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Insights JULY 2011
Innovation. Education. Success.
Workforce WORKFORCE Development: DEVELOPMENT Creating the Next Generation of Electricians Turning Green into Greenbacks
Working in Greener Pastures
Technological Advances Make Solar Energy More Alluring
Special Feature
FORETHOUGHT AND
Training
Makes Managers By Christian D. Malesic
T
he construction industry is well known for setting up our best skilled technicians for failure. It’s as if we are specifically trying to sabotage our own companies by
reducing the workforce skill level and using poor management to try to fix it. A fancy new title and a raise does not make a manager. A top-notch management selection process and training program is the only road to ensure future success.
Leaders Make Great Managers The best technician does not make the best manager; the natural-born leader does. Though scholars continue to argue the finer details, it is widely accepted that “leaders are born and managers are made.� Leaders are followed. The directives of managers are carried out. The leader is the person spreading news from the
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Special Feature grapevine, teaching trade tricks, and from whom coworkers seek advice. At breaks, the leader can be found telling “there I was” stories with an attentive audience and organizing the weekend fishing trip or bar bash. The manager is the person given that title by executives to be in charge of people, projects, and money. In theory, anyone can be taught to manage well. Managers can be taught efficiency, organization, project flow, and even to earn the respect of those they manage. Managers cannot be taught how to lead. Though it is possible that the best technician is also a natural leader, this is rarely the case. Instead of looking to the firm’s best technicians to serve in open management roles, consider promoting and training the natural leader. Management selection processes should begin pre-hire with an eye on identifying potential leaders. These employees should then be observed in their current role for signs of leadership and future advancement.
Tiered Management Structures Think large when developing the structure of management. All large companies were once small. So, instead of waiting until the company is large and then having to revamp the entire reporting chain, develop the structure at the outset. It is better to have a structure with unfilled positions, or those not currently needed in the smaller organization, then it is to remodel the entire structure at a later date to adapt it to the growing firm. In other industries, the lowest level of management is the shift manager, department director, or section chief. In construction, we refer to these positions as foreman, job supervisor, or superintendent. Each firm must chose these titles carefully and the reporting hierarchy with which they are associated. For the purposes of this article, let’s assume that the person who manages the onsite/in-field project is called the foreman (FM). The FM keeps the job flowing, assigns workers’ tasks, coordinates with other trades, ensures parts are on-site, and briefs the client, all while still working with their tools to facilitate installation. FMs report to the person who manages a number of projects, a position that is primarily office and paperwork intensive, usually called the project manager (PM). PMs, in turn, report to a member of the executive staff, usually the chief operating officer (COO). It is not uncommon to further break up the management levels of FM and PM into subcategories. For example, the FM category could be subdivided into: junior foreman, foreman, and senior foreman. A junior foreman may be the term used to describe a new entry into the management ranks who is assigned only one senior-level apprentice to do small jobs, troubleshooting, and clean-up work. A FM would be an experienced manager with a bigger crew and larger job assignments. Finally, a senior
foreman would have the most experience at assisting with employee training, large projects, and those jobs requiring specialized skills or in dealing with detailoriented clients. The PM ranks could be similarly divided. It is also wise to have pre-management positions that introduce potential entrants to the ranks without the accompanying official responsibilities. Thus, an assistant foreman would serve as a normal crew member most of the time; but would be available to take over a portion of the project (gear installation, inventory accountability, first floor rough-in, etc.) as needed by the FM. Additionally, they will fill-in as acting FM when the FM is on vacation or off work for personal reasons.
Next, find outside vendors of one to two day seminar-style courses and add self-study activities (books, books-on-tape, videos, webinars, etc.) that specialize in training new or advancing managers. Those activities that are specific to your company (completing a job report, corporate marketing softskills, or parts scheduling, for example) should be taught in-house by the PM team or executive staff. Skills can be taught in one week or multi-week long training courses, where a trainee focuses only on management training until completed. Or, conversely, a program can mimic the IEC Apprentice Training model, whereby management trainees complete classroom training intermixed with field-work over an extended period of time, say, six months for management training.
Management Training is Essential The most successful restaurant-chain in world history, McDonald’s, is the brunt of many jokes. They are, however, so successful because they are experts. Not only are they experts at “flipping burgers,” their world-renowned Hamburger University is a benchmark for educating management trainees on operation procedures, customer service, cleanliness, and business development. Similarly, Disney, United Parcel Service (UPS), Dell, and many others have been recognized as best-in-class for management and/or customer service training. Unfortunately, the construction industry has the opposite distinction. We are recognized as the industry that provides no management training. We promote our best hopefuls with a new title and a pay bump, only to throw them to the wolves by telling them to go run the work. Throwing a fellow in the Mississippi River to teach him or her to swim may have been accepted in Tom Sawyer’s day, but is a procedure doomed to fail with management trainees. At the very least, each level of management should be given initial training followed by annual re-occurring training that delves deeper and broader as employees move up through the ranks. The best place to start is with the job description. What skills/tools will make the new manager improve company profitability and enhance reputation? Focus on key business areas: •
Customer Service
•
Communicating Professionally
•
Reoccurring Duties
•
Completing Paperwork
•
Management & Team Building
•
Organization & Time Management
•
Technical Skill Enhancement
•
Role in Company’s Profitability
•
Official Employee Interaction
•
Merit Shop Responsibilities
Management selection processes should begin pre-hire with an eye on identifying potential leaders. Whatever your company’s approach, it must incorporate four overarching themes to profit and succeed in the new economy: 1. Develop a management structure for where you want your firm to be, not where it is. 2. Hire even entry-level technicians (apprentices) with potential management in mind. 3. Constantly analyze the workforce to identify leaders for future management positions. 4. Train, train, and re-train.
Christian D. Malesic is a founder of CM Squared, Inc., Full Service Electricians, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and has served as its President / CEO for the last 13 years. He has volunteered as the Central Pennsylvania IEC Chapter President, Vice President, and Apprenticeship & Training Chair. He currently serves on the IEC National Board of Directors representing the Northeast Region. To receive notice of the newest articles written by Christian, follow him on Twitter: @CDMalesic.
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