Building a well balanced construction company

There are many construction companies who win work, make lots of money, and have good reputations in the markets that they serve. And those contractors should be proud, because none of it is easy to achieve!

But there is another level of success that far fewer construction companies achieve. In our work with contractors around the country, it is rare for the external success mentioned above to align with an internal success of a happy culture and generally positive sentiments about the business. Whether it’s universal burnout, high employee turnover, or a culture dominated by gossip, success doesn’t look as clear by what’s happening internally.

There are many reasons why this could be a problem, but the #1 is that it is often not sustainable. That external success lasts for as long as the superstars in the business are willing to deal with the lack of culture. Typically, the same superstars that carried the external success eventually start to resent their bosses and give up—whether out loud or by slowly doing less and less for the business.

I feel bad when I get inside companies dealing with a lot of burnout, because what those people are going through is not easy—it’s sad to see money being made but no one feeling happy! However, increasingly, I am excited when I run into these cultures because I know that it is fixable. 

The solution starts with building high-integrity leaders who demonstrate empathy. 

Building High-Integrity Leaders 

Many construction leaders have never received any kind of formal leadership training. It is truly amazing how many great people say our leadership development program is the first one they’ve ever been a part of! So, although they may not have been a great leader in the past, it’s often because they never learned how. 

We start by helping them realize their impact on their people and the business. We encourage them to recognize how people do what their leaders do and the importance of leading by example. We push them to view themselves through the lens of others: 

• Would your people describe you as a great leader? 

• How would your people describe the morale in the business? 

• If you were one of your people, would you want to stay here long-term? 

It’s amazing the way that these questions cultivate a much deeper empathy for people at all levels of the organization. This cultivation of empathy and the realization that they must lead by example are the two foundational pieces of building high-integrity leaders. 

After 4 to 6 months of regular coaching and development, you can see the leadership team start to change its tune. Suddenly, there is less outward blame and more thoughtful discussion. Emotional intelligence skyrockets. Now, it’s time to work with the rest of the team. 

Creating A Safe Environment 

As an employee, it can be hard to let your guard down when you’ve dealt with bad leaders who push you to the brink of burnout in order to achieve external results. If you have plenty of reasons not to trust those leaders, then you will do everything you can to avoid trusting them in the future. I don’t blame a single person who feels this way. 

So, if you are a leader trying to overcome this trust deficit, you must also recognize that you have given your people no reason to trust you. As hard as it may be, you must loudly admit your previous mistakes. Tell them you want to get better and that you are working on cultivating empathy and demonstrating high-integrity behaviors because you recognize all of it is needed to create an internally successful business. 

As scary as it may be to admit your faults, it works well for building trust with people who have no reason to trust you otherwise. Then, and this is truly the key, you must show up every day and act that way. Over time, people will start to recognize the alignment between your words and actions. Once they do, trust can form. And when that happens, you will create a safe environment where people feel seen and heard and are willing to share ideas and contribute to a positive culture. 

It starts at the top 

Success for construction companies starts at the top. Many companies have used external measurements of success to run their businesses, but more and more are recognizing the need for internal success to truly build a company that lasts.  

Build a culture of empathy and high integrity, and external success will happen as a result. Then, enjoy having one of the best construction companies in the country. 

Spark Notes:

• Many construction companies achieve external success, yet few align this with internal success marked by a happy culture and positive sentiments within the business.

• The primary issue with this imbalance is its unsustainability; when internal culture suffers, even the superstars who drive external success eventually burn out or disengage.

• Addressing burnout and fostering happiness starts with developing high-integrity leaders who lead with empathy and self-awareness.

• Building trust and creating a safe environment where employees feel seen and heard is essential for cultivating a positive internal culture and achieving lasting success.