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FOR A LONG TIME NOW leadership skills have been bandied about as being essential for the Construction industry to progress . Back in 1998 Sir John Egan reported that ‘ The industry must provide decent and safe working conditions and improve management and supervisory skills at all levels ’.

10 years later the Chartered Institute of Building ( CIOB ) published their ‘ Leadership in the Construction Industry ’ report which also highlighted that leadership is more than just deploying ‘ the so-called Hard Skills such as planning , directing , organising and keeping score ’. Since then , the industry has had a variety of initiatives , including Construction Commitments and Construction 2025 all pretty much focused on the fact that change was needed .

21st century research by academics and psychologists also defined leadership as having been an issue in construction . ‘ Traditional ’ leadership style in the industry has been based on technical skills with a focus on managing activity in order to complete projects , a more ‘ production-oriented rather than relationship-oriented style of management ’.

Construction has been talking about its need for leadership for at least three decades ( Latham , 1994 ) and the approach remains based on improving efficiency both in delivery and in procurement . But is this enough ?

What about communicating vision and employee engagement ? And what of leadership style ?

Experience and knowledge is key and we do know that in terms of leadership style , those with a ‘ transformational style ’ tend to focus much more on supporting , developing and motivating others in order to achieve greater success .

‘ Developing your EQ as leader helps you to recognize and handle your internal responses maintaining your effectiveness as you work towards achieving the business goals ’

Whereas , the transactional style of leadership which is customary in the industry is much more about ‘ command and control ’ in order to complete a project or achieve greater cost savings , retentions and supply chain control .

The very nature of the command and control style is about managing loss or avoidance of loss , whereas the nature of transformational leadership is about people and those people being engaged and motivated enough to pull out the stops to get the job over the line .

When you read anything that relates to improving skills , teams or leadership it is usually followed by a reference to ‘ Soft Skills ’ but what exactly does ‘ Soft Skills ’ mean ? And what impact can Soft Skills have on leadership ?

Soft Skills can have an enormous effect on getting things done . If you liken ‘ soft skills ’ to being the glue that enables people to relate , communicate , manage themselves and others then that is good place to start .

Many now believe that Emotional Intelligence ( EQ ) is fundamental to great leadership and as a subject or science has been increasing in popularity and recognition over the last 25 years or so particularly in relation to leadership .

One of the leading exponents of EQ is Daniel Goleman who writes that at higher levels , interpersonal abilities matter more than technical skills in setting star performers apart . Emotional Intelligence in leadership is about inspiring and motivating others to engage with your vision and mission .

Developing your EQ as leader helps you to recognize and handle your internal responses maintaining your effectiveness as you work towards achieving the business goals .

Another aspect of EQ is about recognizing and being sensitive to the emotional states of others and communicating in a way that doesn ’ t violate the relationship and encourages and motivates .

Jackie Casey

As a leader , knowing what triggers motivation at a ‘ below consciousness ’ level in yourself , employees and even clients adds invaluable information to any situation even those of a more personal nature , and only increases your effectiveness to influence and achieve organisational and personal goals .

EQ ’ s Daniel Goleman states that most leaders are hired on their technical ability and expertise but will be judged and fired based on their lack of emotional intelligence .

In the 2015 white paper published by Roffey Park , ‘ Building leadership capability in the construction sector ’ their findings clearly indicate that what troubles leaders right now and in the next 5 years relates to Leadership , People , Skills , Management and Employee engagement .

Effective leadership is important in any organisation because there is no escaping the fact that it is the people in an organisation who will deliver a leader ’ s vision . This means that the discretionary effort made by the workforce will undoubtedly depend on the level of relationship , respect and engagement that an organisation ’ s leader ( s ) has with its people .