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The following article originally appeared in the July newsletter to clients of Kiley Advisors, LLC. Reprinted with permission.This article continues the discussion of succession planning, reinforcing that it is the hallmark of all successful organizations, and that it is an inherent responsibility of senior leaders to ensure successors are in place for continuity and survival.Last month we discussed identifying your talent pool, particularly your high-potentials and then assigning coaches and mentors as appropriate. In this article, we will discuss methods of preparing those selected, in coordination their coaching and mentoring.The most proven method is to give them experiences that are directly related to the challenges they will face in their next role.
Reshaping the Construction Industry
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The following article was originally published by Forbes and authored by Jennifer Latson. Reprinted with permission.While the Houston metro-area boasts one of the fastest growing economies in the U.S., nearly 855,000 Houstonians aged 25 and older do not have the minimum credentials for middle skills jobs.1 Lone Star College, a growing contributor to the Houston economy, recognized this challenge and partnered with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to pioneer a groundbreaking program to match the needs of local employers with the aspirations of potential employees.
July 30, 2015
Interview with Ronnie White, a construction project manager for Force Corporation, an industrial construction company that provides Construction, Railroad and Maintenance services in TX and LA.
July 29, 2015
KPMG International, the accounting and consultancy firm, has published its Global Construction Owner’s Survey for 2015 entitled “Climbing the Curve”. This is the ninth edition of the survey in which the KPMG construction specialists survey 100 project owners worldwide to determine their current and emerging issues in their interactions with construction firms and their contractors on their projects.According to Construction Dive, one of the most interesting findings in the study is that “only a third of owners responded that they have a high degree of trust with the contractors on their projects.” That reinforces the concept that trust is primary in the owner contractor relationship, especially on larger more complex projects. The survey reports that, “…there is, however, another way of looking at the results. Owners may want to stay closer to contractors because they do not fully trust them. Only a third believe they have a ‘high’ level of trust in their contractors, with 60 percent describing the degree of trust as merely moderate."
July 28, 2015
Most states add jobs for year but only half do in June; Dodge, AIA, RLB data look rosyEditor’s note: Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry.Seasonally adjusted construction employment rose in 39 states and the District of Columbia from June 2014 to June 2015 and declined in 11 states, an AGC analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released on Tuesday showed. California again added the most construction jobs (47,000 jobs, 7.0%), followed by Florida (25,200, 6.2%), Texas (18,900, 2.9%), Washington (15,300, 9.7%) and Michigan (14,000, 9.8%). Idaho again added the highest percentage of new construction jobs (13%, 4,600), followed by Nevada (11%, 7,000), Michigan, Arkansas (9.7%, 4,400) and Washington.)
July 27, 2015
This is a “heads up” for those of you who track possible new restrictions on your construction projects. The Tennessean reports that the residents of Nashville will vote on August 6th for or against the requirement that 40% of all construction jobs on publicly funded projects be reserved for local workers in the Nashville area.This law is modeled on the Cleveland model that has already been enacted and is currently being challenged in the courts. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has published a white paper on the enforceability of the “local” worker preference requirement that is informative, especially with so many transportation projects underway or in the pipeline.With the current shortage of skilled craft workers in the major cities of the US, we wonder whether this movement might slow down an already slow construction industry recovery.
July 24, 2015
A survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America will show that the biggest challenge faced by contractors is their ability to attract new craft professionals. That news comes to us from AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson as he tours the nation speaking to construction executives about the state of the economy. I caught up with Simonson, who is also a Construction Citizen author, when he was talking to contractors in Austin on Tuesday.In the survey of about 1,300 contractors, 83 percent said it is difficult to find craft professionals while 61 percent said it is hard to fill management positions like project managers and estimators.
July 23, 2015
Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) of Greater Houston presented the Safety Training and Evaluation Process (STEP) awards at the July ABC Membership Breakfast. The Greater Houston chapter has 70 contractor member companies who are participating in STEP - including 52 Diamond and Platinum level recipients, the highest of the program’s accolades.The STEP program was established in 1989 by the ABC National Environment, Health & Safety Committee. It was developed and written by contractors, for contractors. Participating in STEP provides contractors with an opportunity to measure their progress through a 20 Key Component self-evaluation to identify areas of improvement and benchmark performance with fellow ABC members. More specifically, the program:
July 23, 2015
“Jill Wells, an official of Engineers Against Poverty, an advocacy group in Britain, described the guidelines issued by CH2M as commendable. But, she said, the company’s actions were unlikely to have much practical impact because construction companies passed responsibility for worker welfare down to subcontractors.“What the main contractors do is pass the risk down the subcontracting chain, and it is the workers on the bottom of the chain” who bear it, Ms. Wells said.” (New York Times) The New York Times reported this week that the 2014 DLA Piper report on the mistreatment of workers on the construction sites for the 2022 World Cup has resulted in few changes even though the FIFA scandal and the concerns of Qatar were thought to bring about major changes.
July 22, 2015
Recently twelve junior high and high school aged girls participated in a three-day camp at Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, Virginia focused on introducing young women to careers in construction.Magic Camp: Mentoring a Girl in Construction exposed the girls to careers in several skilled trades including carpentry, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical. Representatives from heating and air conditioning giant TRANE brought equipment for demonstrations.WSLS-10 news anchor Dawn Jefferies reported:“Camp instructor Veronica Spradlin studied building construction at Virginia Tech. While there, she found guidance through the National Association of Women in Construction. She says she wants to offer other young girls the same.”
July 21, 2015
