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Volume 4, Issue Number 2
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October 26, 2009 |
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Training and the Born Leader Myth
Mark Breslin
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Table of Contents
Partners in Progress homepage
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If you look at the union construction industry you will find that most all the labor and management leadership is made up of "born leaders." These are individuals who, by the force of their personality and characteristics, have risen to lead construction companies, unions and field operations. These born leader types are often defined by their traits or personalities. They are usually identified by things like
- Hardest worker,
- Dominant personality,
- Charismatic,
- Commitment and determination,
- Driver,
- Competitive spirit, and
- Dynamic communicator.
Here is what famous leader and coach Vince Lombardi has to say about born leaders: "Leaders are made, not born. They are made like everything else in this country, by hard work."
In our industry we spend very little time, money or hard work on building leaders. I think this is because we do not put enough value on it. It is my view that the born leader myth causes contractors, unions and field operations to under perform.
You cannot put people in charge without giving them the professional leadership skills and tools to succeed. If you make them figure it out on their own you lose time, money and market share. From a bottom line perspective, here is my take:
- I don't want a born doctor working on my kid.
- I don't want a born mechanic working on my car.
- I don't want a born CPA doing my taxes.
- I don't want a born dentist drilling my teeth.
And I don't want a born construction leader running my project or my organization. I want a professional.
How bad is it? Field guys become foremen. Training for most foremen is that one day you get picked up by the ass and tossed in the deep end of the pool. If you can swim to the side and bring the job in, you're the foreman. Most contractors spend more on one pickup truck than they do all year on foreman training.
Good union guys become Business Managers. Yesterday he was wearing his tools but today he's elected Business Manager. He now runs a very complex multi-million dollar operation; with no formal training or qualifications.
Contractor leaders also often come from the field themselves; good builders but rarely trained business leaders. It isn't anyone's fault, it is just the idea of born leaders assuming their position in construction. Like my father, grandfather and great-grandfather also did in this industry.
I can think of no other business sector in North America where this myth and practice still exists and has such an impact. Today, construction leaders must be refined by both training and experience. Unfortunately when our labor-management organizations support the "born leader" approach, several business consequences result:
- Training for leadership and management is marginalized and not provided;
- Ego substitutes for competence;
- Standards and measures for success usually don't exist;
- Advancement can be skewed by personality or politics vs. leadership ability;
- New leaders and managers struggle;
- Quieter prospects for leadership are overlooked;
- Questions arise about the credibility of the leaders and organization;
- Leaders are reluctant to objectively examine themselves and instead depend on title, authority or power;
- Subordinates are not motivated to perform at their highest level; and
- No one really reaches their full potential, allowing their organizations to under perform.
I propose that it is time to reinvent leadership for our industry, and we should start with apprenticeship. Let's not look at apprenticeship as skill development as the primary foundation. Let's focus on leadership development as the foundation.
 | | Attend the Partners in Progress to hear more of Breslin's ideas about strengthening the sheet metal industry. |
In fact, let's build tomorrow’s apprenticeship programs around leadership skills, values and ethics. Let's give them four years of leadership curriculum. Let's have a foreman track for apprentices.
With the current economy, and the reduction in indenture rates, we may be under-utilizing the apprentice programs, facilities, and resources; why not use this interval to focus on leadership training for journeymen and foremen?
Construction leaders have to capture people's heads and hearts before their hands. Let's teach apprentices and anyone else we can get interested how to do that. Let's realize the long term payoff as they rise to become tomorrow's contractors, union leaders and foremen.
If there were ever a time in our country where it is most obvious that leadership determines destiny, this is such a time. Our destiny as an industry will be determined by the quality of our leaders. When our future is on the line it must be delivered by those whose outstanding character, personality and drive is matched by their advanced leadership skills and competencies. Let that be our legacy and market foundation for the future.Mark Breslin is a strategist, speaker and author specializing in labor-management challenges. He will be speaking at the Partners in Progress Conference in March 2010 in Las Vegas. More on his work and profile is available at www.breslin.biz.
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