Drive the process
Out in the field at a construction site, it’s the project manager or project superintendent that makes sure everything is running smoothly.
“Those are the positions that are out on the front line leading the process,” Smith says. “That’s the leadership team that has to deal with weather changes on a daily basis, materials that might show up early or late, or manpower that might show up early or late. They have to be, and they are, very skilled at having a plan.”
Smith isn’t managing a construction project. He’s managing a business that manages many different construction projects. But the dynamics of ensuring that everybody is marching to the same beat can be quite similar for either effort.
“We have to be the hub that keeps everything moving,” Smith says of a leader. “We have to drive the process. We advance the progress of a project versus just administering it and recording history. People want to know what’s going on. When people know what’s going on, whether it’s good or bad, they are more at ease with their task and the stress goes away.”
Smith ultimately views his role as that of stress reliever.
“The pressure of getting things done doesn’t go away,” Smith says. “I look at it as relieving stress from our people. Stress is when you’re not prepared. You feel stress when you’re not prepared.”
Smith says his job is to make sure his people are prepared and that they have the information they need to do their jobs. It’s also to make it clear that he is a person they can rely on as the source of that valuable information whenever they need it.
“It’s keeping people out of the mindset of being task-oriented and keeping the big picture of why we’re doing what we’re doing,” Smith says. “That’s one of the things we talk about a lot here. ‘Why do you come into work every day? Why do you come to the job site? Why do you come to the home office? What are you going to accomplish that day?’ We spend a lot of time talking about our core purpose. ‘What is our core purpose?’ Our core purpose is to make construction a positive experience.
“It’s extremely important to be really clear in the performance expectations of each position. If we are clear as leaders in explaining to everybody what expectations are and where their boundaries are, before they are underwater, they know they can raise their hand and ask for help or ask for suggestions. We tell people all the time that is a strength.”
You need to prepare and you need to be out in front of your employees in order to fill that role of driving your project or driving your business or driving whatever it is you’re trying to drive.
“That individual can see the end and can see the outcome, no matter what stage the project is in versus the person that is working day to day and hour to hour,” Smith says. “They have to be able to see the end at any point and how they are going to get there. The only way you can do that is by being prepared. What that means is knowing the job, knowing the people and knowing the schedule. It’s back to one of our core values, which is work smart, work hard.”
You need to make the time to prepare yourself to know these things and make time to be available to your people when they need you.
“Your job as a leader is to serve the people that report to you,” Smith says. “You’ve got to make yourself available to them. Not to be their answer machine, that’s not what you want. But you have to be there for support and guidance and counseling. If they’re coming to you for every answer and you’re solving all of their problems, you’re not doing your job as the leader.”
HOW TO REACH: Elford Inc., (614) 488-4000 or www.elford.com
