News & Events

Senior Project Manager Matt Abraham attended the latest ACEC/MA Odyssey Leadership Program. He participated in nine in-person sessions from September 2022 through May 2023 covering topics ranging from self-motivation assessments and creating a leadership culture to mentoring and empowering others. At Tighe & Bond, Matt has a dual role, as a Resource Manager and project manager. As Resource Manager, he helps coordinate staffing for the firm’s Site Assessment Teams across Massachusetts, and in his technical role, he manages site assessment and remediation projects for our power utilities clients and developers.

Matt shared the takeaways from his in-depth leadership training with ACEC/MA and how it will help to shape his role at Tighe & Bond.

Q: Why did you choose to take this leadership course?

A: It had been a personal goal for me to identify the right leadership program to attend. This one was suggested by our Environment Business Line Leader, Dan Rukakoski, and once I read about the program, I was excited to join. Looking at the Tighe & Bond career path there is a technical path and a project management path, and I always intended to follow the project manager track and develop as an employee manager. I wanted to improve my understanding of the motivations behind different people’s work styles so I could connect with them and help them achieve their goals.

Q: What were your takeaways from the courses?

A: One of the biggest things was the self-evaluation using the  Motivation Value System (MVS). Understanding differing MVS can help you communicate and connect with your team members. We also discussed how to address conflict and how to use the MVS method to resolve it. I had attended the internal Tighe & Bond Leadership Institute before receiving this training from ACEC/MA. Our internal program discussed emotional intelligence, and the ACEC program further developed these ideas and provided a more in-depth understanding of effective leadership methods.

Lightbulbs go off during this training, where you look back at situations in your career and have a better understanding of why situations turned out the way they did. The training allowed me to reflect on how I would have handled situations differently.

Q: How will this affect your leadership at Tighe & Bond?

A: I’ve learned a lot about myself through this process and I think the most important thing is trying to apply the MVS principles in everyday life at work and at home. We all think differently when approaching a project, problem, or conflict. I need to identify each individual’s style to help motivate them and help our teams succeed.