Written by Sue Dyer, Founder, IPI    

Construction leaders today face a paradox: we’re expected to make confident decisions about a future that feels less predictable than ever. Technology is racing ahead, workforce expectations are shifting, and public projects must meet ever-higher standards for sustainability and community value. Forecasting exact outcomes isn’t realistic—but that doesn’t mean we’re powerless.

What sets great leaders apart is not their ability to predict the future, but their ability to adopt the right attitudes toward it. Nick Foster, Futurist and Designer offers four simple but powerful lenses—Could, Should, Might, and Don’t—offer a way for project teams to explore possibilities, set priorities, and avoid pitfalls together.

Four Attitudes for Future-Ready Leaders

• Could – the realm of possibilities. What innovations, approaches, or opportunities could benefit this project?
• Should – the values filter. Among all the options, which ones align with the team’s shared commitments to safety, sustainability, and community benefit?
• Might – the pragmatic lens. What might realistically work under schedule, budget, and resource constraints?
• Don’t – the discipline of restraint. What should we avoid so we don’t waste energy or create harm?

Used together, these attitudes help leaders move beyond guesswork and instead guide their teams toward decisions that are bold, grounded, and collaborative.

A Project Example

On a recent public works project, the team debated whether to implement a new BIM-enabled collaboration platform.

• From a Could perspective, it promised better clash detection and cost certainty.
• Through a Should lens, the team weighed whether the platform would serve the community’s priorities for transparency and carbon reduction.
• The Might conversation raised risks: training costs, software compatibility, and schedule impacts.
• Finally, Don’t reminded the team not to adopt technology for its own sake—or allow it to create new silos.

By working through all four attitudes, the team decided to pilot BIM on targeted design packages rather than force adoption across the board. The result: lower risk, higher alignment, and a solution that truly served the project.

Where Collaboration Comes In

These four attitudes don’t exist in isolation. They thrive in environments where teams can share ideas openly, debate constructively, and commit to decisions together. That’s exactly what Structured Collaborative Partnering (SCP) creates.

• In partnering workshops, Could ideas are welcomed without judgment.
• The Should questions are surfaced collectively, aligning values across owners, contractors, designers, and managers.
• Might discussions are tested through joint risk assessments and scenario discussions.
• And Don’t is built into partnering charters, where teams commit to avoiding adversarial behaviors like surprise claims or siloed decision-making.

Through partnering, these attitudes become a shared discipline rather than an individual burden.

Why This Matters Now

Construction is a collaborative sport. Adversarial approaches not only generate claims and delays but also burn out the very people we need most in the field. Future-ready leaders are the ones who:

• Encourage expansive thinking (Could) without letting it drift into wishful thinking.
• Anchor decisions in values (Should) rather than politics.
• Test scenarios with realism (Might) instead of blind optimism.
• And practice discipline (Don’t) by refusing to waste time on conflict or outdated practices.

A Call to Action

The future of public works and infrastructure will not be shaped by predictions—it will be shaped by leaders who know how to guide their teams through uncertainty together. The four attitudes—Could, Should, Might, and Don’t—offer a practical framework for doing just that.

At IPI, our mission is to equip those leaders through Structured Collaborative Partnering and the Project Leader Certification program. Both are designed to help project leaders turn these attitudes into action, ensuring not just successful projects but healthier, more resilient teams.

The future isn’t something we forecast. It’s something we build—together.