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The Leader–Manager Balance, A Construction Industry Challenge

By Charles W. Cook

Some lament, “Where have all the Leaders gone?” But, in fact, they have not gone anywhere. For the most part construction leaders are rare. Managers are far more common - especially the micro-manager species. Construction has continued, even thrived, on the success of management skills rather than genuine leadership.

In an industry that stresses management - it is, afterall, called project management - the call for leadership is often lost behind the project noise of backup beeps, the rev of skillsaws, the pounding of the pile drivers, and the pop of nail guns.

There is an accepted distinction between management and leadership. The manager is concerned with budgets, deadlines, standards of quality as defined by the specifications and drawings, and, of course, safety. The leader does not ignore these necessities, but the focus of the leader is the people. The leader empowers everyone to do his or her part in the execution of the whole. Generally, the manager relies upon fear or duty to achieve results. The leader inspires others to achieve through intrinsic motivation of pleasure or pride in accomplishment. The incredible pressures of construction favor the manager’s approach, and studies have shown the authoritarian manager accomplishes more in the short term than either the democratic or laissez-faire leader.

Since construction is basically a short-term industry, with each project a complete unit, built by individuals that may not have worked together before or may not work together again, the manager’s approach would seem not only practical, but also the most effective.

Why then do we need leaders?

The industry, in fact America, needs leaders, but we cannot expect such leaders in the demands and stresses of construction to either: 1) abandon entirely their management responsibilities, or 2) assume the characteristics or formulas that work in the military, politics, or general business. Last year 250 books were published about leadership. Not a single one of those books was written by a constructor or about construction.

The construction industry is complex and unique. Our superintendents are not overseeing widgets rolling past on an assembly line. Every hour (sometimes it seems every minute) of every day brings a new and different challenge in the field, trailers, and offices of constructors everywhere.

To learn leadership in such an industry requires an individual with a unique plan specific to three key entities: 1) the individual, 2) the industry, and 3) the company.

In reverse order, no one can lead for long outside the boundaries of a company’s culture. Everyone needs to recognize the needs and expectations that each company creates standards of performance, and the degree to which a manager can mix leadership activities with management is governed by the successful achievement of established company standards.

The leader must also recognize the high-pressure atmosphere of the “whitewater” industry that construction is. These pressures of the “now!” cannot be ignored. As good as intentions might be, it is hard to trim the sails when you are busy bailing the boat. Cost overruns, late deliveries, equipment breakdowns, unanswered RFI’s, weather, and a multitude of other factors related to budget and schedule will always affect the potential of anyone to lead when the world around them is falling apart and demands the immediate attention of the manager.

Finally, each individual can only lead in his or her own way. No one can successfully be someone else for very long. Each person has a unique blend of skills, knowledge, and personal attitudes that will allow him or her to lead in their own way. This unique way can only be developed with an individually devised action plan for leadership improvement.

The conclusion, therefore, is not to abandon the quest for leadership. Long-term results under effective leadership vastly exceed the slow (basically inflationary) growth of good management. In the quest for survival in a difficult industry it is vital and even necessary to reward the achievements and successes of the manager. Immediate results are often as pleasing and usually as important to other stakeholder entities in construction, such as owners, banks, and bonding agents, as the eventual achievement of three and five year plans.

However, managers in focusing on standards and what is expected often make expectations the ideal. The key to excellence beyond the standard is to develop a corporate culture that acknowledges and promotes successful management while encouraging the development of the industry’s most important asset—people. This can be done if companies will empower leaders to create a new vision that goes beyond expectations to new and unimagined ideals. That territory can be frightening to some, but the rewards inevitably outweigh the risks.

Charles Cook has successfully combined a career furthering the family construction business with an avocation in communications, media, and teaching. Charlie is president of R.S. Cook & Associates, Inc. in Philadelphia, PA. Charlie is an active member of the Construction Education Committee of the Associated General Contractors of America and is currently serving as chairman of the Continuing Education Subcommittee. He also served as Education Committee chairman of the Philadelphia Builders’ Chapter and on the chapter’s board of directors. Charlie is a past president of the Carpenters’ Company, the oldest extant trade group in America.

November 2007

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