Construction Curiosities #69
A-Companies Attract A-Players
Hey! Happy Saturday! Matt here.
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This weekly Newsletter explores my Curiosities about the Construction Industry. It's meant to make you think, smile, and become a better, more thoughtful Construction Professional.
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Summary
This week we will look at:
One Guest Post: A-Companies Attract A-Players
One Article: ConTech Conversations
One Meme: T&M Turtling
One Guest Post
4 weeks down, and here’s another one!
This week’s guest author is Luke Hill, Senior Partner/Director of Veteran Talent Services at Joseph Chris Partners Executive Search. But I like to think CM Mentors episode 26 put him on the map. 😂
By the nature of his job, Luke talks to a lot of contractors and has a pulse on what it takes to be an A-Company and Attract those coveted A-Players.
Take it away Luke:
A-Companies Attract A-Players
It’s no secret that hiring is hard. Especially in the construction industry. According to the Associated General Contractors of America: “…an overwhelming 80 percent [of responding contractors] report they are having a hard time filling some or all salaried or hourly positions.” Combine that with the current labor shortage and the future projections for that shortage, and we are on the edge of a HUGE problem.
But there is good news: There are things that you can do that will help you not just win top talent, but also attract the next generation of industry leaders to join your team. It won’t be immediate, and it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.
First, let’s talk about what we mean by “A-Players” in construction. Anytime I hear that term, my mind comes back to this quote: “If you have to ask them to help carry the bricks, they aren’t the ones to build with.” A-Players are not solely defined by their resumes and project lists; it’s important they have the right experience to fit your team’s market segments, but it’s just as important that they believe in the mission and the values of your organization. When you have someone who has that kind of buy-in, they will gladly help to “carry the bricks” and drive the mission forward. So, how do you get A-players on your team? You need to become what I call an “A-Company”.
A-Companies are the ones who stand out from the crowd. They attract great people, and they hang on to them! That doesn’t happen by accident. A-Companies put a lot of work into achieving this coveted status. Below are some of the differences that set A-Companies apart from B- and C-Companies:
A-Companies have strong cultures, with a clearly communicated mission, where the team feels supported and feels their impact on the organization. An employee who knows how they are driving the impact on the business will work hard to maximize that impact.
A-Companies offer their employees true opportunities to grow, learn, and advance in their careers, and pay employees fairly. When you invest in an employee, and give them the chance to learn, and to grow towards their goals, you build their trust in you and their loyalty to stay – not mention, when you invest in their learning and development, you are investing in making your company better!
A-Companies build strong partnerships and relationships with their clients, vendors, trade partners, and their people. When your partnerships are built on trust and taking care of people, it creates repeat clients and strong relationships, all of which shine through and will make people want to join your team.
A-Companies have strong branding that communicates their strengths, their cultures, and their values to anyone who sees it. No one will want to join you if they don’t know who you are! (If you are looking for some strong marketing and branding advice, check out Jonathan Cor on LinkedIn)
A-Companies proactively seek out talented professionals who can make an impact on their teams. The top talent in the industry isn’t usually actively looking for their next position, so that means that you are going to have to either have strong relationships with people who can be an impact player, put in the hard work to find those hidden gems, or hire a qualified search firm to help you!
Second, let’s talk about attracting and building the next generation of construction talent. There is a lot of information that gets thrown around about the talent gap or trade gap in the construction industry, and it's very easy to point fingers at "young people not wanting to work", the education system only pushing college, or society in general. The reality is that it's a very complex matter and that it is going to come down to us who are currently working in the industry to solve it.
Peter Parizo, who works in Workforce Development at Sargent, had a great post on LinkedIn recently that showcased a crew composed of young adults building something amazing, and he highlighted that we as the professionals who make up this industry have to "be the ones to go find them, meet them where they are, and SHOW them what is possible."
This is such a great example showing that the narrative around “Millenials/Gen Z not wanting to work” is flawed. If we want to change what is happening with the labor shortage, it’s going to be up to us working in the industry to drive that change. A few strategies that I’ve seen implemented are:
Forge relationships with School districts and CTE Programs to give kids exposure to the industry. Arrange site visits or go to career day events and bring interactive demonstrations that will give people a taste of how fun construction can be. A huge problem is simply the lack of awareness; I can count on one hand the number of construction firms I saw in my high school job fairs.
Get involved in community events and have safe, interactive displays of what you do. For example, my local fire department and sheriff constable's office participate in a lot of community events that allow kids to check out their trucks and patrol cars, watch demonstrations of using a fire hydrant, or see a K-9 in action. These might not land with everyone, but they really excite some of those students and can help get them interested!
Creating and sharing content showing off your projects and your work and putting it on social media sites where the next generation will see it. That means TikTok and Instagram. Don’t forget to highlight what possibilities there are for growth and advancement on your team!
Connect with Veteran Service Organizations and military Transition Assistance Programs to get in front of Veterans to show them what is possible in a career in construction.
Applying these strategies will be tough, but putting in the work to start addressing these problems is worth it. Start with ensuring that you have built your company into an “A-Company”, that target employer where people want to work and grow. Once you are at that level, attracting great people, and developing them into leaders, you can get serious about helping to bring some new life into the industry. And if we as construction professionals can do this at scale, we might just start to correct the course.
Appreciate you sharing your insights Luke!
If you want to get in touch with Luke or check out his Podcast head here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukehillconstructionrecruiter/
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/off-the-hook-with-erica-and-luke
…………
I’m looking for more guest articles and will keep this series going as long as folks wanna play!
Want to get your article gif-ified? Shoot me an email at matt@constructionyeti.com.
One Article
ConTech Conversations: It’s okay to be a fast follower
“We are all-in on innovation. Our CEO, John Fish, is very passionate about the topic. He really believes that due to a confluence of forces, innovation is thriving in the construction industry right now. And he doesn’t want to dabble — he wants to go at it and make sure that we can capture the value that some of these innovative technologies bring.”
One Meme
