3. How your relationships and the culture you cultivate will make or break your career

Building Doors with Lauren Karan

In this episode of BUILDING DOORS, we are joined by Sean Donald.

Sean has more than 25 years’ experience in civil construction. Sean joined Georgiou in July 2017 as Construction Manager, before being appointed Operations Manager in October 2020 and General Manager Qld in August 2022.

Sean believes culture and relationships are the key to longevity in the construction industry, not only for the individual but for any business. He upholds Georgiou’s value to be the best people to work with and actively encourages professional development to maintain a high-performance culture that exceeds client expectations. He cites growing the best people to work with and allowing them to reach their full potential as his personal goal.

His on-site construction experience facilitates the guidance and execution of innovative solutions to overcome constructability challenges and mitigate key risks. He desires nothing more than a complex, challenging project and works well with his teams to encourage innovation solutions to provide time and cost savings to his client. Furthermore, his experience managing stakeholder expectations and safe work operations in high-risk environments benefit the delivery teams he oversees.

Sean is also on the Board of the Civil Contractors Federation in Queensland.

Known for his happy nature and cheeky deposition, Sean’s spare time is spent with his wife, chasing their children around equestrian events and developing their latest property venture at Glamorgan Vale Queensland.

In this episode, Lauren learns how Sean ended up pursuing engineering as a career. Reflecting on the industry, Sean highlights what has changed in engineering. Lauren quizzes Sean has had amazing career progression despite only really having two jobs in over two decades and wants to know his insider tips for the next generation. From his parents, to his horses, to an industry veteran dubbed the “Charolais Bull”, Sean reflects on the impact that his vast collection of mentors have had on him and also how his hobbies positively influence his family, his work and his life. Getting ‘work life balance’ right as a man isn’t always as talked about as it should be and Sean shares the impact of his family on his career and how he integrates the two. Sean also shares some advice he would give to undergraduate engineers and what they can do to stand out and land their dream job.

You can contact Sean Donald, General Manager Qld - at Georgiou on LinkedIn

About your host: Lauren Karan, director and founder of Karan and Co

With over a decade of experience as a recruiter and development coach, Lauren Karan found that her priorities rapidly changed after the birth of her two children. In 2022 she founded Karan & Co flipping the out-dated recruitment model with a focus on retention through career coaching and development.

Lauren believes that If opportunity doesn't knock, you have to build a door - and it's this same philosophy that inspired her to create the Building Doors podcast.

The Building Doors podcast is for anyone undergoing a transformation in their life. Regardless of whether you feel stuck in your current role, need some inspiration on what steps to take next, want to learn how to level up as a business owner or simply want to listen to the experiences of successful entrepreneurs and industry professionals, the Building Doors podcast is all about unlocking your potential.

To say hello, provide feedback, or express interest in a guest appearance on The Building Doors Podcast get in touch with us at [e-mail].

We look forward to hearing from you!

Produced By The Podcast Boss