How to develop your leadership skills in the construction industry

Let’s take a closer look at the leadership skills required in construction management, and how you can start building them into your skill set.

Kerrie-Anne Chinn, Content & Editorial Manager

2018-08-02

Working in the construction industry and keen to improve your leadership skills?

You may have recently been promoted to a supervisory role or given more responsibility on the job. Or maybe you’re interested in developing your skill set, with the aim of moving into a construction management position?

No matter what industry you’re working in, being a good manager is something that can be continually developed and improved upon. These days, there are plenty of professional development and training resources to help you develop your management and leadership skills.

Stepping into a leadership position means you need to be ready to take responsibility for your team. You’ll want to help your team grow – individually and as a unit – through strong collaboration and positive working relationships. And you’ll need to make sure you’re creating a safe, compliant work environment for all employees.

Let’s take a closer look at the leadership skills required in construction management, and how you can start building them into your skill set.

What leadership skills do construction managers need?

Both management skills and leadership skills are critical to the construction industry.

If you’re in a management position, you have a responsibility to provide professional development opportunities to your employees, to get the best out of each individual staff member in your team and help each one to succeed in their career.

You’ll also be responsible for fostering a safe work environment for all staff. A good manager will want to make sure everyone in their team is treated fairly and given the same tools and opportunities. And it’s very important to make sure the employees in your team are working in a positive environment, free from bullying, harassment or discrimination.

Being a good leader also requires high-level soft skills – these skills are different from technical skills, that are easier to measure and define. Soft skills are more about an employee’s character traits and qualities, for example, attitude, work ethic, problem solving abilities, empathy, communication and collaboration.

It’s these abstract skills that can really help a leader to succeed. In the construction industry, high-level soft skills will help you:

Guide and motivate team members
Influence employee ideas and behaviour
Encourage the team to work toward shared goals
Foresee (and resolve) problems and issues within the team
Establish a profitable strategic direction.

If you’re keen to move up within your construction company or get noticed by management, improving your soft skills is one of the best ways you can set yourself apart from the competition.

Using online training courses to improve leadership skills

So how can you get started on building and developing the skills you need to be a great leader?

These days, online training is one of the best ways to take charge of your professional development and set a pathway for your career. You will find many management and leadership courses available online – and unlike traditional face-to-face training, online courses allow you to simply log in and go through the training materials at your own pace.

Online learning is also a great way for employers to make sure their construction employees are getting the training, development, and onboarding they need for a safe and efficient work environment. And it can help you onboard new employees, quickly and effectively.

When bringing new hires into the construction workplace, there are many important areas and topics to cover. Before stepping onto the job site, construction workers must understand proper operating and safety procedures, not only for their own safety but also for the safety of others. Workers also need to understand how to complete projects in a timely manner and with the highest quality.

Go1 – for professional development in the construction industry

At Go1, we offer you access to lots of resources that can help you meet your professional development training needs.

Take a look through our online courses, workshops, and eLearning training modules for the construction industry, or for leadership skills in general. All our materials are up-to-date and compliant with industry requirements.

If you’re ready to get serious about your career, start working on building your leadership skills. When the opportunity for promotion comes up, your online training will already put you one step ahead of the competition, while also showing your commitment to self-development and the industry.