Successful construction management starts at the top. Without an experienced leader guiding a skilled and dedicated team, even the most meticulously planned construction project can fall apart. Recruiting for construction managers is tricky because you have to find the right candidate who can handle multiple challenges at once. From planning and budgeting to managing subcontractors and dealing with everyday setbacks, construction managers must wear a lot of hats.
The traits discussed below are essential for successful construction managers. Keep reading to learn what to look for.
Team Motivation Strategies
It’s one thing to put project goals on paper; it’s another thing to motivate and inspire a team to achieve those goals. As with any leadership role, a construction manager can’t expect one leadership style to appeal to the entire team. Instead, they must be able to deploy multiple team motivation strategies, ensuring everyone works together to complete the project.
Some of these critical strategies include empowerment, conflict resolution, and recognition. Look for candidates who can delegate tasks and empower team members to take pride and ownership in their work. Ask about times when they had to address disagreements within their team and how they maintain a harmonious work environment. Assess their ability to recognize and reward others for their achievements to ensure morale remains strong throughout the project lifecycle.
Decision-Making Frameworks
It would be great if every project went according to plan. However, as anyone who has worked in construction management knows, every day presents new challenges. These could include unexpected weather, building materials that don’t arrive on time, team absences, or any other challenges. A successful construction manager must employ several decision-making frameworks to keep the project moving toward completion.
Seek candidates who can navigate challenging situations with speed and confidence. Ask about times they were confronted with potentially project-stopping problems and how they recovered. Understand their decision-making process and how it will apply to your construction projects.
Look for evidence of a candidate’s problem-solving skills. Chief among these skills is risk assessment. Look for candidates who can evaluate risks to the project and team members and quickly develop mitigation plans. Analyzing data is also essential, especially since so much of construction management today is powered by technology.
Conflict Resolution Techniques
Conflicts arise at every job site, and it’s not limited to in-fighting among team members. A construction manager may have to resolve disputes between your company and its material suppliers. Permits may be held up over disagreements with City Hall.
The opportunities for disagreements are nearly endless, but the most successful managers will clear these roadblocks with solid conflict resolution techniques. This includes compromise, mediation, and negotiation. Evaluate a candidate’s willingness to find mutually agreeable solutions. Look for candidates who lead with constructive dialogue and can find common ground.
A skilled construction manager may have to negotiate several times a day to keep projects on track. Ask about a candidate’s experiences at the negotiating table with employees, government officials, upper management, and others.
Strategic Planning Approaches
Strategic planning is a cornerstone skill for any successful construction manager. They should be able to set clear project goals and allocate the resources (time, personnel, and budget) required for timely completion.
It’s also important for the candidate to have risk management skills. Seasoned managers can identify potential risks to any project and develop viable mitigation plans. They should also have contingency plans to address the unexpected challenges that will likely arise in the project lifecycle.
Multiple Communication Styles
The common thread amongst all the skills discussed so far is effective communication. The ideal construction manager of today must not only have strong communication on the job site. They also must be able to write in a clear and concise fashion in the many emails they will write and in project proposals.
The best candidates will show adaptability in their communication styles. Dealing with team members differs from networking with government officials or delivering a presentation to your board of directors. Seek out a versatile candidate with multiple communication styles, each one equally effective.
Finding the Right Construction Manager for Your Company
There’s no doubt that the role of construction manager has evolved. Just a couple of decades ago, you might have pictured the average manager in a hard hat, running across a construction site in an attempt to keep everything together. In the world of construction management today, the ideal manager works with technology while in constant communication with team members, vendors, and any number of stakeholders.
Recruiting successful construction managers is also much different than it used to be. Finding the right candidate who has so many in-demand skills can be exceptionally challenging. A dedicated recruiting firm can help narrow your search and find the ideal candidate for your company. To learn more, contact MRINetwork today.