The Importance of Project Manager Development in Construction
Since the launch of my first book in February of this year, called Happily Married to Your Employer, available through Amazon Prime, I have communicated not only with my daily consults in Construction Management and Real Estate Development but also with many others throughout various industries who feel like they are stagnant in their career development. This often includes business owners and managers who categorize their stressors as the business; yet, just as with my own business, it is people’s skill set and behavioral qualifications that drive the right results and preserve relationships.
The turn of the calendar year prompts me (and hopefully you) to evaluate the year behind to intentionally try to avoid disappointments from self-behaviors and actions and the missteps of others we align with from happening in the future. To do so, we need to follow the four-step evaluation and then seek out and partake in the education and application to adjust moving forward.
The Four-Step Evaluation Includes:
- What do I wish was different or I had more knowledge of before acting upon it in 2023?
- What was the root cause of the unfavorable outcome I am seeking not to repeat?
- What, if anything, can be done differently if in a similar situation again?
- Who or what do I need to adjust, learn, and align with to be proactive in the future?
Once you have the answers to the above questions, you can determine what might help you and others in the future.
Enhancing Construction Project Management Skills
A commonality in the industry is a wish for Project Managers to be more knowledgeable when it comes to managing the schedule and finances of a project. For many contractors, a qualified and competent project management professional is instrumental in ensuring the success of a project, yet so many project managers in our industry do not understand what their job entails beyond the title given to them.
Associated General Contractors of America offers a Project Manager Development Program. The AGC program is a Saturday followed by three evening classes that helps Project Management professionals learn not only effective skills to manage their work-life balance and how to effectively hold other stakeholders on a project accountable but also the differences between a Budget, an Estimate, and a Bid. Instructors explore the purpose of the Project Scope and how it impacts the project during the entire project life cycle. The remainder of this unit focuses on the Planning process group of Project Management. This unit covers the elements of a Project Management Plan in detail. Project managers learn how to develop a schedule for a construction project. The course also addresses topics such as dispute resolution, how to document changes, the impact of changes on the overall schedule and budget, maintaining quality assurance, and change order management, in addition to the other items in this link. If you are in Florida, help our local AGC by entering under chapter 11E.
Construction Industry-Specific Project Management Training
All too often, Construction Management professionals share with me that they are going to get their Project Management Professional (PMP) Certificate. Although all education is beneficial, getting a general PMP Certificate does not cover the nuances that pertain exclusively to our industry that still need to be learned. The AGC PMDP Project Manager Development Program is typically the same cost or less, and the value associated with your career is immeasurable as taught and participated in by others who understand intimately the challenges in the construction workforce. What would look different in your organization with trained project management professionals? Project managers don’t wait for your employers to pay or require you to take the PMDP course. If you implement what you learn, you will not only find your job more enjoyable but also on an upward career track. Do you know what you don’t know?
Navigating Behavioral Challenges in the Construction Workforce
A top-of-the-chart reoccurring challenge in any business is employee behavioral choices. A YouTube video has gone viral of a construction employee nick-naming his co-workers’ behavior. He describes each individual’s behavior this way:
- KitKat: “They always need a break.”
- Justin: “They do just enough to get by.”
- Motion Light: “They only work when they see someone.”
- ET: “They just want to go home.”
- Lantern: “They are not real bright and need to be carried.”
- Blister: “Only shows up when the work is all done.”
Other behaviors he describes are the person who disappears when things get hard and the one whom you just can’t seem to find when you need them. Behaviors are caused when individuals choose to act a certain way instead of changing a habit they have formed because of an emotional trigger. In today’s society of more tech and economic challenges, the bad behaviors must be identified and changed to prevent a company from closing because of already tight margins in our industry.
Overcoming Procrastination Habits in Construction
This week, my team did a short training session on procrastination. They learned that they are not procrastinators; they may have a habit of procrastination. They learned that procrastination is a habit and can be overcome by implementing science and getting to the root of the real issue causing them to procrastinate.
Achieving a Growth Mindset in Construction Careers
According to Forbes, in 2022, the top 10 New Year’s Resolutions Every Business Owner Should make, three of those that made the list were to Build a Better Growth Mindset, Foster a More Positive Work Environment, and Create a Clearer Sense of Direction. The top business resolutions employees often make are to make more money or get a bigger title.
In my book, HMTYE, I share how to continue to grow professionally and financially in the workplace. Employer or employee, it starts with knowing your inclinations, understanding how your habits and responses may be holding you back and how to make small changes yourself and help your teammates to do the same that add up to big payoffs over time.
Setting New Year Resolutions for Construction Professionals
The year is winding down. To get started, make a list of all the great things that happened this year in the workplace, then build on that list by picking one thing that might not have made it on the list. Then ask yourself: “What will be different next year?”
Don’t forget to give us a call if you need help making it happen!
Cheers to a NEW Year,
Suzanne Breistol
