Vicente Valencia

🤔 Risk-Averse Renegade 💪 | Helping others take the leap of faith | Entrepreneur & Investor | Personal Growth, Business. 🐭 Join the free rat race 🐭

If you need PPP Advice or Training that you WON'T get from the World Bank go to: https://vicentevalencia.com.

I love infrastructure delivery and I have good reasons for that. 

I still remember my third day working in PPPs, around 20 years ago. 

I was put on a Board meeting, and my boss told the rest of the board members that "I was the new PPP advisor". 

Not bad for the third day. 

I didn't know what a PPP was, nor even a what a Board was, or shareholders, or construction contracts, or back-to-backs... and there I was. 

Now, after having tendered, managed, delivered, refinanced, sold, a few PPPs in Europe, North America and New Zealand, as a COO, CEO and Board Member, I can tell you many more stories... some of them, "terror stories": extra costs, claims, delays, incompetence, bad clients, terrible contractors, evil designers, etc. 

But I can also tell you many great stories about people. 

Happy people enjoying a new and fantastic piece of infrastructure. 

These assets have transformed for the better lives, cities and even countries. 

I’ll never forget the 15 December 2012, when I opened as the COO, the A30 Project in Montreal. 

I put my beautiful and very patient Spanish wife on a toll both to enjoy. 

Many nights working at night and she supported me all the way long, and I wanted her to live the experience. 

During a break to have diner – it was a long day – she told me that users thanked her saying “Gracias”. 
I’ll never forget the joy and happiness of thousands of people that wanted to cross the bridges that we built.
 
This is the power of great infrastructure, properly delivered. 

This is why, I love that business. 

I also have two secret passions: Real Estate Investing, and a popular newsletter. Everyday, I send a free tip about business, project management, investment, motivation and personal growth. All this comes with Spanish spice. Subscribe, join other +2k free minds and enjoy.

Co-Founder and Investor

Love the challenges, the design and changing spaces and cities for the better. 

We give a second opportunity to old buildings and houses creating unique homes.

Most PPP projects don’t fail because of construction issues.
Or financing.
Or KPIs.

They fail because people ignore the basics.
The fundamentals.

The principles nobody teaches you in those “PPP certifications.”
The laws I’ve learned after 20 years sitting on all four sides of the table:
government, contractor, equity, and operator.

So here they are.
The 15 Commandments of the PPP Movement.
The no-BS rules that separate a bankable project…
from a headline on the front page of the newspaper.

Swipe.

Learn them.

Break them at your own risk.

_
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#PPP #Infrastructure #PublicPrivatePartnerships #MegaProjects #ProjectFinance #Governance #PublicSector #RiskManagement #InfrastructureInvestment #Construction

PPP Executioner | Providing Clarity to PPP Professionals, Agencies and Investors | Join the PPP MOVEMENT for Infra tips and stories

The 15 Commandments of the PPP Movement

Most governments say they want world-class infrastructure.
But then they panic when world-class people show up.
The Ministry of Transport of Quebec didn’t.
They opened the door.
To foreigners.
To competition.
To courage.
The result?
A-30 Expressway. In my modest opinion, one of the most successful PPPs in North America.
Delivered on time. 
On budget. 
With pride.
I was there.
And I still remember the chaos, the cold, and that night before opening when we almost forgot to put live the tolling system.
Today's article is about courage.
Not the PowerPoint kind. 
The real one.

_
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#Leadership #PPP #Infrastructure #Courage #ProjectManagement #PublicPrivatePartnerships #Canada #Construction

View newsletter: PPP & Real Estate stories

Most governments say they want world-class infrastructure. But few have the guts to bring in world-class people. But the Ministry of Transport of Queb

Open article: Dark and Cold by Vicente Valencia • 2 min read

Do you want cheap infrastructure?
Then stop building one-offs.
Create a pipeline.
A few weeks ago someone told me:
“Madrid delivered the cheapest tunnels in the world… how did they do it?”

I did not know if that was true... but my answer was simple:

Do you know how many TBMs were working in Madrid at the same time?

For more than 10 years, Madrid had:
7–8 tunnel boring machines
Working almost continuously
Same operators
Same ground
Same learning curve... improving every single day

Mobilization costs? Almost zero.
Training? Zero.
Excuses? Zero.

The exact opposite of how most countries operate.

Because here’s the truth:
Repetition creates mastery.
Mastery creates confidence.
Confidence creates better, faster, safer and cheaper projects.

Madrid didn’t wait for “perfect timing” or “market conditions.”
They committed to building.
Pipeline. After pipeline. After pipeline.

Results?
They retained experts
They attracted capital and innovation
They built a competitive industry

You want better infrastructure?
You want lower prices?
You want to stop bleeding public money?
Create a pipeline.

Or keep paying the “one-off” stupidity tax.

Is your country building a pipeline? Or killing one?

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#infrastructure #construction #megaprojects #PPP #tunneling #publicpolicy

It happens a few weeks ago. “Tell me about Madrid and Spain, how do you do it? I heard a business case that Madrid has been able to deliver the cheape

Open article: How to build infrastructure faster and cheaper by Vicente Valencia • 2 min read

How to build infrastructure faster and cheaper

Most people say: “It’s too small for a PPP.”

They’re wrong.
In fact, this one proves size doesn’t matter... clarity and discipline do.

When Nairobi (and Kenya’s counties) decided to overhaul street-lighting through a PPP, they weren’t chasing headlines. 
They were chasing reliability, cost-efficiency and smart governance.
Here’s why the “small” project deserves a place in the PPP Hall of Fame... and why you should be paying attention.

See all the change it brought with only 23 million US dollars. 

_
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#PPP #Kenya #Africa #UrbanInfra #StreetLighting #SmartCities #ValueForMoney #RiskManagement #Infrastructure

Most people say: “It’s too small for a PPP.” They’re wrong. In fact, this one might be your best lesson yet. In Eldoret, Kenya, the local government p

Open article: The Street Lights Nobody Believed Could Be a PPP by Vicente Valencia • 2 min read

The Street Lights Nobody Believed Could Be a PPP

A $165 million PPP success story.
And the person who built it is now unemployed.

Imagine this. 

A $165 million Education PPP.
Funded by USAID.
Implemented in Sindh, Pakistan.
State-of-the-art schools.
A pioneering EMO (Education Management Organization) model.
A PPP toolkit still used today.
And yet…
The person who led the entire reform for a decade is now struggling to find work.

No headlines.
No recognition.
No consulting contracts.
No “thought leadership” invitations.

Meanwhile, governments keep paying millions to the usual suspects:
 - Big logos.
 - Shiny PowerPoints.
 - Generic frameworks.
 - Minimal local impact.

Look. 
This is why I've learnt after 20 years doing this. 

PPP success doesn’t come from branding.
It comes from people who actually built the system.
And most of them are invisible.

Eliminate PPPs if you want.
Any infrastructure project. 

Engineers, commercial managers, that guy that had the idea that save millions... 

In this case, it's the Director of the PPP NODE in Sindh:
- Designed an indigenous EMO model
- Launched one of the only unsolicited PPPs in Pakistan
- Built a full PPP guide for Education
- Led reform for 10 years

Yet today, he’s told:
“You’re not technical enough.”
“You’re not financial enough.”
“You’re not legal enough.”

As if one human being is supposed to be three consulting firms in one.
Come on!

Look. PPP contracts have:
 • Technical complexity
 • Financial structuring
 • Legal architecture

No serious project has ever been delivered by a single “unicorn expert.”
Mega projects and PPPs are built by teams.
But careers are judged like solo sports.

And here it is what I find like the real scandal:
Governments spend millions on advisory fees…
While the people who actually know how to make PPPs work are sidelined, underused, and undervalued.

We don’t have a talent shortage.
We have a recognition failure.

If you’re a PPP professional who has:
 • Built something real
 • Led reform
 • Delivered impact
 • And still feels invisible

You’re not alone.
And you’re not the problem.
The system is.

If you’ve built real impact and still feel invisible — speak up.
Comment “REAL” if you believe experience should matter more than logos.
Share this so the right people start paying attention.

_
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#RealPPPExperts #BuiltNotBranded #ImplementationMatters #ConsultingIndustry #AdvisoryBubble #PublicMoney #ProcurementFailure #InvisibleLeaders #Unrecognized #WastedTalent #PublicPrivatePartnership #PPPProjects #InfrastructureReform

Most PPP evaluation processes have one thing in common:
They are way too complicated.
50 scoring criteria.
Subjective weighting.
Weeks of debate.
Appeals, disputes, delays…

And in the end?
Nobody understands why that bidder won.

A PPP evaluation is not a research paper.
It’s a decision that will impact your country for 25–40 years.

So why does the process look like a maze instead of a strategy?

Today I’m breaking down the 3 steps that actually bring:
Faster procurement
Clear accountability
Better value for taxpayers
Stronger competition
Less drama

Let me know if you have seen any of this. 

_
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How to design PPP Evaluations

Most PPP evaluations look like this:
50 scoring criteria.
Subjective weighting.
Ambiguous definitions.
Committees arguing for months.

And in the end…
nobody knows why the winner won.

Look. 
A PPP evaluation isn’t / shouldn't be a science fair.
It’s a decision that will impact a country for 25–40 years.

So why do we keep making it so complicated?

So... How to design the perfect PPP evaluation
 → Faster
 → Fairer
 → Better value for money
 → Less drama

My proposal is simple:
Select only the top consortia
Pass/fail minimum technical outcomes
Award on price + lifecycle + risk

That’s it.
Three steps.
No noise.

_
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Most PPP evaluations are designed by committees obsessed with checking boxes. Not with selecting the best partner. The result? Overcomplicated scoring

Open article: Stop Overthinking PPP Evaluations — Do This Instead by Vicente Valencia • 2 min read

Stop Overthinking PPP Evaluations — Do This Instead

In Latin America, a PPP that only increases +20% in cost is considered a success.

Yeah... 

Why does this keep happening?

Here are the usual suspects:
Half-baked projects rushed to procurement
Unrealistic bids designed to win… then renegotiate
Weak risk allocation and technical definition
Fiscal risks buried under future budgets

Result?
PPP prices go up, competition goes down, trust goes out the window.

I just broke down the real causes of the “+20% trap” and what agencies must do to stop it.

If we want PPPs to deliver real value.

We must stop pretending that a cheap bid today is cheap forever.

_
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Many people challenge my preferred RFP strategy for PPPs: “Pre-qualify strong consortia, set a minimum technical pass/fail, and award to the best NPV 

Open article: When +20% Is the Floor — The Latin American PPP Trap by Vicente Valencia • 2 min read

When +20% Is the Floor — The Latin American PPP Trap

January 5th.
Kids in Spain are waiting for the Three Wise Men.
Meanwhile, in Australia, a bridge collapses into the river.
Catastrophe has no calendar.

Tasman Bridge, Hobart — 1975.
A bulk carrier hits a pier.
The structure fails.
Cars fall into the void without ever seeing it.
Twelve lives lost.
A city cut in half for more than two years.

Nobody thought a disaster would arrive that night.
Because we humans believe the worst always happens Monday at 9 am…
…and only when everyone is in the office.

Wrong.

Mega-projects fail at the worst possible moment:
holidays,
evenings,
when teams are home with family,
when communications are messy and slow.

Every project needs a Crisis Management Plan.
Not because a client demands it, but because chaos doesn’t wait for approvals.

Who speaks?
Who acts?
What gets shut down?
Who protects the reputation when the headlines are brutal?

If these answers aren’t rehearsed…
...the disaster won’t just be physical.

Infrastructure, and in particular, big projects, doesn’t forgive naivety.
It doesn’t care about celebrations, weekends, or candy for children.

Be ready.

Always.

_
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 #Infrastructure #PPPs #ProjectManagement #RiskManagement #CrisisManagement #Construction #Engineering #LessonsLearned #MegaProjects #PublicSafety #PMO

January 5th. In Spain and many parts of the world, kids go to sleep excited because the Three Wise Men are coming with toys. Meanwhile… in Australia… 

Open article: Tragic event on January 5 by Vicente Valencia • 2 min read

In Latin America, PPPs that only become 20% more expensive are considered a success.
Yes, you read that right.
Why do so many projects go from “cheapest bid” to most expensive outcome?

Because when you:
Rush the RFP
Under-design the project
Transfer risks blindly
Reward the lowest fantasy number
…you don’t get value for money.

You get a renegotiation.

And citizens always pay.

Today I’m breaking down the real reasons why +20% is just the starting point in Latin-American PPPs and what governments must change if they want the best players to stay in the game.

Comment below if you have seen any of this. 

#PublicPrivatePartnerships #PPPs #Infrastructure #Megaprojects #ProjectFinance #GovernmentInfrastructure #PublicProcurement #RiskManagement #ValueForMoney #LatinAmerica #LatAmInfrastructure #StrategicThinking #InfrastructureInvestment #Leadership #Governance

The 20% Latin American Trap in PPP

In Latin America, more than 70% of transport PPPs are renegotiated... often within the first year.

And +20% cost creep?
That’s the floor, not the ceiling.

So let me ask you this...

What is the #1 root cause of PPP price blowouts in the region?

Comment below if your answer is “all of the above”

#PublicPrivatePartnerships #PPPs #Infrastructure #Megaprojects #ProjectFinance #GovernmentInfrastructure #PublicProcurement #RiskManagement #ValueForMoney #LatinAmerica #LatAmInfrastructure #StrategicThinking #InfrastructureInvestment #Leadership #Governance

What is the #1 root cause of PPP price blowouts in the region?

Conviene leer este post. Se va a entender mucho de las oportunidades para mejorar procesos de contratación en América Latina.

Aunque este reporte del BID es de 2017, sus conclusiones siguen siendo vigentes para los proyectos de infraestructura en América Latina.

La región enfrenta una brecha de inversión gigantesca, pero el verdadero desafío no es solo invertir más, sino invertir mejor. La evidencia es clara: los conflictos en infraestructura no son eventos fortuitos; son el resultado de fallas estructurales de gobernanza, planeación y relacionamiento social.

El análisis del BID muestra que la raíz del conflicto está menos en lo técnico y más en lo institucional:
	•	Planeación deficiente y decisiones “aguas abajo”.
	•	Procesos de consulta formales pero poco sustantivos.
	•	Falta de transparencia y expectativas mal gestionadas.
	•	Beneficios comunitarios percibidos como insuficientes o injustos.

El impacto es profundo: retrasos de varios años, sobrecostos cercanos al 70%, cancelaciones de proyectos y un daño reputacional que afecta no solo a empresas, sino a países completos como destinos de inversión.

Esto conecta con una realidad más reciente: como señala Vicente Valencia , cerca del 70% de los proyectos de transporte APP en la región han sido renegociados, con una suerte de “rule of thumb” de 20% de sobrecosto. La renegociación se ha vuelto la norma, no la excepción. (Y aún así aportan valor por dinero)

El contraste con Europa es revelador. El estudio comparativo de Jörg Christen sobre APP en Alemania muestra resultados casi opuestos: menores costos de construcción, plazos más cortos, reducciones significativas en costos de ciclo de vida y mayor satisfacción de gobiernos y comunidades. Su conclusión es contundente: la aproximación de ciclo de vida alinea incentivos y corrige, en la práctica, las debilidades de los contratos incompletos de largo plazo.

La diferencia entre América Latina y Alemania no es conceptual —sabemos qué hacer— sino de ejecución institucional:
	•	Planeamos con menor profundidad.
	•	Construimos confianza de forma volátil, con señales de política contradictorias.
	•	No hemos consolidado una gobernanza efectiva a nivel territorial, especialmente con autoridades locales y comunidades.

Como ya advertía el BID, la hoja de ruta sigue siendo la misma: Planeación, Confianza y Gobernanza.

👉 ¿Es un problema de capacidades, de incentivos, o de economía política?
👉 ¿Cuáles lecciones de la experiencia alemana (y global) son realmente transferibles a América Latina y cuáles no?


#Infraestructura #APP #PPP #Gobernanza #GestiónDeRiesgos #Planeación #Sostenibilidad #AméricaLatina #Alemania

Project Manager | Project Management Career Coach | Helping early-career professionals (0-5 years) transition into project management roles in the IT industry.

I never planned to work in mining.
I never planned to shift from project management to communications either.
But careers aren’t always linear and mine is proof.

After years in IT and project management, I made the leap into a completely new industry and role, handling internal communications, global training, and office operations.

Now, I document this journey to help professionals see what it really looks like to:
🌍 Transition industries & roles without starting from scratch
🧠 Build adaptability and communication skills that stand out
💡 Reimagine success when you’re starting over in your 30s

On my profile you’ll find:
🔹 Stories & lessons from inside a global mining company
🔹 Corporate career and life lessons
🔹 Honest reflections on career transitions and identity shifts

If you’ve ever thought about starting fresh, moving industries, or re-entering the workforce in a new role, my content is built for you.

👉 Follow me here on LinkedIn for my weekly posts & livestreams, and join the community I’m building for professionals navigating change together.

Mary Tresa Gabriel

Was it scary to move from IT into a completely different industry like mining?

Short answer: Yes. Very.
Long answer: It was scary, uncomfortable, and also one of the most growth-heavy decisions I’ve made.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned through this transition, it’s this:

Your career doesn’t change overnight.
It changes through questions, conversations, and courage to try.

Moving from IT to mining was more about:

• Letting go of being “the expert”
• Asking basic (sometimes embarrassing) questions
• Rebuilding confidence from scratch
• Translating transferable skills instead of job titles

What helped me navigate the shift (still in-progress) 👇

1️⃣ Owning the beginner phase
Not pretending I knew it all, and being okay with learning publicly.

2️⃣ Leaning on transferable skills
Stakeholder management, problem-solving, coordination, skills travel even when industries don’t.

3️⃣ Having real conversations
Most clarity came from people who had already made unconventional moves.

Career pivots are messy, emotional, and deeply personal.
But they’re also where growth hides.

#Createmomentum

Operations Coordinator at Weir | Documenting my career transition | Project Management Professional (PMP) | Work Abroad, Culture, Corporate life & Career Coach

You’ve probably seen my posts about project management and starting over.
But if we’re being honest, you might not fully know my story yet.
So here it is.

For years, I’ve shared my journey of becoming a project manager without a
PMP and then later, how I cracked my PMP.
Everything was out in the open. No gatekeeping. No pretending it was easy. You saw it all, in real time.

Along the way, I’ve helped 100+ professionals land roles in project management, people who thought they were “not enough,” or “missing something.”

And then… life happened.

I moved to Sweden. 
I found myself back in corporate again.
And today, I work as an Operations Coordinator in the mining industry, far from IT, far from what I was comfortable with.

That shift taught me something no certification ever did.

👉 Your soft skills matter far more than your hard skills.
Especially when you’re starting over.
Especially when you’re in unfamiliar territory.

Here’s the part I don’t hide:
I’m not a corporate baddie.
I’m not loud, aggressive, or intimidating.
I’m soft, a little naive, deeply human and for the longest time, I thought that was a weakness.

Turns out, it’s not.

So now, this is what I’m building:
A safe space for corporate softies.
People who want to grow, navigate work, start over, and still be themselves without hardening into someone they’re not.

That’s the season I’m in.
That’s the work I’m doing.
And that’s the community I’m building.

If you’re someone who’s starting over, figuring things out, or quietly doing your best in corporate, you’re not alone. 🤍

#createmomentum

📖 First book of 2026

This arrived at the perfect moment, just before I put away my Christmas tree.

Dare to Lead is my first read of the year, sent by the Nordic Business Forum, and it feels like the right way to start 2026: with courage, conversations, and intention.

Also, I’m such a sucker for handwritten notes, thank you Heli Hänninen and team. It truly made my day. 🫶 

What’s your current read for 2026?

It’s NOT uncomfortable to me that you moved abroad and are starting over in your career.
That you’re figuring things out, learning the system, and finding your footing.

What IS uncomfortable to me is:

using this as an excuse for 6+ months
not applying or networking consistently
avoiding visibility because it feels awkward
and putting in zero effort to actually get better

Because it’s NOT possible to stay bad if you’re putting in the reps.

I’ve seen people move countries with
no local experience,
no network,
sometimes not even the language.

The confidence they have today isn’t talent.
It’s hours.
Weeks.
Months of showing up anyway.

So please, stop telling yourself:
“I’m struggling because I’m new here.”

That explanation doesn’t age well.
And it expires much faster than you think.

Send this to someone who’s capable of more than they’re currently doing. 💌 

#CreateMomentum

Last year, I realized I had built my entire motivation system around validation at work.

Here are 3 ways I wouldn’t recommend chasing validation as a corporate softie:

1. Waiting for praise to feel competent
No Teams message? No “great job” in a 1:1?
My brain instantly translated silence into you’re not enough.

2. Overdelivering just to be noticed
Every deck, every email, every extra task came with an unspoken hope:
Someone will see this and say I’m doing well.

3. Treating feedback as emotional currency
Good feedback = dopamine high.
No feedback = self-doubt spiral.
That loop is exhausting.

This is how I do it instead:

1. Work from my own standards.
I do a good job because it aligns with my values, not because I’m hoping someone claps.

2. Let feedback be information, not identity.
Useful? I take it. 🙂 
Neutral? I don’t take it personal. 🙂 

3. Give myself credit first.
External praise is a bonus now not a lifeline.

Remember:
If you’re constantly refreshing your inbox for a “great job” message, it’s not a motivation problem, it’s a validation loop.

Building an internal feedback system is one of the softest, strongest things you can do for your career.

✨ If this resonated, you’re not alone. 💌 

#CreateMomentum

Focusing on tiny, low‑effort habits you can stack into your week now is how you stay visible at work all year without waiting for the next “fresh start” or promotion cycle to finally take yourself seriously.

Save this carousel, if you want micro-visibility habits that feel low‑maintenance, low‑overwhelm, and actually doable on a busy Tuesday not a 5am miracle routine you’ll drop in 10 days.

#CreateMomentum

7 micro visibility habits

If I were starting (or resetting) my career today, 
here’s how I adapt Lagom to my work life and how YOU can too 👇

✅ Work within clear hours 
Not because I lack ambition, but because I respect my energy.
Focused hours > stretched days.

✅ Prioritize deeply, not endlessly
One or two meaningful outcomes a day beats juggling ten half-done tasks.

✅ Use systems instead of constant effort
Checklists, routines, and structure so I don’t rely on motivation alone.

✅ Upskill with intention
I learn what’s relevant to my role and next step. (one skill or tool at a time)

✅ Use breaks intentionally
Short check-ins with coworkers, have unplanned conversations. (that's what makes workplaces humane)

What would you add in your current routine to make it a little more lagom?

#createmomentum

How to practice letting others move at their speed:

1. Stop racing clocks that aren’t yours
2. Treat comparison like background noise, not instructions
3. Build a pace you can actually breathe in

Many of us (including me, guilty as charged 🫣 ) get stuck measuring our progress against someone else’s highlight reel.
Promotions, salaries, titles, timelines : they start to feel like scorecards instead of stories.

There will always be someone earning more, moving faster, or posting bigger wins.

Now, REPEAT after me :

Instead of using their timeline as a weapon against myself,
I’m choosing to build a career I can actually enjoy living in.

Slow enough to notice it.
Steady enough to trust it.

#createmomentum

Everyone says being a “soft girl” at work means you’re sweet, emotional, and just lucky to have a good manager and honestly, I disagree.

Not because softness doesn’t matter, but because most women are using it in the "sit quietly and hope they notice" way.

Most corporate women are trying to be the “nice colleague” everyone loves, when in reality, softness is a leadership strategy you can actually build.

Empathy, calm energy, and emotional intelligence are not fluffy extras, they’re the exact skills modern companies say they want in leaders and people managers.​

The more you protect your time, the more high‑impact projects you can own.
The more you document your work, the easier it is for leaders to see your value.
And the more you show up as your soft, honest self, the more people trust you with the big stuff.

Being a soft girl in corporate is about becoming the kind of woman who naturally attracts opportunities because her boundaries, communication, and consistency make her impossible to overlook.

So no, you don’t need to “toughen up” or become a different person to move up.
You need to stop hiding behind “she’s just nice” and start using your softness as your edge.

🤍 Save this if you’re done shrinking your softness

#createmomentum
LinkedIn Guide to Creating

Corporate Softie Narrative

Choosing a “soft” approach at work doesn’t mean doing less.
It means being intentional about where your energy goes.

From a corporate lens, this looks like 👇

1️⃣ Curating peace at work, not chaos
Clear priorities > constant firefighting.
Strong boundaries > being available 24/7.
Sustainable performance beats short-term hustle.

2️⃣ Romanticizing routines = building systems
Daily check-ins, structured workflows, focused deep work blocks.
Not everything has to be rushed to be effective.

3️⃣ Rest as a performance strategy
Well-rested people make better decisions.
They communicate better.
They lead better.
This isn’t softness, it’s operational maturity.

4️⃣ Speaking to yourself like a leader, not a critic
Growth conversations don’t start with self-shame.
They start with awareness, reflection, and course correction.

5️⃣ Investing in what actually nourishes your career
Skills over titles.
Learning over constant proving.
People and environments that support long-term growth.

Ambition doesn’t always NEEED to look aggressive. 😉 

#createmomentum

Week back as a corporate softie in 2026 working as an operations coordinator at Weir Minerals 🫶💻

This Wednesday was my first day back at work after 2 weeks off, and honestly, 3 working days felt like a tiny soft launch back into reality.

✨ What I worked on :
→ Picked up one main pending task: the office extension work
→ Reviewed the 2026 goals to get clarity on what this year is really building toward
→ Started shaping the training coordination work plan, which looks like the biggest chunk of work ahead
→ Initiated planning for the first training of the year [feels good to get the ball rolling early]
→ Began working on the internal communications plan for the year [completely new territory for me 🫣]

✍ Things I learned from my manager this week
1. Templatise articles instead of starting from scratch every time
2. Go to teams with a clear plan instead of asking “what would you like to do?”
3. Be intentional about audiences - refer back to one main repository instead of creating new ones again and again

📖 Resource that helped me this week : How to Create a World Class Internal Comms Strategy with Jenni Field (by Workvivo by Zoom YouTube video)

📞 Helpline to all office admins/workplace folks - When you’re managing an office extension or moving to a new building, how do you handle things going off-plan due to factors outside your control?

PS: Inspired by the weekly wrap-up posts by Morgan, trying my own version here 🙂

#createmomentum

The fastest way to build a real office culture
is to let people be a little weird at lunch.

Why is there this obsession with:
“Lunch is personal time. No work talk. Just eat.”

Every lunch could be a mini offsite.
Instead, most of them become a silent scrolling competition.

And then there are days like the “pump” day.

Let me take you to one of our lunch discussion - we started talking about how pump really works which went to centrifugal pump, Archimedes' screw and what not. 
At end Mauricio just concluded: “A pump is a pump.”

Here’s what these lunchtime conversations really create:
1. They melt the formal mask.
2. They turn colleagues into actual people.
3. They become inside jokes you remember more than most meetings.

I love a focused, productive workday.
But I also love a slightly chaotic, very human lunch table.

Because culture is built when someone says something so random
that everyone forgets to check their phones for 20 minutes.

A big part of being a team at Weir Minerals is you actually enjoy working with & is feeling safe enough to be your weird, curious, honest self.

If we can’t handle that for 30 minutes over food,
I’m not sure how we’re handling real collaboration.

P.S: Do you have a “a pump is a pump”-level quote from your office?

#createmomentum
LinkedIn Guide to Creating

Here’s something people who move countries don’t talk about enough…
(and it has nothing to do with museums, snow photos, or “living the dream”)

A lot of us leave behind careers, identities, and support systems to start again from the beginning.

While many people plan the move on paper (flights, documents, housing), very few prepare for what it does to their confidence, their career, and their sense of self.

It’s no surprise that many of us hit bumps in those first few years. SO : 

It’s okay if your career path looks “messy” for a while.
It’s okay if you feel behind when you compare yourself to people back home.
It’s okay if some days you’re excited to be here and other days you just miss home.

Over time, I realised this:

- You can support someone else’s dream without giving up on your own.
- You’re allowed to grieve the life you left, even if you chose this one.
- Starting again in your 20s or 30s (or later) doesn’t mean you failed; it means you’re brave.
- The “small” wins: a new friend, a local coffee spot, your first job interview in a new country, are not small at all.
- You’re not “just a dependent” or “just a student.” You’re rebuilding a whole identity.

Here’s what I’d tell my past self who just moved:

Be grateful you got this chance. Don’t overthink the next 5 years.
Don’t compare every day to “how it was back home.”
Just focus on building today 🫶 

What’s one thing you’d tell yourself on the day you moved countries?

#CreateMomentum

If your 9-to-5 makes you feel like a replaceable part in a giant machine, this is for you.

Here are my TOP 3 learnings as a corporate softie from Dan Koe’s video on thriving with multiple interests :

1️⃣ Being hyper-specialised in one repetitive task makes you easy to replace and slowly kills your curiosity and joy at work.
- you can stop blaming yourself for being bored and start designing a path where your different skills and curiosities actually work together instead of being squeezed into one box.

2️⃣ Your mix of interests (career, psychology, content, productivity, etc.) is not a distraction; it’s the intersection that makes yourperspective hard to copy, even by AI.
- you jumping between interests isn’t a character problem; it’s your brain trying to collect more dots so you can connect them in a unique way later.

3️⃣ Instead of just binge‑watching or reading, you can treat it as “research” and share simple notes online, turning learning into an asset, not just an escape. (just like this one 😉 )
- you don’t wait to become an expert. You just study, take notes in public, and let that habit quietly build an audience, reputation, and optionality outside your 9‑to‑5.

BONUS - Your personal brand is the space where people come to change, using the same ideas and systems you're using to help the past version of YOU.
- you stop forcing yourself into random “niches” and instead build a space that reflects your mind, helping the past version of you.

Which one of these ideas are you going to act on first ?

#CreateMomentum

Here are a 3️⃣ signs you might be a corporate softie:

Number 1️⃣ : You feel genuinely guilty when you don’t give 120%, even if no one asked you to. Over-preparing, over-delivering, triple‑checking emails, this is your way of coping with the fear of disappointing people. It looks like “ownership” on the outside, but inside it’s your brain trying to keep you safe.

Number 2️⃣ : You need time to emotionally recover after “small” work moments. A sharp Teams message, a skipped thank you, a tense meeting, your body holds onto it for hours. Other people brush it off. You replay it in your head on the commute home, wondering if you did something wrong.

Number 3️⃣ : You think a lot about whether you belong at work. Self‑determination theory says we need autonomy, competence, and relatedness to truly thrive and corporate softies are hyper‑tuned into that relatedness part. If the room feels cold, you shut down. If your manager is kind, you blossom.

You are not “too sensitive for corporate.” You are a sensitive professional in a system that was not designed with you in mind. 

And that’s why I’m building a community for professionals who don’t just want to survive performance reviews and team calls, but want to feel safe, seen, and allowed to be soft at work.

Do you secretly think you might be a “corporate softie”? 

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