Leadership Skills: Promoting Teamwork, Productivity

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By Brian Hook Back in the day, construction sites were no place for the thin-skinned, and not just because of the extreme weather swings in locations like the Upper Midwest or the Southwest. If work was falling behind or somebody had messed up, a superintendent often would just yell, and then everybody would suck it up and get to work. So-called “soft skills” were out of step with the gritty reality of field work. Times have changed, however, and if your field team hasn’t yet honed those leadership skills relating to emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, teamwork and effective communication, it’s … Read more

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Bridge the Gap: 3 Ways to Attract, Retain Skilled Workers

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By Andy Williams Thirty-one million U.S. skilled-trades positions will be unfilled by 2020. In the manufacturing industry, 32 percent of $1 billion-plus companies estimate they will lose more than $100 million each year as baby boomers retire during the next five years. And it’s not much rosier in construction. Executives are seeing cracks extruding from the gap, expanding closer and closer to their company’s profitable foundation, and many leaders are branching out to solve this crisis in new and innovative ways. Here are three tips we’ve employed to bridge the gap: 1) Look to new labor markets As the construction … Read more

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