The evolution of leadership in the construction sector

There is no doubt that businesses need to focus on their operational performance if they’re to continue to offer leading-edge solutions. However, success also relies on strategic leadership. With this in mind, Jeff Jones, CEO of Total Construction, and his executive management team regularly participate in workshops with TEC Group, an organisation that specialises in giving business leaders the tools and peer feedback to be more effective.

“Total Construction has had an ongoing involvement with TEC Group which dates back to one of our shareholders, Steve Taylor, joining over 15 years ago,” says Jeff. “It’s a way to instil robust thinking around business issues, and give clients a sense of confidence around things like governance and our ability to be pragmatically innovative. Sitting in a group of likeminded business leaders and being challenged about how the business is travelling and whether your solutions are plausible can be quite confronting but the benefits to an organisation’s performance are enormous.”

Jeff points to the usefulness of exposure to a host of different thinking from across diverse sectors, not just construction. “Having input from other sectors stops a leadership team’s conversation from being myopic. A broader world view helps us to see new ways to add value to the business and our clients’ experience.”

Total Construction already has a strong commitment to investing in its people at every level, including senior management but, according to Jeff, it’s not just about growing the bottom line. “It’s about being more than just a normal building company. The input from TEC Group helps us to be a sophisticated organisation with the ability to achieve smarter solutions and better project outcomes. Having a group of peers with whom we can discuss issues and see things from different perspectives is a way of staying grounded and always remembering what’s important – focussing on customer benefits and addressing customer pain points.”