ForConstructionPros.com

Contractors are always looking for that next supervisor. Always! In more than 20 years in the consulting field, most of that to the construction industry, I’ve never seen a let-up in owners and senior leaders discussing where they will get their next supervisor or crew foreman.

Leadership is simply high in demand and low in supply. Promoting your best technical worker to a supervisory position has left many contractors regretting the move. Why? Because not every superstar worker is a lock to be a superstar field leader. While you certainly want your supervisors to be knowledgeable, they do not have to be the smartest worker you have. Likewise, they do not have to be the best craftsman, operator, driver, etc.

Then how do you find the right individual to be a supervisor? And if you are lucky enough to find the right individual, how do you train them to be fully prepared for the increased responsibilities? We will address both questions in this article.

Finding ‘Mr. Right’

It is often difficult to see some employees as possible leadership material. And just as often the individuals who may be interested in becoming a supervisor are either not to the contractor’s liking or is perhaps just wanting to be viewed as more important than the rest of the workers. Sometimes the employee who broadcasts his desire to be a supervisor simply wants a pay raise.

Interestingly enough, my experience over the past several years has been that many of the better construction supervisors were not politicking for the position. In fact, the extremes of emotions found varied from an employee interested in the promotion after being invited to think about it to the employee who really has no interest at all in becoming a supervisor. What’s a contractor to do?