“The business world is full of fads and construction is not immune...

...During my career I’ve been indoctrinated many times, on everything from timber frame to toilet pods.

Some came up after we went under the microscope of Latham and Egan. God bless ‘em, stout chaps, both a long way from a town called Stupid, but nonetheless responsible for a rush of blood to our fashion-craving heads.

Even the Construction Best Practise Programme has been remodelled as Constructing Excellence. Where will it end? Perhaps Oscar Wilde was on the money when he said: “Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.”

These fads have led us to believe that they could take us, like Harry Potter, through Loading Bay 9¾ to the Nirvana of our craft.

To be honest, I have finally grown into the cynicism of adulthood. I used to greet each new fad with a passion. Now I know there is no one-suit-fits-all. Construction is just as prone to the dowager-in-hot-pants syndrome as the next sector. If the cut of the cloth is inappropriate, you’ve got a walking disaster!

Unless it fits with a company’s culture, stage of development and skills base, at least adapt the cut to suit your needs. Or leave it on the hanger till a more appropriate garment comes along.

For the next fad, can we go retro? Can we recycle that wonderful fad, The Craic? Let’s not take ourselves too seriously, as we do seem to have lost that wonderful Celtic tradition of taking the rise out of ourselves. Wouldn’t all offices and projects in our extremely innovative and industrious sector, improve their efficiency, creativity and team spirit with the sound of more laughter?

Personally, I’m with George Bernard Shaw on this one: “Life does not cease to be funny when people die, any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.”