We recruit for some of the best construction firms in the industry and we have learned what can make you stand out from the competition. In an industry that spearheads multimillion-dollar projects on a regular basis, it’s important for construction professionals to have great leadership skills. Leadership is vital in the construction industry, and if you want to be respected and be able to motivate a team, it may be time to retire certain leadership clichés.
1. Don’t Bring Me an Issue Without a Solution
In construction, it’s important to have an open-door policy and to trust your team. Your employees need to feel like they can bring issues to you for guidance and advice. You can definitely establish ground rules in the beginning, by stating that you would like for your team members to try to solve problems on their own before bringing them to you, but once that is established, you don’t need to ask every time. You can trust that if they are bringing something to your attention, then they have already tried to solve the problem on their own and would truly benefit from your guidance. This saying is intended to empower employees, yet it fails to address the fact that there are going to be complex issues that require teams of accountable people to solve them.
2. The Client is Always Right
Avoid using blatant clichés like this one if you want to keep the faith and trust of your employees strong. It’s not your employees’ fault that they encounter difficult or unreasonable clients, so it’s often best not to choose what side you are on in these situations. Assume the role of unbiased mediator to offer the most fair solutions.
3. Give 110 Percent
If you provide good construction leadership, then your employees will already be going above and beyond for you. Asking employees to give more than that only tells them you have unrealistic expectations. Provide them with specific, achievable goals instead.
4. Great Results Only Come From Perfect Plans
We have been in this profession long enough to know that there is no such thing as a perfect plan. There are way too many variables involved to conceive a flawless proposal in this trade. The sooner that you accept that they all have pros and cons the better you will be. Instead of dedicating all of your resources toward creating perfect plans, leveraging the talent of your team to overcome the challenges together.
5. Think Outside the Box
Some leaders use this phrase in hopes of sparking creativity. But, it’s too vague to be effective, and often leads workers to stray off task. Provide your team with clear guidelines when they need to consider problems differently.
How can we help you?
Searching for an opportunity in the construction industry? Contact The Birmingham Group’s team of seasoned commercial construction recruiters today to discuss your career path or browse our open positions.
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