“Competition may be smarter and better looking, but they can’t outwork you unless you let them”
– Donald Miller.
Hard work counts. So do soft skills like communicating and human relations. Unfortunately, many construction managers, well-schooled in engineering, have little or no training in leadership skills. Technical knowledge is essential, however the ability to lead, influence, think under pressure, and gain cooperation accounts for the majority of a manager’s success.
"The most important ingredient on any job is the leadership ability of the person on the job."
– John Roebling
Every construction owner knows that unresolved problems don’t roll downhill, but rather uphill, into their office. The goal is having competent leaders at the lowest level of authority, handling routine matters effectively. Companies with strong teams keep training a priority, believing that school is never really out for pros. Training Is not something they did, it’s something they do.
For highly successful contractors, the initials PM also stands for people manager. They know companies don’t build things, people do. How well their team members communicate impacts the bottom line. Fortunately, your team can develop more leadership skills.
They can learn to…
"Thanks for a successful course! The improvements in everyone is noticeable!"
– Jerry Grogan, VP AECOM
Get a proposal for bringing excellent leadership training to your team
Skill building takes time. Sharpening an axe takes time too, and like training, there are no shortcuts to doing right. Common sense tells us that no one can change overnight. Since you want noticeable behavioral improvement, people must be allowed time to practice what is taught inside the classroom outside the classroom. Spaced-repetition learning, is how people adopt new habits, through learning by doing. Finally, there needs to be accountability. Class members document principles they applied since the last session. They return and present specific examples, on their feet, to the entire group while receiving both oral and written feedback. Results? New awareness, understanding, and confidence knowing they had better success because of proven techniques.
"Nothing ever becomes real until it is experienced."
– John Keats
At this point you might be thinking “ You couldn’t get my guys to participate”. You could be right if they already hate working there. If not, then there’s no problem. We know them. We’ve met and successful worked with over 9,000 construction individuals. No two were the same. Our ability to engage them surprises most, but not us. Like them, we’re both selling trust.
When they witness this sincere, encouraging, and also challenging approach, 99% get on board. If there’s a really negative one-percenter, they usually make an about-face before the end of training. Sometimes, a less than positive class member serves as an unforeseen motivator to all those willing to do the hard work of learning.
"Communication and teamwork makes or breaks the bottom line on every job. The course helps our managers speak clearly and get more cooperation. We’ve sent 86 of them through the program. I’m open to anyone who would like to call me for a reference."
– Mitch Beckman, VP, WWebber
A construction owner once stated: “The question is not, what happens if I train them and they leave? The real question he said was “What happens if I don’t train them and they stay?...and continue talking to with customers, each other, and to me!”
1996 – We listened and with help from construction owners and managers we began delivering a process for developing America’s construction leaders. As of August, 2018, vertical builders, trade partners and highway companies have formed 217 training groups nationwide, ranging in size from 10-20 participants each.
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“If communication is not your top priority, all of your other priorities are at risk”.
– Bob Aronson
What specific leadership skills are important to your people?
Download a free Leadership Self-Assessment Survey
Finding great talent is hard, but what’s even more challenging is keeping the talent you have engaged so they will stay. It is believed that the opportunity for employees to continue to grow and develop through training is one of the most important components in employee motivation. Unless you continually reinvest in developing your employees with ongoing training – helping them reach their full potential – they may leave and you will find yourself back at square one trying to procure more talent. This process can be a time-consuming, stress-inducing cycle.
An inhouse leadership development program helps you groom future leaders. If you’d like to be able to promote staff to managerial positions in the future, targeted training now can help you ensure your best and brightest are prepared to move up.
EXPECT superior, long-lasting RESULTS.
A few months from now, your most admired employee will stand in your doorway and say; “Just wanted to say thanks for bringing that leadership training to us. Hands down, that was the best course taken and we can think of more employees to send through it in the future.” You’ve noticed too. If companies have personalities, yours just got more articulate, confident and earned morale boost competitors can’t understand. That’s the kind of results you want to see happen.
CREATE THE BEST AND MOST LEADERS
Like parenting, we want all the education for our kids that they want, because we care about them. Increasingly, the winning organization is the one that places high value on customers and employees, because taking good care of your people creates employees that take good care of customers. Remember: the companies with the most and best leaders WIN!
"Ken’s training is an awesome investment for your company!"
– Harold MacDowell, CEO TDindustries, Inc.
