Reflection 40: Leadership!

Client leadership was demonstrated throughout the week: from the commencement of a commissioned employee culture survey, to planning actions following a senior leadership team discussion, to taking prompt action following the identification of process and production gaps.

Being an effective business leader is not a natural process! It takes time to gain knowledge and to develop insight into human behaviour as well as, of course, business acumen. Perhaps the biggest virtue is courage: knowing when and how to act without knowing whether the desired outcome will materialise.

We see what we aim at, surely? To stay on that path, a good dose of discipline is required. This becomes difficult to maintain when the noise of other business pressures obscures the target. If the target is obscured, we can no longer see clearly what we are aiming at; our presence of mind, for a moment or for longer, is lost and has to be regained!

Leadership is not solely about the numbers; it is about developing people so that they can become the best versions of themselves in the role they undertake. For us, a good leader is one who understands the value of empowerment and who can offer the right support for people to develop their skills and confidence within a business.

This week, some of our client teams witnessed this approach directly. We are honoured to be part of these teams.

Let’s dive in!

Monday — Client Day & Project Support

The week started with a client day for one of the team. The purpose? To conduct a series of face-to-face interviews to understand how employees perceive themselves within the business. It was an enlightening day, with a positive theme emerging and a consistent dip identified for one response. With the provisional results returned, we now know what we need to be aiming at.

We were also engaged with a client in the preparation of Health and Safety Files and assisted another in clarifying what CDM and BSA duties look like in practice.

Tuesday — Compliance Tour & Senior Leadership Meeting

We were out on site in Berkshire carrying out a compliance tour on a new build house. This required some logistical planning: a train, then a cycle ride along a canal towpath!

We also spent the morning with a client’s senior leadership team, discussing the points that matter in the drive for continual improvement across all business sectors. A good meeting, with the notes written up and issued by the close of the day for consideration and agreement of next steps.

Wednesday — Site Compliance Tours & Office Day

Two sites were toured in the county for the same client, both very different. The first, in a rural location, is a shell and core construction following the erection of a bat hotel. It is in its site set-up phase, so this was a meet and greet with the site and construction manager. The second, a city centre community refurbishment project for a Local Authority, is now gathering momentum, with the strip-out complete. Both teams demonstrated a positive result; any gaps identified were discussed with the teams, along with the measures to close them.

The remainder of the day was spent preparing the reports of inspection and carrying out a number of client duties, including CDM coordination and continued assistance with the development of safe systems of work.

Thursday — Incident Investigation & Training Development

The day started with one of the team visiting a site to conduct an incident investigation. There are many opportunities within the process to make sure the full facts have been obtained and understood. Without this, the root cause may not be fully understood, leading to the wrong measures being applied to close the gap and prevent a recurrence.

This is where the discipline and courage described above are tested. Leadership courage is sometimes needed to make sure the process is followed, so that an accurate conclusion and recommendations can be reached. Just as with an obscured target, if the facts are obscured, we will be on the wrong path, and that can have far-reaching consequences.

We were also engaged in redrafting a CITB SSSTS course presentation following updates to the course and continued with a myriad of other client compliance tasks.

Friday — Client Briefing & Office Day

An early start and a client team briefing to communicate the immediate findings of the week’s earlier incident and the subsequent investigation. This provided the opportunity to discuss the events as a team and to answer any questions. A positive way to start the day.

The rest of the day was office-based: a regular Friday mop-up, and time for the team to discuss the week’s events and finalise plans for the week ahead.

Closing thought — How do we determine if our leadership is successful?

For those of a certain vintage, you may remember the comedian Spike Milligan; for those who do not, search for him on YouTube! In an interview in the late eighties or early nineties, he was asked what success meant to him. His immediate answer was “my children still love me”. Perhaps we can all take something from this, not directly, but there is certainly a leadership message within it. People matter. Create the space for them to grow and to fulfil their potential; nurture them!

Perhaps the measure of our leadership is not found in the numbers alone, but in the people around us: whether they speak up when something is not right, whether they grow in confidence and capability, and whether they would choose to work with us again. We saw this throughout the week: a client listening to how its people feel, a senior team prepared to act on what it heard, and a site team briefed openly and honestly within days of an incident.

None of this happens by accident. It takes courage to ask the questions, discipline to keep the target in sight when the noise builds, and the humility to accept that the answers may not be the ones we hoped for.

So, what’s one sign that tells you your leadership is working?