Tag: #leadership

A CALL TO ACTION TO IMPROVE FINANCIAL HEALTH

Theres a lot of talk about the Government shut down and Government workers not being able to pay bills or buy food after not being paid for thirty days. While I have compassion for thier struggle, we’ve got to use this situation as a wake up call. A call to action to improve our financial health.

I typically like to talk about and focus on leadership and developing better Construction Field Leaders. This subject however impacts us all. This past month its been the government shut down but we in the construction industry know all to well the impact of shut downs, economic down turns, and hard ship.

The financial heath and fitness of Americans is in bad shape, really bad shape. Look at a few of the statistics from Debt.com;

Just how bad is it?

19% have $0 saved
31% have less than $500
39% have less than $1000 saved
Th avaerage American credit card debt is $16,245
44% could not pay for a $400 emrgency out of pocket

How do we fix this?

First of all understand that it is fixable. We’ve got to first recognize the problem, seek out the solutions, then employ some discipline, and take action. The steps needed aren’t any real secret or some amazing strategy. They’ve been the same since the begining of time. Obviously number one is, dont spend more than you make. The old saying is, it isnt how much you make, its how much you keep. Its not a well guarded secret, its that simple. So how do you do that or more importanly, how do you get out of debt and on the road to saving?

I am a big advocate of Dave Ramseys work, full disclosure I am a certified Dave Ramsey financial coach. Ramsey has

After setting up you budget, these are the steps to freedom
transformed the lives of thousands of people struggling with debt. His basic priciples, the 7 baby steps is simple but effective. To start the baby stpes you must have a budget to undertsand whats happening with the money you are earning now. Have you ever wondered, where does all my money go? Most Americans do. To start the baby steps you must have a budget for the following reasons;

1. Understand where your money is going.
2. Identify wastefull spending and habits.
3. Make adjustments and tell your money where to go. Intentional spending.
4. Priorotize and set goals.
5. Track your spending/savings goals

We’ve got to take control of and be responsible for our own financial health. Follow these steps and teachings and you can protect yourself against the next government shutdown, lay off, or economic downturn.

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.

You are the Leader on your project, take ownership

You are the Leader on your project, take ownership

You are the Superintendent on the project, the leader, take ownership. Treat the project like it was your building you were going to live in. If you are a Trade Partner (Subcontractor) this goes for you as well. You take ownership of your scope and your responsibility as a team member. (This concept works for anyone on any type of project)

LEAD YOUR TEAM

Your team members will learn quickly if you are committed or not, you set the tone and expectations for the project. If you aren’t all in it will show and product, schedule, and budget will suffer.
You have got to also display leadership and people skills. I suggest you invest some of your personal time with personal development, reading, learning, taking classes and courses. If you want to be good or the best you must know how to influence others and get the team to buy in. The days of barking out orders and getting something done are long gone. Besides no-one wants to hear that, it doesn’t work.

You want to take ownership you’ve got to;

• Know the project better than anyone else. Dig through the details, notes, and submittals.

• Know your schedule, your mile stones, your completion date. Knowing the completion date seems
obvious but you would be surprised how many times when I’ve asked a Superintendent the
question, when is your completion date and the answer is, I don’t know or I’m not sure.

• Be a problem solver, certainly don’t be afraid to ask others for their thoughts and opinions
but don’t be afraid also to think outside the box to come up with solutions.

• Be the first to arrive and the last to leave. We all know that this job requires a lot of
hours, but you are the leader. If you have an assistant, you can share the responsibility of
locking up the site in the evening but always be there first. Having your subcontractors open
the site and lock the site on a consistent bases shows a lack of ownership.

• Don’t be a trailer Superintendent, you know what I mean, the guy who no-one ever sees the
walking the site, he never leaves the trailer or is always sitting in his truck. The guys in
the field notice that, if you are that guy, they are joking you.

• When walking the site don’t just be out for a walk, look for problems, look for thing that
just don’t seem right. If something doesn’t look right it probably isn’t. Identify issues as
early as you can so they can be addressed and correct as early as possible. The longer you
wait, the more costly they are in time and money.

• Have the ability to hold your own Subcontractor progress meetings, treat all Trade Partners
respectfully. again, know your schedule, the problems needing resolution, and the details.
This seems obvious but for many years I had to go to job sites once a week to hold the
Subcontractor progress meetings. As a result, the Subcontractors looked to me as the leader,
not the Superintendent.

Follow Through

Hand writing inscription It starts with You with marker, concept

These are just a few ideas you can and should implement to take ownership and be the leader of your project. If you want the be the best Superintendent, this is where you start. When you take ownership it is hard work but the rewards that come with it, respect, stature, accolades, and compensation are worth it.

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.

YOU ARE A LEADER, NO TITLE REQUIRED.

You are a leader, no title required. I’ve been studying leadership and the impact good leaders can have on business, careers, and relationships. I have had the opportunity to work for and be around great leaders and learn from them. I’ve also had the opportunity to be around poor leaders and learned lessons from them as well.

John Maxwell defines leadership as influence. Notice that there is no title needed to influence others. There is no requirement to be the president, CEO, or boss. This is why I believe we are all leaders or at least we have the ability to be leaders no matter what your position is at work, home, or out in public. We are all leaders, yes you too.

How can we be leaders or influence others if we are not in a position of authority?
By being the example of excellence. Now I don’t know that excellence is ever attained, I believe excellence is more of a consistent pursuit of your highest self, consistently giving your best effort, and stretching your god given potential.

What makes you a leader? Constantly being the example of and modeling of a high level of character and integrity. You couple that Character and integrity with commitment to self-improvement and you’re a leader that can make a real difference in your business, career, your relationships, in your life and the lives of others.

I want to share with you three simple character traits that if applied can and will make a real difference in your performance on many levels and will increase your influence on others.

Don’t be late.

Don’t be late to work, don’t be late to meetings, don’t be late to a family events. Showing up for work on time, be at your work station what ever that may be, ready to go. Being in the parking lot putting your shoes on or doing your make up doesn’t count as on time. Arrive at the meeting on time, prepared and ready to take care of business. What does on time mean? If you aren’t early you are late. If you aren’t 10 minutes early, getting prepared and ready to get after it at the designated time you are late. Being on time shows respect for others and the task at hand. If you aren’t early you are late.

Do more than what is expected.

Folks, the bar is set low out there, anyone can do the bare minimum and most people do. Why is that some people excel, achieve more, or get more done than others? They do what is expected and then a little more. Jim Rohn always talked about, your income is in direct proportion to the value you bring to the market place. So remember this, your value in the market place is created after you’ve done the bare minimum. Anyone can just show up, I see it all the time. People want to just show up and get rewarded. No, your value or at least your added value comes when you do what’s expected and then a little more. This applies to business and relationships. You do the bare minimum in your marriage you probably wont have a great marriage, go the extra miles on a consistent basis, it will pay off. Anyone can do the bare minimum, and most do.

Don’t be a complainer.

Great leaders are not complainers. IF you don’t bring a solution to a complaint you’re are a whiner, no-one likes a whiner. Great leaders do recognize when things aren’t going right or that there is a problem, but they bring a solution to the complaint. You see, that makes you a problem solver, not a complainer. Great leaders are always great problem solvers. Complaining can be contagious, don’t get sucked in by others. When others are complaining, ask the question, ok how can we correct the problem? What can we do to make the situation better? Always bring an idea for a solution to a complaint.

These three ideas seem simple, but they are practiced nearly as much as they should be. Notice nothing I’ve suggested requires a title. If you apply these ideas and make them your habits your influence on others will improve. You will be the example of excellence and you will be a great leader

We are all Leaders, yes you to

Leadership


We are all leaders, yes you to. It doesn’t matter what your position or title is.
According to John Maxwell the definition of leadership is influence. I believe it is the ability to influence others but how do we do that?
We influence others by how we live our lives, how we carry ourselves, how we treat people, and the example of excellence we present to those around us.
Notice, none of these things require a title or position.
All of us can set an example of excellence in how we approach our jobs, our friendships, our parenting, and our relationships with our significant others.
I was talking with a young man who was asking what he should do about a career, he didn’t go to college and had been working service jobs, fast food, waiter, pizza shop while he was performing in a band. He was having a great time, they recorded a couple of albums, they even went on a few short tours, but he realized they probably weren’t going to make it to the big time and the years were passing him by. He was afraid he was falling behind.

He was thinking of getting into a trade to try and learn a skill. As an old Electrician I told him I was a little biased but if he wanted to get into a trade he should pursue the electrical field. I reached out to a Contractor I knew, and they hired him. He asked me before he started If I had any advice.

I explained to him my position on creating value, I believe creating value is what we all need to do to keep a job, to be compensated well, and to rise in the ranks. Anyone can do the bare minimum and most people do. Value is created after you do what’s expected of you, when you go beyond what’s expected. You need to do what is expected and then do a little more.

Leaders dont fear hard work, they set the example.

I shared with him these tips;

• Arrive early every day, if you aren’t early, you are late. Be there early and ready to work.

• Do everything you are expected and or asked to do with a great attitude. I told this young man, if they tell you to carry 4” rigid pipe (very heavy) from one side of the site to the other, you be the best 4” rigid pipe carrier they ever saw.

• Pay attention to the smallest of details. Excellence is in the details. If you have done a task and you think, that’s good enough, then its not good enough. In my mind if its “good enough” it leaves room for improvement. The task is not done until it is done and done right to the best of your ability. It typically doesn’t take much longer or not much harder to close the gap between good enough and done right.

• Be willing to accept extra work, responsibility, and staying late.

• Don’t get caught up in gossip, complaining, and negative talk with other employees.

• Be the example of excellence, over the long term it will pay great rewards.

If you live these principles it will be recognized, and you will be rewarded. These principles translate to work, relationships, and life in general. Be the example of leadership.

LEADERS GIVE THE CREDIT AND TAKE THE BLAME

leaders gives the team the credit

I was in a meeting with roughly 100 project managers recently. These are the leaders of a fairly large and well run business.  They were taking turns briefing the President of the company on the status of their projects.

On two instances the President stopped the meeting to give praise for projects well done. These  projects had aggressive schedules and were high profile. The projects were completed on time and the President had received great feedback from stake holders.  It didn’t surprise me that the President stopped and acknowledged the accomplishments of his people because he is a true leader.  The growth, revenue, and moral of the company reflect his strong leadership.

What did surprise me was that in both cases the Project managers never mentioned their teams, they simply took all the credit, said thank you and left it at that.  No one from one of the PM’s team was present but wouldn’t it have been a great opportunity to put in a good word for the team.  I know this team worked seven days a week 12 and 14 hours a day for weeks to make the project a success.

The second project manager had two team members in the room. What an awesome opportunity to call these two members out in front of the crowd and acknowledge their contribution.  Instead these two received no recognition.  Despite what some may say, everyone wants to be recognized, acknowledged , and appreciated.

These PM’s had the perfect opportunity to build respect, trust, and loyalty but they missed it.

Powerful leadership

Leaders give credit and take the blame; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ykCykMUcCA

If you are going to lead and want to build dynamic teams grounded in trust and loyalty give your team all the credit.  Keep empowering others, lifting others up, lead by example , and give your team all the credit.  That’s the leader who gets recognized as a winner

 

 

 

Are you a Leader or a Boss?

business-woman-thinking-61
A Leader inspires

A true leader who is confident in his or her self doesn’t rule over his subjects.  The good leader respects others and is especially careful to treat those working under her direction with respect.  The person with the title whom treats his people disrespectfully is a boss and not a leader. There is a difference and the results the two get are typically a lot different.

  • A leader treats his employees just as respectful and courteous as he does his clients.
  •   A leader recognizes the work load and time constraints his people are working under and respects the effort of a loyal and hardworking employee.
  • A Boss has two personalities, a respectful cheerful tone with clients brimming with politeness and concern.  And then the less respectful easily frustrated tone.  The Boss types are famous for the do as I say not as I do or do it because I said so management style.
  • A Boss comes in and barks out orders and direction with out ever determining what the employee is currently working on. He often doesn’t know what it is, when it needs to to be done, or who the work is for. All that is on his mind is what is important to him at that moment with no respect for the others.  There are situations when a fire needs to be put out and priorities need to quickly change. I’m not talking about these cases. It is the boss I’m talking about who manages through the lenses of his own ego.

Be the leader who shows respect, courtesy, and understanding. Obviously as the leader and being in a managerial role there are times where you have to be firm with people and you have to make tough decisions and have frank conversations.  But this can be done with respect. By building trust through the day to day operations treating your people firmly but respectfully the tough conversations are easier, people want to perform for you, company moral is high, and the work environment is better for all.