Why All the Fuss About “Jobsite Leadership”

If there is one theme that we are hearing over and over, it is that the construction workforce isn’t getting any younger.

It is estimated that the average person working in the trades is in his or her late 40s. That would be a great statistic if we were in the health care field, but being in construction, it is scary to think that in the next few years, we are going to lose a lot of great talent due to retirement.

Whether we like to think about it or not, we are going to have to rely on the next generation of workers to start leading our companies. There is going to be a large demand for replacement leadership in a short amount of time, so we are going to have to work on developing people faster and more efficiently.

Some people are obvious leaders from day one, but many take much more mentoring and coaching before they will have the necessary skills to make tough decisions and to gain the respect of others.

Some of our members are taking this idea of the shift of power into consideration, because at the ABC of Wisconsin Convention last week, over 70 people were in attendance at the “Becoming a Jobsite Leader in the Construction Industry” day-long class. In fact, the waiting list was long enough to create a second section that will be offered on March 14th in Madison. Foremen, Supervisors, and Superintendents can all benefit from tips on how to make them more effective and productive leaders.

Maybe someday we will find the fountain of youth and our workforce will stop aging, but in the meantime, we need to make sure that we prepare ourselves and our companies for a successful future and strong leaders.

There are still openings for the March 14th “Becoming a Jobsite Leader in the Construction Industry” class. More information, click here.