Activating Curiosity™ | Leading Change in the Construction Industry

Affordable housing isn’t just about building more homes—it’s about whether people can actually sustain a place to live.

In this bonus episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Nneoma Albert-Benson, founder of BEFA Women and Child Care Foundation, to explore how construction leadership and change in the AEC industry must go beyond supply and into the systems that determine long-term stability.

This conversation challe...

The housing crisis isn’t just a policy problem—it’s a production problem hiding in plain sight.

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Ryan Smith, Co-Founder of ModX, to explore how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry must evolve to address housing affordability at scale.

This conversation challenges a common assumption: that better policy alone will solve the housing crisis. ...

Policy shifts create uncertainty, but they don’t remove responsibility.

In this bonus episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Laura Steinbrink, CEO of Emerald Built Environments, to explore how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry must respond when policy and regulation shift overnight.

This conversation challenges a common assumption: that policy drives action. Instead, Laura reframes ...

Mass timber isn’t just a material shift—it’s a mindset shift.

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Kristen Slavin, founder of Conifer Advising, to explore how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry must evolve to adopt new building systems like mass timber.

This conversation challenges a common assumption: that innovation in construction is about materials. Instead, Kristen hig...

Mini Series Part 6:

Change fatigue is real in construction—but it’s not caused by change itself. It’s caused by our relationship with it.

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware explores how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry can shift from resistance to resilience by building a stronger relationship with change.

This conversation challenges a common assumption: that change is something to ma...

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™ | Leading Change in the Construction Industry, Ryan Ware sits down with Kristin Kautz of JAM Idea Agency to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the AEC industry—and why most firms are approaching it the wrong way.

This conversation challenges a common assumption: that AI is a tool to implement. Instead, Kristin reframes it as something closer to “air”—an embedded capability that ...

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Ali Salman of Workspace Modular Structures to explore how prefab and modular construction can help solve some of the construction industry’s biggest challenges.

This conversation challenges a common assumption: that the industry’s current methods are sufficient. Instead, Ali reframes the opportunity—highlighting how modular construction offers a scalable path to addr...

Mini Series Part 5:

Curiosity isn’t a soft skill—it’s a leadership advantage in construction.

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware explores how curiosity drives effective change leadership in the AEC industry and why it’s essential for navigating uncertainty, overcoming resistance, and building stronger teams.

This conversation reframes a common challenge: leaders often focus on managing change, but overlook how people ...

Friction slows down decision-making in construction—but removing it doesn’t mean replacing expertise.

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Scott Reynolds, Co-Founder and CEO of UpCodes, to explore how construction leaders can reduce friction in decision-making while maintaining control, judgment, and expertise.

This conversation reframes a critical challenge in the AEC industry: too much time is spent se...

Access to healthcare isn’t just a policy issue—it’s a delivery problem.

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Peter Nicholson, Co-Founder and CEO of Modern Clinical Planning, to explore how micro hospitals are reshaping healthcare access in rural and underserved communities.

This conversation reframes a critical challenge: healthcare systems often struggle to justify investment in low-density regions, lea...

Mini Series Part 4:

Commitment isn’t about motivation—it’s about what you do when motivation fades.

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware explores how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry depend on a deeper understanding of commitment as an ongoing process—not a one-time decision.

This conversation reframes a common challenge: leaders often assume commitment comes from alignment at the start....

The future of construction isn’t just about technology—it’s about how leaders respond to change.

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Brian Turmail, Vice President of Public Affairs and Strategic Initiatives at the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), to explore what construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry will require moving into 2026 and beyond.

This conversation r...

Mini Series Part 3:

Clarity doesn’t come before change—it’s built through it.

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware explores how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry often stall because leaders wait for clarity that never arrives.

This conversation reframes a common belief: that teams need full clarity before taking action. Instead, Ryan highlights that clarity is personal, evolving, and deve...

Leadership in construction isn’t just about getting work done—it’s about how you bring people with you.

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Andrea Janzen, Founder of Ambition Theory, to explore how transformational leadership is reshaping construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry.

This conversation challenges a long-standing norm: construction has traditionally relied on transact...

Efficiency in construction isn’t just about speed—it’s about how teams work together.

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Brian Skripac of the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) to explore how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry are evolving through collaboration, technology, and design-build delivery.

This conversation breaks down a critical shift: moving from fragm...

Mini Series Part 2:

Control feels like safety—but in change, it’s often an illusion.

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware explores how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry are shaped by our relationship with control—and why holding onto it can limit our ability to lead effectively.

This conversation reframes a common belief: that more control leads to better outcomes. Instead, Ryan highlight...

Construction doesn’t have a people problem—it has a connection problem.

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Angelo Suntres, founder of The Human Side of Construction, to explore how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry must evolve to better support the people behind the work.

This conversation challenges a long-standing norm: that toughness and technical skill define success...

Change doesn’t start with strategy—it starts with choice.

In this Mini Series Part 1 of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware breaks down the first step in building a stronger relationship with change: understanding how we make decisions and how those decisions impact others.

In the construction and AEC industry, change often feels imposed—new technology, shifting delivery models, or evolving business strategies. But before we can lead ch...

The future of work in construction isn’t coming—it’s already here.

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Mandy McGill, founder of Aedifico, to explore how decentralized work, AI, and changing workforce expectations are reshaping the AEC industry.

Traditional staffing, procurement, and leadership models were built for a different era. But as the pace of change accelerates, construction leaders are being ch...