Tag Archives: workers

Creating More Participation at Construction Meetings

+

As a Construction Leader, if you are having trouble getting people attending your meetings to participate, you’re not alone.  Many of the Leaders I work with across the country have had this same challenge.  While not every reason for those attending your meeting, and NOT participating, is your fault, there are several things you can do to increase the level of participation by those in attendance.

#1 – Create a Meeting Agenda…and Forward it 1-3 Days in Advance

Not exactly “rocket science,” but most Construction Leaders fail here.  Quite honestly, here’s my thoughts on agendas and meetings: NO AGENDA…NO MEETING!

How’s that for bluntness?  In fact, let me punctuate further…

NO DARN AGENDA… NO DARN MEETING!

The agenda is more than a time management tool, it allows each attendee to know, in advance, where it is you want their minds and brains.  If you want them to participate, state that on the agenda.  For example, say that one of your agenda items needs discussion, here’s how you might list this on your Agenda.

6:30AM – 6:50AM  Housekeeping Challenges (Guys, we need you to come to the meeting with 2-3 ideas on how we can better handle this growing problem.)

Now, it’s not perfect, but it lets those attending the meeting to know that you are expecting more from them than just sitting there.

#2 – Start Every Meeting with Some Positive Observations & Recognition

OK, I know that this can be tough to do.  You only have a 30-minute meeting scheduled so you want to get to the meaty stuff quickly.  Slow down, “Mr. I’m In a Hurry,” start your meeting off by verbally thanking your leaders, pointing out anything that any one of them have done in the past week that has been proactive, positive, and deserves recognizing. 

This positive start also encourages the players, confirms really, that you are not just focused on negative issues.  Rather, you are reminding each attendee that you see the positive, collective good that is being done on the project.

#3 – Prepare Select Individuals to Share Their Idea or Challenge

This is an old facilitator’s trick to “priming the pump.”  This tool allows you to have a few guys in your back pocket who can share their experience, or ideas, that they may have shared with you prior to the meeting.  Often, your team only needs one or two individuals to open up about a situation or problem, and then they feel that they too can share.

#4 – Positively Call Out Individuals to Share Their Views, Concerns, or Solutions

Sure, this can be a little embarrassing, but most of the guys you call on will get over it soon enough I’m thinking.  Be positive, don’t pick on a guy who screwed up big time just to embarrass him by having him explain to his guys about his big screw-up from the past job.

This effort can actually be a leadership development technique.  How many times have you had your eye on one of your workers who has demonstrated some potential leadership?  However, that same individual goes “silent” during a meeting, seldom sharing their great insights.  Sometimes we must nudge potential leaders, just a little, before they begin to come out of their cocoon and spread their wings to take flight.

#5 – Thank Those Who Do Share Their Ideas or Concerns

Hey, DO NOT shut down the guy who does volunteer an idea or expresses a concern.  That’s the quickest way to shutting down the entire room.  As bad as an idea might be, or as wrong as it may be, thank the person for sharing, and move on.   You will open the door for more sharing from the other guys if you are more positive when you do receive some input.  This technique is pure and simple a “PR” move to win over the trust of the other individuals who are not saying much.

#6 – Create “Mini-Teams” to Address a Question

One of the best methods I’ve used, with a quiet group, is to ask a question and then have the group break into mini-teams, of 2-4 individuals, to brainstorm for one or two responses.  This hardly ever fails, and takes a lot of pressure off most of the guys who will not talk to save their life.  Try this and you’ll be amazed how successful you will be AND how much more confidence the individuals will feel.

#7 – Follow-up with Those Who Do Share…After the Meeting

Don’t tackle those individuals who spoke in the meeting, but in the next day or so, let them know that you appreciated their input.  This will go a long way to improve their motivation for future meetings and tear down more fear from speaking up.

Another benefit, by following up with those who do share, is that you may receive more information from the individual that can be helpful.  Remember, some individuals, during meetings, will refrain from saying too much for fear that they may be viewed as “brown-nosing” or trying to appear to know more than others.  Seldom are these reasons even remotely accurate, but it is amazing the reasons some individuals will not participate in a meeting.

#8 – Remember, You Do Catch More Flies with Honey…Rather Than Dirty and Harsh Talk

Beating your audience up because they will not speak up is a huge mistake to win their confidence in you and to feel safe to speak in front of others.  Our culture is construction, and as such, many leaders still tend to talk tough.  However, remember that we are not in the 70’s, 80’s, or 90’s. 

Should you shout, talk down to your meeting participants, use an overabundance of foul language, etc., you are merely using the same, and incredibly “non-creative” intimidation tactics of some of the world’s biggest bullies known to man.  In this case, only one of two things will happen, and they are both not good for leaders trying to gain greater participation. 

  1. Some individuals will just say, “up yours’,” and leave eventually.
  2. Some individuals, who you need the most, will “shut down,” becoming even more quiet and remaining resistive to participation.

Construction Leaders lead meetings; it’s a growing portion of how we spend our days and weeks.  Do not use your meetings as your “bully pit,” controlling the agenda, discussion, and even thinking, but instead, create a safe place where those in attendance can share what’s on their brains without fear of losing theirs’. 

As our projects, and many customers, continue to be challenging and desiring more from us as Construction Leaders, it is high time that all Leaders take a new approach to gaining more participation at meetings.  Be more creative, and less impatient with others, to developing greater trust in those attending your meetings.  Trust me, you will gain more participation!

“Would you like to share your thoughts?”

Brad Humphrey

The Contractor’s Best Friend

Employee Development, , , , , ,

Working With Mediocrity

+

Mediocrity and the construction industry don’t go together very well. No contractor I know will ever admit to purposely recruit mediocre workers.  Yet, many of the same contractors do admit to having a great many workers who are far from excellent or highly motivated to learn.  Welcome to the reality, the nightmare really, of working with mediocrity.

silhouette engineer looking Loaders and trucks in a building site over Blurred construction worker on construction site

 

The definition of mediocrity is quite interesting.  You will find several definitions, including:

“The quality of something that is not very good;

a person who does not have the special ability to do something well.”

For contractors who sell quality, “best in class,” and No Bad Job projects, the reality of employing workers who are, quite honestly, not very good or who do not have the special ability to do something well, the future can be quite depressing.  Where is a contractor to find workers who are better than mediocre?

Not sure if I can add a whole lot more to where to find more productive workers than what I’ve written in past articles through the years.  However, what I do think is worth addressing is more focused on how to deal with those employees who you might consider to be more mediocre in their work habits, performance, and results.

There are no secrets here or any magic pills to ask your workers to take to move them up a notch or two on the performance ladder of effort.  But, there are several actions you can take to insure that you are bringing out the best that is possible from those workers who may be performance challenged.

  1. Spend Additional Time Spelling Out Daily Expectations

Setting out the weeks schedule might work for your best performers but for the mediocre worker, a daily dose of “what we are going to do today” cannot be overemphasized.

  1. Turn Follow-up a Quarterly Habit

If you quarter up your day you will find that there are about four 90-120 minute sections of time.  Each “quarter” should engage your touring your work areas to insure that workers, especially your known mediocre workers, are doing what they were assigned to do.

  1. Build on Every Positive Demonstration of Productive Movement

Sounds crazy but you will need to reaffirm each and every positive effort put forth by those who do not quite hold the bar of performance excellence as high.  Such positive reinforcement can go a long way to winning these folks over to putting out more effort.

  1. Keep the Bar Raised on Needed Productivity, Quality, & Commitment to Excellence

Don’t allow the workers who are mediocre to subtly dictate to you that some days will not be great.  You might shoot for greatness every day and on every project.  Let your guard down just a little here and you will have a project go south on your faster than you can shake a stick.

  1. Don’t Settle for Less than Needed Results

OK, let’s face it, not everything that even our best workers do is perfect…every time.  However, when the results are not quite there and reworking it will not cost you too much…do the rework to insure that your workers realize the seriousness of doing things right the first time.  There is an old adage that goes something like, “Perfection is the enemy of effectiveness.”  While true, you want to lead, mold, and maintain perfection in following important processes and procedures.

  1. Engage Your Customers to Give Workers Feedback on Their Results

Often, what a customer might say can have more impact on workers than anything an owner might try to communicate.  The boss can discuss how important quality is all day and not raise an eye lid from their workers; have a customer say the same thing and suddenly the workers are knocking themselves out trying to meet the customer’s expectations.

  1. Engage More of Your Mediocre Workers in Job Reviews & Best Practices Learned

Because many mediocre workers often display low interest in getting better, contractors will naturally focus more improvement discussions on workers who appear to care about quality and getting better.  This can be a huge mistake, as often the mediocre folks need to be brought into discussions about getting better.  The effort will encourage them to feel like they are part of something that includes and welcomes them and their ideas.  Remember, it’s this group of mediocre workers that have often been forgotten by leaders who were more interested in working with those who clearly demonstrate their interest to be better.

  1. Engage Your Mediocre Workers Face to Face

It is very common for the mediocre workers to feel like they are just a number.  For many, this is a comfortable existence that doesn’t single out or make an example of.  However, by pushing past this and actually engaging your mediocre workers, face to face, you are challenging them to listen, to step up, to do something beyond just showing up to work and moving through the motions.  This effort will “arm twist” your worker to respond and to react to your proactive effort.

OK, while I know that for many workers of mediocrity, not one of the eight suggestions just listed may have the desired result, the effort may still connect with some of your workers.  Sure, you can terminate the mediocre employees but you might be surprised about how many that might actually include.

Rather than get all worked up and frustrated about what is not happening it’s very important that you go on offense in playing this game.  Influencing our workers has never been a defensive strategy but instead one that “takes the game to them.”

We all employ mediocre workers.  In fact, some of our best mediocre workers have been with us for five, ten, fifteen or more years.  So, instead of complaining about them, let’s engage them by integrating some or all of the efforts listed earlier.  What do you have to lose?

Here’s to working with mediocrity…and maybe, just maybe, learning to win!

Brad Humphrey

The Contractor’s Best Friend™

For more information about Brad and his organization, go to www.pinnacledg.com  Sign up now with Brad’s company App and keep the educational process rolling in your company.

Strategic Planning, , , , ,