5 Elements of Effective Leadership
“The mindset of yesterday’s manager – accepting compromise, keeping things tidy – bred complacency. Tomorrow’s leaders must raise issues, debate them, and resolve them. They must rally around a vision of what a business can become”. – Jack Welsh. CEO, General Electric
The quote above came from Jack Welsh, recognized as one of the greatest business leaders of modern times. I refer to it because it helps to define the difference between being a good manager and being a good leader. Simply put management is about doing things right; leadership is doing the right things. Sure, to grow a successful business you need good managers and management processes, but it all starts with good leadership and developing leadership skills in you as owner and your key team members.
So, how do you grow as a leader and what are the key attributes and tasks of a successful leader in a construction business? There are many, but here is my top 5 to work on first:
Create a Vision and Share It.
Simply put, the (business) vision should state what the owner ultimately envisions the business to be, in terms of growth, values, team, contributions to society, and the like. As an owner, once you have defined your vision, you can begin to develop strategies for moving the organization toward that vision and what are other team members’ parts in that process.
The same principle applies at project level. Make sure that a clear picture of what the project outcome will be and in what timeframe. Work backwards from that vision to help plan the construction and identify what milestones need to be reached, by when and what impediments may need to be overcome.
Decide on Your Culture and Live It Daily.
The culture in your business, including the construction site, is like the air that you breath. You don’t notice it most of the time, but if it turns toxic it can be a major problem. The best way to avoid a toxic culture in your company is to decide as a group what is acceptable and what is not, commit it to paper and ensure you implement it at the pit face. Make it an agenda item at your weekly toolbox meeting to review one of your culture statements and seek examples of how it has been followed, or otherwise, on the site that week. This will help keep it alive and relevant.
Keep Communicating.
“Nobody tells us anything around here” is a common complaint in many growing companies and a sign that the leadership isn’t doing their job right. Communicating better is one of the simplest things a leader can do to build a more effective team. This does not mean just telling people what to do. It’s more about sharing the Vision with others, what the bigger picture looks like in the company and seeking input and suggestions from the wider team.
The right meeting flow is the best way to ensure the right communications is happening at the right time. At site level a daily, stand up “huddle” may be the best way to communicate job-specific information and make sure the project is kept on track, materials and subs are organized in good time and potential problems spotted early. A weekly meeting should be scheduled to cover a higher-level project review, update on wider company issues and to discuss a positive or negative culture issue. Note any actions that need doing and make sure they get implemented.
Plan Your Work and Work The Plan.
A symptom of poor planning is often stress, mistakes and reduced profit. People don’t take the time to stop and plan out on paper what needs to happen, by whom and when. There seems to be this unwritten rule that a supervisor or owner should carry hundreds of pieces of information in their heads and be able to drive production successfully with nothing but a cellphone. Get over it! An hour spent planning is likely to save 10 hours in wasted effort, so book an appointment with yourself for some quality planning time each week.
Site supervisors should also be required to spend 15 minutes per day in planning the next day’s activities and materials required. Then an hour each week reviewing a 2 week look-ahead plan, so that subs and materials can be scheduled in.
Inspire Through Example
If I asked you, you could easily name three people whose leadership qualities inspire you. If I asked you why, you’d tell me about the things these inspiring people did or are doing. Leadership is defined through action. Therefore, in developing your own leadership skills, you have to act in ways that are fitting to your leadership vision and your self – all the time. We can all name many actions of other people whom we admire, but what inspires us is the integrity that gives these actions meaning.
Becoming a leader isn’t easy because it takes a conscious commitment and consistent effort to develop one’s leadership skills. But on the positive side, anyone who is willing to make the effort can become a good leader. And because good leadership is critical to business success, your efforts to improve your leadership skills will be amply rewarded. By working on these five keys of leadership, you can become the leader your small business needs.
To discuss what good leadership might look like for your business contact me here Email direct at andy@tradescoach.co.nz or 027-6886721 and we can talk.