Do you ever notice that some Superintendents seem overly rude or brash? Some consistently engage in verbal abuse. Some may think that in order for them to be taken seriously as a leader, they must be rude, so as to not be viewed as a ‘push-over.’
The general question is, “does maintaining that persona interfere with “leadership,’’ or the process of managing people? The Answer: “It can.” Not every individual under the charge of such a person, responds positively to that energy. Over the long haul, the subcontract team will often (conscientiously or subconsciously) look for ways to sabotage production in response to negative energy. Constant negativity can affect morale, as well as the financial health of the job. The accumulation of potential Change Orders is seemingly lower, when the attitude of leadership is non-combative. That’s not to say that “push-back” is never warranted. In other words, be tough and firm without demeaning someone else’s energy. Lead without abusing authority, and more importantly learn to pick your battles.
A Superintendent has one of the toughest set of responsibilities on a Project. It is a high level position, that is to be occupied by those with extensive project experience in managing the work progress to ensure project delivery in accordance with, the Project Schedule, Safety standards, Project Budget, while controlling Quality. But it also requires someone who is tough, that has the tenacity to roll with the hard punches, able to think quickly and make decisions on the fly. At the time of an impending promotion to Superintendent some years ago, I was told of the unspoken rule: “if the Project fails, it’s the Superintendent’s fault.” In hind sight I think the “rule” may have been shared with me in the hopes that I might change my mind about the promotion. Because of the tremendous stress that often comes with the job, it makes you, the Superintendent, sometimes adopt a ‘by any means necessary’ approach to getting the job done.
But the most important thing to realize is that the health of relationships, with Internal Customers (corporate team) and External Customers (ie. Subcontractors) will make or break a job. So our best approach is that of empowerment, which means:
- Be clear about objectives, be clear about how you plan to achieve those objectives after thorough planning,
- Ask for subcontractor’s input, which also helps with their ‘buy-in’ to the plan. ‘Hear’ with LISTENING EARS so that you capture the nuances in conversation that will affect the execution of the plan.
- Communicate clearly and concisely how you plan to ‘get it done’ in context with the overall flow of work and the schedule, and most importantly,
- Work HARD to ELIMINATE THE EXCUSES, by taking a ‘by any means necessary’ approach to obliterating all of the obstacles impacting work flow.
- keep your word and promises whenever possible, while being true to the plan (if you can’t keep your word, properly vet changes with the entire team as they arise).
This paves the clear path for the team members to complete the tasks associated with achieving the overall objective, builds trust, and respect for your leadership.