Building Relationships Through Different Leadership Styles
One thing a supervisor must do is build relationships. Relationships are defined by how you interact with others; this interaction is dictated by your leadership style. Effective construction supervisors use a range of leadership styles which determines how a supervisor gets others to perform.
The TELL Style
A supervisor makes a decision and informs the team members what they should do. The worker accepts the decision and acts. This is a very top down, authoritarian style and creates the traditional, “I’m in charge,” relationship. Relationships in this style of leadership are often one-sided. Workers are not inclined to contribute and will generally not interact with the supervisor. There is little team building or camaraderie in this style, often a supervisor who uses this style will create a negative work climate.
The SELL Style
The supervisor decides on a course of action and then communicates the benefits of the approach to the team, the worker listens, agrees to decision and acts. This style communicates that the supervisor is trying to meet the needs of their team and establish two-way communication. It is still top down, but opens the door for listening to others. Even though workers have no direct say in the decision, it is evident that the supervisor has thought this out and is able to rationalize the decision. If your decisions are successful, this will build crew confidence in your ability to lead.
The CONSULT Style
The supervisor gets input from team members before deciding. The input received from the team will influence the decision or action of the leader and then workers act on the decision. Cooperation and teamwork begin to evolve in this relationship. People in this type of relationship will learn to depend on one another, letting workers know their input is important and they are a valuable member of the team. Use this style and you will see your workers respect you and begin to respect what others bring to the job, it will also increase their motivation and willingness to perform at high levels. As a leader, select situations in which you can readily use offered suggestions in your decision, if you repeatedly fail to use your crews’ input you may lose their respect and their future input.
The JOIN Style
A supervisor makes a decision with the team. The solution or decision comes from a group discussion and consensus building. Everyone is a stakeholder in the process and solution, making it a great relationship builder. The supervisor’s role is to facilitate group interaction and discussion to help the team reach the best decision. This style is characterized by trust in you as a leader. Whether with a group or an individual this style builds positive relationships, it depicts you as one who listens.
Supervisors who use this leadership style will connect with their team on a personal level and be recognized as a coach, confidant and mentor.
The DELEGATE Style
In this style team members are given broad discretion and freedom to go ahead and get the job done. A supervisor gives problems or projects to an individual or a team, project decisions are then determined by team members and provide the supervisor feedback as needed. This style works well when you have highly motivated crew members who have a great deal of experience and ability to complete a job or project. It is especially important to recognize personalities and give your team the tools they need when delegating work. Be careful that you do not set someone up for failure, relationships resulting from this leadership style are characterized by trust. Communication is a critical key to making this trusting relationship work.
Choosing the correct leadership style for the situation will increase the chances that you will be able to gain the respect of your team and build lasting relationships.
Exercise: Which style is seen most often on the job? Which style is most effective? When might the consult style be appropriate on the job?
Safety:
Safety Training for Five Generations
There are five generations represented in today’s workforce, each with their own values and attitudes – and they all need safety training. But why should you take each generation into consideration for your safety training?
Making sure everyone is engaged is essential because an engaged environment is a safe environment. Research shows that 70% fewer safety incidents occur in engaged workplaces.
Focus areas
The core question is: Do generational differences really matter when it comes to training? The answer is a resounding yes.
Here’s why: When it comes to training and development, each generation has a different focus.
The Traditionalist Generation (1925-46) is looking for career longevity, so this generation will say, “What skills will sustain me at this organization?”
The Baby Boomer Generation (1946-64) is looking for personal accomplishment, so this generation is a little more focused on, “How will these skills and abilities help me enhance my career?”
Generation X (1965-80) is looking for new opportunities and challenges. This is a generation that wants to be thrown into new opportunities to learn, whether it’s new technology or a new process.
Millennials (1980-95) are looking for purpose in their work, so they tend to think, “How do the skills I’m learning through training add value and purpose to the work I’m doing?”
Generation Z (1995-2016) is looking for collaboration opportunities, so it’s all about what opportunities to collaborate are available through the training.
Each generation has its reasons for having these outlooks when you put them in context with the time period they grew up in.
Traditionalists, for example, grew up during the Great Depression and two world wars which led to a “never give up” attitude. Generation Z grew up during the Great Recession and in the era of smart phones, social networking and with Barack Obama as president, so they tend to have a good grasp of technology and prefer working in diverse groups.
Use common ground
For those of us with a workforce spread across all of these generations, there’s a lot going on. It’s a challenging situation. But there is a way to make this work in a really effective way.
While the generations do have a lot of differences, they also share a lot of common ground. All of them:
- have a focus on family
- appreciate a good work/life balance
- appreciate flexible work arrangements
- have an appreciation and recognition for a job well done
- have desire for effective leadership
- want to have a voice and be involved in decision-making
- want financial reward for a job well done, and
- have a sense of purpose in
When in doubt about how to best approach each generation: use your own organization’s values as a foundation to build upon and try to include the focus elements from each generation to drive the impact and application of your training program.
https://www.safetynewsalert.com/articles/training-multigenerational-workforce/
Math:
You have been asked to build an enclosed work area that can be used as out-of-the-weather prefabricating area. Calculate how much material you will need for the 24’ by 48’ concrete slab on grade. The concrete is four inches thick with six inches of pea gravel fill for subgrade.
There are two layers of #6 rebar spaced one foot apart running in opposite directions. The slab will have a vapor barrier (625 square feet per roll). A three-foot high concrete knee wall around the entire perimeter is eight inches wide. It has vertical #5 rebar every three feet and top and bottom horizontal bars (#5) throughout. Add 10 percent for waste to each material estimate. Calculate the following, using the table of values provided.
- Cubic yards (CY) – used for concrete and soil materials
- Square feet (SF) – used for area
- Contact area (SFCA) – concrete form work
- Lineal feet (LF) – measured length of material
- Ton (ton) – rock, spoil material
- Ton (ton) – reinforcing steel; #5 = 043 lbs. Per LF, #6 = 1.502 lbs. per LF
Determine:
Cubic yards of concrete (slab on grade)
Cubic yards of pea gravel
Answer:
Cubic Yards of Concrete (slab on grade): 15.63 CY
Cubic Yards of Pea Gravel: 23.47 CY
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NCE Conference
Mark your calendars for June 9 to June 12 for the 2025 NCE Conference! The AGC Nebraska Building and Nebraska Chapters look forward to seeing you!
The Nebraska Career & Technical Education Conference is the premier professional development event for CTE teachers in Nebraska! The focus of the conference will be to address current and ongoing themes in Career & Technical Education and support administrators and teachers throughout the state in learning new pedagogical skills and technical content, while expanding their professional network.
https://www.education.ne.gov/nce/nebraska-career-education-conference/