The Last Placement

5 Steps Improve Leadership

Hopefully you have a great group of leaders in your organization. Whether they are department managers, sales managers, superintendents, or crew foremen, leadership is critical at every level within any company. But, who’s educating this group of leaders?

The easy answer of course is either the owner or a senior leader. Yet, when it comes right down to actual development there are few companies that have an organized education program for this very critical level of the company. Yes, such leaders might attend a conference periodically but there are few business owners and senior leaders who take an active role in the development of their own leaders. In short, there is a lack of leading the leaders.

Educating your leaders might be the most significant thing you do to bolster the internal operations of your company to directly improve your production. The investment will pay huge dividends as leaders begin to make better decisions, follow more closely the values and strategic direction set by senior leaders, and demonstrate better leadership to their reporting employees. Let’s take a look at a few efforts you can make to strengthen your leader’s performance.

SPEND TIME WITH YOUR LEADERS

This is a toughie to maintain for busy and growing companies. As a senior leader in your company it is often easy to fall into the trap of having to be everywhere else but with your leaders.

Now, while we want our leaders to perform important and needed responsibilities it remains important for owners and senior leaders to spend time with their leaders. This time spent slowly begins to shape the leader’s values, expectations, and focus along the line of what the owner desires. It builds strong relationships that are anchored in trust, understanding, and appreciation for skills and talents.

BUILD 15 MINUTES OF EDUCATION INTO YOUR STAFF MEETINGS

An opportunity that most contractors miss with their staff meetings is the educational potential. For many organizations, a staff meeting is likely one of the few times that all of the leaders are present in one sitting. As part of your meeting agenda, carve out 15 minutes and dedicate that time to a learning moment.

Another good educational “tool” to use is to role-play certain scenarios that leaders might be facing. For instance, you might engage your leaders in roleplaying a coaching situation on the job site with a “challenged worker.” Another example might include role-playing an interaction between a leader and an irate customer.

ENGAGE SOME NONTRADITIONAL EDUCATIONAL METHODS

Taking your leaders away from your company for hours to days at a time is costly, not just in actual travel and conference costs but also because they’re not out there on your jobs. We’ve got to find some other methods, then, to educate. Obviously the standards developed will be subject to your company and its leaders. The key here is to engage your leaders in this educational effort and then leading them on how to live and lead the same.

COMMIT & EXECUTE THE “ONE MINUTE COACHING” EFFORT

A minor adapting of a principle presented in the book, The One-Minute Manager, you need to commit to taking advantage of those coaching moments when they come around. Nothing has the full impact on any leader’s development than when their senior leader takes the time to provide a coaching moment. Opportunities appear daily to coach so be prepared!

USE THE “HI-LO” LEADERSHIP REPORT

This tool is one that I’ve used with my own staff successfully and have introduced it to many in the construction industry. Simply, have your leaders send you a brief (one page or less) review of the past week that includes 3-5 Highlights and 3-5 Lowlights. These are to be brief and in bulletpoint format. The leader is not to write a long explanation to defend or brag about any Hi or Lo item.

Most construction owners and leaders recognize the need to keep their leadership team primed and poised. Yet, the reality is that many owners and senior leaders pay little attention to actually developing their leaders. In the short run this might not have a negative impact on the business; in the long run, the same owners might run the risk of having poorly developed leaders who are incapable of achieving more profitable results.

Recommit to educating your leaders. For a small personal investment of time you will be strengthening your entire organization. Another side benefit to this effort that I’ve observed is that most owners and their senior leaders also improve their own knowledge and leadership along the way. Thus, by following the recommendations presented in this article you will be creating a win-win situation!

Educate (Lead!) your leaders!

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