I Can’t Believe This is Still Happening in the Industry.
The construction industry is a system, and a system is made up of the sum of its parts. What are the parts? The people, of course. Which is why my whole focus with The Construction Coach has always been about the people behind the projects. Because no amount of technical skills, another degree, another certificate, another license, will ever resolve the systematic and root issues that are perpetuated by the people in the industry. Majority of people constantly look to blame the industry for their shortcomings, failures, and perceived lack of opportunities, whereas the only place they should be looking is in the mirror to realize who is behind everything they don’t have or aren’t.
The majority of the industry is made up of those people – who cannot look in the mirror to realize that their personal and professional behavior is inadequate and subpar. They are locked into a cycle of mediocre behavior and consider themselves to be superior because of their technical and professional experience. I’ve said it before, and will say it again. Experience doesn’t mean anything, as it could be one year of experience repeated ten times. And it’s these people with limitations on their thinking and behavior which create these type of work environments that is NOT conducive to long-term personal and organizational success for subordinates and new people coming into the industry. A Gallup poll found the net effect of incompetent management on businesses as potentially catastrophic, with an estimated cost to organizations of $450-550 billion a year (US). Does this sound like an insignificant issue to turn a blind eye to now?
The industry is failing future leaders, and itself.
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The industry is failing future leaders, and itself. 〰️
I had to write this piece on the back of a message from one of my mentees. ‘David’ (name has been changed for confidentiality) is new to the industry. David has great strengths in one area, but struggles with another part of their work. There is a whole host of new and technical things that a new industry graduate needs to learn. How are they meant to learn if management expects them to know what to do without explaining anything? David made a couple of mistakes at work, and was feeling down and out about it, as he likes to do really good work, but expressed that they need more help on a particular task. Instead of the manager giving additional time and assistance, they have made numerous personal remarks about David. Such as, ‘what is wrong with you?’. An inability to separate the problem from the person is a marker of a weak and unrefined mentality that hasn’t earned the right to manage, and not lead. How is it that the construction industry has people in positions that immediate go for a personal attack isn’t of assisting a young person with a task? Who has a legitimately good reason? Research conducted by the Australian Institute of Management with Monash University found that managerial efforts to improve productivity and performance of Australian organizations are being stymied by inefficient and under-skilled middle managers. They found that 83% of the almost 2000 employees surveyed (from CEO’s to shop floor staff) rated their manager’s leadership skills as average or below average and they also ranked poorly in terms of communication skills, strategic influence and their ability to oversee staff performance. I hope that alone starts raising some alarm bells internally.
Can you see what’s wrong with this situation? Let’s keep going.
They have taken a personal bias to David, and changed their whole attitude to him because they professionally are learning new skills. The industry is filled with managers and leaders who do not set their people up for success, but make them feel incompetent and inadequate instead of establishing a culture that is conducive to learning and development. To someone who is new to the industry, and may not have great self-esteem and self-worth, what do you think this is doing to their emotional wellbeing? Every company has amazing paper policies on this and undertakes grand gestures, but what about the meaningful daily exchanges between upper and lower employees? Research found that American companies spend an estimated $360 billion each year in health care costs as a result of bad bosses.
This is also representative of managers and leaders having personal biases towards people based on a feeling. Purposely excluding someone from the team is behavior we see by teenagers and not department heads. How would a young person, who thinks they’ve done everything right by asking questions and seeking help, would feel going home from work being on the receiving end of such bias? If management or leadership cannot separate their feelings from performance and enabling others in their team to succeed, again, their poor standards should not warrant them managerial status. If a person is driven by how they feel all the time, then they have no internal control. If they cannot control what’s happening inside, they’re not in a position to control what’s happening externally. The young people entering need to know this is not always a reflection of them. In this case, 'it's not me, it's you.'
Whilst this situation may seem like an isolated experience, it’s not. It’s a reflection of the whole. Then what we have, is young people with drive, ambition and genuine passion coming into the industry, yet getting quickly disillusioned by it, and rightfully leaving for greener pastures. Like the David’s of the world. Who would want to succumb to inadequate, degrading teams and workplaces? Think of it this way. The home, is the construction industry. However the home is not a place that is conducive to holistic, high performance growth, that allows for learning and development but perpetuates mediocre standards. Instead of fixing the home so that it would be naturally inviting, the home owners invite more and more people in thinking that will fix the issue. It doesn’t. The breeding grounds are generally not conducive to successful outcomes for people in construction. Simply attracting more people and growing the talent pool isn’t the solution.
There is a major disservice being done to the future leaders and ambitious personnel that enter into the industry on the whole. From first hand conversations, they are being struck by inadequacy and in some instances, unfairly punished for their passion and ambition. Very few though, are wondering how we ended up like this. The focus needs to be turned to the people behind the projects. It’s been nearly three years of me speaking about the topic, and there is still a suffocating, overreliance on technical training, and very soft and fluffy skills training. Has anyone paused to realize this isn’t working? This isn’t setting up the industry to do justice by talent, is it? If talent isn’t groomed and developed in advance, what’s the 10 year consequential projection of this fatal error? We are experiencing it right now.
The standards of people in the industry were already low, and many should be concerned that they’re turning into dismal standards. No-one wakes up in the morning and decides to hold you to high standards and high character. That responsibility lies with you. Except most people cannot self-examine themselves, do not move in the direction of growth and development, and cannot stand being challenged from a personal or professional perspective. They get their cushy pay packet, and are done. Most people are not even curious to discover their own blindspots, and seek to do the real work to improve on them. Times this mediocre mentality by at least 90% of construction industry personnel, and it’s no wonder that the industry as a whole is failing future leaders and real talent.
From what I know of David, they have a strong character, is building his resilience, and can hold his head up high, and assess the situation from an objective manner. They’re also learning precisely how not to treat team members, which is invaluable experience. I think they’ll stay on, but many don’t. The Huffington Post found that 50% of employees who don't feel valued by their boss plan to look for another job in the next year.
I could write several books about the bad behavior in the industry, but for now, I’ll end with an excerpt from my book, Leadership in Construction, because it is situations like this which reinforce the need for Triple E leaders (exceptional, exemplary and excellent leaders):
'Despite the advancements in technology, theories and methodologies, products and building materials, and new software as a service (SaaS), there is one function that any sort of artificial intelligence or manufacturing trend cannot replace – the heart, mind and soul of an exceptional leader.
The sheer necessity and unique ability of an exemplary, exceptional and excellent leader to band organizations, communities and the masses together under a uniting, progressive and inspiring vision can only be undertaken by a person.
What it takes – to bring people along with you, to stand up for a cause, to be an agent of change, to inspire the hearts and minds of those who choose to follow you – is not just an art and a science, but a privilege.
An honour earnt by an individual, and a duty that is not taken lightly.
And precisely what the construction industry needs.'