I imagine most people working in construction management are employed by companies, but if there were specific traits that set those who advance in their careers apart, wouldn’t you be curious to know what they are?
Having worked at several construction companies, let’s take a look at what I think are the common traits of people who are climbing the career ladder.
It’s a mistake to assume that being good at your job means you’ll get promoted
People who get promoted are good at their jobs. We should do away with this stereotype starting today.
While everyone has their own definition of what it means to be a good worker, when you ask whether people who excel at construction management and have strong management skills actually get promoted, there are surprisingly many cases where that’s not actually the case.
In fact, many of the executives at the construction company where I used to work were people who, to put it mildly, couldn’t be said to have strong construction management skills, couldn’t use CAD properly, and weren’t particularly proficient with computers.
So, why were they able to climb the career ladder in the construction industry? That’s where the characteristics of those who rise to the top lie.
Has an exceptionally strong ability to lead people
At construction sites, the ability to lead people is extremely important. This is because, in order to move a project forward, a large number of people must work together to complete it. The better your leadership skills, the more likely you are to be recognized by your company.
For example, even if you show your boss that you’re working hard on your computer when they come to inspect the worksite, it’s honestly debatable whether that will directly lead to a positive evaluation.
However, if you communicate with the workers on-site and show that you’re actively driving the project forward, it’s likely to lead directly to them thinking, “This person is capable.”
He's good at presenting things
You might think it sounds a bit cheap when you hear that someone is good at presenting things, but this skill is also extremely important.
Based on your experience so far, have you ever felt that even when doing the same work, the way you’re evaluated differs? If you’re not good at presenting your work, even if you’re doing the same tasks, the person who’s better at presenting it will be evaluated far more highly.
For example, let’s say you’ve prepared a construction plan. People who are skilled at presenting information can report on the documents they’ve created or the work they’ve done to their superiors without coming across as arrogant.
You can create a construction plan and say something like, “I tried making this construction plan using this tool—could you take a look at it?” That way, you can casually showcase your work without coming across as boastful. And you do it without even realizing it.
To put it another way, I think there are many cases where people who can’t advance in their careers are capable of completing their tasks, but because they don’t know how to effectively showcase their work, others don’t understand what they’ve accomplished, and their efforts end up being nothing more than a source of personal satisfaction.
To make people think, “This person’s got what it takes”
I feel that many of the people who advance in the construction industry are those who excel in areas beyond their actual job duties. Even when there are several people handling the same workload, many of them earn higher evaluations than their workload alone would warrant by presenting and promoting their work to their superiors.
When you make a pitch or offer a suggestion, the other person might mistakenly assume you’re “good at your job.” If a subordinate reports to you on the current situation on the ground, the problems they’re facing, how they’re tackling those problems, and how they’re working toward a solution, wouldn’t you think, “This person is capable”?
If you want to get ahead in your career, why not start paying attention to how you present yourself at work starting today?
