11 minute read
Professional Sustainability Corner
Lifeguard or Swimmer?
Craig Woodall
As leaders we have many responsibilities, this series of articles (which started in the Winter 2015 edition) has delved into some of the challenges that we face as leaders including communication and dealing with change. There is however one ultimate responsibility of being a leader, more important than any other, and that is to create a leadership legacy, a generation of leaders to continue the journey that we have been a part of.
The task of a leader is to get people from where they are to where they have not been.
- Henry Kissinger
So to the question in the title: are you a swimmer or a lifeguard? Throughout my career I have had the pleasure of partnering with many organizations and you can usually tell within minutes of being in their company whether they are creating Leadership Legacy or just struggling through another day. I use the analogy of a swimming pool as I believe it is a perfect representation of the dynamics in most professional workplaces. Sometimes I walk into the pool area and I see the most mature and competent swimmers in the deep end, confidently swimming back and forth and occasionally exiting the water to climb the high board to demonstrate their diving prowess. Sitting on the pool deck you will see more junior, less experienced swimmers, all dressed for swimming with bathing suits and goggles but they are bone dry. There may even be a few paddling in the shallow end but the rope across the center of the pool clearly defines their limits and restricts their movements.
Performance Management is an ongoing process. It involves coaching, mentoring and continuous conversations. Engaged employees are the key to a successful business.
I have also visited a different kind of pool, one where the most senior and competent swimmers are not actually in the water, they are patrolling the edge of the pool while the new swimmers experience deep water. These lifeguards are there to offer words of encouragement, to coach and teach skills so that when they leave they are confident that those left in the pool are capable swimmers, maybe more capable than they ever were. Every so often a new swimmer will get into trouble; the lifeguards are there to jump in when necessary but they rarely have to as their mere presence is often enough to help the swimmers get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
So, in which kind of swimming pool do you work? When your swimming days are behind you, will the pool be empty or will you have created a legacy of which you can be proud? This article is therefore dedicated to lifeguard training, what are the things that we can work on that will help create the Leadership Legacy to which we aspire.
Lifeguard Tip #1 - Recruitment
Hiring well is a skill, one to which we rarely dedicate enough time. We typically hire in times of urgent need, which clouds our vision – and then our focus is typically on who can do this particular job, today. While most businesses go through cycles, the construction industry is one of the worst for sudden hiring needs. It is tough to change this. We will always have times when we are under-resourced and project needs dictate immediate hiring; however, the best leaders maintain a focus on finding good people all the time. They never turn down an opportunity to meet an interesting candidate, and they always look past the obvious checklist items of education, experience etc. Some of the best hires that I have ever made would not have passed traditional screening processes. When meeting potential candidates, instead of asking myself, “Could they do Job A?”, I question what it is that they could do for the organization, what opportunities could open up if their unique combination of skills and attributes were to exist in our organization. Sometimes this can lead to uncomfortable decisions, as it may well be that we have to create room within the organization for them – as leaders, that is our responsibility. The lesson here is that we should stop hiring just to fill vacant seats. Instead, we should be constantly evaluating whether we have the right seats, and always be open to introducing a new one.
Lifeguard Tip #2 - Delegation
One thing that most of us struggle with is delegating. The struggle gets worse when we get promoted into a new position, maybe stepping up to a leadership role for the first time. Our ego and fears convince us that, if we stop doing what we are good at, (the very thing that got us recognized in the first place), then we will no longer be adding value and we will become obsolete. Our role as leaders is not to do everything and be everything, it is to lead others to achieve great things. Until we can control our fears and become comfortable with the fact that standing in the wings and watching others succeed can be far more rewarding than actually completing everything ourselves, then delegation will continue to be a challenge. Some tips to help you as you improve your delegation skills: • Before starting any task, take 20 seconds to challenge yourself: Why are you doing it? Who else could do it?
Whom else could I teach to do it? • Meet with your direct-reports, peers and supervisors. Ask them what they are capable of taking off your plate. You may well be surprised at their response. • Delegate in all directions.
Traditionally we view delegation as the art of passing work to those who report to us. Start to view it as the act of ensuring that tasks are completed by the most appropriate person for the benefit of the enterprise. When you have decided that the only person who can complete a task is you, just double check that you did not just make an excuse or rationalization to justify your fears. We all do it – and more often than we would like to admit.
Lifeguard Tip #3 - Performance Management
Regardless of your views on the ‘Annual Performance Review’ the one thing that I am confident about is that it gives us the perfect excuse to convince ourselves that we are managing performance and developing our people. Real performance management is about so much more than performance reviews. Relying on one, 60-minute conversation that occurs on an annual basis just before year end, is the equivalent of sending your kids to school for half a day per year, and then being surprised when they did not learn too much. Performance Management is an ongoing process. It involves coaching, mentoring and continuous conversations. Engaged employees are the key to a successful business. We should all strive to be leaders who inspire and engage with our people. I often hear the excuse,
“I don’t have time to do my job, now you want me to chat with all my staff.” Next time you hear yourself saying, “I don’t have time,” just remember that we all have exactly the same amount of time, 86,400 seconds per day. The actual excuse that you should use is, “I am choosing to spend my time doing something else instead.” Rephrasing in this more accurate way may make you stop and challenge yourself. Taking five minutes to check in on a peer or employee is not wasted time; it is part of being a leader. We can all find five minutes to go and make a coffee – are you prepared to take five minutes today to have a positive impact on someone around you?
Lifeguard Tip #4 - Self Awareness
A truly self-aware leader is comfortable standing on the pool deck and watching others swim, hoping that they become better swimmers than he or she ever was. Unfortunately, it is not possible to buy Self Awareness. It does not come in a box and you cannot learn it at university. To become self-aware takes a commitment, one that many are not ready or willing to make. The great leaders of our time all understand that Self-Awareness is a journey not a destination; you never actually ‘get there’. It is about having a clear perception of yourself, which includes your strengths, weaknesses, values, beliefs, motivators and fears. The more self-aware you become, the more likely you are to be able to relate to others and see how they relate to each other. There are many books written on the subject; I highly recommend reading some and opening your mind to the fact that your view of yourself may not be accurate and your fears may not be valid.
Lifeguard Tip #5 - Embrace ‘Different’
For our organizations to grow and develop, we must accept that the future will be different from the past. In the past few years there has been a lot of talk about Millennials entering the work force. I hear about how they have a different work ethic, expect to have a life balance, use social media all the time, form relationships differently, etc. Basically, this says far more about our own personal fears than it does about the next generation. If you go back 30 years, the Baby Boomers had exactly the same fears about Gen X; it is a pattern that will keep repeating itself. We convince ourselves that, after thousands of years of evolution, our generation finally got it right and it does not need tinkering with anymore. That is of course a path to decline, but we have to get ourselves out of the trap. To do that, I suggest that we all, myself included, start referring to the next generation as the ‘evolving generation’ and get on board with them. Those of us who expect them to change and become us, will, I fear, be sadly disappointed.
Lifeguard Tip #6 - Gratitude
We can all identify those individuals in our lives who have made a difference. It could be your first boss, a great teacher or family friend. When did you last thank them for the impact that they had in shaping your path? I highly recommend that you find them and do just that; it is very rewarding for both parties. On that same note, in 30 years’ time, when you have retired and you receive a note from someone whom you mentored in their early career, what do you want it to say? How do you want them to remember you, and what lasting impact do you want to have had? There are many more steps to becoming a great leader. I am sure you have your own Lifeguard Tips that you could add to this list. It is also important to remember that we all have a responsibility to help develop those around us. It is not just up to the CEO and senior leaders, regardless of our positions in the organization, there is always someone whom we can coach, mentor and support. Next time you feel that you are just treading water and are in over your head ask yourself a simple question – should I even be in the pool?
About the author
Craig Woodall is the President and Owner of Byng Leadership Inc. He has over 25 years of experience leading teams, projects, organizations and individuals. His passion is Leadership Development, helping people and organizations grow by maximizing their leadership potential.
Are you an aspiring Estimating Professional/Professional Quantity Surveyor? Education Policy Guidance Notes
Recent Graduate, Associate, Mature Candidate or Direct Finalists are encouraged to review their current membership status to establish if it is time to progress towards Construction Estimator Certified (CEC) and Professional Quantity Surveyor (PQS) status.
The CIQS is pleased to confirm the implementation of the Education Policy Guidance Notes which confirm that the requirements for becoming a CEC and PQS have been streamlined since Fall 2015 in an attempt to assist aspiring professionals to achieve these much sought after professional designations.
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Below is a list of acceptable (provided that you are a member of CIQS and in good standing) and unacceptable designations. Acceptable designations:
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