Tag: Constructionfieldleader

Our pursuit of personal devleopment and self improvement

In our pursuit of personal development and self improvement we are constently working on honing our leadership skills and our ability influence others. You know the better you can communicate your vision, respect for others, and your ability to influence others to want to follow you, the more successful your projects, plans, and goals will be. Your hands on application and training is most effective and accomplished by developing the potential and skills of those you work with and those around you.

In this effort I often use issues and incedences that I experience to study and improve my own skills and the skills and leadership approach of those around me.

Think back over the last few weeks, were there incedences where maybe you came up short with regard to leading your team? Did your team or someone you know experience a challenge or setback that may have been responded to better or possibly avoided completely? Did you have folks around you complaining about other people but not willing to address and resolve the problem?

I’ve experienced or seen all three of these issues recently.

True leaders take extreme ownerships


The best leaders take what retired Navy Seal and leadership expert Jocko Willink call’s Extremme Ownership, The leader develops the vision and with his team develops the plan, then leads, supports, and empowers the team to achieve project goals. I personally fell short recently. One of my pet peeves and something I preach about is NOT assuming someone else is takig care of a task or a loose end. Dont assume, take the initiative and be sure. Yes, team members have their responsibilties and they should live up to the requirement of those responsibilities but they are human, errors are made. I should have as the leader verified everything was in place. I assumed a subcontractor’s paper work for access to a project was in place and being processed.

I try not to micromanage folks, I think it kills individual ownership. Having said that, as the leader of the project and all it entails it is my responsibility, I did not make sure a loose end that can derail progress was tied up. It caused some chaos and scrambling at the last minute. I own that. The leader, and all of us should hold ourselves accountable. Assuring that your team has all it needs, knows exactly what is required, when it’s required, etc. is your responsibility. When they fall short you as the leader have fallen short. Remember, those who want to be their best consider themsleves as leadrs at what ever “level” they are, you need to take the same extreme ownership approach.

When mistakes and set backs occur


As good as you think you are you will experience mistakes and set backs, either by you, your team, or others you interact with. Its how you respond to these experiences that determines first how successful you’ll be and second, how much respect and reverence you build with those you come in contact with. Our goal should always be to learn from mistakes, if you do not dissect the mistake or set back, you won’t learn and you won’t improve. Mistakes are not failures if you learn from them. The goal in life is though to learn as much as you can from other peoples mistakes.

Your very first thought should be, what did I do or not do that created or played a part in this mistake. Our first thought in any issue whether it be work or private life should be to look within. Most fail here, they never look within. Most look at others, pointing fingers, and assigning blame. These are not leaders, these are losers. They lose because they will never learn, their ego does’nt allow it. You must understand that the greatest influence you have in improving any sutuation is YOUR OWN ACTIONS. Humble yourself and reflect inward, ask yourself, how could I have approached this issues differently for a better outcome. The folks that can do this are the confident respected leaders.

Your second thought should be how can I use this setback as a teachable moment for the team or an individual to make them better. Educate them to get better without humiliation or ridule. When they trust that you are correcting them or teaching them for their best interest, in a safe environment, and because you care, you build respect and a loyal ally. Some dont like to be “educated” so this is where your soft skills and savvy come in to play. The best leaders can teach a lesson without talking down to people.

Complainers and whiners


Many people like to talk about a problem, a bad situation, or other people while making no attempt to resolve an issue or problem. Your job when there is a problem is to start facilitating an environment for ideas and solutions. If you dont bring a solution to the problem you are just whining, nobody likes a whiner.

The quickest way to have a team breakdown is to have people talking about a problem they have with an individual with everyone but the individual. Ive seen it first hand myself recently. There is no room for this in your work life or personal life. If you have problem with someone else and if you are confident in yourself you should be able to bring the subject up in a respectful productive manner. If you are’nt confident bringing the subject up you may need to look inward as discussed above. Confront the situation in a respectful manner. A good tactful way is to bring up the issue in the form of questions instead of accusations, examples, can you help me understand? I thought I was in charge of this, was I wrong? Questions like these open the conversation up in a non-threatening accusational manner.

Be intentional about improving, think about how you reacted in the past and how you may want to change that reaction in the future. Always look within, its where you have the most power. Do these things and by your leadership example you make others around you better as well.

You are in control, dont let anyone derail your dream. 3 Tips to achievment

You are in control, dont let anyone derail your dream. Just wanted to send out a reminder that where ever you are in your life, financially, job, career, business, or relationship, whatever, it does mean you have to stay there. Its a fact that we are all where we are because of the decisions we have made and the actions we either have taken or not taken. But the truth is, those past decisions do not have to dictate your future.

You have the ability to choose the future you want right now. Once you decide what your goals and dreams are you have started the process of changing and shaping the future you want. However, this is the easy part.

The key to making any change and achieving any goal requires action. This is where people stumble and fail. Everyone wants the money but are’nt willing to commit to what it takes. Everybody wants the fit and attractive body but manny are’nt willing to put the work in, to sacrifice. You can achieve your goals and dreams but you must be willing to work and sacrifice. Nothing great comes easy.

Commit goals to paper


Once you decide what it is you really want to accomplish or what you really want to become you must commit it to paper. I know we all have high tech devises but Im telling you to pick up a pen and a sheet of paper and write your goals out. Right out exactly what it is you want to achieve or become. Detail what your plan is and the effort you will put in to achieve your goal. Review those goals every morning and every evening. Hold yourself accountable. For a time tested method for setting and achieving your goals and dreams I highly suggest you read “think and grow rich” by Napolian Hill.

Commit to massive action


Commit to taking consistent massive action. We get fired up starting off while we are all excited about our new goals that will deliver the life we dream of. Once we experience a little friction and that excitement wears down, it gets a little tougher to keep putting out that effort. It can get diffuicult pushing forward without seeing results or at least the results we think we should be seeing. Keep in mind that results follow momentum, keep pushing, cosnsistent effort is always rewarded. The reason why most fail is because they fail to accurately consider the work required to accomplish their goals. Understand up front that what ever your first thoughts are on what action is required, double it, tripple it. Doing this you start to find out if you are actually committed. Grant Cardone author of “The 10X rule” says that what ever goals you have, what ever effort you think it will take multiply that by ten. Its actually a great mindset, I agree with Cardone that we think to small, we must think much bigger and set our goals higher. We set our goals to low and hit them, we should be setting our goals so high it stretches the limits of our potential.

Prepare for the cynics


Prepare yourself for the naysayer, the critics, cynics, and detractors. There will always be naysayers and critics, people who will always find the negative in everything and everyone. When you start stepping out of your comfort zone, you’ll be putting your self out there for the world to see. You are going to be vulnerable, again, here is where you find out how committed you are. Some will criticize and try to ridicule, they do this mainly because you are a threat. You by your actions are challenging them to question their own abilities and commiment to pursuing their own potential, some cant handle this. Rather than re-evaluate themselves they feel better criticizing you. You must get your friends and family on board also, share with them what your trying to accomplish and the effort it will take. You’ll need them to understand that you must block out the time required to acieve your dreams, Its in their best interest as well. Make sure you commit special time for them as well. You need them on your side, on your team.

Where ever you come from, lower financial background or status, High school drop out, over weight, what ever it is doesnt matter. What matters now is that you have decided now to make a change,set goals, and chase your dream. Whatever they may be, you want to achieve financial freedom, you are going to become a Senior Poject Manager, or you are going to get in the best shape of your life; whatever you dream of it can become real. You are in control, dont let anyone derails your dream.

Three Steps to 90 day learning cycles

The only way we become our best and stay on top of our game is if we commit to lifelong learning. How much better would you be in a year if you committed to studying a new subject, trade, or product every 90 days. I want to share with you three steps to 90 day learning cycles to make you the best you can be. These ideas work for any career or industry.

Lifelong Learning is the key to achievment and success, Start with 90 day learning cycles

ONE – Work harder on yourself than you do on your job

The great Jim Rohn said, work harder on yourself than you do at your job. If you havent heard of Jim Rohn I encourage you to watch this video . The idea is, work hard at developing your self, developing your potential, and building on your skills and knowledge. If you will do this the bring more value to the maret place. The more value you bring, the more income, benefits, and perks you can demand.

Work on your leadership and people skils, what is called, the soft skills. These skills will take you farther than your field knowledge. If you can influence others to want to work for you, to want to carry out your vision, and build loyalty and respect you will be successful.

I advise starting out reading all you can. Commit to reading one book a month. The best place to start for leadership is John Maxwell, read all his books. I recomend starting with, “Developing the Leader Within You”.
The best book there is on developing people skills is “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. Read this book and then re-read once every year.

Two – Study The different discplines of the industry picking a new subject every 90 days.

We all have areas we are strong, and then if we are honest we would have to admit we all have areas we are weaker. Lets strengthen our weaknesses. As the Superintendent on the job, the more you know about each trade the better you can understand the needs of the project and the requirements of your trade partners.

Pick a subject, concrete, utilities, electrical, HVAC systems for example and find liturature or books to study your subject for 90 days. Each industry has loaded the internet with information on thier products, systems and codes. Firestone Building products website for example is loaded with liturature detailing specifications, installation instructions, and details. You can find this type of information for almost everything you’ll encounter on the job.

Utilize the information on the internet, purchase a book, or ask your trade partners you currently work with if they have any books or information you can borrow.

Three – Utilize your current trade partners as resources

Once you’ve decided what your subject of study is for a specific 90 day cycle, utilize your trade partners as resources. Take a foreman from a Subcontractor to lunch and pick his brain about his trade and his job. Most people love to talk about themselves and they will take a free lunch.

Be right up front and tell them you’re interested in learning more about his/her trade. This is your chance to ask questions from those in the trenches. Questions like, what are code requirements or even better, what is typically a reason inspections are failed? What is the biggest contributor to inefficiencies in your work? How could I help you be more efficient or effective in getting your work done? Is there a particular trade you need to coordinate with the most and how can this be improved?

This is also a great opportunity to build relationships, show them you care. Ask them how they got into the trade and there back ground.

Imagine how much you can learn if you didthis just once a month for a year with different trade parters.

Want to be the best? You’ve got to keep learning

Three ways to build trust, loyalty, and respect in the field

We all know construction can be a tough business, we need buy in and cooperation from everyone on the job if we want to have any chance of success. Building trust, respect, and loyalty is paramount for leaders who want to be the best they can be.

How others respond to you, their respect and loyalty, and their willingness to go the extra mile for you is in direct proportion to how you treat them and others.
Here’s three ways to build trust, loyalty, and respect in the field;

IT STARTS WITH YOU

Treat everyone on the job the same

Treat everyone with respect and honor, from the Owner/Architect, the Subcontractor foremen, to the laborer cleaning up. Everyone gets treated equally and respectfully. Obviously, everyone wants to be treated well but they are also watching how you treat others. When you show the laborer the same respect you show the Architect, or your boss, you gain respect. When you are genuinely interested in other and believe care about them and have their best interest in mind, you’ve built an ally.
“People Won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” Teddy Roosevelt

Do NOT criticize people publicly


There are obviously be times when you need to correct someone’s behavior, or address subpar performance, or quality of work. If possible, this must be done on a one on one bases. It should be done in the spirit of positive attitude and constructive criticism.

I’ve never been one to sugar coat a serious performance or quality issue, if there’s a problem I’m all about getting it corrected sooner rather than later. I do believe there’s a good way and a bad way to deal with these issues when working with people, I good leaders know the difference.
The good leader will address the problem head on while letting the individual save face, stay confident while understanding what they need to improve. A simple approach you may of heard of is the “sandwich approach”, this is where you start out with some positives the individual has going for them, things they are doing right. The middle is where you lay out the problem. You explain what the problems are and how they are impacting the project, the team, and relationships. Talk about how these issues can be improved and what you need to see out of them. Finally finish up again with a positive trait they have, why they are so important to the project and the team. And let them know that they are important to you and important to the success of the project.

The poor leader will call them out in a meeting in a room full of people. I’ve see the poor leader yell and scream at his employee if front of the entire site. This “leader has lost all trust not only in the individual he humiliates but also those who witness this. They know it could be them next. The days of the yeller and screamer to try and get production are long gone.

Do not gossip or talk about people behind their back

Why should they care what you know?

Its amazing to me the gossiping that goes on around a construction site. When someone talks disparagingly about someone else to me, I always think, is this how they talk about me?
I don’t mean talking the job but personal attacks or insults. There’s no place for it. The good leader understands this, the poor leader is too arrogant to care.

Practice the three simple concepts and you can build trust, loyalty, and respect in the field. See what John Maxell say about loyalty.

Construction Field leader master mind group

Note: This concept works for anyone in a line of work.

Where do you go when you need to bounce ideas off someone? Have a question about a product or detail? How to deal with a difficult team member or owner? Wouldn’t it be nice to discuss your field issues with others who are in the trenches just like you? Guys who work for other companies with different cultures and experiences. Check your ego and form a Construction field Leader Master Mind group.
Why not build a team of 4 to 5 trusted allies that each of you can count on, can help each other solve problems and issues your having on the job?

A construction Field leader master mind group. Here are just a few benefits;

Build your mastermind group for problem solving, ideas, success

• Don’t understand a detail, material installation, contract clause, or any issue, wouldn’t it be nice to have trusted partners you can run some questions by? Each of you have different experiences and back grounds, chances are someone in your group has the answer. Maybe next time its your experience that solves an issue for someone else.
• Different companies have different cultures, policies, and procedures, maybe you could benefit from incorporating different means and methods from other companies.
• Having trouble with a difficult subcontractor, Owner, or your project manager? Someone in your group has probably been in a similar situation.
• Having a trusted team outside your company can be valuable in just knowing you can ask any questions or seek an opinion without judgement. Remember inside companies there can be a lot of competition and judgement. Your trusted mastermind group isn’t going to be talking with your coworkers and or management about you.

Check your ego

Be like Albert, check your ego and build your knowledge.

I’ve been in the industry for a while and I have spent a lot of time in the field, there can be a lot of egos out there. Some guys like to think they know it all and don’t need help from anyone. Bullshit! There’s a lot of huff and puff out there, beating on your chest. I think that’s typically a lame smoke screen, so no body dares find out you don’t know something.
If your confident in who you are, what you represent, and understand that we can all learn something from everyone, this concept won’t be a threat to your ego. If you want to be your best, the best, you know that you’ve got to continually be learning and improving.
Why not take advantage of your very own Construction Mastermind group and multiply your experience and knowledge.

New Year, Time to read How to Win Freinds and Influence people

How to win Friends and influence People, Dale Carnegie A personal development classic

Timeless wisdom. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

We are entering a new year and its a great time to re-read Dale Carnegie’s personal development classic, How to win Friends and Influence people. If you haven’t read this book I suggest you order it on Amazon or run to the nearest book store.
This book is a must read for anyone who works with people, has any relationships business or personal, wants to excel in a career and or as an entrepreneur. Okay I think that covers all human beings.

This is more than just a book that you read once and maybe pick up a few ideas you could apply in your life. Its more of a life and relationship manual. You’ll want to keep this book on your desk to refer to once a month to review and hold yourself accountable to the teachings.

We live in a day and age where soft skills and being able to lead people in the true sense of the word is paramount. You’ve got to have the people skills to inspire and influence others to buy into your vision, perform at high levels, to buy your product or service.

Dale Carnegie was way ahead of his time and that is why this book is more relevant today than when it was written in 1936.

Go after your dreams

You will find that there is a lesson on every page. You’ll need a new high lighter and a pen. My copy is high lighted and marked up with notes in the margins with many dog eared pages. While its highly educational its really interesting as well. The anecdotes about the tycoons of industry in the 30’s and 40′ like Charles Schwab, John D. Rockefeller, and Carnegie himself are fascinating.

How to win Friends and Influence people is a book for the individual who wants to succeed in business and in his/her personal relationships. If you want to improve your leadership and interpersonal skills this is a must read personal development classic. We suggest reading it once a year and then refer to it once a month and scan over your highlighted passages and notes to keep the lessons fresh in mind.