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Ted’s Blog: Discussing critical industry issuesThe Garrison Report #2006-5
Turn Your Project Managers into Project Leaders
Last month's Garrison Report #2006-4 (www.tedgarrison.com/resources/garrison-report/2006-reports/fire-all-your-project-managers) discussed why the construction industry needs leaders instead of managers. However, where do we find or how do we create leaders? It's the author's opinion the construction industry must concentrate on developing leaders. As the labor market continues to get more and more competitive, it's going to become almost impossible to find available leaders.
The U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics has calculated that by the year 2010, there will 10,033,000 jobs that will go unfilled because there simply aren't enough people to fill them. The reality is that as the baby boomers begin to retire, there are fewer people moving into the workforce to replace them. Further complicating the problem will be the severe brain drain that will occur as experienced workers start leaving in record numbers and are replaced by inexperienced workers. The only solution is for contractors to start developing their workforce. This includes training them to be leaders. Leadership is learnable like any other skill.
The author is tired of hearing the elders complain that today's younger generation isn't as good as those in the past. Nonsense! That complaint has been raging from at least the days of Socrates. There will always be a generation gap, but that gap doesn't mean inferiority; it merely means difference. For those who have any doubt about our younger generation, just consider the job they are doing in Iraq.
If you want to turn your people into highly motivated leaders, then you must first understand them. Several studies have indicated that today's workers rate being appreciated and being in on things as their two highest motivators. One of the best ways to tap into these two motivators is to ask questions.
The greatest compliment that you can give people is to ask for their opinions and let them carry them out. This demonstrates your appreciation for their abilities and ideas. How much more involved can people be then to determine their course of action? Therefore, instead of telling people how to perform their jobs, they should be asked for their opinions whenever possible. Of course, common sense dictates that this approach doesn't work with someone who doesn't have the necessary knowledge or technical skills to perform the required task, but it's a powerful approach when people are qualified.
The good news is their answers to the questions will tell you if the person is qualified to lead the task. By asking questions, it becomes apparent if they understand the problem and desired outcome. Further, their answers will indicate if they have a plan to solve the problem. Finally, questions can determine if they have the necessary resources. However, if you get the wrong answers, you should ask additional questions to help the individual better focus or better understand the situation. The new questions help raise issues he may have previously overlooked. Instead, of telling him he is wrong, the questions expand his thinking. This allows him to remain in control and make him more likely accountable for the results. When this process is done properly, you will have a highly motivated leader or have determined you have the wrong person to lead this task.
Creating Star Performers
Thomas K. Connellan, Ph.D., has done research on what it takes to turns people into star performers. He found that setting accurate expectations, holding the person accountable, and feedback are the keys to high performance.
Misunderstood expectations are probably the biggest cause of unsatisfactory results. As Yogi Berra said, "You've got to be careful if you don't know where you're going "˜cause you might not get there." Unfortunately, workers are often blamed. They are given too much credit for being incompetent when, in reality, it's more about poor communications. George Eckes, consultant and author, reports in his book, Six Sigma for Everyone, that studies indicate that "only 5 percent to 15 percent of the time" are problems caused by the workers. In other words, the workers aren't usually the problem, but if they don't understand what's required, they have virtually no chance of achieving the desired result. Therefore, clear expectations are critical.
The second requirement is accountability. The best way to inspire accountability in leaders is to give them the freedom to do things the way they want. Therefore, allowing them to achieve the desired results their way is the fastest way to turn people into leaders. Of course, you don't give people blank slates, but by establishing boundaries and performance requirements, you can allow leaders to follow a path that best fits their style.
Finally, feedback is essential. Any process on improvement, including Six Sigma, requires measurement of results. This is the only way to improve performance. Therefore, feedback is the leader's measurement of his leadership skills. The key to feedback is to insure that it focuses on improving the process, not attacking the individual. The reason is simple: when you attack the individual, she becomes defensive and resists the necessary changes. However, when you have a highly motivated individual who is committed to achieving the desired results and is accountable for those results, the leader will welcome constructive feedback when it helps achieve the desired goal.
No short report can provide all the necessary skills to turn managers into leaders. However, unless you first create an environment that encourages leadership, your efforts will be wasted. As the author has discussed before, the "what" is more important than the "how." In developing leaders, the "what" that is important is creating the right atmosphere and culture within an organization to encourage leadership, growth and accountability. The industry must encourage people to take risks in order to grow and not punish them for unsuccessful initiatives. Punishment turns people into managers who avoid all risk and initiative. They merely follow the rules whether they are working or not. Leaders look over the horizon for better solutions.
Our industry's future lies in the hands of its future leaders; we owe it to them and to ourselves to help them learn the necessary skills. Stop making excuses--just do it!
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