From Commander to Coach: Shifting Leadership Styles in Construction

Construction Genius

Being a leader is not just about the role, it's about the goal. The goal is to witness the growth process of those who work under you. A great leader knows when to be a coach and when to be in command, as both are necessary in the workplace.

This week’s episode features Jake Thompson. Jake is a leadership performance coach, keynote speaker, and author. Jake has spent more than a decade working with leaders and organizations worldwide on how to get better results for themselves and their teams. He has been featured in Forbes and has directly impacted over 80,000 ambitious leaders, including those with multiple AGC state chapters, BOLDT, Baker Concrete, MW Builders, and more. His motivational business workshops offer his listeners doable actions and useful tactics they can implement right away to improve performance and achieve better outcomes in their careers and personal lives. He joined us today to talk about how to shift leadership styles from commander to coach in construction.

We start the conversation with Jake defining leadership and why a leader should be someone who people are willing to follow because they have the best interest in people’s success. Jake then explains how the development of technologies helped people get a better idea of a healthy workplace and why the command and control style doesn’t work very well at present. We also talk about toxic personalities in the workplace and how one troublesome person can sink your work culture to the point where you cannot get it back up easily.

Asking good questions and listening carefully are key parts of good communication. Most people don’t have the initiative to ask good questions or the ability to stay focused on a conversation. In this part of the episode, Jake explains what you can do to ask good questions, along with the importance of asking follow-up questions. He also explains some tips that you can follow to stay focused in a conversation. Jake ends the conversation by sharing his idea of how a new leader could figure out if they are successful in their new role.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

[02.10] What is leadership?

[06.00] How technological development built the awareness of a healthy workplace environment.

[10.00] Command and control workplace environment.

[11.32] What causes the lack of flexibility as a leader?

[16.15] Protecting your workplace culture from toxic personalities.

[23.43] The structure of an effective coaching conversation.

[25.20] What initiates good questions?

[30.01] Asking natural questions.

[32.35] Improvement requires intentionality and time.

[34.22] What makes a good listener and how to stay focused on a conversation?

[40.06] The first 90 days of a newly promoted leader.

[43.33] A leader’s ability to watch people grow.

[47.11] Who is Jake?

TIPS AND TOOLS TO IMPLEMENT TODAY

1. A leader should be someone who genuinely has a great interest in the success of those who work under them.

2. A leader should have the ability to switch between command & control and coaching.

3. Leadership is a skill that needs to be taught.

4. Allowing troublesome people no matter how much of a high performer they are, will eventually sink your culture.

5. Uncomfortable questions typically lead to a stronger relationship through conversation.

6. Improvement requires intentionality.

Are people problems eroding your company's profits? Discover proven strategies to lead, strategize, and sell effectively, ensuring your projects stay profitable. Elevate your construction business by purchasing Construction Genius: Effective, Hands-On, Practical, Simple, No-BS Leadership, Strategy, Sales, and Marketing Advice for Construction Companies today and turn your people problems into profit!: https://www.amazon.com/Construction-Genius-Effective-Hands-Leadership/dp/B0BHTRDY1T/

Is an executive or leader in your company struggling? Reach out to Eric to discuss how his transformative executive approach can help. Schedule a 10 minute call with Eric today to learn more: 10minuteswitheric.youcanbook.me

RESOURCES

Connect with Jake

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/jakethompsonspeaks/

Instagram - instagram.com/jakethompsonspeaks/

Website - competeeveryday.com/

jakeathompson.com/

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

By Michael Bungay Stanier

amazon.com/Coaching-Habit-Less-Change-Forever/dp/0978440749