Ep.21 - Humility, Trust and the Human Side of Leadership

Marius Tawembe, Director of Special Projects at Pomerleau, joins Angelo to talk about what it actually takes to build a team, a culture, and a career in the corner of construction most people overlook. From his roots in Cameroon to leading complex live renovations in the GTA, Marius makes the case that humility, trust, and candor are not soft skills but the real engine of performance. Along the way he shares the FIXO model he uses for hard conversations, why he treats letting people go as an act of love, and how a 2008 layoff and a sponsored visa led him to Canada.

Key topics covered

• Building a Special Projects division from zero by “firing yourself” and reverse-engineering the ideal leader

• Humility as the most important leadership trait, and why certainty is dangerous

• Trust given up front: trust is given, mistrust is earned

• The FIXO model for tough conversations: facts, impact, expectation, opportunity

• Releasing people from a role they do not fit as an act of care

• Faith, an Achilles injury, and rediscovering what drives him

• Surviving the 2008 recession, a sponsored visa deadline, and choosing Canada

• Resiliency and the impermanence of good and bad seasons

• Psychological safety, belonging, and their link to retention

• Pomerleau’s national wellbeing committee and what employees actually asked for

• Retaining young talent through purpose and varied experience, not just pay

Guest bio

Marius Tawembe is Director of Special Projects at Pomerleau in the Greater Toronto Area. The son of an architect and structural engineer, he trained in civil engineering and architecture from age 14 and has spent more than two decades in construction across nationals, boutiques, and his own shop, on both estimating and operations. He coaches youth basketball and serves on Pomerleau’s national wellbeing committee.