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The best person on a �鶹��ýӳ�� site may not be the ideal choice for its next leader.

Graham Construction operational lead Tariq Shobad cautioned while a leadership role is often the next step up the promotion ladder, it isn’t always the best fit for either workers or management.

He made the remarks at a talk titled Promoting Your Best Worker is a Mistake held at the Vancouver Regional Construction Association’s inaugural BUILDFest trade show on Sept. 24.

“There are simply too many personalities to put everyone into the same box. For us to expect everyone to want to strive towards the same goal of a leadership role, which is ultimately the only path to take, is unreasonable,” Shobad said.

“There are going to be people who excel in a particular role and will then be stuck with no advancement. If all you’re holding them to is holding them to the same standard that everyone is destined to or even cares about, I think it’s unfair.”

Thrusting workers unprepared into leadership positions also affects the bottom line and can increase project costs, he said.

“If they’re trying to figure out the schedule, aren’t able to issue clear instructions and the job finishes late, that all adds to costs,” Shobad said.

“There’s also intangible costs like low morale. The crew might not bring it up because nothing changes, so they put heads down and go home. This leads to increased turnover and the people who leave are your best people who have (other employment) options.

“A person put in this leadership role isn’t used to any of the skills required to lead a crew. They’ve been focused on the tools for the majority of their career, so now to adjust your thinking from task-based to more project-focused, thinking ahead and anticipating problems takes time,” he said.

“It also takes someone to educate them how to do it or they have to figure it out for themselves at the expense of their crew, their company and everything associated with that.”

He added there’s no shame in declining promotion to a leadership position, but employees often feel they don’t have any other career path.

“The reason there’s so much shame is there isn’t a trial period where you identify someone who’s ready to move forward,” he said. “For them to then realize this isn’t for me, it’s effectively a demotion to go back on the tools and there’s a certain stigma attached to it.”

Shobad said while the �鶹��ýӳ�� industry has tickets for traffic control, crane operators and above all safety there isn’t a formal training process or mentorship for leadership beyond “a course in some hotel conference room with a binder they’ll never open again.”

He added he’s started a cohort program for site leaders who are looking to learn new leadership skills.

“We’ll do weekly sessions virtually so they can do it from their site, but very targeted and specific to the work they do. Because it’s a cohort everyone progresses at the same pace and is in a group chat where they can troubleshoot together,” Shobad said.

He suggested adopting the concept of “mastership” where employees that excel can take on a mentorship role that draws on their onsite expertise rather than funneling them into a leadership position.

“The key is letting them enjoy doing what they’re good at while advancing meaningfully in their career. Client confidence increases and if you deliver and if the quality is top notch the client wants you back for the next project,” Shobad said.