It’s no longer enough to be a good leader; you need the right skills for today’s workplace!

Thankfully, the days of the boss or foreman barking orders and expecting compliance have disappeared. Today’s construction leaders are hands-on role models interested in developing team talent.

Many qualities of modern-day leadership make an effective and reputable agent. These include being honest when working with your team: you don’t want your employees to feel like they can never do anything wrong, because then what motivation would anyone have? If people start believing their work is without worth or value, it will only get worse when they have to start hitting curveballs. And that’s the point at which leading from behind seems much more difficult than before.

Developing essential traits to improve leadership success will motivate your team to perform well.

The Risks of Poor Leadership

Leadership roles in the construction industry are complex undertakings, made all the more challenging because of the upfront costs and time issues associated with completing lengthy projects.

Leaders who rely on giving directions limit their potential — and that of their employees.

• You lose time and money when teams wait to be told what to do and how to do it.
• Your talent fails to grow.
• Your company won’t scale up as quickly as it needs to.

Your success as a leader comes down to your ability to influence rather than manage.

Traits That Improve Leadership Success

Becoming an influential leader means developing the essential skills for today’s workplace. To improve leadership success, these include:

• Focusing on relationships, not transactions. Today’s workforce places a high value on emotional intelligence and especially empathy. Your ability to self-regulate your emotions and demonstrate compassion is essential to everyone’s success. Employees want to know that you care before they care about how much you know.
• Knowing how to delegate and empower. No matter how much the leader knows about each employee’s job, the leader can’t do it for them. Modern leaders delegate and let teams figure out their work approach, stepping in only when necessary.
• Cultivating forward thinking. Managers identify the next several steps in a process; leaders see the whole picture as if seeing situations from a bird’s eye view.
• Acting ethically in all you do. Be truthful and set an example. Never lie, cut corners or blame others for your shortcomings.
• Communicating well. When leadership communicates with clarity and transparency, everyone in the organization benefits from improved levels of trust.

The most successful leaders in the construction industry are the inside, already helping their teams hit back at the curveballs thrown at them. If you’re looking to recruit passive talent with these skills, let’s talk!

If you would like to discuss the best ways to develop essential traits, book a call here with our team members at Raymond Search Group and we would be happy to share what some of the most successful construction leaders are doing right now to ensure they remain competitive in this ever-changing market.