Renato Lerner in Authority Magazine: Leadership, Experience and Staying Close to the Work

About the interview

In the conversation, Renato Lerner revisits nearly three decades of civil engineering and management: his engineering education in Brazil, more than ten years working in Angola — where he implemented a mandatory workplace safety program that reduced accidents and raised productivity — and his entry into the U.S. real estate market after a year and a half of study before his first Florida project.

The central theme is what separates good leaders from exceptional ones. Renato highlights five traits: long-term vision, the ability to make decisions under pressure, people management, constant innovation and unshakeable ethics. He also discusses emotional intelligence, the humility to learn before acting, transparency in difficult conversations and adaptability — describing how his team adjusted processes and adopted new technologies during the pandemic instead of halting projects.

A recurring thread is staying close to the work and to people: listening to workers directly on the jobsite to solve problems, investing in knowledge and creating opportunities — he mentions bricklayers who became foremen and junior engineers who became directors. Asked what movement he would start, he answers: a global program to teach management and entrepreneurship to small builders and construction workers.

Why this conversation matters to construction companies

Current Elevare perspective — not the interview’s words

The interview’s themes — listening to the field, deciding with information and developing people — are the same ones that structure Elevare’s work today. In Elevare’s reading, leadership that stays close to operations is a practical expression of Organizational Capability: a company only sustains growth when cash, team, processes, information and execution discipline keep pace with ambition. Tools such as Buffer™ and disciplined construction financial management exist to give leaders the visibility that experience taught them to seek. Explore the Elevare articles for more.