Leadership, Management, and the Skilled Trades

NOTE: This article is part of a series on Leadership here at The Wealthy Ironworker

1. Leadership, Management, and The Skilled Trades
2. The 4 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader
3. Leadership and The Task-Oriented Trades
4. Leadership and The Art of Intentionality
   1. Traits Developed From The Art of Intentionality
5. Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
   1. Traits Developed From Emotional Intelligence
6. Leadership and Humility
   1. Traits Developed From Humility
7. Leadership and Listening to Understand and Not to Respond
   1. Traits Developed From Listening to Understand and Not to Respond
8. Traits Developed Overall in the Leadership Process

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

– Socrates

Welcome to another thoughtful post here on The Wealthy Ironworker. Today’s article is going to look at some common terms found in everyday vernacular: Leadership, Management, Intentionality, Emotional Intelligence, and Humility. I want to take a look at what each of these terms mean, how they appear to be alike, how they are different, how you can work on them in your own life, and how they affect the trades overall. The trades are experiencing a monumental shift in the way things are done and working on yourself in these areas can help you stand apart. Besides, you should already want to be the best you can be – “the unexamined life is not worth living,” after all.

 

Leadership can be challenging

What do these terms mean

If we’re going to talk about each of these terms, let’s take the time to define them, first.

One of the best definitions of Leadership I have come across defines it as:

“One who guides others in action or opinion; one who takes the lead in any business, enterprise, or movement; one who is “followed” by disciples or adherents; the chief of a sect or party; the foremost or most eminent member of a profession; also, in wider sense, a person of eminent position and influence; one who leads a choir or band of dancers, musicians, or singers.”

This definition comes from an article entitled “Leadership versus Management: How They Are Different, and Why” and can be found through a Google search. ASCE has the article, which can be found here. 

Likewise, they take a crack at defining Management, saying “On the other hand, “management” is about controlling, supervising, application of skills, caretaking, and coping with prevailing circumstances. Therefore, a manager, according to OED, is “a person who organizes, directs, or plots something; a person who regulates or deploys resources; a person who manages a department of a business, organization, institution, etc.; a person with an executive or supervisory function within an organization, etc.”

The article where the definitions come from is a fascinating one and worth the time to read – especially if you are trying to improve yourself. If not, why are you reading this article in the first place?

Intentionality – THE important trait when it comes to personal growth and leadership. Dictionary.com has a good definition for our purposes: “the fact or quality of being done on purpose or with intent; an attitude of purposefulness, with a commitment to deliberate action.”

I appreciate the definition for numerous reasons, but I’ll highlight here that it’s simplistic and straight to the point. We don’t need to make it confusing or more elaborate than it needs to be. What’s more, because we believe at The Wealthy Ironworker that Intentionality is so important and at the root of other trait growth, we rightly attribute simplicity with importance.

Next up in emotional intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence is an important – and often disregarded – concept in the trades. The Oxford definition you get when googling emotional intelligence will suffice here:

“the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.”

Yes, that will work for us, nicely.

Lastly, we want to highlight humility – one of the absolute hardest qualities to find, admit, and develop among people, not to mention leaders.

Humility, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “freedom from pride or arrogance.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the best definitions you’ll ever read. It also highlights why it is so hard to display humility: because we are VERY prideful and arrogant.

Pride, after all, is widely regarded as THE ORIGINAL SIN.

Now that we have some working definitions, let’s explore things a bit further.

*Side note: John Maxwell’s definition of leadership is concise and to the point: “Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.” I went with the other definition because the article provided me with definitions for leadership and management – but, it’s worth noting Maxwell’s definition. He is often seen as THE expert in leadership in the business world.*

 

How they are alike – and different: Leadership and Management

People confuse Leadership and Management too much

This, of course, pertains to the Leadership vs Managing aspect. Intentionality, Emotional Intelligence, and Humility, properly understood, have the ability to influence EVERY aspect of your life – including your role as a leader or a manager. Yet, for the purpose of comparison, I want to evaluate the tenants of Leadership and Management in a compare and contrast role.

Given the definitions above, it’s quite clear the two are different. Perhaps it’s obvious to you but for some reason, they are often confused with one another. Moreover, I find it interesting the term leadership has been around for thousands of years – whereas manager, in the context of work – has recently been overemphasized due to the industrial revolution. My personal opinion is management arose as a way to dehumanize oversite. That is to say, IF we refine the process, someone only needs to manage the process – and not lead the people. People should work within the process, and leadership is not needed, – or, at best, minimized.

Management, then, is far easier to implement and govern.

Taking my hypothesis further, can the same not be said of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)? Have they not been made to remove the human element of error when dealing with something on the job? Doesn’t it make sense when we look at the various codes, safety regulations, and even company structures that have become commonplace?

In effect, the thinking is that by crafting an intricate and standard process, we only need to have people manage it – hence managers. Using these processes, we can effectively rely on a far more simplified concept of who is in charge, what each employee is supposed to do, and need not concern ourselves with the complexity that is good – or bad – leadership.

So goes the thinking, anyway. But people are messy – even managers. Egos and pride flair up unpredictably (remember what I said about humility and pride?). Favoritism and nepotism are prevalent. Coupled with the complexity of life overall, we can readily see the deficiencies in this model. Despite our best efforts, quality leaders are needed today more than ever; this is especially true given the monumental shift taking place in the construction industry. Large swaths of poor leaders are retiring, women are entering the industry in increasing numbers, and a looming shortage of skilled tradesmen has come together to create a perfect storm.

 

What can you do to be a better you?

We should always seek improvement in every area of life

What does all of the above really mean – for you individually and the trades overall?

First off, I’d like to point out it creates a tremendous opportunity for some to be a better person and, hopefully, by extension, a potential leader. Should my hypothesis prove to be true – which I write as though it is – managers aren’t the solution to some systemic problems we face. Nor is it a more refined process. Instead, I argue we need to evaluate the industry’s need for great leaders. Having great leaders may not solve the industry’s problems, but it will go a long way toward helping. As long as there are people on the job site, you can expect there to be problems, many of which no process can deal with.

Second, the next step should be to define what a good leader is. I suspect there are as many definitions as people. I want to take a different approach here, however, and provide you with what I think a great leader possesses. If you understand this and strive for the character qualities outlined below, I believe you are well on your way to being a great leader – in a time when leadership is sorely lacking.

 

What makes a great leader

Leadership theories go back and forth on what leadership is

Given the tremendous upheaval taking place in the construction industry today, it is my contention we need to return to quality leadership and not simply rely on managers. This is especially true with the increasing diversification taking place. Different people mean different thought processes, different backgrounds, different biases – all attempting to blend together for a cohesive industry. And at the top of this must be leaders with all of this in mind. Leadership was fairly rare before; it’s becoming somewhat of an anomaly now.

Given the above, I believe there are four qualities that make a great leader. Properly understood, I believe if you possess any of these four qualities, you are already on your way to being a good leader. If, after reading this post, you feel you could work on a quality or two, then you are not alone – and are already ahead of millions of other people – who do not consider much beyond collecting a paycheck.

The four qualities of a great leader are:

1. The Art of Intentionality
2. Emotional Intelligence
3. Listening to Understand and Not Just to Respond
4. Humility

I won’t cannibalize my other article further; if you want to read more about The 4 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader (and you should), it is the next article in The Leadership Series here at The Wealthy Ironworker.

Now that we’ve defined what a good leader looks like, what does a manager look like? Can we totally eliminate management altogether? If not, what is their role? Where do intentionality, emotional intelligence, and humility come in through all this?

*Interestingly enough, I had NOT done any real research into “The Art of Intentionality” – for my part, it is intuitive to me. Yet, I was surfing the internet and came across John Maxwell’s “The Law of Intentionality.” I thought it would be good to link to it because he is generally known as one of the most significant leaders of our time and, quite frankly, I think it is just plain interesting.*

 

What makes a good manager

Management is dealing with a process

With all the focus lately on leadership – both here and on a plethora of other sites – good management and what it actually looks like seems to never be discussed. It’s true management is often confused with leadership and that’s one reason. Another could be since it’s relatively new, it’s not really understood. This is less likely, but still, it’s a possibility.

Moreover, it’s surprising this is the case, especially considering all of the focus on management over the last several decades. To be sure, a manager who possesses certain qualities (emotional intelligence, for one) will definitely be a better manager – but what exactly makes a good manager?

I’d contend it is someone who is well organized, plans ahead (within the confines of the system they operate in), seeks new ways to streamline processes (not just blindly accept the status quo), improve the flow of information – essentially, someone who works well managing (or running) a structured system. This particular role has increased over the past century via the industrial revolution and human resource departments bolster it further. An emotionally intelligent manager can find themselves more successful than a rigid counterpart. Even so, many managers are uncomfortable with a leadership role and flounder in it; instead, seeking to work within a system.

 

The difference between leadership and management in the construction industry

The construction industry is different for MANY reasons

As noted earlier and in other posts, the construction industry is experiencing a monumental shift. This massive change may eventually lead to a more structured system managers flourish in but it will never be completely devoid of its need for quality leaders. In fact, I’d actually argue the opposite: we need MORE. There are many reasons for this: the various trades have their own needs, each job site is different, the continual change in and adoption of technology, the unique situations that fall outside of an SOP, and the sheer fact that people are messy. Add to the mix the greater diversification the trades are experiencing and you exponentially increase the complication – and need – for quality leaders.

Mark Breslin, of Breslin Strategies, bemoans the industry’s outright dismissal (or, perhaps ignorance) of its need for leaders. In his fantastic book, The Five Minute Foreman, he writes:

“More than 95% of foremen report that they received ZERO professional leadership or management training. So let me see if I understand this: As a contractor, first I’m going to take a great guy out of the field and off his tools. Then I’m going to give him zero leadership and management training. Then I’m going to turn over anywhere from $20 million to $200 million worth of work to him and make him figure it all out for himself. Is this correct? Is this your story?

WHO WOULD BE CRAZY ENOUGH TO RUN A BUSINESS LIKE THAT?

Only the entire construction industry.”

Breslin hits the nail on the head, and should you be looking to improve yourself (yes, you should be), then you can get the book here.

For my part, the change has been a long time coming. Forget the technology piece a moment and think about it: how much better would we be with more ingenuity, more thinking outside of the box, more reasonable approaches to problems, and greater cognitive ability? Let’s face it: women are different than men, and they often approach problems from another angle. This, of course, ensures a greater difficulty from a leadership perspective (the leader must be better equipped to deal with the additional complexity), but when pulled together successfully, everything is better overall.

What’s more, the greater diversification of the skilled trades has another, unintentional benefit: increased compensation and better conditions. Women have different priorities, which in turn make them more apprehensive and careful. They are more intentional about what they seek and this changes the dynamic in the trades. Historically, poor (or perhaps devious) managers have been able to overpromise and undeliver. I’ve seen it time and time again. Going forward, I suspect many women are going to be more particular about what they want. I applaud this. Early prediction here: I also predict that with the increase in women in the skilled trades, unionization will likely increase, too. This is because women are more likely to understand what’s at stake and prioritize accordingly. They routinely can see through polemic, are often more ethical than men, and see unionization as a way to overcome unethical management. Time will tell how this plays out but the sometimes duplicitous nature of poor managers (most of which are men) will, I think, prove me right.

 

Going forward – Leadership and Management

We should always be moving forward

Having outlined the above, what can we expect going forward? How are we to handle this increased diversity? And, is there a place for managers as well as leaders in the skilled trades?

To be sure, there is a place for managers – it just isn’t as great as many make it out to be. Instead, leaders are desperately needed, and that need, I think, will grow dramatically in the next decade as the latter half of Baby Boomers retire. Management – working within a system to essentially remove the human element – has less ability to influence others. They work well in scheduling, estimating, dispatching – all of these very structured pieces of the industry. They experience difficulty dealing with others in a myriad of situations that are, well, messy. That’s what people are. The trades need more leaders and I would expect to see more women leading in the future.

It is an interesting time to be in the trades. I advocate for more leaders to address the ever-changing industry and its diversification. It will be intriguing to watch the changes in the trades and see how they adapt to not just the shortage but also the attempts to recruit more people overall. One thing is for sure: no army can withstand an idea whose time has come. And the idea of better leaders is darkening the door of the trades.

 

NOTE: This article is part of a series on Leadership here at The Wealthy Ironworker

1. Leadership, Management, and The Skilled Trades
2. The 4 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader
3. Leadership and The Task-Oriented Trades
4. Leadership and The Art of Intentionality
   1. Traits Developed From The Art of Intentionality
5. Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
   1. Traits Developed From Emotional Intelligence
6. Leadership and Humility
   1. Traits Developed From Humility
7. Leadership and Listening to Understand and Not to Respond
   1. Traits Developed From Listening to Understand and Not to Respond
8. Traits Developed Overall in the Leadership Process