I have the honor of working with Construction Engineers who have done exceptionally well in their careers. Their drive, smarts and results-orientation have earned them the respect of their employers.  These savvy, proactive individuals reach out to me directly, or their managers and human resources partners contact me on their behalf.  I notice that the two most common times to seek a coaching relationship are:

 

1.  “We Need to Invest In this Engineer and Ramp Him/Her Up Fast!”

 

The organization has identified an Engineer as a high-potential individual who appears to have the capacity to progress considerably further with their leadership.  Retention is a concern; the company wants to demonstrate commitment to the developing Engineer.  Often there is also a leadership talent shortage in the company and the additional pressure of upcoming leadership retirements.  The company wants to invest in such Engineers to ensure their efficient progress and provide them with a professional Coach to both challenge and support their accountability for development. 

 

These employers recognize that one-off training is not the way to best achieve true leadership development.  They appreciate that Training is best reinforced with regular, ongoing and deliberate steps over time, with the feedback loop provided by coaching.

 

2.  “This Leadership Stuff is All About People!”

 

Inevitably, it seems, there comes a point when the approaches that help the Engineer to successfully earn his or her way toward a Project Management role suddenly start falling short of what’s required for effective engagement of a team.   Progress beyond this level seems to require both letting go of some previously-emphasized skills and building new ones.  The job suddenly seems to be all about the people, not the structures.   My coaching clients are looking for techniques to add to their tool kit.  They want to find ways to more effectively connect with their teams, get things done well through others and be motivational in their communications, all while achieving breakthrough business results.  Coaching supports these shifts.

 

This same dynamic is common at other key career progression stages on the way to appointment to C-suite positions.  Effective performance at the new level after promotion involves letting-go of some behaviors and picking-up differentiating new ones.  

 

I have coached over 300 construction sector leaders, at all levels, throughout North America, in privately-held and publicly traded companies of wide-ranging size.