At Star, we know the construction world is in flux. From the digital revolution and a worldwide pandemic to record-breaking steel prices and increased competition fostered by the gig economy, the construction industry serves up innumerable challenges to which we need to adapt. Gone are the days when all an employer needed to offer to stand out from the competition was a good salary and benefits. Today’s employees are looking for something more. They want to be motivated, inspired and feel what they do matters. More than anything, they want a leader worth following. 

If your business is to survive the coming decades, it’s time to take a frank look in the mirror and see if you are the leader your people need. It may not be easy, but it is worthwhile. We’re here to guide you through the qualities of a successful, admirable leader – the kind who can navigate ups, downs, uncertainty, and industry-wide paradigm shifts.  

Defining Your Style 

There are many different styles of leadership – coaches, drivers, servants, influencers and charismatics – just to name a few. But underneath their superficial differences, the same qualities make up successful leadership. It’s just the way in which they’re expressed or related to your people that defines your style. 

Trickle-Down Change 

The key here is recognizing that any change in your organization – whether it’s in morale, structure, policies, operations or overall vision – must begin with you. Don’t just implement changes and expect everyone to fall in line. Systems, processes, and policies are managed, but people are led. As the sole, true leader, you must be fearless in changing yourself for the better first. Your people will recognize this as leadership and be inspired to follow.   

So, what changes need to be made? It depends on where you might be missing the mark. The following areas all require courageous, honest attention: 

 Be Visionary 

Everything stems from your organization’s singular vision. The goal you see in the future – however distant – is what fuels you, your company and therefore your employees. But it can only provide that fuel if it’s an exciting, empowering, achievable vision. Even then, it will only fuel your employees’ enthusiasm if it’s effectively communicated to them.  

 If your company doesn’t have a vision beyond basics, such as “Be profitable,” “Win more bids,” or “Grow year over year,” you’re not alone. But you can – and should – change that. Devote some time to encapsulating your dreams into a vision both you and your people can get behind. Try to get beyond vague superlatives like “biggest” or “best.” Do you want to become known as the state’s leader in customer service? Do you want to take over an entire region? Do you want to be the authority on complex projects? Or be known as partnering with clients to achieve new heights and greater profits? 

 Whatever your mission or vision is, it needs to be communicated to your people with vigor, passion, and energy. It should capture their imagination and enthusiasm. They need to be reminded of it regularly – and see how every seemingly insignificant task and challenge contributes to achieving that vision. Be sure it makes its way to the lowest employee on the jobsite. You need buy-in from everyone – not just those in the office. Otherwise, the vision, morale and even the company itself risks splintering into micro-cultures – ones you can’t see and therefore can’t manage, motivate, or lead. 

 Motivate & Inspire 

People don’t only follow leaders because they’re paid to. They follow them because they’re inspired to, because they believe in a common goal and feel motivated. A central component in motivating people is understanding you need to influence their thoughts, behaviors, actions and beliefs. Don’t assume they think like you, want what you want or are motivated by what motivates you. Think like them, get inside their heads and understand what motivates them.  

 What motivates your people? Start by thinking of a time when you were highly motivated. What excited you at that time? How can you reproduce that for your employees? 

 Helping each member of your team understand the connection between their responsibilities and the overall vision will motivate them – as long as your vision is solid and inspiring. Show them where you’re going, how you’ll get there and why they should care. This gives people a much-needed feeling of purpose and meaning in their career, because most people want more than a salary. They want to feel a part of something valuable and worthwhile.  

 Communicate Clearly 

Once the vision is communicated, a weak leader will assume everyone knows what they need to do and what’s expected of them. This could hardly be further from reality. Set specific targets and goals and be clear about them. People need to know what’s expected, by when, and what the rewards or consequences might be. But don’t micromanage. The more autonomy you can give people in how they reach the targets you’ve set, the better your results are likely to be.  

 Recognize Efforts 

Remember to reward both achievement and effort. Everyone likes to know their hard work has been noticed and appreciated – even if it doesn’t win the bid. Recognition doesn’t always have to be expensive or even financial. Public praise, gift cards, some time off or even a simple “thank you” can do wonders. 

 Be Decisive 

Making hard decisions with authority and confidence is one of the hardest parts of being a respectable leader. You must balance emotion, reason, uncertainty, and risk – and be ready to take responsibility for the consequences. When possible, include others in tough decisions. It not only helps you see things you might be blind to, but also helps others feel they have a stake in the organization and its vision. 

 Be Transparent 

Just as important as decisiveness is the ability to be appropriately transparent about the decisions you make and the state of affairs. Of course, not every detail of every decision needs to be shared with every employee. However, openness and honesty about how the business is doing, the position of the company and your satisfaction with performance goes a long way towards fostering a feeling of comfort and security among your people. When people don’t hear anything, they assume the worst. Even when you must make an unpopular decision, if they can see your reasons, they might understand why you made it.  

 Build Trust 

Being decisive and transparent helps build trust between you and your team. The more they can see that the decisions you make are grounded in ethics and integrity – and that they’re in service to the vision they’ve signed on to – the prouder they’ll be to work for and with you. That kind of trust and pride builds loyalty that can weather whatever storms might be ahead. 

 Cultivate Connection 

When all the above is in place, it becomes possible to forge bonds with your people that strengthen the team and hold your organization together. The people working for you need to understand that you truly appreciate and care about not only the company, but them, their kids, families, goals, and future. This builds morale and relationships that simply can’t be duplicated with money – or with commands from on-high. 

 Be Inclusive 

There may be an image that pops in your head when you think of a “construction worker,” but today, people of all backgrounds, colors and genders are finding meaning and purpose in the construction industry. When you are intentional about being inclusive, you’ll reap the rewards. Diverse perspectives, talent, and backgrounds lead to unexpected and diverse ideas. Furthermore, people feel better about working somewhere that values diversity and inclusivity. 

 Be a Part 

Though it’s an investment of time, you can add legitimacy to your leadership by spending time on-site, talking to the people on the frontlines, seeing and understanding their challenges. It might even give you insights on how things can improve.  

Sound Like a Lot? 

It may seem like a tall order, but if you’re running a successful business, chances are you’re already exhibiting many of these leadership qualities. Some just might need a touch-up or a little extra attention. But if you can dream up a provocative vision, motivate and inspire your people, communicate well, recognize efforts, be decisive, transparent, trustworthy, connected, visible and inclusive, you’ll have a miles-long lead on your competition. What’s more, you’ll have people lining up to follow you. And there’s no better position to be in.