The joys of management...

So one of my last posts was about hiring and the debate between those who are easily offended. As a bit of background to that, a friend had recently gone through it - as an employer and not within the construction industry - which is where this all started.

In terms of LinkedIn. It was a relatively low interactive post online. In person though.... my phone lit up and people wanted to talk about it when they saw me. It was mostly different professions as well if I think about it, structural engineering must be a hobby for them - but needless to say there's been a lot of further good chats on this so I figured I'd do a better follow up for the sake of all those who have reached out and try clear up some thinking on this. We're also widening the net on this to include interactions with all personnel within a work environment.

In short. There are 2 considerations.

- I change. Or.

- The Law changes.

The lawyers I’ve spoken to (friends or colleagues) have all agreed with the sentiment. But warn that you would loose in terms of calling someone an idiot. Speaking to the actual people I work with and they assure me I've been pretty mellow these days and even if I might be thinking about calling them an idiot, I haven't done - which is good to know.

One finance professional gave a great bit of advice on this and told me that his boss always used to ask him 'what was it I wanted you to do? Ok, so now explain to me why you did what you did' - he's stolen it from his boss and I'm now in turn going to steal it from him.

The guys I spoken to in large multi-national companies - 1000s of employees or more - all told me it was prevalent in their companies, as in the act of being careful with your language otherwise you could loose your job. There did seem to be a general consensus that those who rose to the top of the ladder could navigate these waters really well and it came across that these people were admired and respected for that trait.

The other thing I noticed was the industry. The large corporate guys were already within an industry where for the large part everyone was highly educated, there were expectations to dress smartly and carry yourself in a certain way - which we don't have in construction to the same degree. You've got site guys shouting at you, design and client meetings all with entirely different tones and approaches and most of the time you're in a meeting with all of those people trying to communicate in the best manner you can.

I think it’s another growth curve in being a mentor and being professional, and its very one sided. The person being trained or the person on the opposite side of a design table don't appreciate the consequences of their actions, they want and need to make their own mistakes to appreciate the risks involved and being able to bite your lip, take a breath and not scream when you see they've done something stupid - that's an effort.

And in all fairness when I've sat in meetings and seen this first hand as a third party, its quite often the Architect having to maintain their cool over a contractor who doesn't understand the design and comes from the school of 'we've always done it that way' (that's another post on its own), and I've always respected the guys for keeping their cool when that happens - so there's that to take on board too.

Consequence was briefly discussed with some people on that point. For example, I'm offended on behalf of the 100 people or more that I'm designing a building for who expect the building they work or live in to be safe. And I carry that responsibility. If I say the wrong thing and upset someone (not intentionally) through a flippant comment where I wasn't thinking, then their feelings become more important that the consequences of their actions - I think this is the crux of the argument.

But. That then leads us onto bullying. I was asked what I would change in the law to stop this happening. How do you stop work place bullying? How do you stop bully’s at work? And a close friend said. It’s a very very very thin needle you’re trying to thread between bullying (as the law dictates) and structural safety as you call it.

I’m not interested in threading the needle. My first and foremost concern is structural safety. Always have had been. Always will be. How to get the implications of that across to someone without scaring the bejesus out of someone is difficult. Without using swear words (not fun, but fine! I'll try). Without calling them out….neigh on impossible but I appreciate it has been done.

My problem is my trainers always challenged me in the manner that I am right now which isn’t acceptable in todays standards and speaking across the industries it seem that we’re probably the last generation of tough love having to teach in a new form that isn’t that.

If I want to be better then I need to be better. It’s easy to sit back and be offended by non-sufficient work. But thinking about those corporate guys bosses who are revered so much, I think its the fact that they don't take offence but still demonstrate that they do care which sets them apart.

Communication is a skill.

Just want to say a massive thanks for the friends and colleagues (and strangers) who chipped in and offered their thoughts and opinions. Completely understand them not wanting to share their thoughts publicly - there is a stigma attached to this and you do have to be careful what you say, so it's completely understandable.

In the end we all kinda of echoed the same sentiments but agreed it all starts and ends with yourself. The odd flippant comment will probably get you in trouble, but as long as its not demonstrated to be a trend (bullying), you're generally going to be ok and just try not to do it again.

Technical is easy. Its the management which is tough.