How to Evaluate a Superintendent Candidate: What Most Hiring Processes Miss
Superintendent hiring is one of the most technically specific and consistently misjudged searches in construction leadership. Matt Lesher of Real8 Group explains what effective evaluation actually tests, and what most interview processes miss in institutional and owners’ rep contexts.
How to Build a Succession Bench for Facilities and Construction Leadership: A Four-Step Playbook
Most organizations have not planned who fills their VP of Facilities or Director of Construction when the current leader departs. Real8 Group’s four-step playbook covers succession identification, gap-closing development, honest timeline assessment, and transition planning.
The Relocation Problem in Senior Construction and Facilities Executive Searches
Relocation is one of the most consistently underestimated obstacles in senior construction and facilities executive searches. Real8 Group covers why it is harder at the VP and Director level, where organizations make avoidable mistakes, and how to structure searches that close.
What Institutional Clients Get Wrong About the Owners’ Rep Model, and What It Means for Hiring: Insights from Matt Lesher
Institutional clients consistently misunderstand what the owners’ rep model requires to work well, and those misunderstandings shape how they hire project leadership. Matt Lesher of Real8 Group explains the patterns he observes and what they mean for staffing capital programs.
When the Role Changes Mid-Search: Why Scope Creep Kills Construction and Facilities Executive Searches
Scope creep, when a role expands or shifts materially after a search has launched, is one of the most common and most preventable reasons construction and facilities executive searches fail. Real8 Group explains how it happens and how to manage it.
Why the Director of Engineering Role Is Almost Always Underleveled at Institutional Organizations: Insights from Matt Lesher
The Director of Engineering role is routinely underleveled at universities, health systems, and cultural institutions. Matt Lesher of Real8 Group explains what that costs organizations in recruiting and retention, and how to fix it before the search starts.
How to Run a Reference Check That Actually Tells You Something About a Senior Construction or Facilities Candidate
Most reference checks for senior construction and facilities executives produce no useful information. Real8 Group’s playbook covers the questions, structure, and signals that make a reference conversation genuinely valuable.
When a Passive Candidate Says “I Need to Think About It”: Why Most Organizations Handle the Next 72 Hours Badly
When a passive construction or facilities executive candidate says they need time after an offer, the next 72 hours determine whether the search closes or restarts. Real8 Group explains why organizations misread this moment and what actually works.
What Separates a High-Performing Institutional Facilities Team from a Struggling One: Insights from Matt Lesher
The difference between a high-performing and a struggling institutional facilities team is organizational and leadership-driven, not technical. Matt Lesher of Real8 Group shares what he observes and what it means for how organizations should hire.
How to Structure Compensation for a New VP or Director-Level Construction and Facilities Hire
Most offer-stage failures in construction and facilities executive search are structuring problems, not number problems. Real8 Group walks through how to build and present a compensation package that closes your preferred candidate.
The No-Decision-Maker Problem: Why Construction and Facilities Executive Searches Stall at the Finish Line
When no single person owns the hiring decision, construction and facilities executive searches stall, lose candidates, and reset. Real8 Group explains the root causes and how to structure a search process that actually reaches a decision.
What the First 90 Days Should Accomplish for a New Institutional Facilities Leader: Insights from Matt Lesher
Most organizations leave a new VP of Facilities or Director of Construction to figure out the environment on their own. Matt Lesher of Real8 Group shares what effective onboarding looks like and what the first 90 days should actually accomplish.