Leadership: Becoming a Leader

"If your actions inspire others to dream more,
learn more, do more and become more…
then you are a Leader!"

As a test, go to any job recruitment website and type the word “Leader” into the search bar. Then, choose the “Construction Industry” filter and press “Enter.” I believe you will discover there are no positions with the title “Leader” available. The response you will receive, however, is a list of “Manager Roles” that cover a variety of jobs within the industry. When you hear the word “Leadership” in places like offices or construction sites, you probably instinctively think of the phrase “Management”, yet these two terms are extremely different from one another. The quickest means of defining both is management can be appointed, but leadership must be earned.

However, that does not mean that someone cannot become a leader with the right training and development. Some people are born leaders without even realising their qualities until they have the experience and confidence to stand up and take on leadership. The industry as a whole is experiencing a skills deficit, which has an impact on leadership. However, if businesses integrate leadership training programmes and CPDs into their systems, their overall performance will increase. Only in a collaborative setting can leadership be formed, and I like to use the breakdown:

Together

Everyone

Achieves

More

"To be a leader, one must not only be out in front, but also have people intentionally coming behind, following the lead, and acting on the leader’s vision without coercion." The key is finding someone to develop others around them and I believe a business can function successfully by utilising some of the following leadership techniques:

• Finding the Team – Having the proper team with the right fundamental beliefs is essential. A firm is only as good as the staff it retains, thus in order to advance, it must draw in the appropriate talent.
• Strategic Training & Development – What strategic training & development opportunities can you provide to attract the best candidates and, more importantly, to develop the potential leaders you already have? Opportunities for career advancement are crucial for people to witness.
• What company roadmaps and CPD check-ups have been put in place to check, set, and reward the attained goals and aims when outcomes have been achieved? In the end, new objectives might be established, ensuring that all jobs are completed uniformly. This can be distributed around the team if tasks aren’t finished.
• Financial support – It can take a lot of money to ensure that all of the above occur, and most businesses won’t be able to do it with their current profit margins. At this point, the company’s strategy needs to shift in order to create long-term leaders.

Summarising the quotation, organisations can put all the necessary tools in place to develop leaders, but it must begin with individuals who are willing, have optimistic outlooks, are ambitious, want to inspire others, and have that desire to make a difference. As we look to the future, it is the younger generation that we must develop for the global industry to thrive. Only then can great leaders be born.