your leadership voice. Today, I have an amazing leader, you're

gonna be so excited. I'm excited. We have Pratt Nair, who

is the Vice President of Operations for Fisk electric.

Hi, Pratt. Good to see you. Hi, Melinda. Thank you for having

me. Thank you for being here. Can you share with the audience

what you do as a VP of Operations?

Pratheesh (Prat) Nair: Sure. Yeah. So I'm currently the VP of

Operations for the projects in California to facilitate most of

the projects actually, all of our projects in California, our

large transportation transit projects include the California

High Speed Rail package from Madera to Fresno. The Purple

Line, section two And section three projects, which are the

underground subway extending the red line, to the new purple line

for LA Metro, which includes four underground stations and

two tunnels under water, some big mega projects, and then we

also have a division 20 Torn back yard, which is the

maintenance yard for LA Metro for their third rail system,

where all the purple line and Red Line trains come to kind of

get torn back and maintained on before they enter Revenue

Service. So we're expanding that project schedule. So yeah, some

really large projects. I mean, right now, there are over $500

million of backlog in Fasken.

Wow.

Pratheesh (Prat) Nair: Yeah. Challenging?

Wow. Well, congratulations on your success.

I mean, some people want more projects, where you you're like,

Okay, how do I handle all these big complicated projects? Some

of the huge, there's so many, it's so complicated in your

eyes, like, what are the challenges that you see?

Pratheesh (Prat) Nair: So, I mean, the first challenge is

finding the finding the right skill set to it's a very

specialized industry, I think, the rail industry, you know, we

had a, had a low period, you know, and, you know, what, 20

years ago, or so, you know, it was probably had a low period,

and there's not a lot of awareness in the industry on,

you know, on this amazing industry that generates a lot of

jobs and generates, you know, just just, there's a lot of a

lot of action. And while you know, people don't, I guess find

rail to be sexy in the, in the market of electric cars, and

Google and all these techies, you know, I think the, I think

there's a lot of technical skill is required to kind of make, you

know, make these things work and make sure they're safe. And, you

know, that at the end of the day, it can serve the public in

the most safest manner possible. So, I mean, yeah, that's just

the lack of skill set is, you know, is our biggest challenge.

So a lot of times, we are constantly, you know, training,

you know, entry level engineers, and, you know, to kind of learn

about this, and the advantages, I mean, you know, these jobs are

typically seven to 10 years, sometimes longer, there's a lot

of stakeholders involved with the cities and different

government agencies, utilities, so they take, they take a long

time, and, and, you know, so it's good that we can, you know,

get some entry level engineers and train them on some of the

functions on how to do some of these things. But at the same

time, you know, the biggest challenge we have is trying to

keep them motivated, you know, because the end is not there,

you know, not insight. And a lot of time, a lot of times, they

haven't seen what the end looks like, they don't really know

what they're working towards. I think so it's been very

challenging to keep them motivated. And, you know, and I

think, especially with the current generation, in terms of

the current graduates we have, I think they're looking for that

immediate feedback for everything and they, you know,

if you ask any one of them, like, hey, you know, what do you

want to do in five years and like, oh, I want to be a project

manager, you know, I want to lead people and manage and, and

you know, a lot of times as well few, you don't know what the end

looks like, you know, how can you manage something that when

you don't know what the end looks like, and so, yeah, I

think I think it's been challenging to keep them engaged

in keeping you know, routine routine people and keeping them

motivated. Yeah, so that's been a huge challenge for us. So I

mean, from I mean, as a leader I kind of might my approach is

quite, you know, I'm not a very title. I'm not title heavy. Vice

President does show up and you know, Flex is not I think my

approach is more you know, I always say my role is a support

role. My first job is to support the project in terms of what

they need and and I think I make it very clear they get nothing

is below me in terms of if I need to go do what an engineer

does. On the first thing I do it you know, if I if they're

falling behind, I stepped in So what that does, it does create

some comfort for people to approach me. So I, you know,

become, I think I'm pretty approachable to people, you

know, people reach out to me, you know, engineers reach out to

me directly asking for help if they need to, and a lot of

communication, so I tend to be pretty open in my leadership

style.

You know, I know, there are things, you know, there are

things you can share and things you cannot, but in terms of what

I can share, I tried to share, you know, in terms of what the

company's doing, where some of the challenges are, how we're

looking at financials, you know, just try to be open about it.

And I think it does generate some engagement from employees

when you, you know, when you share with them, you know, and

the other thing that, you know, we have a pretty low retention,

I mean, a pretty high retention in terms of employees, you know,

are people on your team?

So, teams, I mean, they vary, you know, even from I think,

right now, it's from a salaried staff. Probably 60 ish, people.

And, right, yeah, I think mostly, you know, we have, you

know, where you're a union contractor, so we have a lot of,

you know, support from in terms of our craft labor from the

local unions we work at. So, yeah, so our team's project

champion, when you could have 100 to 200, electricians, plus

the staff, and ensuring that everyone does what they need to

do and stay safe and kind of work through that whole project

cycle for, you know, the seven to 10 years, you know, can be

challenging. So,

yeah, well, how have you helped them to feel

motivated? How can you tell they're not motivated?

Pratheesh (Prat) Nair: You can tell? Because it doesn't get

done, right?

Yeah, so I mean, we try to keep, we try to do things. I mean,

there's two types of management style one is obviously, you

know, there's always these, especially entry level engineers

that don't have the skill set and know what the what to get

done. So we have this task based management. And then we have

these ownership based management where, you know, when they have,

when they have the experience, we give them the ownership and

say you own it, and then, you know, deal with it. I think the

biggest help we've had is we we do a lot of sit downs. And we

talked to her to talk to employees, right now, I say,

engineering, but most of our most of our staff are engineers,

but we talk to them a lot, you know, we have sit downs with

people to constantly give them feedback on how they're doing

the people, you're talking to 60 different people. Yeah, we

talked to a lot of people.

Awesome.

Pratheesh (Prat) Nair: Now, keep in mind, I mean, you know, you

know, I think, again, the idea is that as managers, you

shouldn't be managing one three or four people, right. So but I

do try to stay engaged with the, you know, the project, and I

have, you know, they have their own supervisors. And so I always

bring them in, and, you know, it's not, you know, but I think

talking to people, you, especially when you have these

jobs, I mean, people have personal issues they're dealing

with people have, you know, there's a lot of things can

happen in seven to 10 years, right, people? Kids, yeah,

there's a lot of them, right.

So there's, there's so many variables. So trying to keep

someone Yeah, I think I think the, the biggest thing that has

helped is to communicate with them and how they can and not

and not sugarcoat when they're not doing well, either. But But

I always try to, I try to, say majority of the time, because

sometimes you got to be, you know, you got to be a stickler

and kind of, kind of make a point. But a lot of times I try

not to put people in a defensive mode, because the minute you put

somebody and you tell somebody, Hey, you're doing a crappy job,

and, and they're defensive, then everything that comes out after

that is I don't, there's no value in that drill. I tried to

keep it engaged, I tried to say something instantly negative

about the personnel say, Hey, here's what it is, but here's

what I can do, you know, here's what we can do to kind of help

you get back there or, you know, we'll add some resources to help

you out. So so they feel like they're not alone on an island

by themselves. So, so that's, that has helped us, you know,

helped us you know, keep the motivation and honestly because

I probably are probably more engaged than it shouldn't be the

level of leadership but I think what that does is it allows me

to kind of see people and how they perceive things and how

they take things and you know, and see changes and because I'm

in the maybe in the reads a little bit more than I should be

it does you know, I think I have a better idea of how people are

performing and as a result I can reward we can reward the people

that are performing and you know, and have them go within

the company so well I think that that shows that you care that

you show it shows that you are there for them and you know

exactly when a museum like that that type of leader because you

earlier you said you know what type of leadership style and

some people like when you're there for them more they feel

more valued. And then you can start to know when it is that

you give them the ownership like when it is that you let them go

and just take it off and run with it. Right. So it's like,

yeah, knowing that I only know I

And I maybe I'm an emotional leader. In a way, emotional

intelligence is critical. And I think emotionally being theirs

is important because I think I think I've seen it because I

work for people that are engaged in people that are like, high

level, hey, come to me if you have a problem with this kind of

stay, you know, away, and that that works in regard to it,

because it empowers people to make decisions. And so I, I

there's a fine line between being involved and empowering

people to do what they need to do. So that so that sometimes,

you know, I have to sometimes I've pulled myself back and say,

Okay, well, I'm not going to do it for them, because then all

you're doing is kind of doing it for them, then they don't feel

the the satisfaction of completing something on their

own. So that's a fine line, it really is a fine line is that,

especially if like you said, there's so this project is so

long, like, how about celebrating all those small

little? Do you do that, like small little miles. So really

celebrate that more? We I mean, we, I wish we do more? Honestly,

I think as a as an industry, I think we're just so there's time

is very limited, and there's so much to get done. I mean, you

know, just the just to get through the design and the

submittal process to get everything approved. I mean, it

could take four years into the job. And so there's a lot of lot

of things. I mean, we have 6000 7000 submittals that we have to

do. And you know, there's just so much a week, I wish we do

more. I mean, we know we do the lunches, and you know, we do

things like that, and you know, but I think as a company, I wish

we do more. If it's up to me, I probably would I think you know,

I think as an industry, the culture of doing those kinds of

things don't really exist.

But if it's up to me, I would say that we should try to do

more in a more engagement and more team building. And like,

you know, we've done a few like we've done an escape room, and

we are we've done some things to kind of, you know, sure, but no,

not enough, honestly. And how about you like how do you as a

leader stay motivated you to do motivate everybody else? And

then what about you? It's tough. It's tough. I mean, one is, you

know, going through the LA traffic and kind of go through

all these places, you know, it can be quite challenging. And,

you know, that's when you, you're glad that you're building

a train line to kind of improve the situation as a whole. No, it

is, it is I mean, you know, I have, I mean, I have a very

good, you know, very good relationship with my boss and

Reena, we talk about strategies and things all the time. And,

you know, I think we kind of, I always say, We're the yin and

yang, because we are, we are so different in our outlook on

things, but it works really well because we are kind of

opposites. So the challenges he has, you know, I think I have

the strengths and understand those things I struggle with

Pete You know, so. So I think that really helps be able to

talk to someone, you know, not liking by appointment, but

almost like an open door. We constantly talk and strategize

things, and we try things and if it fails, we try something else.

So I think that surely, you know, I think having a

supportive, you know, the boss helps, you know, because that

keeps you engaged and kind of motivated. I mean, don't get me

wrong, I've had, I mean, trust me there, you know, every every

two or three years be like, I just need to apply for another

job. And I'm just so tired of this. But no, I think I think

the I think the biggest thing is,

you know, being again, I think it really helps that I am

engaged with the people. Because I think if I was just connected

with, with the people, I wouldn't have a personal stake

in the success of everyone and, and people I've hired and people

have, you know, made commitments to and things like that. And if,

if I didn't have those things, I probably wouldn't be as

motivated. Because I'm like, I you know, it's not a place. But

I think all those things really helped. I think so just to

summarize, I think, you know, having that communication style

of being approachable, people can talk to you. But at the same

time, they know, you know, you're the boss and you need

something, you need something, you know, having that fine line

being there in front of them to see, you know, so they

understand you understand the struggles as well. I think all

those things kind of create a good camaraderie in the group.

And you know, it helps. It helps oh my gosh, it helps so much.

Can you imagine them being in a community or an environment

where there's no manager, they would be gone? They would, there

is no manager to support them, they would literally be out the

door. So I love like, you know, we spend a lot of times and this

goes for everybody in the audience. When we're in an

environment, we cannot do a mean the environment is what it is

right? Sometimes we can make move a little bit, but it is

what it is. So I love that you're finding your why, like

you're finding the reason for being here. Like you said, if it

weren't for the people or weren't for your manager, then

you probably have no stake in it. So you might be doing

something else. So because you found your why. And you're

supporting these people, your your your team, your manager,

all of you lifting each other up. I mean, you're obviously

building skills and bonds and experiences that may not show on

the sheet, the bid sheet project

Mind, but they probably will. I mean, I think

it does in some ways, right, the camaraderie that you can go

through different obstacles.

Pratheesh (Prat) Nair: Because you make money if you people are

motivated.

Yeah. So you have a solid team. Right. So I really

believe that. And I think that that's all because like you

said, you're like a sort of like a leader that has high empathy.

And, and and also, it's rare to have to have both the

engineering skill set and capacity and also the people

capacity. So kudos to you. They're lucky to have you. Thank

you. Yeah. Yeah. So So could you share? What is one leadership

tip for the audience that you can share? To help build their

voice to help build them as a leader?

Pratheesh (Prat) Nair: Yeah, I think stay engaged. Yeah, you

know, because I think I think, you know, I think that's a big

problem I've see is that, you know, when people get promoted,

they, they tend to look, I mean, again, as leaders, we need to be

looking ahead and looking at the big picture and those things,

but at the same time, I think we need to communicate those vision

clearly. To your employees, I think it's, it's, you know, when

we're falling behind, I mean, someone needs to someone needs

to talk and we need to give the talk, but at the same time, you

know, you need to do it in a, in a compassionate way, and

understanding and I guess, have a pulse on the things you do.

Because if you if you get disconnected, then then really,

all you're getting is a story that someone else is telling you

and painting a different picture. You know, and I always

say that, you know, it's like pink playing telephone, right?

By the time you get the final news, it's like, you know, the

word is like something else. Right? So, I think it's

important to stay engaged, and you know, and be approachable,

but it's not really, you know, not to break the chain of

command and, you know, kind of respect the chain of command,

but at the same time, stay engaged enough that, that, you

know, you know, what's going on. And I think that I think that,

you know, changes the trajectory of, at least in my experience

has helped me, you know, grow. I mean, I'm 39 years old, you

know, right now, and, you know, I think, you know, quite doing

quite well for, for these large projects, you know, he's not a

30 year guy in the industry now. So, I think a lot of that comes

from, you know, being engaged, you know, being engaged with

people and, and not letting go, I think that really helps. And

people are having also having, like, said, empathy, you know,

people are going through stuff, you know, work is not the only

thing they do people want to do other stuff, and, you know, have

offerings and flexibility in that regard, you know, helps and

goes a long way. And, you know, if someone works a Saturday,

I'll be like, okay, you know, take a day off, you know, no

problem, having those kind of things because, because reality

is like, you know, like, one of the things I do is if someone

has to work a Saturday or Sunday, because some things come

up, I will say, you know, what, take another day somewhere, you

know, we understand you're away from your family. I mean, having

those little things, you know, they help, you know, they help

keep your employees engaged. And hopefully, hopefully, they

respect you at that time to you know, stay with you. So,

yes, yes, yes. Well, obviously, you, you're

successful, and you've done a great job, because your

retention rate the people that guess that they're really there

to support you. So congratulations on your work

with that, by taking so much pride for sharing that

knowledge. So stay, engage, stay engaged, stay curious with your

people connected to your people, right? Go far, you don't want to

you we don't want to climb this mountain alone, we want to be

you want to.

Pratheesh (Prat) Nair: I mean, that's the thing. You want to be

on the top of the ladder, you need all the rungs and you need

somebody on the ladder.

Thank you so much. I've learned so much. And I

trust also the listeners who are here. Hey, if you want to get

into railway and engineering, I mean, it's a lucrative, like you

said

Pratheesh (Prat) Nair: it is right now. I mean, just to give

you a heads up, I mean, you know, we are right now building

for the Olympics and 28. Yeah, I mean, if you look at if you if

you get curious, if you go to LA metros website and look at all

the capital projects that are coming. I mean, there's projects

all the way to 2045 2050 just just in LA, right. So I mean, I

mean, that's just the construction side of it, then

there's the maintenance side of keeping these things up, you

know, LM Metro has a lot of openings. You know, on the

contractor side, there's maintenance programs. And so

it's a very lucrative industry. It's a very specialized

industry. And the good thing is, we kind of know other players in

the industry, because it's such a small community. And, and I

think, I think from a conversation I mean, you know,

we, you know, it's hard to keep up with the tech companies and

all that stuff. But, you know, but also I always say that tech

companies is an up and down industry. While construction is

like you know, when the when the economy is booming, they spend

on infrastructure when the economy is going down, they

spend on infrastructure, right so there's Always that

continuous, you know, secure security in the in the

workplace. And, you know, I think there's a lot of sort of

stability in what we do. And I think there's, honestly, I think

we pay, I think, as an industry, the transportation industry tend

to pay more than the standard construction industry, because

we understand the challenges of, you know, working on these long

jobs. And, and, you know, we, there's a lot more, you know,

compensation available, available for that. So I really

hope that if, you know, if you're interested, you can

always reach out to me or, you know, I mean, I'm on LinkedIn,

and if you have questions about the industry do reach out, and

I'd love to talk to you, and help you kind of understand the

industry and, you know, the potential options available to

grow within the industry. So I mean, I'm hoping my son, I'm

hoping to retire in this industry. It's, it's, it's

challenging. And, you know, it's political in regards, and

there's a lot of a lot of things happening. And I will surely say

that, if you're considering the industry, I think, a strong

communication and I mean, being type A, having the skill set of,

you know, you need to be able to communicate, I think, I think if

you're a I mean, it's perfectly fine. If you're, you know, you

know, like, introverted person that, you know, I don't think

it's that's the issue. I think it does, it does require a lot

of communication, because you're working with so many elements in

so many disciplines and contractors, and if you don't

have a strong communication, you tend to not be successful in

this industry, you know,

right, right. Right. So So yeah, even if you

are an engineer at heart and love the numbers and loves

sitting behind the spreadsheets, it's still, we all need to have

that communication, and especially if you're, like,

you're a woman you're gonna stand out.

Pratheesh (Prat) Nair: So it's funny, I do see it, I mean,

that, you know, since that topic, you know, so I have two

daughters, you know, I always know when I drive to these

construction sites, and I always point out, like, Hey, that's my,

and the first thing they always ask me what I don't see any

woman construction worker. So, you know, I mean, it is good,

like these LA Metro jobs. I mean, you know, surely woman in

construction is it hasn't been, you know, thing, and now. Yeah,

it's coming in, actually, we have several electricians that

are, you know, that a woman, and actually, even on these big

projects, there's actually a requirement to engage more women

in the industry. So I'm hoping, you know, I'm hoping we can

motivate more women and honestly, you know, in my

experience, I mean, not to be, you know, taking a position, but

when it comes to, I think women are required in the construction

industry, because I feel like their, their, their skill sets,

there's some skill set that women bring that I haven't, I

think, you know, in terms of organizational in terms of

tracking stuff, and, you know, there's things I've had that I

think woman do a better job. And I mean, I'm hopefully no,

shouldn't be saying that, but really, they do a better job of

keeping things organized, that, you know, that I tend, I think,

I think we, you know, we as men struggle, you know, sometimes

and so I think it's a good, I wish and I hope, you know, more

women can come into the industry, and it's changed. You

know, it was a, you know, the change from before, I think was

kind of tough for women to be in the industry. And I think, you

know, people have changed and I think the outlook on woman in

that regard has changed. And we both on the owner side, and on

the contractor side, you know, I think there's more. I'm glad to

see more women coming into industry. And I think my younger

daughter has already told me she wants to be do what I do for a living.

So that's so cute. So cute. I love that. Oh, good,

good, good. I love that. And on that note, we're gonna we're

gonna end it. I think that was a great positive message to share.

And so reach out to Pratt, if you have any questions about the

industry. He's looking for great workers, engineers, and so, so

reach out. Thank you, Pratt so much for your time for your

expertise. It's been great.

Pratheesh (Prat) Nair: Thank you, Melinda for having me.

Thank you. Bye. Listen, until next time. Take care.

Bye bye