Leading Purpose-Driven Change in Construction

Big change doesn’t start with systems—it starts with people willing to think differently.

In this bonus episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware explores how real change in the construction industry happens over time—and why it requires both individual ownership and collective action.

Using the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) as examples, Ryan breaks down how ideas that once felt “too big” evolved into industry-wide movements. What began as conversations in the early 1990s has since transformed how we approach sustainability, collaboration, and project delivery. 

This episode challenges a common mindset: that problems in construction are too large for any one person to impact. Instead, Ryan reframes change as a series of small, consistent actions—taken by individuals who choose to engage rather than step back.

From overcoming resistance to creating buy-in, this conversation highlights the role of purpose, curiosity, and shared responsibility in driving meaningful industry progress.

This isn’t about waiting for change—it’s about deciding to be part of it.

What you’ll learn:

•  Why lasting change starts with individual mindset shifts 
•  How USGBC and DBIA scaled ideas into industry transformation 
•  The role of purpose in driving long-term change 
•  Why resistance often comes from perceived scale, not reality 
•  How small actions create large, collective impact 

Who this is for:
Construction leaders, AEC professionals, and industry stakeholders looking to lead change, drive innovation, and contribute to the future of the built environment.

Chapters

01:55 The Challenge of Big Problems
04:21 History of Change in Construction
06:00 Growth of Sustainable Building Initiatives
07:01 Future Projections and Industry Impact

Overcast Innovations
Helping project teams coordinate building systems earlier for more predictable outcomes.

New Lyfe Accounting
Free Diagnostic ($500 value) for Activating Curiosity Listeners by NLA, to help your financial goals

Connective Consulting Group
Helping construction leaders simplify change, strengthen trust, and move forward with clarity.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Transcript

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Ryan 0:58

And the goal is that we start with one conversation, one person. We test theories. We ask questions about whether we've really given it a fair shot. So I'm hopeful that we will all be evaluating things in this new way. But if not, I don't know where the industry goes, which is a real problem. Back to another episode of Activating Curiosity. I am Ryan Ware, and this is bonus episode number two. And as I've mentioned before, bonus episodes are really going to be about things that might be top of mind or things that are coming up in conversations that I'm having with others around the industry. So today we're going to focus on things that I've been hearing a lot lately when I'm out with others and having conversations, but it's actually something that has continued to come up throughout my career. especially in the last 10 to 15 years. And that is, hey, Ryan, that problem that you're aiming to solve, like that's enormous. That's too big. And I get that. It is an enormous problem to be focused on and trying to change or helping other groups change. But I feel that having a purpose aligned with something larger for me personally is what makes me comfortable. And while it is too big, it actually, it makes me start to think like, what is it within something that we want to address? or change that we look at and say, that's too large for me to have any impact on. Or why would I want to play a part in it if I know that I can't have as much impact as I want? And that's true in some cases. There are a lot of things that might be outside of our control. And you hear this constantly, control what you can control. Well, to some extent, that actually stifens and slows adoption or even puts some fire out within people who are aiming to drive or lead a change. And I think, you know, as we explore this today, that there are a few areas that we can look within the construction industry that really began with an idea. And that idea had taken off as more people talked about it. And it went from an individual to a group, to an association, to an entire industry, to an entire nation, and even in some cases expanded globally. one day to do it. It has taken decades. And I think that when we think about change, we often look at it from our personal view, like, hey, this is just me. And in my personal view that, or my capability of what I can drive and lead to change, that in that case, I can't impact enough stuff, that I can't lead the change holistically by myself as an individual, so therefore I won't get involved. Or you find yourself leading it and they're saboteurs or resistors whereas you believe in something everyone starts to downplay it or just say hey you you can't make an impact so therefore i don't know why you're wasting your time and that's a dangerous thing We are a nation that we want to see progress. And if you think back towards putting someone on the moon, and we call things today moonshots, they're big ideas. They're things that keep us hungry for wanting to address this change. So Let's look at two areas where it went from probably multiple individuals or many individuals having these same thoughts or ideas and then finding a cohort, finding a group that was willing to take some next steps to address it. So in 1993, we have two associations or organizations that really want to get to the root of solving a problem. And to be honest, it didn't just start in 1993. There were thoughts probably years or decades in the making. But in 1993, both the USGBC and DBIA were started. And within those organizations, it wasn't an immediate takeoff. There wasn't this immediate acceptance into it. In fact, USGBC forms in 1993, but doesn't do a test pilot until 1998. And as they go through those test pilots, then it's the year 2000 before anything really begins to be tracked. So fast forward to 2022. That is the year we record 100,000 certified buildings globally. which is a tremendous leap from where the conversations were just ideas probably back in the 80s and early 90s before the group got together in 1993. If we think about it now, it's 2025, and we've seen an exponential growth of proposed projects. That is nearly 200,000 projects. So we're three years removed from crossing the 100,000 certified building threshold. This exponential growth came from finding new ways to track project and new opportunities for the built environment. It's just something more than certifications or plaques or winning an award. And the DBIA, while beginning back in the 90s, it sees that by the year 2030 or beyond, that almost 50% of our projects of any contract type or vertical market type is going to be design build. And while one is a delivery model, it takes a certain lift and a certain way of training teams and also policymaking, same as USGBC, One is based off how we make selections and work within manufacturing to find solutions in order to solve some of the challenges that we see within climate change or other areas that we want to address for sustainability and part of that green movement. And with the design-build side, it is all a more collaborative way to getting a building put together. But in both of those cases, and the reason I wanted to kind of zero in on those is that think about where we are today in 2025, verse 1993. They were huge lifts. They didn't happen overnight. And it didn't happen with one person. So, yes, some of the things that... I look at personally and want to help teams with and why I even started this podcast to get people within the industry to be more curious was that it was going to take exponential growth to get there. That it's going to take all of us having conversations daily about things that we're passionate about, things that still light that fire within us, and look at them from a perspective of how is this not just a solution that I bring to the table, but how might it impact others within the industry? How might it benefit others? you know, the labor challenges and the new labor force and the direction that we need to be heading it. Or how might it bring technology into a solution that right now, yeah, it's a huge lift. It's a lot of process change. But by taking a step back and saying, I know these are huge challenges. And just looking at, one, me as an individual within the industry. Two, the team I'm working with or the division I'm working within or the business that I'm working within. What are some steps that we can take Because as I said before, some of these things aren't about one person solving them all. You see, I'm not asking that you take eight million steps. There's eight million people within the construction industry. If we each took one step, we'd suddenly see a positive ripple effect of change occurring in the industry. But if we all sit back and say, that's just too big, I don't know how we would ever do it, then no one's taking the step. Now, I'm not naive in the sense that there are things happening. But like the DBIA and like USGBC, they sometimes started before 1993. And we're still lacking acceptance. And some of them, it's their own fault. There's messaging, there's wrong process maybe being put into place, not ready for some of the sub-trades and things that were required in order to see some acceptance. But it doesn't mean that you just push it aside. Because like USGBC, they haven't stuck to the same format. It has gone through revisions, new ways of looking at it, the build environment, and scoring those in order to change the way we think about design to be more sustainable, to make different decisions. You see, lead has the checklist that makes us begin to ask different questions from the get-go, if that is the way we want to go towards the project. Design-build is very similar in that it is going to require, yes, a different contract model, but it requires different players at different times in order to achieve it and to see the success of getting the collaboration. I began using design build very early in my career on small projects. And I was doing them on tenant improvements. And I think in today's world, we see where we don't follow that model yet. We haven't tried it. And it becomes more of a challenge with things like the labor force. not asking the right questions at the right time and finding out that something doesn't fit the budget or that skilled trades labor isn't even in the region, which is driving the cost up. So I'm not saying that, you know, you have to model after DBIA and the way we look at design build or USGBC and the way we think about sustainability, but just think about the lift that those groups who were first involved in it had to think like, this is too big. This is a large undertaking. There's no instant gratification. How do we keep the fire within us to lead this change and to go get others more active in it? So, yeah, what I want to do with the industry is a big, it's a big ask. But I'm not going to do it alone. There are others out there that are testing things and trying things and looking at the industry from new perspectives that they hadn't thought about before. And the goal is that we start with one conversation, one person. We test theories. We ask questions about whether we've really given it a fair shot. So I'm hopeful that we will all be evaluating things in this new way. But if not, I don't know where the industry goes, which is a real problem. Because it's not working now the way we'd all like to see it work. And if the next generation sees other opportunities and other industries, then we really aren't solving the problem any further. And our clients deserve more. The occupants of the buildings deserve more. And we know that we deserve more, that we need to be focused on not only the projects in our business, but what the future industry looks like. So I'm hopeful, and all of you that is listening and those I can reach, that you're also reaching other people and you're having new conversations and you're thinking about all the things that were too big at one point and asking yourself, what is it that I could do each day or week? to shrink this thing to a more digestible size where I am taking action towards change with an ultimate goal that it isn't next year, but it's within reach because each of us are doing our part. So that's it for the bonus episode. That's just part of it. Again, these things are really about opening our minds up to how we have maybe thought about things in the past to reassess them, to activate that curiosity. So until next time, I hope you continue to thrive and leading change. And I hope you continue to find ways to activate your curiosity. The Activating Curiosity Podcast is brought to you by Connective Consulting Group and Connective Coaching, part of the Curiosity Building Experiences. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe so you'll never miss a conversation. Share the podcast with your network and help us bring more curiosity into the construction industry. Interested in becoming a guest or a sponsor? Visit us at activatingcuriosity.buzzsprout.com for more details. Until next time, keep leading with curiosity.