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Written by Dr. Olga Lozova, Ministry of Education, New Zealand
For me, the construction industry has always been more than just a profession; it has been a battleground, a classroom, a canvas, and a space of constant evolution. Growing up in a family of civil engineers and construction managers, I was no stranger to blueprints and site visits. But carving out my own path as a woman in this field has been both exhilarating and deeply challenging.
My journey has been shaped by the principles of the Personal Agility Lighthouse™ (PALHTM) Model, not as abstract concepts, but as essential tools that I rely on daily. They guide my work as an architect and construction manager and later as a delivery manager at the Ministry of Education. These principles also supported my research in the built environment engineering and decarbonization, as well as my ongoing commitment to advancing diversity within the construction industry.
This story spans continents, cultures, and construction sites — from Ukraine’s architectural roots to Jordan’s rapidly developing urban landscapes, and now to the evolving educational infrastructure of New Zealand. Along the way, I have learned that delivering complex projects successfully takes more than just technical knowledge. It requires personal agility — the ability to adapt, lead, and connect across a range of dimensions.
The seven principles of the PALH™ Model have not just mirrored my professional evolution journey but have become the lens through which I approach my most meaningful mission: creating sustainable, inclusive educational spaces that serve both people and planet.
Education Agility: Constant Advancement and Rerouting Capabilities
The first principle of the PALH™ Model – “We need to constantly keep advancing ourselves to reroute our capabilities” - resonates deeply with my academic and professional trajectory. My journey began with an Honours Master of Architecture, expanded through a First-Class Honours Master of Construction Management, and continues through a PhD in Built Environment Engineering focused on decarbonisation through green hydrogen technologies.
This continuous educational advancement has not been merely about collecting credentials; it has been about developing the ability to reroute my expertise to address emerging challenges. Transitioning from architectural design in Jordan to construction project management in New Zealand — from working with main contractors to representing the client — required me to recalibrate my professional compass more than once. Each educational endeavour equipped me with new navigational tools to chart courses through unfamiliar waters.
At the Ministry of Education, this educational agility has proven invaluable. The complexity of school construction projects demands continuous learning and adaptation. When leading the educational project, I have to integrate knowledge of educational facility requirements, sustainable building practices, and New Zealand’s regulatory framework. My ability to synthesize diverse knowledge domains allowed me to navigate the project’s complexities with confidence.
Giving back to academia has also been a personal mission. As a former student who worked full-time myself — I understood the pressures students face and the importance of bridging the gap between academic theory and industry practice. When delivering papers to undergraduate and master’s students, I knew exactly what I needed to offer: a meaningful balance between conceptual learning and real-world application. When theory is reinforced by lived experience, students graduate not just with degrees, but with confidence, clarity, and competitive CVs. They become industry-ready professionals, equipped to handle real-world challenges — which is, in itself, a reflection of advancing and rerouting capabilities.
Even in project delivery, I apply this principle every day. For me, constructing a school is not just about the physical building — it is about building relationships, creating broader outcomes, and adding value beyond the bricks and mortar. I take every opportunity to educate students about clean energy, environmental responsibility, recycling materials, and the importance of women in project leadership. I focus not only on developing myself, but also on challenging and growing my project teams. Whether it is encouraging them to lead presentations or take on new responsibilities, I see every project as a platform for professional growth.
Education agility is not just about formal qualifications; it is about embracing lifelong learning through every project interaction. Each school construction project serves as a practical classroom, offering lessons in innovation, collaboration, and problem-solving. By maintaining a learning mindset, I have been able to transform challenges into opportunities for advancement, constantly rerouting my capabilities to better serve educational communities.
Change Agility: Relearning to Improve Competencies
The second principle, “We need to relearn ourselves to improve competencies”, has been a constant companion throughout my international career. Moving from Ukraine to Jordan, and later to New Zealand, involved far more than geographic relocation — it required deep professional reinvention. Each country presented distinct construction methodologies, regulatory frameworks, and cultural expectations that demanded a willingness to unlearn and relearn.
When I began working in New Zealand, I faced the challenge of translating my international experience into a local context. I had to quickly adapt — learning new building codes, understanding New Zealand Standards and construction contracts, and immersing myself in local industry norms. It was humbling and invigorating, and it strengthened my ability to deliver projects with clarity and confidence.
This relearning accelerated when I joined the Ministry of Education. School construction projects bring their own set of expectations — very different from residential or commercial developments. I had to reframe my thinking around project success: it was no longer just about deadlines and budgets but about delivering long-term educational outcomes. Stakeholder engagement became more nuanced, as I worked alongside principals, teachers, and communities — each with their own priorities and perspectives.
One particularly meaningful experience came when working on a project with Māori cultural significance. I had to relearn not just design principles, but how to engage respectfully and meaningfully with cultural values. It was not about applying templates — it was about developing cultural fluency and listening deeply. That experience reshaped how I approach inclusive, responsive architecture.
Relearning is never entirely comfortable — and that is the point. Change agility requires us to lean into the unknown and allow discomfort to spark growth. Each time I have relearned an aspect of my practice, I have emerged with greater clarity, resilience, and cultural sensitivity. It is this continuous reinvention that keeps my leadership adaptable, responsive, and deeply human.
Emotional Agility: Treating Others with Deference
“We have to treat others with deference”, the third principle of the PALH™ Model, represents emotional agility. In the intricate ecosystem of construction projects, where numerous stakeholders bring diverse perspectives and priorities, emotional intelligence becomes the foundation of effective leadership.
At the Ministry of Education, I have come to truly understand the significance of emotional agility. School construction projects are not just about buildings; they are about creating environments that enable children, teachers, and communities to learn, grow, and thrive. Leading multiple project teams and managing complex projects has required me to navigate the emotional investments of diverse stakeholders - architects, contractors, consultants, government agencies, external PMs and QSs, educators, students, and community members.
Emotional agility is recognizing that behind every technical requirement lies a human need. When principals voice concerns about disruptions to school operations during construction, they are advocating for their students’ learning environment. When community members inquire about sustainable features, they are expressing care for future generations. And when concerns are raised about construction activities - such as vibration or noise - these are not just logistical issues, but emotional investments in the wellbeing of the community. By approaching these interactions with deference, listening deeply, and collaboratively developing solutions, I have been able to transform potential conflicts into opportunities for innovation and growth.
My leadership of the Women in Project Management (WiPM) group at PMINZ reflects this commitment to emotional agility. As the group lead, I have created a platform where women in the industry can share their experiences, challenges, and aspirations. It is a space where they can talk about their struggles and seek genuine support. By treating each member’s journey with deference, I have fostered a community where emotional intelligence is recognized as a leadership strength, not a professional liability. Emotional intelligence is no longer viewed as a “soft skill” — it is now a strategic approach to leadership.
As a researcher, emotional intelligence is also a vital tool for gathering information from participants. Particularly when working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures, understanding their perspectives can drive the success of the research process. Emotional agility allows me to engage more deeply, navigate cultural nuances, and build trust.
Emotional agility is often more developed among women PMs. It becomes especially evident in high-stakes meetings, where the chaos of competing voices can sometimes drown out important insights. It is often a woman who notices who has not spoken yet, who picks up on the underlying tension between team members, or who remembers a colleague’s personal challenge, like checking in on someone after a family member has been ill. That deep listening is not a soft skill; it is a powerful tool for navigating complex projects and transforming challenges into opportunities. We catch the warning signs others miss and turn potential setbacks into unexpected wins.
Emotional agility has been invaluable in my work with Māori communities as well. Understanding and respecting cultural protocols, traditions, and aspirations requires deep listening and authentic engagement. By approaching these interactions with cultural humility, I have been able to build relationships based on mutual respect and shared goals, ensuring that we move forward together in a meaningful and inclusive way.
Political Agility: Transparency for Organizational Growth
The fourth principle “We need transparency for organizational growth” speaks to the political dimension of construction leadership. In the context of public sector projects at the Ministry of Education, political agility becomes particularly significant. Educational infrastructure represents a substantial public investment and must align with broader government priorities, community expectations, and educational policies.
Navigating this complex political landscape requires transparency in decision-making processes, budget allocations, and project outcomes. When managing multimillion-dollar portfolios for the Ministry, I have learned that transparency is not just an ethical imperative; it is a strategic advantage. By clearly communicating project constraints, decisions, and progress to all stakeholders, I have been able to build trust and align expectations, which fosters collaboration and long-term success.
Political agility also involves understanding how organizational structures and power dynamics influence project outcomes. Within the Ministry, projects must navigate multiple departments, each with distinct priorities and processes. My ability to transparently communicate across these organizational boundaries has enabled more efficient decision-making and resource allocation, creating a more agile and responsive project environment.
The procurement process for school construction projects exemplifies the importance of political agility. When negotiating with contractors and suppliers for multiple projects, I have had to balance the Ministry’s financial constraints with non-pricing criteria, quality requirements, and sustainability goals. By maintaining transparency and remaining unbiased throughout the procurement process - clearly articulating evaluation criteria, decision rationales, and performance expectations - I have been able to secure optimal outcomes while maintaining stakeholder trust.
Political agility also manifests in my advocacy for sustainability and decarbonization within construction projects. By transparently communicating the long-term environmental and financial benefits of green building features, I have been able to secure support for initiatives that might otherwise face resistance due to higher upfront costs. This transparency has contributed to organizational growth by expanding the Ministry’s capacity to deliver environmentally responsible educational facilities, thereby supporting both current and future generations.
Cerebral Agility: Focusing on Goals, Not Impediments
“We need to focus on organizational goals, not the impediments of alterations” encapsulates the fifth principle - cerebral agility. In the volatile construction environment, where changes are inevitable and challenges are constant, maintaining focus on core objectives is essential for project success.
At the Ministry of Education, the ultimate goal transcends physical infrastructure; it is about creating environments that enhance educational outcomes and support community well-being. This broader purpose serves as a guiding compass when navigating project challenges and changes. When unforeseen site conditions, supply chain disruptions, or stakeholder requirements necessitate alterations to project plans, cerebral agility enables me to adapt without losing sight of these fundamental objectives.
The COVID-19 pandemic tested this cerebral agility across all construction projects. Supply chain disruptions, workforce restrictions, and safety protocols created unprecedented challenges. Rather than becoming fixated on these impediments, I reframed the situation, focusing on the opportunity to innovate and adapt. By implementing digital collaboration tools, modifying construction sequencing, and revising procurement strategies, projects continued to progress toward their essential goals, despite the altered landscape.
Cerebral agility also manifests in my approach to sustainability and decarbonization. When I conducted research on the decarbonization of the built environment through green hydrogen technologies, I faced opposition from CEOs regarding the introduction of green technologies. The lack of technical knowledge and resistance to novel means of decarbonization was an inevitable obstacle. However, rather than becoming discouraged by these impediments, I maintained focus on the overarching research goal, demonstrating the value of green technologies and the need for CEOs to be educated on the subject.
The same approach applies to my work with school projects, which exemplifies cerebral agility. Each project is unique, as is every school. When developing a master plan or design for a school that must accommodate evolving educational methodologies, fluctuating enrolments, and emerging technologies, the potential impediments can seem overwhelming. By maintaining focus on the core goal - creating adaptable spaces that support diverse learning modalities - we have been able to develop assets that remain relevant despite changing circumstances.
Learning Agility: The Courage to Say “I Don’t Know”
“We need to have the courage to say ‘I don’t know’” represents perhaps the most profound dimension of personal agility. In an industry where expertise is highly valued and certainty is expected, acknowledging knowledge gaps requires genuine courage. However, this learning agility - the willingness to recognize limitations and embrace new information - has been essential to my professional growth and project success.
My transition into the New Zealand construction industry exemplified this principle. Despite my extensive international experience, I encountered methodologies, regulations, and cultural contexts that were unfamiliar. Rather than pretending to possess expertise I did not have, I embraced a learning orientation, seeking guidance from colleagues, participating in professional development, and pursuing formal education in New Zealand construction management.
I was never afraid to say “I don’t know” when I first started working on-site. Not knowing is not the problem; failing to ask questions and refusing to learn every day is the real issue. “I don’t know, but I will figure it out” and “I don’t know, but could you explain it to me or teach me?” became essential mindsets for me. This openness to learning and growth is what ultimately drives professional progress.
Learning agility becomes particularly valuable when navigating emerging areas like sustainable construction and decarbonization. As my PhD research into green hydrogen technologies for the built environment has shown, this field continues to evolve rapidly. New materials, technologies, and methodologies are constantly emerging, making dogmatic certainty both impossible and counterproductive. By maintaining the courage to say, "I don’t know - but I’ll find out," I have been able to incorporate cutting-edge approaches and stay at the forefront of the industry.
Being a project manager does not mean you must know everything. While having technical knowledge is always beneficial, it is almost impossible to be an expert in all aspects of a project. That’s why we build teams with specialists who contribute their deep knowledge in specific areas. Saying “I don’t know” is not a shame, but a demonstration of courage and bravery. The role of a project manager is to engage the right people, gather the necessary expertise, and ultimately deliver the project successfully.
The Cultural School project illustrates this principle in action. When tasked with integrating Māori cultural values into the facility design, I had to acknowledge my limited understanding of these traditions and perspectives. Rather than imposing assumptions, I created space for cultural advisors and community members to share their knowledge and aspirations. By acknowledging what I didn’t know, I facilitated a collaborative design process that authentically reflected cultural values rather than superficial interpretations.
Learning agility also manifests in my approach to mentoring junior team members at the Ministry. By modelling comfort with knowledge gaps and enthusiasm for continuous learning, I foster a team culture where questions are encouraged, and professional development is prioritized. This creates a more innovative project environment, where emerging best practices can be identified and implemented.
Outcomes Agility: Commitment to Excel in the Foreseen Outcome
The final principle – “We need to commit to excel in the outcome that is foreseen” - encompasses outcomes agility. This dimension emphasizes the importance of maintaining a clear vision and unwavering commitment to anticipated results, even when the pathways to achieve them may shift.
In the context of educational facility construction, outcome agility means keeping student learning, teacher effectiveness, and community well-being at the centre of every decision. When leading multimillion-dollar projects with dozens of teaching spaces designed for contemporary pedagogies, I maintain focus on how these physical environments will support educational outcomes for decades to come. This long-term perspective guides material selections, spatial arrangements, technology infrastructure, and sustainability features.
Outcome agility also manifests in my commitment to the "triple bottom line" approach—balancing social (people), environmental (planet), and economic (profit) considerations in project delivery. At the Ministry, this means creating schools that serve as community assets (people), minimize environmental impact (planet), and provide value for public investment (prosperity). By maintaining a commitment to these multidimensional outcomes, I have been able to advocate for design and construction approaches that might not be justified by traditional financial metrics alone.
The commitment to delivering broader outcomes was evident in my management of procurement for Ministry projects, where I achieved up to an 18% reduction in construction costs through strategic supplier negotiations, value engineering, and early procurement. This financial outcome did not come at the expense of quality or sustainability; rather, it resulted from innovative approaches to value engineering and resource optimization. By maintaining focus on the foreseen outcome of fiscally responsible yet high-quality educational facilities, I was able to identify creative pathways to achieve seemingly contradictory goals.
When I lectured, teaching Construction Economics and Construction Engineering Management at Auckland University of Technology, this outcomes agility further reflected itself. By sharing knowledge of value engineering, sustainable construction practices, and project lifecycle management, I am helping develop the next generation of construction professionals who will excel in delivering multidimensional outcomes. This teaching role represents another pathway toward the foreseen outcome of a more sustainable, equitable built environment.
Navigating the Confluence: Where Personal Agility Meets Triple Bottom Line
The seven principles of the PALH™ Model have not operated in isolation throughout my career; rather, they have functioned as interconnected dimensions of personal agility that collectively enable effective leadership in complex environments. This integrated approach has been particularly valuable in my work at the Ministry of Education, where construction projects must deliver against the triple bottom line of people, planet, and prosperity.
The people dimension encompasses the communities served by educational facilities—students who will learn within these spaces, teachers who will facilitate learning, and broader communities who utilize these assets. My emotional and political agility have been essential in understanding and addressing the needs of these diverse stakeholders. By treating community members with deference and maintaining transparency throughout project processes, I have been able to create facilities that genuinely serve their intended users.
The planet dimension reflects the environmental impact of construction projects and the buildings' operational footprint. My education and learning agility—particularly through my PhD research into decarbonization of the built environment—have equipped me to integrate sustainable approaches into educational facility design and construction. By continuously advancing my understanding of environmental best practices and having the courage to explore emerging technologies, I have been able to reduce the ecological footprint of Ministry projects.
The prosperity dimension encompasses both fiscal responsibility, ensuring maximum value from public investment, and the long-term economic benefits of well-designed educational facilities. My cerebral and outcomes agility has enabled me to navigate the complex financial landscape of public sector construction, identifying innovative approaches to maximize value while maintaining quality and delivering more for less. By focusing on organizational goals rather than impediments and maintaining a commitment to foreseen outcomes, I have delivered projects that provide both immediate and long-term economic benefits.
The projects I am involved in exemplify this integration of personal agility and triple bottom line thinking. Through educational agility, I incorporate contemporary understandings of learning environment design. Through change agility, I adapt standard construction approaches to accommodate site-specific constraints. Through emotional agility, I engage authentically with school stakeholders to understand their aspirations and with project teams to successfully run the project. Through political agility, I navigate Ministry processes to secure necessary approvals and resources. Through cerebral agility, I maintain focus on core educational objectives despite construction challenges. Through learning agility, I incorporate emerging sustainable technologies that weren't yet standard practice. And through outcomes agility, I maintain an unwavering commitment to creating a facility that will serve its community for generations.
Conclusion: The Continuing Journey
As I stand at this point in my career journey, with over 25 years of construction experience across three countries and countless project types, I recognize that the lighthouses of personal agility continue to guide my path forward. The principles of the PALH™ Model aren't destinations I've reached but ongoing practices I must cultivate to navigate the ever-changing seas of construction leadership.
My current role at the Ministry of Education, overseeing the development of learning environments that will shape future generations, represents both the culmination of my professional journey and the beginning of a new chapter. The schools being constructed today will stand for decades, influencing countless educational journeys and community interactions. This profound responsibility demands continual renewal of personal agility across all seven dimensions.
Similarly, my advocacy for women in project management, sustainability in construction, and decarbonization of the built environment represents an ongoing commitment to broader change. By applying the principles of personal agility to these systemic challenges, I hope to contribute to an industry transformation that extends far beyond individual projects.
The lighthouses of personal agility don't simply guide us to safe harbours; they illuminate pathways to new horizons. As I continue navigating the complex waters of construction leadership, sustainability advocacy, and professional mentorship, these principles will remain my most reliable navigational tools—guiding not just my individual journey but, hopefully, helping illuminate more sustainable, equitable, and effective approaches to creating the built environment.