Download - 080813 Strategic Planning
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1/524 | Construction EXECUTIVE August 2013
Contractors are accustomed to following very detailed construc-
tion plans, but sometimes lack the same detail in business plans.
One area that often is overlooked is leadership development. But
as the following companies attest, a structured plan is essential
for creating future leaders.
PAYSOFF
A PLAN THAT
CONTRACTORS VIEW
LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT AS A
LONG-TERM BUSINESS
INVESTMENT
B Y J E S S I C A P O R T E R
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26 | Construction EXECUTIVE August 2013
A PLAN THATPAYS OFF
KBR first identifies employees at alllevels of the company who could be futureleaders and designates them as highpotentials.
They usually are good communica-tors. They dont necessarily yield positionalpower but demonstrate personal power.
They are the ones people go to for advice,Clark says.
Ten percent of the workforce is iden-tified as high potential and is in devel-opment at all times. KBR gives theseemployees stickers and patches to put ontheir gear as recognition, and hopefully toinspire other employees to show leadershippotential as well.
KBR determines high potentials throughobservation and communications withleadership. It looks for employees who
are punctual, have a strong work ethic,communicate well, know multiple craftsand exhibit a commitment to workforcedevelopment.
High-potential journeymen go througha 16-hour course on crew leadership andmust be NCCER certified. Then they
begin front-line leadership training thatcombines NCCERs project supervisioncourse and KBRs curriculum.
KBR always has a queue of employeesin this stage of training who are used astemporary supervisors. It holds work shut-downs and turn-arounds (when a project isshut down and hundreds of outside work-ers are brought in to meet an expressedschedule for an accelerated project), during
which the temporary supervisors are put incharge and monitored by KBR leadership.
Once employees become front-linesupervisors, they begin training for higherlevels of responsibility, including proj-ect management, planning and schedul-ing, cost control and negotiations. Theemployees then begin KBR University,an in-house program that teaches project
managers client-focused communicationand negotiation techniques.
The entire process takes about 10 years,but varies by employee. Though time con-suming, KBR found that adults learn bestby applying what they learn, so it breaksdown the training into modules followedby practicing the material in the field. Todetermine whether an employee is readyto move onto the next step, supervisorsevaluate the workers productivity rateusing tools developed by KBR.
The KBR Leadership Academy trains high-potential employees to take on additional responsibilitiesfrom becoming a front-line supervisor to
scheduling projects and negotiating with clients.
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employee might go to their manager andsay hey, theres a seminar I would love totake, Snyder says. Its based on aptitudeand whether the employees manager thinksthey can take on more responsibility.
Ruppert Landscape also assigns men-tors to employees on an as-needed basis.This tactic is being used to enhance theskills of the next generation of Ruppertfamily members and help them develop abroader perspective of the company.
The company has enough businesssavvy to not just assume those people willbe the next top leaders, Snyder says. Thementoring approach makes sure they area good fit for the company, just like anyother employee, and makes sure they areprepared with the necessary skills.
Additionally, Ruppert Landscape occa-sionally takes its top management teamto tour different companies so they cansee how processes such as research, devel-opment and hiring are done elsewhere.Over the years, they have visited dozens ofcompanies such as District Photo, UnderArmour and even a dairy farm.
We want people to keep their anten-nas up to see what other companies doto set themselves apart, Snyder says. Itopens peoples minds to other possibilities.When you see businesses that are totallyunrelated to what you do, you get morevalue on a strategic level versus a practicallevel.
Ruppert Landscape encourages em-ployees to be directly involved with
charitable giving. Five percent of the com-panys profits are allocated to charities,with 3 percent directed by corporate and2 percent going to organizations selectedby branch employees.
It feels good to know the profit yourcompany makes goes to a cause you sup-port, Snyder says. In many ways, it makesemployees proud of where they work andmore committed to the company.
Ruppert Landscape also works hard
to find new talent through its internshipprogram. It recruits up to 15 interns per
year from colleges throughout the countrywho major in subjects such as landscapemanagement, landscape construction, con-struction management and business.
We look for someone who is willingto get out of their comfort zone, workswell with others and has the ability toovercome challenges and keep growing,Snyder says.
The company matches interns withemployees related to their majors, as wellas employees who can provide an overallperspective of the company so they geta well-rounded experience. For interns
who prove to be a good fit, employment isoffered after graduation. Approximately50 percent of interns accept full-timepositions.
Jessica Porter is staff writer of Construction
Executive. For more information, email
[email protected], visit www.construction
exec.org or follow @ConstructionMag.
Ruppert
Landscape
encourages
employees to
participate in
community
service
activities.