Every contractor deals with daily problems and challenges that must be adjusted to in order to put his or her crew or company in the best position to win. Like a quarterback in football, construction leaders don’t have all the time in the world to react. You must respond in a timely manner with the best “play” possible to reinforce to your followers that you understand the situation and have the best corrective action possible to execute.
Learn more in today’s Learning While Listening podcast, “Casualties of Construction.”
[TRANSCRIPT]
Visiting with a contractor recently I was reminded of some of the not so fun things that contractors and construction leaders must do. The not so fun things like letting a long-term employee go due to their growing poor performance, or having to hold a customer accountable to what was agreed to in a contract, or to not allowing an employee to take off a few days due to your schedule needs even after you had OK’d their time off.
I call these examples, and certainly others that might be more painful or uncomfortable the “casualties of construction.” These are not illegal, immoral, or unethical type of events but just decisions that a leader is confronted with that has to be confronted or addressed.
The realities of construction casualties reminded me how important it is for an owner or leader to have a good handle on their values, their view of business, and their realistic outlook on making their business successful. Let me share a few insights into what many effective contractors do to handle some of the more unpleasant decisions that must be made.
- First, be True to Your Personal Mission
No owner or leader can feel like their “life’s mission” or purpose is being trashed. A leader must be firm, not arrogant, in their commitment to treat people with respect and to understand that not everyone else in their world will agree with their mission. That’s OK, let the others in your life construct their own mission.
- Develop a Strategic Plan on Running Your Company
Even non-owners who are still leaders need a clear view of how they want to lead their organization or their part of the organization. I love the Old Testament perspective of this insight which says “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Most “followers” in our companies are drawn to leaders with a vision and a plan. Having such a strategic plan keeps you grounded and provides a reminder when things get cloudy.
- Communicate Honestly, Objectively, and as Accurately as Possible
This is a toughie for many leaders. How do you tell that employee who has been with you for twenty plus years that their performance just isn’t making the grade? This is tough! However, it is important to line out to any employee what the need is and how they are doing compared to what is needed. It is important to be honest and just as critical to be objective. Objective feedback suggests that you consider all sides to the issue. Allow others to provide feedback that may not always agree with your perspective. Just allowing others to sound off to you can strengthen their respect for you. Finally, being accurate is the last critical piece. No one likes to be given the wrong information for any reason. Accuracy implies that you are separating the myths from facts.
- Deal with Confusion or Concerns Professionally and Promptly
It is amazing how strong the rumor mill can be in most construction companies. I’ve seen just as much confusion in a small company of ten to fifteen employees as I have a company of five hundred. What employees don’t understand or are confused about often becomes fodder for the expansion of rumors. When such confusion is present it is the leader who must address this head-on. State the truth and facts as clearly as possible. If the confusion or concern has a touch of confidentiality built in then certainly be sensitive to the confidential issue but if there is no issue here, then clarify the confusion and move on.
Dealing professionally and promptly suggests that you never assign blame to an individual, that is, at least publicly. Stay calm and collected. Don’t let the confusion or problems of others rattle your emotional cage and begin to lower your own behavior to less than professional. Such demonstrations often leave the leader looking guilty of covering up some point of interest to others.
- Look to Turn Problematic Situations into Positive Turn-about
This doesn’t require that you be an eternal optimist but it will require that you consider what good can come out of a difficult situation. For instance, a better than average worker quits your firm and those who worked with the individual are uneasy about the immediate future. Immediately consider sharing with those left behind of the opportunities that now exist for someone to step up or for some new approaches to be considered that may have been resisted too in the recent past. Many employees are drawn to the leader who just doesn’t put a positive spin on a bad issue but is proactive enough to say, “OK folks, let’s quit feeling sorry for ourselves, roll up or sleeves, and get with the program!”
Certainly a leader deals with thousands of decisions a day, certainly in the span of a week. And the manner in which you, as the leader, respond to each and every opportunity is the chance to make a well thought out and prepared decision. I often refer to construction owners and leaders as quarterbacks who must be prepared to “audible” at the line of scrimmage if faced with a defense that poses a problem to success.
You are the quarterback. The “defense” facing you consists of the daily problems and challenges that you must adjust to in order to put your crew or company in the best position to win. Like a quarterback you don’t have all the time in the world to react. You must respond in a timely manner with the best “play” possible to reinforce to your followers that you understand the situation and have the best corrective action possible to execute.
Brad Humphrey will be presenting eight different seminars at the upcoming World of Concrete 2008. Plan on attending one or more of Brad’s sessions and find more secrets and techniques to being the best leader you are capable of being!
