It seems in the last few years I have been in a number of conversations and read any number of articles relating to the lack of qualified individuals interested in or entering the construction field. I am sure this is not news to you, if you hold any type of position where your responsible for hiring new talent you are very aware that the qualified candidates entering the field or available on the bench are just non-existent. So part of the problem is hiring new men or women to join your team, but what I believe is a bigger issue is how do we keep the team we have from leaving and going to the other guy.

If you look within your company you have a number of employees who have been around a few years, many have come up through the ranks and are really starting to show promise but just when all your hard work and training seems to be paying off they are suddenly turning in their two weeks and leaving for what they believe are greener pastures.

My question is why after around 4-6 years are we losing what may be the next level of leadership in the company. The possibilities may include a pay or a benefits gap between what you are paying and what the other guy is willing to pay, another may be leadership has not done a great job of laying out a road map or growth plan for this employee, or it may be a lack of a connection within the company, a lack of belonging. All of these issues could be solved with a individual Sr Level Mentor and a formal mentoring program.

If a relationship between leadership and the individual exists a stronger bond is developed, there is a realization that men don’t go to battle and sacrifice for the company they do it for their brother, their teammate, their friend.  So how do we create this relationship within our companies. Most often this bond is created over time, a few meals, a few events, a couple of challenges overcome. Some of this bond can be developed but mostly it needs to occur organically or it won’t last it wont be authentic.

This initially could start with a conversation about their family and their desire for their future and where they see their career in the next year, 3 and 5 years.  Then with this information a road map can be developed to help that individual achieve their goals.

The opportunity to check in a few times a quarter, a couple meals, and possibly an activity, will assist in this starting to bear fruit. The key to this type of relationship working is value, the employee must see value in the time they are investing and the Mentor must receive value as well. They each gain from this relationship, the employee gets to ask questions in a non-confrontational open environment, they are introduced to concepts that could take a individual decades to learn and the Mentor invests his time to see how their knowledge and investment will start to develop a new cadre of leaders.

So what if you have never mentored anyone you may not know what you can do or provide in terms of mentorship.

• By taking them to lunch or dinner, getting to know them and assisting them with mapping out their goals, you may find that the individual you are mentoring may not know exactly what they want or how to get there other than they want a better position and more money.
• Helping them to identify and find meaning in their job is a big part of this communication. What aspects of your job do you enjoy, what aspect is mundane, where do you feel most valuable at work and where do you feel the least. These questions and more are all part of the mentoring conversation that will help you guide their career decisions.
• Consider recommending books – there is a phenomenal amount of information available via books. Leadership, Persistence, Goal Setting  the options are limitless and the cost is very little. After reading the book you could get together and discuss what can be applied in their job to help achieve their goals.
• Introduce them to a blog or podcast that may help guide them along the way.
• A local course or conference could be provided with little effort but the important part as a mentor is following up and making sure there is understanding of what was learned and how to apply it to your job.
• If you are fortunate enough to have a number of individuals you are guiding you could consider setting up a master mind group of sorts allowing them to self answer questions and further create the glue keeping them in the company.
• Depending on availability, if you have access to game tickets, golf courses, fishing, or access to a hunting lease each of these are great team building opportunities, and allowing you a chance to experience life together.
• Most companies have picnics, volunteer projects, associations and the like, these are excellent opportunities for the mentor and the mentee to get together and serve in a program together further developing this bond.

The possibilities are limitless and costs can be managed to where it does not get out of hand but provides the right amount of value to both the Mentor and the Mentee. Also this does not need to be a un-ending commitment this relationship could last a few months to a couple years but at some point it may be time to move on and either pass this relationship off to another trusted mentor or as mentor you should be training the mentee in the art of becoming a good mentor and allowing them to carry the torch forward to the next level or employee.

What is the cost of a program like this and what is the value of retaining your best talent at the time where they are beginning to show promise. I am sure you know the cost of recruitment and training and that far exceeds the cost of keeping you current staff and minimizing staff turnover, improving moral and a family like bond for generations to come.

J. Hughes
Project Superintendent

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